fine 69.

O'Sullivan was in full flow, turning down the chance of a maximum by going for a pink rather than a slightly trickier black during a magnificent 146.

Only Mark Allen and Graeme Dott have ever managed a 146 at the Crucible but neither did so in the seven minutes and 32 seconds it took O'Sullivan to clear up and reduce the gap to two frames.

But Ding, 30, kept his opponent at bay in the closing stages with breaks of 87, 63 and 117 to win two of the final three frames and get over the line.

Barry Hawkins beat Stephen Maguire 13-9 to reach the last four, having made breaks of 126, 98 and 86 in the match. The 2013 finalist faces four-time champion John Higgins next.

Sign up toA US defence contractor was killed and several American and Iraqi troops were wounded Friday in a rocket attack in northern Iraq, US officials said.

According to reports, the attack involved as many as 30 rockets fired at the Iraqi military compound near Kirkuk, where US service members are also based.

Officials did not provide the exact number of troops wounded in the attack or the severity of the injuries.

They spoke on condition of anonymity to describe details before they were made public.

Such attacks have taken place on several occasions over the past few months, with US officials for the most part blaming Iran-backed fighters.

Iraq protests: Death toll soars as live rounds and tear gasfire Show all 17 1 /17 Iraq protests: Death toll soars as live rounds and tear