World Snooker Championship 2024: Stuart Bingham denies Ronnie O'Sullivan in last eight

Credit: George Wood/Getty ImagesCredit: George Wood/Getty Images
Credit: George Wood/Getty Images | George Wood/Getty Images
There will be no record eighth world championship title for O’Sullivan in 2024

Stuart Bingham produced his best result in several years as he eliminated tournament favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan from the 2024 World Snooker Championship following a 13-10 victory in the quarter-finals on Wednesday night.

The 2015 world champion reaches the one-table set-up at the Crucible for the third time in his career where he will face fellow qualifier Jak Jones for a spot in the final.

Following a disappointing few years on the professional circuit, Bingham had to qualify for this year’s main draw and nearly didn’t make it having been 9-7 down in the penultimate round to Stuart Carrington.

However, after coming back to win that match in a decider, he ousted Louis Heathcote 10-8 in the final qualifier to make the Crucible once more where he has defeated Gary Wilson, Jack Lisowski and now O’Sullivan to set up his 23nd career ranking event semi-final, but his first in over three years.

It had been a season in the doldrums for the 47-year-old having only gone past the last 32 of a ranking event once. Positioned 57th on the one-year list, prior to qualification, Bingham hadn’t won a match in a ranking event since the middle of December. But on the grandest snooker stage of all, the Englishman has suddenly found his mojo again.

Coming into the final session, the players were locked at 8-8, although Bingham had momentum having taken the final two frames of the second session to level up.

Seven-time champion O’Sullivan began in imperious fashion, crafting a 136 total clearance to edge ahead at 9-8. Bingham, though, could draw upon on his previous Crucible victory over O’Sullivan from nine years earlier; meeting in the quarter-finals that year, too, he was 9-8 down before recovering to win 13-9.

Bingham claimed the next two frames to retake the lead but ‘The Rocket’ won frame 20 on the colours to put the tie on a knife-edge at 10-10 going into the final mid-session interval.

On resumption, both players spurned early openings - O’Sullivan even punched the bed of the table in frustration - but it was Bingham who nabbed it on the colours before compiling an effort of 104 in the next to move one away at 12-10 ahead.

52 points to the good in frame 23, Bingham was on the cusp of advancing, but he unexpectedly missed a pink to give his opponent a lifeline. However, O’Sullivan could not fully capitalise, missing a tricky final yellow and letting world number 29 Bingham in to amass the remaining points he needed to get over the line.

Bingham joins an elite club of players to have knocked O’Sullivan out of the world championship more than once.

A six-time ranking event winner, Bingham will now have his sights set on becoming a multiple-time world champion.

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