Ronnie O’Sullivan reached his 66th ranking final at the World Open in Yushan after a tense deciding frame against China’s Wu Yize.
The win came a day after O’Sullivan produced the sport’s highest-ever professional break of 153 in his 5-0 quarter-final victory over Welshman Ryan Day.
The seven-time world champion is set to face Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the final, following Un-Nooh’s victory over world number one Judd Trump.
O’Sullivan’s Decisive Victory Over Wu Yize
O’Sullivan was never behind against Wu but struggled to break clear of the world number 11 before securing a 6-5 victory.
Wu had the first chance in the decider, opening a decent lead with a break of 43, but O’Sullivan punished a poor safety shot by sinking a long red.
The 50-year-old held his nerve with a clearance of 89.
“I like my bottle when I’m flowing,” said O’Sullivan, who has signed up to compete in the World Seniors Championship for the first time this year. “I like my bottle anyway really.
“At 5-5 when he missed, I had a chance on the red and I had to go for it. The ball went in, which I couldn’t believe, and I made a great clearance.
“I knew that if I got the red I fancied, I could clear up. In previous years I was begging my opponent to not miss because I didn’t want to embarrass myself. That is different now.
“I feel a lot happier because I’m in that frame of mind. Even if I miss, at least I fancy it.”
Un-Nooh Stuns Trump to Reach Final
Trump failed to set up another final against O’Sullivan after being knocked out by Thailand’s Un-Nooh.
Un-Nooh twice came back to level at 2-2 and took the lead with a 128 before Trump responded with a 97 to make it 3-3.
Two breaks of 134 helped Un-Nooh take a 5-4 lead, and despite missing an easy pink when clearing up the colours in the 10th frame, he recovered to win the frame by a point to secure victory.
O’Sullivan’s last tournament win came in March 2024 at the World Masters of Snooker, a non-ranking event.
The Englishman has not won a ranking event since beating Trump to claim victory at the World Grand Prix in January 2024.