German Masters 2012 (Day 4) - Rocket Ronnie orbits final

O'Sullivan reached the final

A dramatic first semi-final here at Berlin's Tempodrom, where Ronnie O'Sullivan managed to beat Stephen Lee 6-4 after a genuine battle of cues. 

Although the “Rocket” took the lead 5-2 needing just one more frame to secure his spot in the German Masters' final, "Bulldog" Lee didn't give up. And if it wasn't for the last pink in frame ten, he would have forced a decider with O'Sullivan.

The match between Stephen Lee and Ronnie O'Sullivan made its debut with no surprises involved, considering the Essex-man's latest form of hitting the ball.
Breaks of 73, 41 and 59 were putting Ronnie in charge of the match at 3-1, as the mid-session interval was kicking off.

15 minutes later as the lads retuned into the arena, Lee managed to win his second frame of the match with a top break of 63, but O'Sullivan's response was a clear one: "I want to reach the final". So with runs of 23, 15 and 82 "The Rocket" cashed the next couple of frames to go 5-2 up.

And then it happened: Lee's comeback. It started with a scrappy 8^th frame and it continued almost the same but with a 54 break. With only the colours left on the table, O'Sullivan needed snookers, but after missing so many shots to let Lee in he was a bit frustrated and conceded the 9^th frame. Scoreline was now 5-4.

A very hard defeat for Lee

The 10^th frame made its debut with Lee committing a 7 points foul after a miscue (the second of this match) and O'Sullivan with a great chance to get in. But the pressure was high and after 15 points he missed the black off its spot.

Lee came back for a 22, while O'Sullivan collected only 8 points before missing the green to the left centre pocket. It seemed like Stephen was going to win this ... until he missed the last red.

Ronnie made a 19 break but missed frame and match ball (aka the last pink).
Lee retuned knowing he needed that ball to get in. And the pink almost got in ... but not quite. O'Sullivan put his cue into action and sent the naughty pink into the left pocket. It was over - and he was in the final.

Always gracious in defeat, Stephen Lee offered a sincere hand-shake and all the best for the fist finalist of this year's German Masters. 

The second semi-final is starting from 7.30 pm (UK time) and it features the names of Shaun Murphy and Stephen Maguire.