Ronnie O’Sullivan made to wait until 3am for debut Saudi win as Rocket blows John Higgins away but falls short of 167

THERE was no Gold Ball finish for Ronnie O’Sullivan but he did bring a Golden Touch to his first appearance in Saudi Arabia.

But it was a bleary-eyed performance as the Rocket ended up winning his quarter-final clash with John Higgins at 3am local time!

Ronnie O’Sullivan had to wait until 3am to claim his win over John Higgins

O’Sullivan claimed a 4-0 whitewash over Higgins to advance to the semi-finals

If anybody is capable of compiling a 147 and then attempting to sink the controversial 20-point Gold Ball – which is unique to this event and sits on the baulk cushion – then it is the seven-time world snooker champion.

But even with his mercurial talent and magical cueing action, the world No1 was unable to achieve a maximum break in the Middle East and then go for glory with an inaugural 167.

Nonetheless, he still showed the locals why he is the best there has ever been with rapid-fire breaks of 135, 129, 102 and 82 in this 4-0 whitewash.

Two of the three previous quarter-finals on Tuesday had gone the distance to a seventh-frame decider and this meant the latest clash of the Class of 92 graduates did not start until 1.45am in Riyadh.

Higgins, 48, had been up past 3am the previous night as he eliminated Welshman Mark Williams from the first round of the 12-man invitational competition.

It was going to be a real test of the Scotsman’s endurance and concentration and he struggled with the early-morning action.

Higgins did not pot a single ball across the four frames – the four points against his name in frame three came via an O’Sullivan foul shot.

Given the time on the clock, relentless O’Sullivan, 48, was in no mood to hang around as he set up a semi-final battle with Judd Trump.

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Unsurprisingly there were lots of people in the arena for the appearance of Crucible King O’Sullivan – a contrast to the rows and rows of empty seats for the prelims on Monday.

Speaking before his last-eight tie, O’Sullivan talked about the Gold Ball, which carries a mega bonus of £400,000 if it is correctly potted after a 147.

He laughed: “I’ve had a few 167s – but that’s driving in my car. I don’t know about getting a 167 on the table. But listen, it’s possible.

“There is a great prize if you get it. There’s a major incentive there.

“If the opportunity presents itself, you have obviously got to give it a go.

“We all want to win the tournament. But if you get the chance for the 167… I mean getting a 147 is a big ask. To get the Gold Ball off the baulk cushion is an even bigger ask.

“If the opportunity presents itself, you have to give it a go.”

When the tournament was announced in January, human right campaigners called on the top stars to use their voice to speak out about the atrocities they claim are perpetuated by the Saudi regime on a daily basis.

But O’Sullivan, who wore traditional headdress when he arrived in the Kingdom, added: “I think it’s great here, I love the Middle East, I love the culture.

“It’s always great to come to places where you feel like you can relax and enjoy your time.

“The fans are buzzing. They watch you on TV, see you in real life, it’s great for them. Whenever you go to the clubs, they are buzzing.

“I think the players are all buzzing. We play a lot of tournaments. It’s nice to play in a prestige tournament.

“This is one of them, the top 12 players in the world. Every match is like a final.

“I pick and choose the tournaments I want to play in. I pick four to five out of the season and the rest I use as practise, to keep me sharp.

“At least give myself a chance in the other tournaments I want to do well in.”