:01:10. > :01:38.This time last week Rodney Sullivan the defending champion was the star
:01:39. > :01:47.attraction on D1 -- Ronnie or Sullivan. He is certainly not having
:01:48. > :01:49.it all his own way. Against Joe Perry who came into the deciding
:01:50. > :01:56.session this morning watched by Steve Davis at 9-7. Ronnie has not
:01:57. > :02:03.been ahead at any point in this match. It looked as though he was
:02:04. > :02:10.going to level. A very strange thing happened. Ronnie was trying to
:02:11. > :02:19.escape from a snooker and then he called a foul on himself. It did not
:02:20. > :02:27.look at their feet touched the brown -- as if he touched. Perhaps as he
:02:28. > :02:30.felt it back he felt as if he touched the cue ball and touched it
:02:31. > :02:38.again, so he called a foul on himself. They're the honourable, but
:02:39. > :02:47.Joe Perry cleaned up. The game of cat and mouse continued. He's
:02:48. > :02:52.changed situation. It looked as if Ronnie did all the work here. Prime
:02:53. > :02:56.position. Usually what you do if you're not sure of the situation is
:02:57. > :03:04.you get up and start again. He did not and he paid the price. At the
:03:05. > :03:11.end of Joe Perry had the two frame advantage. It was getting very
:03:12. > :03:25.tense. Let us get into the 22nd frame.
:03:26. > :04:01.Joe Perry has caught the red back on the way up.
:04:02. > :04:08.There is lots of pressure. Can he make the most of the chance? This is
:04:09. > :04:17.a defining moment in his career. He has a chance to go with them one
:04:18. > :04:56.frame of the quarterfinal. He is looking very comfortable so
:04:57. > :04:57.far. This is the sort of positions he has been scoring from in this
:04:58. > :05:23.match. He is quite quick, nobody is as
:05:24. > :05:50.quick as or Sullivan -- Ronnie O'Sullivan.
:05:51. > :05:56.Right in the heart of the pocket. Not perfect on the blue by any
:05:57. > :07:17.means. He is going to need a couple of
:07:18. > :07:34.these four red macs. He has left himself an angle.
:07:35. > :07:45.That was always a danger. He just missed the pain, but he caught the
:07:46. > :08:19.red. -- the pink. He seemed to play the double. He has
:08:20. > :08:34.put one red out of commission. I can see why he played it.
:08:35. > :08:50.As it gets closer to the winning line, these shots get more
:08:51. > :08:51.difficult. A bit short of pace. It is a tough one and he needs to get
:08:52. > :09:23.it. If he goes for it. Where is the red going? It has just
:09:24. > :10:38.bounced enough, but there is a red one to the middle. Asking for the
:10:39. > :10:39.cue ball to be cleaned. It was a shot that was every value in going
:10:40. > :11:00.for. It just about went in. Nice kiss. He
:11:01. > :11:10.was lucky to get the full ball kiss on the red.
:11:11. > :11:19.It is not a straightforward frame-winning chance. At this stage
:11:20. > :11:29.of the match, you take nothing for granted, no matter who you are. He
:11:30. > :11:41.is not a certainty to win the frame at this visit. The adjacent red will
:11:42. > :11:55.not necessarily pot into the middle pocket, so Ronnie trying to bring it
:11:56. > :11:59.into play. He has a red near the collision that he can play on. --
:12:00. > :12:18.cushion. Ronnie purposefully playing on the
:12:19. > :12:46.pink. He probably played it at that pace
:12:47. > :12:57.so if he did not get the cannon he still had a chance at a pot.
:12:58. > :13:03.He could not do much with the cue ball. He had to leave it close to
:13:04. > :13:41.the collision, which is not ideal. Not easy when you have lost
:13:42. > :13:52.position, and Joe Perry is thinking it might have gone.
:13:53. > :13:56.The way he floated that yellow in, you would not think there was any
:13:57. > :14:17.pressure. And other tremendous effort from
:14:18. > :14:33.Ronnie. 11 frames each. All square for the first time since
:14:34. > :14:38.the second frame in this match. It is a test of character and cueing.
:14:39. > :15:49.Into frame 23. He queued that beautifully. Need to
:15:50. > :16:21.find position on a red. Gone up to 92% pot success, Joe
:16:22. > :16:26.Perry is dropping 271%. That is just this session. That was a beautiful
:16:27. > :16:59.shot, that was not easy. He has run far enough. He has a
:17:00. > :17:03.choice of yellow or green. He has given an extra beat on these shots.
