Ronnie O’Sullivan came from 3-0 down to beat Barry Hawkins 6-4 and reach a record-equalling 57th ranking event final in the Players Championship.
The six-time world champion, who has now matched Stephen Hendry’s finals record, will face either John Higgins or Kyren Wilson, who meet on Saturday.
O’Sullivan, 45, fought back after the interval in Milton Keynes with breaks of 83, 75, 90 and 79.
“I was twitching there at the end and I got lucky,” he said.
“I don’t know if the nine-mile run this morning might have had an effect but I’m not going to stop. It’s the best thing in my life at the moment.”
‘Ridiculous snooker – bordering on obscene’
Earlier in the day, Higgins restricted Mark Selby to just seven points as he thrashed the three-time world champion 6-0 in the quarter-finals.
“It was as close to perfect that I could ever play so to do it against Mark is a feather in my cap. I’m over the moon,” said the 45-year-old Scot.
If Higgins wins his semi-final, he will meet O’Sullivan in the final of a ranking tournament for the first time in 16 years.
“John was evil. He just showed what a class player he is. It was ridiculous snooker, bordering on obscene,” said O’Sullivan.
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