DEFENDING champion Ronnie O’Sullivan booked his place in Sunday’s Champion of Champions final thanks to a 6-4 win over China’s Ding Junhui.
The five-time world champion overcame a determined Ding in front of a sell-out Ricoh Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Breaks of 32 and 38 saw O’Sullivan snatch a scrappy opening frame but Ding was given to bites at the cherry to take the second and level the score.
Both players had chances to take the third but it was O’Sullivan who got his nose in front once again, going 2-1 in front with breaks of 47 and 43.
O’Sullivan took the next frame to take a 3-1 lead into the mid-session but Ding made breaks of 88 and 111 in the next two to level the score again at 3-3.
The pair exchanged frames but O’Sullivan saved his best snooker for last, scoring 91 to take frame nine and a superb break of 125 earned O’Sullivan a place in the final.
The world number four will face either Judd Trump or Neil Robertson in Sunday’s final.
