What have stars said about each other?
O’Sullivan is a huge admirer of his opponent Zhao Xintong and he has tipped him to do big things.
He said of the youngster: “I think in three years, he’ll be No. 1, world champion. He’s our Luke Littler, and he’s a cool-looking guy; he’s got something about him. Unbelievable talent.
“To me, he’s the nearest thing to Stephen Hendry. His scoring is unbelievable, his positional play, his touch. He’s got power. He’s got everything, this kid.”
Zhao himself sees O’Sullivan as a personal idol, calling their showdown at the Crucible “a dream” come true.
He said: “Ronnie is the greatest player ever. I watched him when I was a kid, and to play him in a semi-final is a dream.
“I just want to enjoy it and play my game.”
O’Sullivan makes bold cue decision
Ronnie O’Sullivan has continued to make changes to his cue, even in the middle of his World Snooker Championship semi-final against Zhao Xintong.
The Rocket arrived in Sheffield with a new cue for this tournament after smashing his old one during the Championship League in January and not playing competitively since then.
Speaking on the BBC, presenter Hazel Irvine said on Thursday night: “We knew that Ronnie O’Sullivan was playing with a new tip in that session.
“Immediately afterwards, we are hearing, he actually went to a shop in Sheffield and changed not only the tip but the ferrule of his cue. A rather extraordinary thing to do in the middle of a semi-final.”
Davis rediscovering snooker love
Steve Davis is loving snooker now as much as he has done for years, rediscovering the fan within him.
The 67-year-old admits that his time as a pundit and commentator has not always seen him remain deeply in love with the game he ruled in the 1980s, but that has changed recently.
Davis told The Metro: “Funnily enough, there was a time a little while I go where I thought, ‘Oh here we go, World Championship, it doesn’t matter to me who wins. I’ll go up there, do my job and keep my head down’.
“But as time’s gone on I’m getting more into trying to see who the best players are, who’s going to win it and I’m enjoying it more, remembering what it’s like being a player.
“I’ve turned a corner, it’s very strange. So I’m looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds.
“The older players trying to hold back the years, the younger players coming through. It’s a really great time to be a snooker fan now. So many great players.”
Top stars discuss rule changes
Snooker stars have discussed six huge rule changes to improve the game.
Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Barry Hawkins, who have six Crucible titles between them, were asked for their thoughts on a range topics from shot clocks to fouls.
Murphy believes playing for snookers should be scrapped entirely to reward “attacking” and stop “frames dragging on and becoming a snoozefest”.
Selby and Robertson wanted a limit to stop rivals trying to come back from the impossible as the Aussie claimed it does not entertain fans and is poor for TV.
But Hawkins felt getting rid of them would be axing a “tactical” side of the game.
The Hawk was also in favour of keeping the miss rule and not introducing a shot clock.
But Murphy wanted deliberate misses out of the sport, Selby wanted a limit on fouls and Robertson demanded it leading to a ball in-hand situation.
Williams vs Trump
Just the one session between these two today but this looks set to be another epic battle – although neither played particularly well yesterday.
Judd is ahead by two frames with a final frame century just allowing him a little bit of breathing room late last night.
But Mark Williams is still well in this one.
The pressure of the crucible clearly got to both yesterday, with numerous missed balls – their potting percentage is way down from earlier in the week.
Massive game ahead.
Ronnie vs Zhao
It was a really tight session between these two on Thursday afternoon, with very little between them.
O’Sullivan got off to a poor start before winning three straight frames and looking as if he was about to sail away with the match.
But Zhao then composed himself and managed two win two of the last three frames to keep himself well in it.
Huge drama ahead today, we’re certain.
