World Snooker Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan leads Ryan Day in last 16
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In 2022, Ronnie O'Sullivan claimed the title of world champion at the age of 46, making him the oldest player to achieve this feat.
The sporting section of BBC is currently at the Crucible Theatre, which is located in Sheffield.
Ronnie O'Sullivan, who has won the championship seven times, got off to an impressive start in his match against Ryan Day in the last-16 stage of the World Snooker Championship, taking a 5-3 lead.
The 48-year-old British man is currently in the running to win his eighth championship title at Crucible. This feat would put him one step ahead of Stephen Hendry who has won seven times.
O'Sullivan easily defeated Welsh qualifier Jackson Page with a score of 10-1 in the first round. In the beginning of the game, he scored impressive breaks of 123 and 84, but Day, who is ranked 18th in the world, fought back and won the next two frames.
O'Sullivan pocketed balls worth 83 and 51 points, earning him a 4-2 lead. Day then made a comeback with a 115-point shot, but O'Sullivan regained his two-frame lead with a 92-point shot in the final round of the session.
On his 44th day, Day is determined to make his way to the quarter-finals yet again. He's previously been knocked out at this stage in 2008, 2009, and 2012.
He competed against O'Sullivan prior to this event, but unfortunately lost 13-10 in their last-16 match in 2006 despite holding a 9-7 lead.
"This location creates numerous fantastic moments and numerous painful memories," Day shared on Wednesday. "That event undoubtedly left a mark. It may not have been a visible scar on the surface of your skin, but it has impacted you mentally and emotionally."
The competition involves playing 25 games, and the player who wins 13 games first will be declared as the winner. The match will start again on Sunday at 7:00 pm British Standard Time and will continue until Monday from 2:30 pm.
Maguire Triumphs Over Murphy In Fiery Showdown
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Stephen Maguire has made it to the quarterfinals of the World Championship for the eighth time.
Stephen Maguire from Scotland advanced to the quarter-finals with a 13-9 win against former world champion Shaun Murphy in 2005.
Maguire had a lot of energy and enthusiasm as he managed to create a lead of 10-6 on Saturday.
Before the third session, Murphy triumphed in two frames thanks to his excellent play on the black. He celebrated his success with a strong fist pump. Maguire followed his lead, hitting the table and raising his fist in the air after gaining a serious advantage.
Maguire, who is 43 years old, stated that Shaun had made an error. According to him, he is well-acquainted with Shaun's moves and he always becomes upset with himself. Shaun won a round that should have been his, which caused Maguire to feel dejected. However, Shaun's celebration made him realize that he needed to focus on the game and not on his feelings of self-doubt. Therefore, he decided to give it his all and focus on winning the game.
Defeating Shaun, who is such a talented player, in the last 16 of the World Championship brought a great sense of fulfillment.
The duo has been competitors since they were kids, where Maguire was the foremost Scottish junior player and Murphy was the best English juvenile player.
A noteworthy event, deemed as 'Chalkgate', occurred during the 2004 Grand Prix when Maguire failed to bring his chalk. This led to a delay in the first-round match and resulted in him losing a frame.
Maguire held Murphy responsible for losing a frame, claiming that it was the latter who had spoken to the referee. However, Maguire had continuously maintained his innocence and denied any wrongdoing.
Maguire took control of the billiards game on Sunday by winning two of the first three frames with impressive 68 and 73-point breaks. Although Murphy made a comeback by winning the next two frames, Maguire ultimately secured the win with an outstanding 127-point break. As the eighth seed, Murphy put up a good fight, but Maguire proved to be too strong.
This implies that out of the initial 16 seeds, only 5 remain after the first two rounds of the competition.
"I Must Improve, Being Realistic."
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Stephen Maguire, currently ranked 28th globally, is going to compete with Shaun Murphy, who holds the eighth position.
Maguire, who is positioned as the 28th player in the world, will be competing against David Gilbert from England, who is ranked 31st, in the quarter-finals. He acknowledged that in order for him to acquire the world champion title, he would have to enhance his performance.
Maguire stated that he remains part of the competition despite being considered as one of the underdogs. He expressed his belief that he still has a chance to win, but acknowledges that he is not one of the top contenders.
Honestly, I know I have room to improve. Currently, I don't believe my skills are up to par. Although I have occasionally had victories despite subpar performance, I recognize that I need to play at a higher level consistently.
The two games that took place during the afternoon session concluded with a final score of 9-7.
Stuart Bingham, who won the championship in 2015, has an advantage over Jack Lisowski. He managed to secure the lead by winning the last frame on the pink ball. This ensures that Bingham is in a better position going into Monday's final session.
Mark Allen, who has reached the semi-finals twice before, has managed to swing the game in his favor against John Higgins. Despite being down 7-5 at one point, he came back strong and won four consecutive frames with impressive breaks of 71, 94, 80 and 74.
Both Bingham and Allen are required to secure four frames each when the matches continue on Monday at 19:00 BST. In contrast, Lisowski and Higgins have to win six to emerge victorious.
