Ronnie O’Sullivan secured a spot in the semi-finals of the UK Championship after a nail-biting encounter with Zhou Yuelong in York. Despite losing control of a 3-0 lead, O’Sullivan prevailed in a decider, clinching a 6-5 victory.

The Rocket showcased his brilliance early on, taking a commanding 3-0 lead with a century in the best-of-11 contest. However, uncharacteristic errors crept into O’Sullivan’s game, allowing Zhou to mount a comeback. Zhou leveled the scores at 4-4 and surged ahead 5-4, putting O’Sullivan under pressure.

In a dramatic turn of events, O’Sullivan forced the quarter-final into a decider and sealed the win with another century, setting up a semi-final clash on Saturday. O’Sullivan, a seven-time UK Championship winner, expressed his frustration with his performance but acknowledged the lack of pressure in the final frames.

“Just technically all over the gaff. Just out of desperation I started to play alright but I was going through the motions and was plodding away, just awful,” O’Sullivan remarked. “I was so frustrated and disappointed with the way I played that I didn’t even feel any pressure because there was nothing to be nervous about. I deserved to lose; he was playing the better snooker towards the business end of the match.”

In the semi-finals, O’Sullivan will face Iran’s Hossein Vafaei, who secured a 6-4 victory over Zhang Anda. O’Sullivan, aiming for his eighth UK Championship title, is set to encounter a tough battle as he navigates the latter stages of the tournament.