Stephen Hendry missed out on a 147 for the second time in four days after being distracted by mobile phones - and then saw Ronnie O'Sullivan make a stirring comeback to draw level in their dramatic Embassy World Championship semi-final at the Crucible Theatre last night.

Hendry had won six of the morning's eight frames to lead 9-7 going into the evening session. He had broken down when in sight of the maximum break - and the £147,000 jackpot - in his quarter-final against Ken Doherty on Tuesday when he failed to pot the 15th black. And he suffered the same fate in the opening frame of the evening session.

O'Sullivan recovered to draw level at 12-12 going into today's final session which begins at 2.30 p.m.

Hendry looked a certainty to complete his second attempt at a 147 despite the interruptions from the phones which twice led referee Eirian Williams to deliver a warning to the audience.

The Scot had to re-compose himself, although there was no such apparent distraction when he over-cut the 15th black.

O'Sullivan was unfazed and replied with an 87 clearance in frame 18 before Hendry reasserted his authority with a run of 45.

Breaks of 30 and 62 in frame 20 saw O'Sullivan reduce the deficit to 11-9 at the mid-session interval.

The quality was maintained after the break with O'Sullivan putting together a superb 129 break, only for Hendry to reply with 100.

O'Sullivan edged the final two frames to level the scores.

In the other semi-final, Peter Ebdon poached his last frame of the day from the unlikely position of 0-73 to carry a 9-7 lead over Matthew Stevens into the penultimate session at 10 a.m. today.

Resuming 5-3 up, Ebdon soon led 7-3 through clearances of 97 and 127 and at 8-4 was threatening to secure a commanding overnight advantage, until his first unforced error, an over-cut red, set Stevens up for a frame-winning 65.

Breaks of 94 and 97 - the latter seizing on Ebdon's missed black from its spot on 30-0 - brought Stevens to only one behind.

When he opened the scoring in the last frame of the day with 73, 4-4 looked inevitable, but Ebdon, with 31, the two snookers he needed, a free ball and a 36 clearance, snaffled the frame.