RESULT: Ronnie O'Sullivan 7-17 Zhao Xintong
China's Zhao into first final, beating seven-time champion O'Sullivan with a session to spare
END OF SESSION: Judd Trump 8-8 Mark Williams - resumes at 10:00 BST on Saturday
Semi-final matches are best of 33 frames
O'Sullivan 4-12 Zhao
Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Radio 5 Live
Ronnie O'Sullivan definitely has a problem with the cue. He's had it a week and just decided to change the tip and the ferrule, but probably should have just stuck with it for this match. It hasn't worked. He's given Zhao Xintong chances and the young boy has duly taken them. It was a fascinating eight frames, but not fascinating for fans of Ronnie.
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Joseph Hadfield: Incredible snooker at the Crucible. Complete contrast in performances. Ronnie O’Sullivan’s almost non-existent. So many missed chances. Almost flawless from Zhao Xintong.
Sam Wxm: Zhao broke table yesterday, this morning he’s just whitewashed Ronnie and now he’s five frames from beating Ronnie and reaching final with session to spare. Never mind blink-and-you-miss-it Ronnie, blink-and-you-miss eight frames of rapid snooker. What a session from Zhao.
AnnieRoadL4: That session of snooker was just sad to watch. Like watching Muhammad Ali fight Larry Holmes. There's nothing there anymore. Father time has caught up with Ronnie and his days of winning triple crowns are sadly over.
O'Sullivan 4-12 Zhao
Jamie Broughton
BBC Radio 5 live at the Crucible
It's been a nightmare for Ronnie O'Sullivan while Zhao Xintong has been brilliant. We know Ronnie has been struggling with his cue. He changed the tip and the ferrule on it but it doesn't seem to have made much impact. O'Sullivan missed a blue off the spot at one point and that's not the Ronnie we are used to seeing. But take nothing away from Zhao.
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Session whitewash in double quick time. Great from Zhao Xintong, very poor from Ronnie O'Sullivan. This match is done, at as well start considering who Zhao Xintong will meet in the final. It's looking like it'll be he and not Ding Junhui who'll win this title first for China.
Michael
Why should Ronnie play for snookers? Ronnie is off form, and a new tip. He is trying. Zhao is great and was the favourite.
Nick from london.
Ronnie should stop now. He is clearly not enjoying it, and nobody who remembers how good he was wants to watch him play this badly
Spencer
O'Sullivan 4-12 Zhao
John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two
It's been absolutely wonderful from Zhao Xintong. Eight frames played and he's won all of them. Take a bow, Zhao. Ronnie O'Sullivan will have been impressed with that performance, but not with his own.
O'Sullivan 4-12 Zhao
John Parrott
1991 world champion on BBC Two
This has been absolutely brilliant from Zhao Xintong. We are used to giving the man sat in the chair the plaudits but this has been absolutely fabulous from Zhao. Ronnie has not been at the races but boy has Zhao played well.
O'Sullivan 4-12 Zhao
That missed blue costs Ronnie O'Sullivan as once again Zhao Xintong ruthlessly punishes him by burying the frame with a magnificent clearance of 87.
Spellbinding snooker from Zhao. Desperate stuff for O'Sullivan.
O'Sullivan 4-11 Zhao
John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two
The situation he is in, Ronnie cannot afford to do that.
O'Sullivan 4-11 Zhao
Ronnie O'Sullivan pinches his nose after missing a routine blue into the middle pocket after a break of 19. He can scarcely believe it. The Rocket has crashed back down to earth this morning.
O'Sullivan 4-11 Zhao
Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Two
We've seen Ronnie O'Sullivan does this to opponents, but now the shoe is on the other foot. Ronnie is probably a little bit embarrassed about what's happening out there. He's not fighting. He could have come to the table and played some snookers but is not bothering and that's worrying. It's a must-win last frame for him now.
O'Sullivan 4-11 Zhao
John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two
Seven frames played this morning and seven frames to Zhao Xintong.
O'Sullivan 4-11 Zhao
Zhao Xintong gets the better of a scrappy frame with the slightly more polished potting. Ronnie O'Sullivan concedes with the score 69-22 in Zhao's favour and looks like he has gone to pieces here.
O'Sullivan 4-10 Zhao
Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Well, Tom, this could actually be the fourth time Ronnie O'Sullivan has lost a session 8-0 at the Crucible.
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Tom: Has Ronnie O'Sullivan ever been whitewashed in a session at the Crucible before?
O'Sullivan 4-10 Zhao
A long red potted by Ronnie O'Sullivan gets his fans in the the Crucible shouting some encouragement. However, later in the frame O'Sullivan misses a straightforward red - having been handed a way back in by a rare Zhao Xintong blunder - and he grimaces when taking his seat.
O'Sullivan 4-10 Zhao
Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Two
Zhao Xintong almost looks born for this stage. The shots he is playing, he is making the game look so easy. He's getting help from Ronnie O'Sullivan, who is causing problems for himself by leaving easy chances to a player with a hot cue.
Ronnie needs to scrap for these two frames. It's not his game but he has to do it. I'd never discount Ronnie, but he needs to get some frames on the board.
O'Sullivan 4-10 Zhao
Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
It is not often that you see this sort of thing happen to Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Graeme Dott won eight consecutive frames against him in 2006 on the way to becoming world champion, while John Higgins did the same in the 1998 semi-final.
Luca Brecel of course came back and took seven frames on the spin in the 2023 quarter-finals.
O'Sullivan 4-10 Zhao
Another century break - 115 - for Zhao Xintong as he glides round the table potting balls for fun. An awkward brown prevents the clearance but this is spectacular stuff from the 28-year-old Chinese player.
Six frames on the bounce for Zhao now.
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Adam G S: Why Ronnie had to tinker with his cue between matches is beyond me. Sadly, I think this match could already be over.
Ryan Glendenning: Don't tell me Zhao is going to make it 10-4 up against the one and only Ronnie O'Sullivan . He is on fire. WOW! Spine tingling snooker from Zhao Xintong this morning.
Patrick Quish: Zhao Xintong along with Judd Trump is on the path to take snooker into the next era.
Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
When you're in the vicinity of the Crucible it is difficult to go anywhere without bumping into the great and the good of snooker.
Shaun Murphy, the 2005 winner, was filming in the nearby Peace Gardens this morning, while former Australian professional Warren King and former Canadian star Jim Wych are sitting outside the Crucible in Tudor Square watching on the big screen as Ronnie O'Sullivan takes on Zhao Xintong.
"Warren told me this lad Zhao was something special," said Wych, who lost to Cliff Thorburn in the quarter-finals in 1980, the year his fellow Canadian went on to become world champion.
Wych, who was also beaten by Jimmy White in the last eight in 1992, added: "Sometimes something can just stay on your mind and it's hard to shake. The change to the brass ferrule for Ronnie was maybe designed to just give him a bit more feel."
King reached the televised stages on four occasions and played six-time champion Steve Davis twice. Talk about luck of the draw.