:17:04. > :17:11.He knows the importance of this, we're getting to the business end of
:17:12. > :17:19.this match. He is not immune to... He will have had a few scary moments
:17:20. > :17:25.in the last few frames. This is a big boost for him, winning the last
:17:26. > :17:29.two frames will stop anti-won-macro two frames earlier on on the spin in
:17:30. > :17:41.the match, apart from that, he has not been confirmed. -- and he won
:17:42. > :18:03.two frames. In playing this pot, I do not think
:18:04. > :18:07.he will put all his eggs in one basket, he knows that he will
:18:08. > :18:13.release the black but it would be a risky shot to play for the black. I
:18:14. > :18:18.think you would pot the red and play with some pace and try and screw up
:18:19. > :18:26.for a baulk colour or a blue. When not want to risk for the black. At
:18:27. > :18:31.least he brings it into play. The table is nicely open. Just needs a
:18:32. > :18:49.good positional shot. Near the circle would be perfect. He
:18:50. > :18:52.played that nicely. If anything, maybe he has just overrun a
:18:53. > :19:03.fraction, but he will settle for that. He wants to get this red out
:19:04. > :19:13.of the way. Very near to the black spot.
:19:14. > :19:17.Pretty straight. He's not too bad on the screw back shots. No side on
:19:18. > :19:37.that, so low on the next red. He played that perfectly. He seems
:19:38. > :19:58.to be gathering steam here. But you can take nothing for granted.
:19:59. > :20:05.He may decide to play the cannon, he is perfect on the blue for the
:20:06. > :20:12.cannon. He will be unlucky not to be on one. He is just about on the one
:20:13. > :20:18.to the right corner. This is the only one that is available. He did
:20:19. > :20:23.not have to hit too hard, but that red bounced off the top cushion
:20:24. > :20:29.enough to be available. 41 points the lead. Gets nicely on a colour,
:20:30. > :21:00.the frame at his mercy, nothing that Joe Perry can do.
:21:01. > :21:07.He thought he would do well to get a sizeable contribution, and now it
:21:08. > :21:15.looks like this long red will win him the frame. He overcooked it a
:21:16. > :21:18.little bit. He will have to play another little cannon. They can
:21:19. > :21:21.always go wrong when you play the cannon, but he is OK and he landed
:21:22. > :21:40.inch perfect. Joe Perry won't have a chance. Just
:21:41. > :21:44.one safety shot. Left a red sticking out that Ronnie O'Sullivan nocturne.
:21:45. > :21:49.He is looking at the face of Ronnie O'Sullivan to see if there is any
:21:50. > :21:59.reaction, but show is fearing the worst now. -- but Joe Perry is
:22:00. > :22:02.fearing the worst. Some snooker needed now, 60 points the lead, this
:22:03. > :22:12.makes it 67 the lead with 59 left. A great response from Ronnie
:22:13. > :22:22.O'Sullivan under the utmost pressure. They say when you are in
:22:23. > :22:34.the zone like he is, it is perfect. It is beautiful to watch.
:22:35. > :22:41.We talk about his ability and his all-round game, but when he is in
:22:42. > :22:48.the right frame of mind, it seems that the pressure just flies over
:22:49. > :22:54.his head. The last frame, it was a tricky yellow that he had to play,
:22:55. > :22:59.but he just floated it in no problem. He deserves a century
:23:00. > :23:06.here, this has been absolutely top drawer snooker.
:23:07. > :23:13.He knows that he still needs one more frame and there are only two
:23:14. > :23:25.possible left in this match, so he will not be counting his chickens.
:23:26. > :23:33.He has gone a little bit low on the black. Can he avoid the kiss on the
:23:34. > :23:45.pink? He can. The cue ball needs to slow a little bit.
:23:46. > :23:58.Beautiful play. Doesn't look like missing.
:23:59. > :24:05.What a time to start producing your best snooker of the match. It has
:24:06. > :24:11.been a little bit in and out prior to this, but 11-9 down when he came
:24:12. > :24:19.back out and the last three frames have been absolutely superb.
