Ronnie O'Sullivan takes control of World Championship quarter-final clash with Si Jiahui after claiming he was 'in HELL' during second-round win
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- O'Sullivan had made the claim after beating Pang Junxu in second-round bout
- He leads 6-2 after the first session against Si as he bids to reach 14th semi-final
- The star's performances are defying his claims that he has been struggling
Ronnie O'Sullivan took control of his World Championship quarter-final against Si Jiahui as he continued his relentless march towards a record eighth title.
The Rocket said he was in 'hell' after completing his comfortable second-round win over Pang Junxu on Monday, insisting he had never felt so bad on the table.
But O'Sullivan's performances continue to defy his own self-appraisal, as he opened up a commanding 6-2 lead over Chinese 13th seed Si, finishing Tuesday's first session with a break of 121.
The 49-year-old is now firmly on course to reach his 14th Crucible semi-final – and his first since 2022 – as he looks to move clear of Stephen Hendry and claim the outright record for most world titles.
'I wouldn't go as far as to say it's match over, but it's very close,' said 2005 world champion and BBC pundit Shaun Murphy.
O'Sullivan's biggest rival for the Crucible crown appears to be world No 1 Judd Trump, who leads 2023 world champion Luca Brecel 5-3.
Trump hit two centuries in the session to move just one behind Neil Robertson's record of 103 tons in a season.
With the 35-year-old in the other half of the draw to O'Sullivan, the tournament is set up for a blockbuster repeat of the 2022 final, which the Rocket won.
