• World Championship

O'Sullivan: I was bored of practising

Ronnie O'Sullivan won with a session to spare © PA Photos

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Ronnie O'Sullivan says he has become "bored" of practising as he takes more time away from the game with huge cut-backs in his playing schedule - but admits he is "buzzing" to reach another World Championship final.

The five-time world champion is competing in just his fifth tournament of the year and has fallen to 27 in the rankings as a result.

But O'Sullivan cruised into the final at the Crucible with a session to spare, beating Barry Hawkins 17-7.

The defending champion began the evening six frames ahead at 11-5 and soon extended his lead with a break of 76.

Hawkins kept his chances alive by winning two of the next three frames but O'Sullivan reeled off four in a row to secure the win.

"To have got such a comfortable result against Barry is great for me," O'Sullivan told WorldSnooker.com. "I hadn't played for two months going into this tournament so I'd got a bit bored of practising, but that's because I didn't enter any tournaments so that's my own fault.

"I've still got one more match to play so I can't afford to get all excited. It's all about the final for me on Sunday and Monday now. I just want to enjoy my day off tomorrow and get ready to play in what is our biggest tournament, competing in the final.

"I'm just buzzing to be playing and enjoying it. To get to three finals in a row having already won two - if you'd have told me that three years ago it would've never entered my thoughts that I could do it.

Hawkins, who had won his previous two matches 13-12 and 13-11, said: "The match before took it out of me a little and I just didn't think I was mentally strong enough. I just felt I was being battered and I felt like I didn't have much in the tank left to give."

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