Barry Hawkins came agonisingly close to pulling off the greatest comeback in World Snooker Championship history - but admits a Ronnie O’Sullivan hangover cost him.

The Ditton potter had pulled off one of the biggest wins of his career in downing five-time champion O’Sullivan 13-12 in round two, and that victory appeared to leave him spent at the start of his last-eight clash with Marco Fu.

With 13 the target for victory, Fu raced into a 9-1 lead and no snooker player in history has successfully overcome an eight-frame deficit to win a best-of-25 tie.

Yet Hawkins slowly hit the comeback trail, winning eight of the next nine frames, to narrow the deficit to 10-9 before Fu finally stopped the rot with breaks of 50 and 93 to move with one of victory.

Hawkins responded to close to 12-11 and looked set to force a decider with a 60-point lead in frame 24 but Hong Kong cueman Fu made the gutsiest break of his career - a classy 74 clearance - to edge over the line and book a semi-final with world No.1 Mark Selby.

And Hawkins was left to reflect on coming so near but yet so far from making history at Sheffield’s iconic Crucible Theatre.

“I felt really good at the end there, especially after Marco missed those chances to win the match,” said Hawkins.

“I thought if I could just get going I wouldn’t lose a decider. It was a battle to get back into that match but that first session cost me and it was too much of a mountain to climb after that.

“It was a great break from him to win it in the end especially because he can’t have been feeling great.

“I shouldn’t use that match against Ronnie as an excuse but it just seems to have happened every time I’ve won a big match here - the next session I have come out and been terrible.

“It must have some sort of effect on me because you’re buzzing all night and can’t sleep.

“I tried to get myself up for it in the afternoon but I just couldn’t. That’s what happened and in the end it cost me.”

By beating O’Sullivan in round two, Hawkins avenged his humiliating 10-1 defeat in the Masters final back in January.

His run to the quarter-finals capped a promising second half of the season and the world No.11 is hoping to take the positives into next year.

“I have to draw the positives because I almost pulled off an amazing comeback,” added Hawkins.

“I’ve had some good tournaments in 2016 and a great result here beating Ronnie - it is something I will look back on in years to come.

“Not many people have done that here over the years and it was all positive after Christmas so I’ve got to take that into next season now. I need to forget what happened there and look forward to next season.”

Watch the World Championship LIVE on Eurosport, with Colin Murray and analysis from Jimmy White and Ronnie O’Sullivan.