World number
one Neil Robertson fended off a brilliant late fightback from Stuart Bingham to
reach the final of the UK Championship for the first time.
Australian Robertson, 31, had the better of the opening session, taking a 5-3 lead into the interval in York.
He then rattled off the next three to move to within a frame of victory, before a Bingham revival saw the Englishman take five successive frames.
But Robertson held his nerve to win the decider and claim a thrilling 9-8 win.
It was a brave performance from Bingham, who had led from the front in his defeat of world champion O'Sullivan in the quarter-final on Friday.
But in the semi-final, the Englishman, 37, was kept off the table as Robertson blitzed into a 5-2 lead in the best-of-17 frame match.
Bingham won the last frame before the interval, but still looked in trouble as Robertson won the next three to move to within a frame of his first UK Championship final.
However, Bingham edged the next two and then punished mistakes from Robertson, winning the 16th frame with a century to force a decider.
Both players had opportunities early on, but it was Robertson who capitalised first to snatch victory and set up a final against defending champion Mark Selby or Ricky Walden, who play their last four encounter on Saturday.
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