Snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan storms into Crucible lead over Judd Trump
DEFENDING champion Ronnie O'Sullivan clicked into gear to take control of his box-office World Championship semi-final with Judd Trump.
The game's two great entertainers were locked at 4-4 overnight and 6-6 at the mid-session interval this morning - but classy O'Sullivan reeled off three frames in a row to take a 9-7 lead in the race to 17 heading into tonight's third session.
The Essex potter had the chance to make it a mini clean sweep after the break but missed a routine green to let Trump in.
Although he came back from five frames down to beat Shaun Murphy in an epic quarter-final, the odds are stacked against Trump making a second final in three years, with O'Sullivan, by his own admission in his swansong tournament, looking up for the challenge.
While the 37-year-old has caused a storm by saying he is only defending his title in order to pocket the cash and pay his children's school fees, his performance told a different story - one of a man desperate to retain his title.