World Open: Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Wu Yizi in the playoff to reach the final

Ronnie O’Sullivan won a tense deciding frame against China’s Wu Yizi at the World Open in Yushan to reach the 66th ranking final.

It came the day after he made the sport’s highest ever professional break of 153 in a 5-0 quarter-final win over Welshman Ryan Day.

The seven-time world champion will play Thepchaya On Noh, who beat world number one Judd Trump 6-4, in the final.

O’Sullivan never trailed against Wu but struggled to get the better of the world number 11 before eventually pulling off a 6-5 win.

Wu had his first chance in the decider, opening a healthy lead with a 43rd break of serve, but the 50-year-old O’Sullivan punished a poor safety shot with a long red card and then held his nerve with an 89th clearance.

“I like my bottle when I’m flowing,” said O’Sullivan, who has signed up to compete in the World Senior Championships for the first time this year. “I really like my bottle anyway.

“When he missed 5-5, I had a chance on the red card and I had to take it. The ball went in, which I couldn’t believe, and I made a great clearance.

“I knew that if I got the red card I wanted, I would be able to clear the field. In previous years I would beg my opponent not to make a mistake because I didn’t want to embarrass myself. It’s different now.

“I feel happier because I’m in this state of mind. Even if I mess up, at least I imagine it.”

The Englishman has not won a classification event since beating Trump to claim victory at the World Grand Prix in January 2024.