SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom: Ronnie O’Sullivan’s bid for a record eighth world snooker title collapsed on Wednesday when he was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Stuart Bingham.
Bingham, the 2015 champion, went 13-10 and will face Welsh qualifier Jak Jones for a place in the final.
Jones stunned former champion Judd Trump 13-9 in his quarterfinal.
“I had a little cry in my dressing room, I was fearing the worst,” said Bingham adding “I don’t know how I’ve held myself together.”
Bingham, who had lost his place in the world’s top 16, held off an increasingly flustered O’Sullivan and rocked over the final three frames to secure a nerve-wracking victory.
“I’m actually really happy to be honest, it’s just the way it goes sometimes,” O’Sullivan told the media.
“Not the win I’d have liked to have had, but that’s snooker. That’s the way it goes. Good luck to Stuart.”
David Gilbert reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2019 with a 13-8 victory over Stephen Maguire.
12th seed Gilbert will next face Kyren Wilson after a 13-8 win over four-time champion John Higgins.
Gilbert’s victory means the three qualifiers have reached the semi-finals for the first time since the tournament was held at Sheffield’s Crucible Theater in 1977.
