Ronnie back on top

O'Sullivan: Back on top

I'm not really enjoying it at the minute because it's hard work. When I get in amongst the balls it's feeling like hard work, and when you're playing well it feels a lot easier.

Stephen Hendry
Quotes of the week

Results:
R O'Sullivan 4-2 S Murphy
S Hendry 3-3 J Higgins

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Ronnie O'Sullivan moved back to the top of the Premier League table with a 4-2 win over Shaun Murphy, while Scotsmen Stephen Hendry and John Higgins shared a 3-3 draw in Aberdeen.

Unbeaten O'Sullivan added a second win of the tournament against Murphy, who has now lost both of his matches so far, to move onto five points from three games and top the table.

Hendry led 2-0 in his all-Scottish battle with Higgins, but in the end the home crowd saw the spoils shared as Higgins hit back to claim a 3-3 draw.

Murphy had only played one game in the tournament before Thursday, and that had ended in defeat, so he was hoping for a win to boost his confidence in the Premier League.

However, he suffered a second successive loss despite a strong fightback in the match, to leave him bottom of the table without a point so far.

Century

O'Sullivan opened up with a superb century break and then quickly raced into an unbeatable 3-0 lead, but Murphy hit back by claiming an error-strewn fourth frame and adding the fifth to make it 3-2.

However, 'The Rocket' rediscovered his form in the final frame, and a break of 75 extinguished Murphy's hopes of a draw as the defending champion ran out a 4-2 winner.

"All through ht match I never felt relaxed, everything I looked at felt missable so when you're feeling like that you have to keep your foot pressed on the pedal and it's hard work to get into a rhythm," O'Sullivan told Sky Sports 3.

"My performances have been pretty inconsistent and I don't know how I got away with the win there to be honest. I'm relieved to get away with the win in the end, I thought I was there for the taking tonight but I've nicked one and got out of jail.

"I wanted to win 6-0, I've never had that kind of mindset to protect a lead, I just wanted to play decent and have a good game, that's all I ever want to do."

Home tussle

The Aberdeen crowd were desperate to see two of their heroes go head-to-head, with current world champion Higgins taking on seven-time Crucible winner and living legend of the sport Hendry.

Six-time Premier League champion Hendry went 2-0 up, but Higgins hit a hot streak to rattle in two 90-plus breaks as he went 3-2 in front with Hendry potting just one ball during that spell.

A 64 for Hendry was enough in the last though, as even when he missed Higgins fouled on the ensuing pot and Hendry had escaped with a point.

"When you're only playing six frames 2-0 is a big lead, but I lost from 2-0 up against Trump so I thought it could have happened again so it was nice to win that last one and get a draw," said Hendry.

"I'm not really enjoying it at the minute because it's hard work. When I get in amongst the balls it's feeling like hard work, and when you're playing well it feels a lot easier."