Snooker:Ronnie O'Sullivan fought back from 3-0 down to beat Neil Robertson 6-4 in a stunning second-round clash at the Masters tournament in Wembley.
O'Sullivan looked set to be on his way out as his Australian opponent moved into a convincing lead with a minimum of fuss.
But the four-time Masters champion stormed back with two centuries and three half-century breaks to set up a quarter-final clash with Peter Ebdon.
A brilliant break of 114 arrested Robertson's progress just before the mid-session interval.
That century break stirred O'Sullivan's confidence and he got back within a frame at 3-2 as he constructed a break of 57.
Robertson attempted to force the safety he needed to get back in the frame, but O'Sullivan potted a tricky yellow to put paid to those hopes.
And the 34-year-old soon took the lead as a break of 87 levelled the scores, and he then prevailed by knocking off the colours in the seventh frame to take a 4-3 advantage.
Robertson, 27, appeared shell-shocked by his opponent's imperious progress but recovered his composure well in the next frame.
Some of his early potting appeared shaky, particularly a simple red that rattled the jaws of the middle pocket, but he soon settled down to clear the table with a magnificent 140 break.
But O'Sullivan would not be denied as a beautiful screw shot on the blue opened up the pack of reds to set up a clearance of 106 to move to within a frame of victory.
Victory was confirmed when the Essex player prevailed following an early safety battle in the 10th frame, posting a break of 76.
O'Sullivan admitted he had needed to regroup after Robertson's excellent start.
He said: "I wasn't surprised to be 3-0 down. It was just nice to score a few in the end so I could make a game of it as it could have been a whitewash.
"I didn't panic. You can't panic, that's rule number one, because if you panic it's a disaster. You have to stay patient and hope to catch a bit of momentum so you can put your opponent under pressure.
"I made just two out of 10 long pots, and I think Neil will be disappointed to have beaten someone making just two of 10 long pots."
Mark Williams was tonight set to take on Ali Carter in the evening session, despite being involved in a car accident last night.
The Welshman hurt his neck in the accident, but is hopeful for picking fit to play his second-round game.
"Someone rammed up into the back of us and that sort of did my neck in a little bit," Williams said.
"I had a sore neck virtually straight away.
"I'll have some food, take a couple of tablets and then I'll have a game and hopefully it won't be too bad.
"Hopefully I will be okay for tonight."
-PA