LONDON - Five-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan produced a superb clearance to beat Mark Selby 6-3 at the UK Masters in London on Thursday and advance to the semi-finals.
Ronnie O'Sullivan of England plays a shot during the World Snooker Championship 2014 final
A 6-5 victor over Mark Williams in round one, O'Sullivan was never behind against Selby as he continued his return to major tournament action following a nine-month hiatus.
Selby refused to be discouraged and threatened to make it 5-4 with a break of 70 in the ninth frame, but O'Sullivan retaliated with a break of 73, clearing the table to book his place in the last four.
"It was a good first red. Under pressure it was good, but I was never going to refuse a shot," O'Sullivan said of his match-winning clearance in a BBC interview.
"I don't feel great, but I'm trying to kid myself that I'm confident. You're not going to win this tournament by playing negative, playing bad. I need to try to find something."
O'Sullivan will face either John Higgins or world champion Stuart Bingham in the semi-finals.
Mark Allen and Barry Hawkins meet later on Thursday, with Judd Trump and Australia's Neil Robertson completing the quarter-final line-up.