Masters Snooker 2016 Results: Updated Draw and Schedule After Thursday's Scores

Ronnie O'Sullivan eased his way into the semi-finals of the 2016 Masters Snooker on Thursday as he dispatched Mark Selby 6-3 at Alexandra Palace.

In Thursday's evening session, Barry Hawkins thrashed Mark Allen 6-2 in the second quarter-final.

Here are the latest results, schedule and draw, followed by a closer look at the day's action:

Ronnie O'Sullivan	6-3	Mark Selby
Mark Allen	2-6	Barry Hawkins

Date	Time	Fixture
Friday, Jan. 15	1 p.m. GMT	Judd Trump vs. Neil Robertson
Friday, Jan. 15	7 p.m. GMT	John Higgins vs. Stuart Bingham

Ronnie O'Sullivan	vs.	John Higgins or Stuart Bingham
Barry Hawkins	vs.	Judd Trump or Neil Robertson

Thursday Recap

Selby made a strong start in the first frame and looked as though he was going to take a 1-0 lead in the tie, but O'Sullivan came back strong with a break of 63, starting with this impressive pot, as shared by World Snooker:

The second was almost a reverse of the first as the Rocket made a break of 51, only to be narrowly pipped to the frame by an even better break from the Jester from Leicester:

O'Sullivan went ahead once more in the third, before taking a commanding lead in the fourth as he sunk 54 and then 58 to keep his opponent off the board.

An impressive display saw Selby halve the deficit:

The 40-year-old swiftly restored the two-frame lead with an even century, though. Pro Snooker Blog's Matt Huart lauded O'Sullivan's long game, and it's easy to see why, per World Snooker:

Another frame for the five-time Masters champion put him three ahead and within one of victory, but World Snooker refused to write off Selby:

Indeed, the Englishman quickly pulled one back with an excellent 68 break and showed remarkable composure to stay in the match:

The 32-year-old raced to a break of 70 in the ninth frame, but he was unable to complete his valiant comeback, though, with O'Sullivan edging him out as he cleared with a stunning 73 break to win the match. He admitted it was a difficult match:

Rocket progresses to the semi-finals, where he will meet either John Higgins or Stuart Bingham. 

Allen got off to a roaring start against he scored a ton to make Hawkins sit out the opener, but his opponent hit back with an unanswered break of 81:

Hawkins then proceeded to take a further three consecutive frames to take an overwhelming 4-1 lead in the contest, producing some exceptional snooker including this long pot of a red:

The Pistol stopped the rot in some style:

The Northern Irishman was unable to build on the frame, though, as the Hawk comfortably restored his three-frame lead and move within one of victory.

From there, Hawkins finished the game strongly and shut out Allen in the final frame. He will face either Judd Trump or Neil Robertson on Saturday.