JUST like four years ago, Ali Carter and Ronnie O’Sullivan will be battling it out against each other in a bid to be world champion after both secured their places in this year’s final earlier today.

Carter secured his second appearance in a Crucible final after beating Scotland’s Stephen Maguire 17-12 this afternoon.

Leading 14-10 overnight, Carter made the perfect start in his bid to reach the final when he won a scrappy and nervy 46-minute frame. Carter was trapped in a snooker on the final red and missed it on five occasions. On the sixth attempt Carter missed gain but he got so close to it referee Leo Scullion decided not to call the miss.

Maguire attempted a frame-winning double on the red missed it and Carter cleared to lead 15-10. The next frame saw Carter get closer to his victory target after a flukish long red proved vital in going 16-10 up.

Maguire ensured the match would be completed after the mid-session interval after winning the next two frames. But when the players came back Carter was in no mood to let his opponent win a third straight frame. Carter kept under pressure and a break of 70 clinched him the match.

O’Sullivan only needed three frames this evening to book his place in Sunday and Monday’s final.

With a huge six-frame lead overnight, O’Sullivan managed to maintain that lead in the morning session drawing with Stevens 4-4 to go just two frames short of the winning post.

After Stevens won the first frame of the evening session, O’Sullivan then won the next two frames to make his first world final since winning the event in 2008 when he beat Carter.

Carter will be hoping history does not repeat itself and will look for one more good performance in a bid to claim his first world title. O’Sullivan is one win away from claiming his fourth world title.