Ronnie O’Sullivan will take a 5-3 lead into the evening session of his quarter-final with John Higgins at the Tour Championship.
O’Sullivan is bidding to banish memories of his last outing against Higgins, when he was turned over 10-3 in the Players Championship final in February.
Higgins was first on the scoreboard with a 72 break before the Rocket pegged him back with knocks of 92 and a 72 of his own.
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The session’s only century saw Higgins draw level before the pair traded the fifth and sixth frames to leave the match delicately poised at 3-3.
But O’Sullivan seized the initiative by taking the final two frames of the first session – including a 69 knock in the seventh – to leave him five from victory in the best-of-19 contest.
The Tour Championship runs from March 22-28 and features the top eight players from the one-year ranking list.
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