| Venue: Barbican Centre, York Dates: Saturday, 25 November – Sunday, 3 December |
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Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui are tied at 4-4 after a hard-fought opening session at the UK Championship final.
World number one O’Sullivan compiled two breaks of 71 and enjoyed a run of 91 to take a 3-0 lead.
However, China’s Ding, who is aiming for a fourth UK title, rallied with breaks of 89, 114 and 70 as he reeled off four of the next five frames.
O’Sullivan, the youngest UK champion in 1993, will become the oldest too if he triumphs in York on Sunday evening.
The Englishman, 47, who is aiming for an record-extending eighth UK crown and 40th ranking title, made a clinical start, taking the opening frame with superb fluency.
And he was able to forge a three-frame advantage in ruthless fashion, with two more half-century breaks coming off the back of glaring errors from Ding.
The current world number 17 missed a routine pink to the middle on 62 in the second frame and then failed to knock in a black off its spot in the third when well placed among the balls on 38.
However, an 89 from Ding brought him back into the contest before the mid-session interval and although he lost a scrappy fifth frame, he immediately reduced his arrears after O’Sullivan fouled while using the rest and extended spider.
The first century of the contest, plus another half-century from the 36-year-old, leaves the contest delicately poised heading into Sunday evening’s final session.
Ding’s Houdini act
Steve Davis, six-time world champion on BBC Two
Usually Ronnie O’Sullivan is very good when he is in front. It looked like it was an uphill struggle for Ding Junhui earlier on and that he’d settle for being 5-3 behind.
He has produced a bit of a Houdini act there. He certainly looked more comfortable towards the end of the session.
There was that weird moment where Ronnie had the problem with the red and the spider [and fouled] – and that seems to have been a bit of a turning point.
