O'Sullivan roars into snooker worlds' semis

 　　SHEFFIELD, England, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Three-time Crucible¹ winner Ronnie O'Sullivan became hot favourite to claim a fourth title of the world snooker championship after he rallied to beat Neil Robertson 13-10 on Wednesday in a "final before the final" to get a last-four berth².

　　The English veteran, who won the world titles in 2001, 2004 and 2008, delivered a thrilling comeback victory when he overturned a 5-3 deficit³ to lead Robertson 9-7 after the second session with a six-frame streak⁴.

　　The Rocket then never looked back and held his nerve to finish the job, knocking out the Australian top player with a three-frame advantage.

　　Though losing the match, Robertson, the 2010 world champion, threatened a miraculous⁵ comeback after he narrowed the gap to 10-12 with breaks of 89 and 77 but only saw his opponent in a strong mind to seal the victory.

　　The duo's offensive-minded styles made it an exciting and high quality match and was worth the nickname billed by some as the 'final before the final'.

　　"My game is aggressive and I don't mind leaving people chances as long as I'm cueing all right," said the 36 year-old winner.

　　On his opponent, the Rocket added: "Neil's had a great tournament, he's been fantastic and he's had another good season."

　　O'Sullivan will play against Matthew Stevens, who thrashed Ryan Day 13-5, under the best of 33 frames in the semifinal.

　　The other last-four clash will be played between Stephen Maguire, who beat Stephen Hendry 13-2 before the "snooker king" announced his retirement⁶, and Allister Carter, who saw off Jamie Jones 13-11.

　　The world championship, the yearly biggest tournament of a snooker season, has been held at the Crucible theatre since 1977.

1 crucible   

n.坩锅，严酷的考验

参考例句：

• The alliance had been forged in the crucible of war.这个联盟经受了战争的严峻考验。
• Put the required amount of metal into the crucible.把适量的金属放入坩埚。

2 berth   

n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊

参考例句：

• She booked a berth on the train from London to Aberdeen.她订了一张由伦敦开往阿伯丁的火车卧铺票。
• They took up a berth near the harbor.他们在港口附近找了个位置下锚。

3 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

4 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

5 miraculous   

adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的

参考例句：

• The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
• They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人，赢得了非凡的胜利。

6 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。