:24:20. > :24:28.He has found that extra gear that was needed. Some marvellous play
:24:29. > :24:34.with 124. Ronnie O'Sullivan, for the first time in the match, taking the
:24:35. > :24:43.lead and he now wants one frame to be in the second round. 12-11, he
:24:44. > :24:59.leads. Frame 24. Ronnie O'Sullivan to break. CHEERING
:25:00. > :25:10.Ronnie O'Sullivan breaks off in the 24th frame and it is the first time
:25:11. > :25:12.that he has been in front. He has been out there five and a half hours
:25:13. > :25:23.so far. That was his highest break of the
:25:24. > :25:35.match to get that one-frame advantage.
:25:36. > :25:42.The average frame time is just over 14 and a half minutes. There have
:25:43. > :25:45.been mistakes, there have been unexpected Mrs, it is all added to
:25:46. > :26:43.the drama. -- unexpected missing. A little bit of a stalemate. The red
:26:44. > :26:52.is in the baulk end. This could go on for a while yet. Ronnie
:26:53. > :27:01.O'Sullivan has not found the top cushion, so maybe there is a red
:27:02. > :27:04.that may tempt Joe Perry. He may be playing the double hero he can play
:27:05. > :27:15.it and not leave anything but the red he is playing. Double it is, but
:27:16. > :27:24.so close. A sharp intake of breath. I think he thought that was there.
:27:25. > :27:42.And I did, for a split second. Could not have been much closer.
:27:43. > :28:00.Close enough to the cushion to stop Joe Perry playing a return safety.
:28:01. > :28:10.That was careless. And at a point he cannot afford to make any mistakes.
:28:11. > :28:16.And if any O'Sullivan has the angle to pot this read and get on the
:28:17. > :28:25.black, this is a gift of an opportunity. -- this red.
:28:26. > :28:35.Then it goes, a careless safety shot for Joe Perry, just a
:28:36. > :28:45.straightforward role. What a mistake.
:28:46. > :28:52.Joe Perry has had quite a long time in his seat now. Did not manage to
:28:53. > :29:22.pot ball for 22 minutes. This is a good chance for Ronnie
:29:23. > :29:30.O'Sullivan now. An opportunity that was gifted to him. You do not even
:29:31. > :29:35.think about leaving anything. He just hit it a fraction too far push
:29:36. > :29:40.the other red away and let this one onto the right middle will stop
:29:41. > :29:48.could this be his last shot in this year's event?
:29:49. > :29:53.It is not beyond the realms of impossibility the way that Ronnie
:29:54. > :30:01.O'Sullivan has played these last frames. He is not short of bottle,
:30:02. > :30:07.he wins a lot of his matches at ease, when he is at his best. He
:30:08. > :30:11.struggles to find his best form sometimes, and he has been at his
:30:12. > :30:18.worst and picked the right times towards the end of the matches. The
:30:19. > :30:23.nearer that you get to the winning line, the more tense everything
:30:24. > :30:28.becomes, but Ronnie O'Sullivan just to looks exactly the same. Other
:30:29. > :30:33.players tend to find it a bit more tense and I dare say, he does as
:30:34. > :30:37.well, but he certainly does not show it. His pot success has been pretty
:30:38. > :30:51.good, both players. Joe Perry, sitting there, hoping.
:30:52. > :31:36.That is all he can do now, hope. That was a good shot, you could tell
:31:37. > :31:43.from the time he took to take it. He has definitely found another gear.
:31:44. > :31:49.Every credit to him. People were starting to doubt him when he could
:31:50. > :31:53.not close the gap on Joe Perry. He struggled a bit in the first
:31:54. > :31:57.session, I just felt that it was just one of those types of
:31:58. > :31:59.situations where the ball through winning, if you know what I mean?
:32:00. > :32:14.They were just running awkward for him. The second session, I thought
:32:15. > :32:19.he lost a bit of position. His head could have dropped. But no such
:32:20. > :32:24.thing. One good positional shot here and you can see the frame and match
:32:25. > :32:38.being over. A great response from Ronnie O'Sullivan.
:32:39. > :32:46.A great effort from Joe Perry, just missed a few balls that could have
:32:47. > :32:53.given him a bigger advantage at certain times in the match. They may
:32:54. > :33:11.be coming home to roost now. He is out of position. The red he is
:33:12. > :33:22.closest to go to the far left corner, but he was looking for
:33:23. > :33:23.something easier. But nothing looks difficult at the moment for Ronnie
:33:24. > :33:41.O'Sullivan! An air of resignation from Joe
:33:42. > :33:42.Perry. This red, one more colour, and Joe Perry will need two
:33:43. > :34:14.snookers. People were beginning to wonder if
:34:15. > :34:20.this was a hurdle that he was not going to get over. But boy, as he
:34:21. > :34:24.produced some snooker in the last four frames. He has never looked
:34:25. > :34:39.like missing when he was in. When he was 9-11 behind, it could've
:34:40. > :34:46.knocked his confidence, but none of it! Does he want to finish the
:34:47. > :34:50.session with another century? He doesn't look like missing at all.
