Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ali Carter LIVE: Snooker Tour Championship score and updates from grudge match

Back underway in Manchester. Four more frames in this afternoon session and Carter has to win three of them you’d think to properly get himself back in the match ahead of this evening’s conclusion.

Truthfully, it’s not been vintage O’Sullivan but he still leads 4-0...

Carter missed a simple red out of nowhere in the first frame and hasn’t really recovered since. He hasn’t got going yet and, in a race to 10 frames, this match is in danger of completely heading out of sight for him. He needs to come out firing after the mid-session interval.

Ruthless from Ronnie! He doesn’t need the two reds on the side cushion as the third-last red with black puts him 64-13 up, a lead of 51 with only 43 points available.

Carter concedes the frame and Ronnie O’Sullivan had a 4-0 lead at the mid-session interval!

O’Sullivan tidies a couple of the reds at the baulk end of the table before heading back down towards the business end. Picking off the loose reds but there’s a central cluster of three that will need splitting at some point.

The lead is 35-13 when he pots the pink and splits those three. It works out ok and he’s on a red to the centre. Leading 41-13 now with more reds available...

Carter smashes into the pack after potting the blue to move the break to 13 but he’s only left with a thin cut on the red to the left middle pocket. And he misses it. Very tough pot to be fair, he deserved more luck with the split.

Either way, O’Sullivan now back at the table and can punish his opponent here.

Well, that’s a surprise! With the break on 10, O’Sullivan misses a black off the spot. Maybe didn’t get the cueball as close to it as he would’ve liked but that was still a shock.

Carter left with an awkward red up into the yellow pocket as a starter and rolls it in. Right, Ali - you simply have to score heavily with this chance now.

WOW! Pick that one out! O’Sullivan crunches in a stunning long red to start frame four. He’s unlucky to not land on a colour though, so rolls up behind the green.

Carter immediately makes a mistake trying to roll into the pack of reds, leaving Ronnie a pot to the right corner which he gratefully takes. Scoring opportunity for O’Sullivan.

Imperious from O’Sullivan and he wraps the frame up in style. Misses a red to the left corner to miss out on a century break but he won’t mind too much.

O’Sullivan wins frame three and Carter is in big trouble here.

On 47, O’Sullivan faces a tough pot across the table to the left middle but cues it beautifully and it’s in the heart of the pocket. Nudges a red away from the others in the centre of the table and this frame should be his from here.

O’Sullivan seemingly brushing off any frustration from his missed chances in that previous frame as he strides round the table, working mostly with the black.

A couple of delicate cannons keep him in position and a mid-range pot on a red to the right corner takes him beyond 40 points. A couple of loose reds remaining before he’ll need to go into the main cluster.