Dennis Taylor
1985 world champion on BBC Two

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Ding badly needed the frame and he's taking it in style.

This is just what he needed.

Ding Junhui negotiates a testing red to the middle pocket and he's on the board with an 89 break as we reach the mid-session interval.

So then, can the roles be reversed in this frame compared to the past two?

An opportunity for Ding Junhui to punish an O'Sullivan error and get on the scoreboard.

Already 20-odd ahead, just needs a couple more reds and colours...

Hmmm, maybe a tad premature, Patrick.

Ronnie O'Sullivan tries to separate the reds off the black - and they scatter nicely but leave nothing easy.

A thin red to the middle stays over the pocket and it's another chance for the Chinese star after the Rocket's visit ends on 31.

Patrick: Oh dear. This is over.

Two chances at different long reds for Ding - and he misses them both.

The second comes closer than the first - agonisingly close. But it stays out and hands Ronnie O'Sullivan an easy starter...

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In fairness, Ding gets a bit of good luck back.

A cross-double safety would have left a red hanging over the corner but the cue ball flicks off the yellow and snookers Ronnie on that red behind green and brown in baulk.

The Rocket gets a safety all wrong, clipping a red too thick. He's lucky not to go in-off twice as the cue ball wobbles in the jaws of one corner pocket and travels all the way across the cushion to the brink of the one opposite.

He's left Ding absolutely zilch. As Dennis Taylor points out on commentary, when you're playing well and winning, you get all those little touches of good fortune.

Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Two

He didn't cue it very nicely. There was a bit of a rush into it and too much stun on it.

Take three - Ding is in first again.

But an attempted break into the pack off the blue goes awry and he has to play safe after amassing just the 10 points.

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The draw for the first round of the 2024 Masters will be made during this afternoon's mid-session interval.

Judd Trump will head to Alexandra Palace as the defending champion after his 10-8 victory over Mark Williams in January.

Ding Junhui's participation at the Masters was in doubt, but his run to the UK final in York means he has climbed back into the top 16 in the world rankings and he will compete at the event in London.

The tournament begins on 7 January, with the final on 14 January. Stay tuned to find out who'll play who in the next half hour or so...

Ronnie O'Sullivan showing just what an all-round player he is with a very tidy, perfectly-judged escape into the pack of reds after Ding Junhui sticks him in a difficult spot early in frame four.

Steve Davis
Six-time world champion on BBC Two

Those type of mistakes are debilitating to your confidence and your enthusiasm for the day can wane because of it.

While there are other players who can punish you, Ronnie O'Sullivan can really break your heart.

On another day, you make a mistake like that and you don't get fully punished but Ronnie smells blood and he just knows how to really put his opponent on the back foot.

Ding is in a massive hole and he could be swamped today if he's not careful and it continues.

Stephen Hendry
Seven-time world champion on BBC Two

Oh dear. That's all I can say.

I say it again and again, it's the easy shots that cost you, not the difficult ones.

Both misses [from Ding in frames two and three] are unforgivable at this level and if he doesn't get a frame soon - oh dear.

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Back-to-back clearances, this time a 91.

Ding has been royally punished and the Rocket is flying.

Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Two

Too good, too good.

Ronnie O'Sullivan can't get particularly close to that final red with the cue ball so he has a really tricky mid-distance shot down the cushion - with the rest.

Makes it look simple, right into the heart of the pocket. Genius doesn't come close to describing it.

O'Sullivan quickly cancels out Ding's lead, racking up a half-century in rapid fashion.

One red remaining near the cushion is Ding's only lifeline...

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Looks like you have a point, Akhlaq.

Ding misses what he'd consider a dolly of a black off the spot on 38. It was never in, always drifting to the right jaw as he looked at it.

A 63-point lead wasn't good enough last frame - so little chance a 38-point one. Ronnie's in again, reds everywhere and a cracking chance to go three frames ahead.

Bob McFeil: Ahh, it’s good to be back with the snooker on a Sunday afternoon. I feel like we always ask the same question each time round, namely Ronnie’s longevity, and it never gets old. Brew a cuppa and let’s settle down for an entertaining battle between these two titans.

Akhlaq Hanif: Death, taxes and Ding Junhui playing well all tournament until he faces Ronnie in a final.