:34:51. > :34:59.The match is over, Joe Perry has given it his all.
:35:00. > :35:09.He is not in the mood for missing! He did not play that great in his
:35:10. > :35:13.first match against Robin Hull, but you thought, he will improve in the
:35:14. > :35:23.second. He struggles, but now, this is why he was such a favourite to
:35:24. > :35:35.win the title. This is the snooker that only a genius can produce.
:35:36. > :35:48.Don't let everybody down! Get the century!
:35:49. > :36:04.Back-to-back centuries in the heat of battle when you were really up
:36:05. > :36:13.against it, 11-9 down, it doesn't get any better than this!
:36:14. > :36:22.Joe Perry, it has to be said, the last three frames, has really done
:36:23. > :36:26.nothing wrong. But this is what can happen when you are playing against
:36:27. > :36:30.somebody like Ronnie O'Sullivan. You do not have to make a mistake. He
:36:31. > :36:41.makes things happen. And they happened there. So well played,
:36:42. > :36:48.Ronnie O'Sullivan! Magnificent! The Rocket was superb! You can see what
:36:49. > :36:53.it meant to him! That magic from the reigning champion at the end was
:36:54. > :36:58.just too, too much for Joe Perry, and Ronnie O'Sullivan will be mighty
:36:59. > :37:01.relieved. He is in the quarterfinal and he beats Joe Perry, what a
:37:02. > :37:12.finish! 13-11! We have been talking about the
:37:13. > :37:15.pressure, how much did you feel it at the end? How did you produce
:37:16. > :37:21.about stuff at the death of that match? Masses amount of pressure,
:37:22. > :37:26.you feel yourself shaking at a shot, especially a delicate shot,
:37:27. > :37:30.and you are shaking and you have to be positive. You think I cannot do
:37:31. > :37:39.it, and you do it, and you think, oh, that is all right. There are
:37:40. > :37:42.lots of shots like that but sometimes, with a finesse shot, and
:37:43. > :37:45.the nerves, it is hard. Brilliant to watch, you struggles to get level
:37:46. > :37:54.terms, nip and tuck all the way, when you eventually got to 11
:37:55. > :37:57.frames, what did you think? I, still a long way to go, even though there
:37:58. > :38:02.wasn't, but it was still put to the floor, focus on each point and make
:38:03. > :38:10.him earn it. That match will stand you in good stead, because he played
:38:11. > :38:13.well in that? Yes, he was solid, he made me graft for it, every time I
:38:14. > :38:17.got near to him, he pulled away again. To do that for the whole
:38:18. > :38:22.match, it is difficult, when you pull away, you find that you break
:38:23. > :38:27.them, so I felt like I could have broke, but you just have to find
:38:28. > :38:32.results from somewhere. The last frame before you went to the
:38:33. > :38:38.overnight 16th frame, where he had a chance to go 10-6, you had given him
:38:39. > :38:49.chances, but Mr Bean a boost to only goal in 9-7 as opposed to 10-6? --
:38:50. > :38:55.but you must have had a boost. It is never easy last session, even 10-6,
:38:56. > :39:02.the bigger the lead, the more you can talk yourself into winning it.
:39:03. > :39:07.It is never over. 11-5, you think it is still comfortable, but 10-6,
:39:08. > :39:12.there is still a game involved. If you are comfortable out there, you
:39:13. > :39:16.can beat the better players and Joe is one of those players along with
:39:17. > :39:19.Matthew Stevens but feel comfortable out there, and they can make it
:39:20. > :39:25.difficult for you. I know Doctor Steve Peters was in your corner,
:39:26. > :39:31.what did he bring you today? He said, I will come up Thursday. I
:39:32. > :39:34.said, no, I am all right, you have got Liverpool, because obviously
:39:35. > :39:37.Liverpool are going for the Premier League, and I know how important
:39:38. > :39:41.that is for him and the Liverpool people. I have people, friends from
:39:42. > :39:53.Liverpool, and it would be great if they could do it, so I am mindful I
:39:54. > :39:56.do not want to take all its time, that is important, I would be OK.
