Ronnie O'Sullivan is through to the semi-finals of the Scottish Open after beating Li Hang 5-4 on Friday afternoon.
In what was a close match where neither player was able to lead by more than a single frame, O'Sullivan dominated the decider with a half-century enough to finally see off Li's spirited effort.
Li had trailed 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3, each time restoring parity, but he was unable to prevent O'Sullivan from moving one step closer to what would be 38th ranking title – and first since the 2020 World Championship.
"I'm not striking the ball good, I was just searching around for a cue action there, trying to get something going," he told Eurosport.
"It was getting so frustrating – you just feel helpless out there. This game's all about hitting the ball well. I went back to my 'Selby' cue action, which seems to be doing all right for me.
"You try different things. I do, anyway. It felt a little bit better – at least it feels like it gave me something to work with. I'm a tinkerer. I've been tinkering since 10 years of age. It's probably best if you don't, but it's hard not to."
Asked whether he took heart from winning his third decider of the week, O'Sullivan added: "It's not good when you keep going close. For years, I was beating opponents comfortably from round one to the final.
"I'm having to fight a little more. I much prefer it how it was before. At some stage you've got to accept you're not as good as you were.
"I'm trying to compete and do as well as I can. It's good to still be in."
