Ronnie O’Sullivan edges Zhang Anda to reach quarterfinals of Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters

Ronnie O’Sullivan is through to the quarter-finals of Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters after beating Zhang Anda 6-5 (Supplied)

• ‘The Rocket’ trailed 3 times against China’s world No. 12 before prevailing 6-5 in back-and-forth contest
• Former world champions Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson also progress with 144 field down to last 8 in race for snooker’s new major title

RIYADH: Ronnie O’Sullivan booked his place in the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters quarterfinals with a majestic 6-5 win against Zhang Anda on Wednesday evening in Riyadh, coming from behind three times before clinching the deciding frame.

O’Sullivan, known as “The Rocket,” trailed China’s world No. 12 by three heading into the fourth, bringing the match level at 3-3 before Zhang twice regained the lead at 4-3 and 5-4.

But O’Sullivan rallied in the final two frames with breaks of 87 and 78, sending him through to the last eight.

Also joining O’Sullivan in the quarterfinals are world No. 1 Judd Trump, seventh seed Shaun Murphy, three-time world champion Mark Williams, and six-time major winner Neil Robertson.

The last 16 also saw ranked outsider Jimmy Robertson continue his blistering form to knock out reigning world champion Kyren Wilson.

The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters continues on Thursday with four matches to determine the semifinal lineup.