Two of the game's high-profile players exited the European Open yesterday after holder Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins suffered unexpected defeats in the quarter-finals at the Hilton Conference Centre.
O'Sullivan was scathing about his own performance after losing his first match in a ranking event for over three months, beaten by Stephen Lee 5-4. The world no. 5 got the better of a tense deciding frame to progress to the semi-finals. This is a welcome boost for the Wiltshire player who has not won a major title since the Regal Scottish in April 2002.
O'Sullivan was a long way short of his best at the Hilton Conference Centre and, ever the perfectionist, gave a critical assessment of his game. "I was diabolical, I'm just relieved that it's over," said the 28-year-old from Chigwell, who won the Welsh Open in January and reached the final of the Masters last month.
Lee, recording his second win in nine meetings with O'Sullivan, said: "It was tough in the end but I'm really pleased to get over the line. I'm feeling quietly confident, which I have not felt since the World Championship last year."
O'Sullivan started with a break of 56, then Lee levelled with an 80. The next two scrappy frames were shared to leave it 2-2 at the mid-session interval.
The Rocket suffered serious misfortune in the fifth as, with a chance to clear the table, he moved the last red off the side cushion in potting the pink only for the red to fly into the opposite centre pocket. Lee made it 3-2, but his opponent got back to level terms with an excellent clearance in the next, slotting home the last red along the length of a side cushion then clipping a superb yellow to the centre.
O'Sullivan took control of frame seven with a 55 and finished it on the final brown after a prolonged safety battle. Lee battled back with a 59 to set up the decider.
Two scoring chances could only yield 36 points for the Rocket, then Lee knocked in a long red to initiate a match-winning opportunity. He missed the last red on 46, but after a safety exchange he potted a yellow and added the green to leave his opponent requiring a snooker. O'Sullivan kept fighting but a long pot on the blue from Lee wrapped up the tie.
Lee's opponent in today's first semi-final will be Stephen Maguire who scored a 5-3 victory over Higgins to reach his first ranking event semi-final. "I'm starting to think about winning it now," admitted 22-year-old Maguire, world amateur champion in 2001. "But I'm trying not to do that and just taking it one match at a time.
"I practised with John at the Masters club in Glasgow for a few days before we flew out to Malta. He gave me a few good hidings so it's great to reverse the result. The main thing I've learnt from playing him is not to miss!"
World no. 4 Higgins didn't concede a frame in his first two matches this week and seemed to be carrying on in the same vein as he took the first two with runs of 48 and 83.
But he missed several straightforward pots in the next and Maguire eventually stole it on the brown. The younger man then reeled off three in a row with breaks of 45, 65 and 51 for a 4-2 lead. He missed a good chance to wrap the match up in frame seven, breaking down at 40-11 with the balls at his mercy, but regrouped to seal the result in the next with a 50.
Higgins rues missed chances
A disconsolate Higgins, without a ranking title since October 2001, said: "I started ok but I missed so many chances in the third frame and that was crucial because 3-0 would have virtually killed him off. After that I didn't do too much wrong. He played some good safety. I can't take too many positives from this tournament, it's just been the same as the rest of the season."