O'Sullivan makes Higgins favourite

Ronnie O'Sullivan heads into a titanic Crucible quarter-final with John Higgins today insisting he is the underdog.

But ahead of the clash with his fellow three-time former winner, O'Sullivan has warned he only came to the Betfred.com World Championship because he believes he can win the tournament.

After converting a 9-7 two-session lead over Shaun Murphy into a 13-10 triumph, O'Sullivan said: "After the performances you'd have to make John favourite because he's got to be playing better than that. I'd be surprised if he's not."

The 35-year-old Englishman, who is receiving guidance from sports psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters as he looks to keep a level head, added: "It's a sad day for me if I start admitting I'm pleased to make the quarter-finals. I might as well turn it in.

"No matter how badly I've played, I've still come to win. Making the quarter-finals, it's not about that. It's about being the best, being the winner. There's no way I'm coming here to get to the quarters."

Higgins at one stage had struggled to shake off grinder Rory McLeod.

The 35-year-old Scot was struggling badly on Sunday at only 6-5 ahead, but gradually he gained control over the 40-year-old qualifier from Wellingborough, who coaches Qatar's national team, and won 13-7.

Ding Junhui came from 12-9 behind to stun Basildon's Stuart Bingham with a 13-12 victory, and reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

The Chinese 24-year-old will face Mark Selby, who completed a crushing 13-4 win over Stephen Hendry, taking just 10 minutes to secure the single frame he required.

All four quarter-finals begin today, with morning and evening sessions of Judd Trump versus Graeme Dott and Mark Williams' clash with Mark Allen. The afternoon sees the O'Sullivan-Higgins battle commence, and the start of Ding against Selby.