:39:57. > :39:59.But really, I could have done with him here on Thursday, he said he
:40:00. > :40:07.will not make that mistake again and would be around bit more. Before we
:40:08. > :40:11.let you go, we want to hear from Joe Perry, because we have been
:40:12. > :40:17.applauding him because he really stood up to you today, let's get his
:40:18. > :40:23.thoughts on what with a fine effort. I am understandably gutted. I give
:40:24. > :40:27.it everything over the session, I have no regrets for what I had done,
:40:28. > :40:32.I gave everything, was committed to all of the shots I played, I felt
:40:33. > :40:35.calm and relaxed at the end, so I did everything that I could, I just
:40:36. > :40:39.ran into an absolute genius at the end. What can you do? You need to
:40:40. > :40:45.have a superhuman effort to beat him. I played at the high-end of my
:40:46. > :40:49.game for the last three sessions it wasn't good enough. There are people
:40:50. > :40:53.out there capable of beating him, but you have to be at your absolute
:40:54. > :40:58.best and hope that he is a little bit off, but when he plays like
:40:59. > :41:07.that, it is hard to see anybody else winning the world title. Up next,
:41:08. > :41:12.Marco Fu... You have had a brilliant season, how do you feel about this
:41:13. > :41:17.campaign and going for three in a row? Yes, it would be fantastic, but
:41:18. > :41:21.if I look back to 2011, I was ready to turn it all in and it was only
:41:22. > :41:29.because of working with Steve that he gave me that impetus and a
:41:30. > :41:32.new-found freedom to want to play. For me to win two, I have got two
:41:33. > :41:35.more than I ever thought I would get, so it is a bonus even just
:41:36. > :41:38.getting through that match and even being here playing. I have got
:41:39. > :41:42.nothing to lose, if my career and it now, I have got two more world
:41:43. > :41:46.titles than I ever thought I would get a few years ago. It is nice
:41:47. > :41:49.having that in the back of my mind, because even when it is tough, I
:41:50. > :41:54.remind myself that I'm just pleased to be here and be competing and
:41:55. > :41:58.enjoying it. Joe Perry has said you always have the game, but now you
:41:59. > :42:06.have the head as well, do you agree with that? I never really showed it
:42:07. > :42:11.as consistently as in the last two years. Steve is great like that,
:42:12. > :42:16.when I get a setback, I get back on track and find by meant and form.
:42:17. > :42:19.When the game comes easily to me, I feel like I'm steam-rolling, and the
:42:20. > :42:23.last two tournaments, I was getting in my head that I did not just want
:42:24. > :42:28.to win the finals, I wanted to win them 9-0, 9-1, which is good to
:42:29. > :42:33.think like that, but it is dangerous if somebody like Joe Perry comes
:42:34. > :42:37.against you and you think, oh, I can do this, but I need to be brought
:42:38. > :42:41.back down to read, but the way that I was playing, I just had such
:42:42. > :42:44.strong momentum and you can get overconfident and when you go
:42:45. > :42:46.behind, it is like I'm not used to this, so I need to play more
:42:47. > :42:57.tournaments, really, for that happen. So, you. Well done, great to
:42:58. > :43:02.see you, thank you for coming in to talk to us. You had us all and
:43:03. > :43:07.palpitations this morning! It was a fantastic match! He will be having a
:43:08. > :43:16.bit of a rest and getting ready for the quarterfinal, but this is what
:43:17. > :43:19.is coming up for the rest of the afternoon. The juggernaut will have
:43:20. > :43:21.to find a few extra gears today, he was only just grinding through them
:43:22. > :43:24.and in his first-round match. Trump needs a Welshman with a solid record
:43:25. > :43:35.here with a rock-solid game, Ryan Day, full of quiet confidence.
:43:36. > :43:41.Memories flooding back of an epic final last year between Barry
:43:42. > :43:46.Hawkins and Ricky Walden? -- an epic semifinal. They are at the table
:43:47. > :43:50.this afternoon. We are off for some channel hopping now, Ronnie is going
:43:51. > :43:54.to get some lunch, we are off to BBC One to catch up on the second
:43:55. > :43:58.session of the veterans reunion between Alan McManus and Ken
:43:59. > :44:01.Doherty. It is the 40 somethings still doing it in snooker! Catch you
:44:02. > :44:05.in just a few moments.