Davis set for O'Sullivan clash in English Open semi-finals

Snooker star Mark Davis will face one of the game's all-time greats in the English Open semi-finals tonight (Saturday).
Mark Davis will take on Ronnie O'Sullivan in the English Open semi-finals at K2 Crawley tonightMark Davis will take on Ronnie O'Sullivan in the English Open semi-finals at K2 Crawley tonight
Mark Davis will take on Ronnie O'Sullivan in the English Open semi-finals at K2 Crawley tonight

The St Leonards cueman will take on five-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan as he seeks to reach the final of a World Snooker full ranking event for the first time.

Davis’s sixth full ranking event semi-final will be played over the best of 11 frames at K2 Crawley from 7pm.

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See also: * St Leonards ace into English Open semi-finals* St Leonards star beats four-time world champ in English Open* Davis targets first ever ranking title on Sussex soilO’Sullivan has won six of the last eight matches between the two men, including a 4-1 victory in round two of last year’s English Open, although Davis pulled off a superb comeback win at the 2017 Welsh Open.

Davis has been in fine form so far this week, winning five matches so far and not requiring a deciding frame in any of them.

The world number 45 outgunned 13th-ranked Ryan Day 5-1 in the quarter-finals yesterday aided by breaks of 66, 95 and 92.

Davis won two matches on Thursday, coming from 2-0 down to defeat Chinese player Mei Xi Wen 4-2 in round three with breaks of 62 and 68 before recovering from 2-1 behind to beat five-time world champion John Higgins 4-2 in the last 16.

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He previously whitewashed Polish potter Adam Stefanow 4-0 in round two on Wednesday helped by runs of 97 and 107 having seen off Robbie Williams 4-1 in round one on Monday aided by breaks of 104, 70 and a magnificent 136.

O’Sullivan - the world number three and a five-time world champion - dropped just three frames in the first four rounds, but had to come from 3-2 down to defeat Chinese teenager Luo Honghao 5-3 in the quarter-finals last night.