Ronnie O’Sullivan v Zhao Xintong LIVE: World Snooker Championship semi-final scores and updates

“I agree with [fans opposed to moving away from the Crucible], I don’t want it to move,” he says. “But I have to live in the real world. While every player says there’s nothing like walking out at the Crucible, every player would jump at the chance to earn double or treble the prize money. That’s the world we’re in.

“I’m a fan as much as anybody else, but I’m a realist. I built a big business on making sure that we deliver to players first and the public second. Whether it stays in Sheffield or somewhere else in the UK, or whether it moves to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Beijing – it’s going to be a tough one.

“We have got to try to find some middle ground. We’re not going to be difficult, our heart says we want to stay here because we’re fans as well. Players need to be paid – that’s what it comes down to.”

The Matchroom Sport president, speaking to BBC Two, continues, “It’s a good time to talk because I’ve had a very productive meeting with Sheffield City Council.

“We all know where our heart is, unfortunately it’s got to marry up with our wallets because that’s what professional sport is about.

“We’ve got the history, my life changed at the Crucible and I don’t want to leave, but if the money’s right then I have to. Because I’m going to be under pressure from players who say everyone else’s prize money is going up – darts players, boxers, whatever – and not us.

“And how do we inspire the next generation of people, other than saying like Luke Littler in darts, you can change your life through playing this sport.

“I’ve got to give that and that’s going to involve negotiations on both sides.”

“Still a long way to go, we must have a decision by the end of the year,” he continues.

“We need to inspire future generations. It’s an amazing sport, but sometimes you take it for granted. We love Sheffield properly.

“Get a deal done by the end of the year.”

Barry Hearn has weighed in on the debate over whether the World Championship should move on from its hallowed home at the Crucible.

“I want to accommodate more people, get more money, I need to get the prize money much bigger, you’ve seen what we’ve done in darts, we want to do the same in snooker,” he says.

“It’s very nice in there, I owe it, big time, but there’s a price to pay in this modern world. The council, to be fair, I was impressed by their passion.”

Zhao potted one ball with such power in that frame that he managed to break the table, with a section holding the balls after they’re potted giving way. He looks a bit sheepish at that.

Good thing it’s the end of the session…

Ronnie aims to pick up where he left off in this frame with a break of 32, but misses the black to right pocket and lets Zhao back into this.

Momentum shifts again and Zhao is cool as you like, working his way through the back and rifling the green into its pocket, splitting the reds nicely, and he’s right back in this frame and this match.

A break of 86, the best of the match, and that’ll do nicely as he moves level with O’Sullivan once more to close this afternoon session at 4–4. What a semi-final!

O’Sullivan down quickly and building a nice break, with the black in service.

A few reds out of action on the right cushion, but he’s already 65-1 up…

Zhao is 50 ahead with 51 remaining, it’s a tough, long red… It’s rifled in! Zhao punishes O’Sullivan and is on the brink of levelling this match.

That’s a big miss by Ronnie in the sixth frame, he’d played the white beautifully too, the red would have been perfect.

Zhao races off his chair and quickly extends his lead in the frame, 7-46. The balls are laid out very nicely.

The tournament average shot times: O’Sullivan 16 seconds… Zhao with 20 seconds.

That is classic O’Sullivan, mentally so strong in there without his best stuff, then he flicks the switch.

A patient break of 60… 71-0 in the end and conceded by Zhao. 3-2 to the Englishman.