Ronnie O'Sullivan wasn't at the peak of his game, but when it counted, he pulled off one of the most remarkable shots of the . The Rocket soared into the semi-finals after

O'Sullivan's quarter-final , yet he produced exceptional snooker when it mattered most. The seven-time champ showed many flashes of brilliance and will now go head-to-head with Zhao Xintong in the semi-finals.

With the pressure on at 11-9 and trailing 54-29 in the 21st frame to Si, O'Sullivan faced a crucial long pot with the red perilously close to the side cushion. Any mistake at this juncture would have likely been costly.

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He thundered the red into the distant pocket and ingeniously positioned the cue ball near the awkwardly placed yellow, which he then flawlessly sank. BBC's commentator John was taken aback by the moment of genius.

He said: "What a pot! Best of the night, by a mile." Sharing the commentary box, snooker icon Ken Doherty was equally astounded, commenting: "Well, that's one of the best shots of the Championship. That red and then that yellow, what a chance he has given himself here."

O'Sullivan continued to exhibit his skill, wrapping up the session with a 65 break. He completed the match by clinching the final frame, securing his spot in the ultimate round.

Despite some electrifying moments, O'Sullivan confessed he's far from content with his performance. Reflecting on his game, he said: "I had some work done on my cue today, probably have to get a new ferrule, a new tip, it just feels awful, the cue.

"I'm playing awful and the cue feels awful. It's the worst situation to be in as a snooker player. I'm still in so I'll keep punching away, keep trying.

"He had lots of chances. I was trying all sorts, trying to hold the cue in a different place to get a bit of feel, I'll just try anything.

"He played poor in the whole match really, let me off the hook loads of times. So I got lucky again.

"It gets harder because you look at the standard, Judd the way he's playing, Mark Williams, Xintong. I won't be able to get away with what I've got away with in the last three matches. I don't think I can get any worse but we'll have to see."

Zhao skilfully outplayed the tournament's dark horse Chris Wakelin, who had previously defeated Neil Robertson and Mark Allen to reach the quarter-finals.

The Chinese prodigy thrashed the Englishman 13-5 to secure his spot in the next round.