Snooker: O'Sullivan Loses His Serve But Not His Nerve

Ronnie O'Sullivan's mettle was tested in the fiercest heat the Crucible can offer before he emerged a 13-10 winner over Neil Robertson, his 8-3 lead having become a 9-8 deficit as the Australian left-hander amassed a sequence of 404 unanswered points which included the highest break of the tournament, 140.

"He can be quite intimidating the way he plays, the way he hits the ball so sweetly, the way the pots hit the back of the pocket," said O'Sullivan, acknowledging the quality of an opponent who beat him en route to both the Grand Prix and Welsh Open titles this season.

As to his own game, the double world champion summarised: "My scoring was good, my safety was average, but if you don't pot the long balls it's like losing your serve at tennis. Because of my long potting I had to make it count amongst the balls. It was good to get through against one of the most fearsome players in the game."

After O'Sullivan had ended his six-frame losing streak with a break of 129, an exchange of breaks - 70 from Robertson, 96 from O'Sullivan - again saw parity at 10-10. O'Sullivan then came from 55 behind to nose ahead and added the next two frames to secure his place in the quarter-finals.

"I was proud of the way I came back today," said Robertson, Australia's most successful player since the days of Eddie Charlton but one with a far wider range of shots and considerably greater potential.

Mark Selby, the world No28, became only the third player after John Higgins (twice) and O'Sullivan to make centuries in three consecutive frames here in eliminating Peter Ebdon, the 2002 champion, 13-8. "It's the best match I've played in my career," he said.

Selby's runs of 100, 122 and 119 largely accounted for the 382 unanswered points which brought him an 8-4 lead. Having been kept potless for 45 minutes, Ebdon rallied and seemed certain to trail only 9-7 going into the final session until an incredible failure on the brown let Selby in. "I don't ever remember missing a ball like that," said Ebdon.

Selby's opponent in the quarter-finals will be Allister Carter, who beat Stephen Hendry 13-6. "Allister was fantastic, especially his safety," Hendry said. "I don't remember being snookered so often in my life." Carter scored heavily, making a break of 111 and seven more over 60; Hendry made one of 92 in an early frame but only one further half-century in a substandard performance he declined to attribute to changing cues only three weeks before the championship.

John Higgins, the 1998 champion, who starts his quarter-final against O'Sullivan this afternoon, completed a 13-4 victory his opponent, Fergal O'Brien, described as "brilliant". Higgins, who feels that he has come to Sheffield "under the radar" having reached only one semi-final this season, said: "It was good to feel like that again. It's been a while. I'm excited. If I can get on a roll I'll take some stopping."