Ronnie O’Sullivan cruises to Champion of Champions semi-final with victory over Zhao Xintong

Ronnie O’Sullivan cruised to the Champion of Champions semi-final, beating Zhao Xintong 6-1 at the University of Bolton Stadium.

Zhao, who did not particularly impress in his earlier victory against Mink Nutcharut, struggled from the very first frame, giving the Rocket plenty of table time to do what he does best. Early on, Zhao found a red, sent a pink to the green pocket and then missed a cut to the right corner, a pot that he seemingly perfected last season, allowing O’Sullivan to then take the first frame with ease.

It was clear that Zhao needed to pot better if he were to make this competitive, but in the second frame, an outrageous O’Sullivan fluke saw him attempt a long red to the right corner, which he missed. But, in the process, a different red sunk on the left allowing him to continue.

When Zhao finally got the opportunity at the table, he missed a simple black to the right corner. He stared in disbelief for a few moments before O’Sullivan wrapped things up, winning the second frame. A fantastic break in the third saw the World Champion hit over a century, with a total clearance of 129, putting him up 3-0.

The fourth frame saw the same story told as Zhao had an opportunity to interrupt some of the Rocket’s table time, but once again, it seemed the occasion got to him as he missed a ball along the black cushion, giving O’Sullivan the 4-0 lead before half-time.

It seemed that Zhao was able to collect his thoughts at the break, as he came out looking much better than in the previous four frames. He started well, sinking a red in the left middle and getting a brown. After O’Sullivan uncharacteristically missed a red into the left corner, Zhao was back at the table, breaking the last two reds and winning the fifth frame with 92 points.

O’Sullivan resumed his dominance, taking the sixth frame. Zhao had one final oppurtunity to extend the match, but once again proved that it just wasn’t his night, with the 25-year-old guiding a red and a black before missing once again allowing O’Sullivan to take the final frame. The Rocket finished the night with a 96% pot success to take the victory in the quarter-finals.

With the win, O’Sullivan will now face off against Fan Zhengyi in a must-see match. Fan shockingly beat O’Sullivan 10-9 earlier this year in the final of the 2022 European Masters, the 21-year-old winning his first ranking title.