Hamilton knocks out O’Sullivan

Ronnie O’Sullivan rued some “silly” misses after crashing out to Anthony Hamilton in the Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters.

Nottingham player Hamilton, who beat the three-time world champion 5-3, responded to O’Sullivan’s opening 92 with breaks of 49 and 107 to go 2-1 ahead, before O’Sullivan made a 65 break to level at the mid-session interval. He also won the first frame back with a 73 but breaks of 94, 72 and 63 in the next three frames saw Hamilton home.

O’Sullivan said: “I had chances but missed some silly balls. It was a 50/50 game but he played well when it mattered.”

Mark Selby led a host of big names through to the quarter-finals with a 5-0 hammering of Jamie Cope, while world No 1 Mark Williams also progressed with a 5-1 rout of Robert Milkins, highlighted by a break of 130.

World champion John Higgins saw off Stuart Bingham 5-2, clinching victory with his highest break of a messy match, 69 in frame seven.

Australian Neil Robertson awaits Higgins in the next round after the 2010 Crucible champion beat Michael Holt 5-2. Shaun Murphy recorded his second successive 5-4 win, seeing off Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen.