Snooker, the Masters: O'sullivan Returns to Top Form

Ronnie O'Sullivan, beaten in his three Masters finals since he won the title 10 years ago at the age of 19, was held to 3-3 by Graeme Dott before decisive breaks of 72, 85 and 51 gave him a 6-3 win and a quarter-final on Friday against the outstanding 17-year-old Chinese prospect, Ding Junhui.

Beaten 5-0 by Dott in the Malta Cup earlier this month, O'Sullivan was sharply away to 2-0 with breaks of 64 and 130 but made a few surprising errors as Dott won three of the next four frames before the world champion reasserted himself.

"It was always going to be dodgy after going 2-0 up and not stamping my authority on the match," said O'Sullivan. "In the end I was pleased to get over the line. It was a potential banana skin."

"At 3-3 I thought he was under pressure," said Dott, "but I wasn't good enough to take advantage. My touch wasn't there and neither was my safety."

O'Sullivan considered his defeat in Malta irrelevant: "No disrespect to Graeme but that wasn't me out there. I could have been beat 5-0 by Stevie Wonder."

Not wishing to "burn out" his 72-year-old mentor, Ray Reardon, he does without him for the events he considers run of the mill but the six-times world champion is with him here this week.

O'Sullivan's quarter-final on Friday against Ding, the standard bearer of the Chinese snooker revolution, should prove the first of many as Ding matures.

Starting with a total clearance of 141 and regaining the lead at 2-1 with an 81 that could well have matured into a maximum but for a kick spoiling his position, Ding went on to dispose of Ken Doherty 6-1.

The Dubliner was not at his best and brightest. He was nevertheless anxious not to make too much of the ear infection that has troubled him all week. "Even if I had been 100%, it would have been tough. For 17, he's quite mature and he's going to be a prolific winner in a few years."