diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
index 3ae69550fa0b..daca557b9d28 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ struct perf_session *perf_session__new(const char *filename, int mode, bool forc
 	self->mmap_window = 32;
 	self->machines = RB_ROOT;
 	self->repipe = repipe;
-	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&self->ordered_samples.samples_head);
+	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&self->ordered_samples.samples);
 	machine__init(&self->host_machine, "", HOST_KERNEL_ID);
 
 	if (mode == O_RDONLY) {
@@ -393,27 +393,33 @@ struct sample_queue {
 static void flush_sample_queue(struct perf_session *s,
 			       struct perf_event_ops *ops)
 {
-	struct list_head *head = &s->ordered_samples.samples_head;
-	u64 limit = s->ordered_samples.next_flush;
+	struct ordered_samples *os = &s->ordered_samples;
+	struct list_head *head = &os->samples;
 	struct sample_queue *tmp, *iter;
+	u64 limit = os->next_flush;
+	u64 last_ts = os->last_sample ? os->last_sample->timestamp : 0ULL;
 
 	if (!ops->ordered_samples || !limit)
 		return;
 
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(iter, tmp, head, list) {
 		if (iter->timestamp > limit)
-			return;
-
-		if (iter == s->ordered_samples.last_inserted)
-			s->ordered_samples.last_inserted = NULL;
+			break;
 
 		ops->sample((event_t *)iter->event, s);
 
-		s->ordered_samples.last_flush = iter->timestamp;
+		os->last_flush = iter->timestamp;
 		list_del(&iter->list);
 		free(iter->event);
 		free(iter);
 	}
+
+	if (list_empty(head)) {
+		os->last_sample = NULL;
+	} else if (last_ts <= limit) {
+		os->last_sample =
+			list_entry(head->prev, struct sample_queue, list);
+	}
 }
 
 /*
@@ -465,71 +471,50 @@ static int process_finished_round(event_t *event __used,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void __queue_sample_end(struct sample_queue *new, struct list_head *head)
-{
-	struct sample_queue *iter;
-
-	list_for_each_entry_reverse(iter, head, list) {
-		if (iter->timestamp < new->timestamp) {
-			list_add(&new->list, &iter->list);
-			return;
-		}
-	}
-
-	list_add(&new->list, head);
-}
-
-static void __queue_sample_before(struct sample_queue *new,
-				  struct sample_queue *iter,
-				  struct list_head *head)
-{
-	list_for_each_entry_continue_reverse(iter, head, list) {
-		if (iter->timestamp < new->timestamp) {
-			list_add(&new->list, &iter->list);
-			return;
-		}
-	}
-
-	list_add(&new->list, head);
-}
-
-static void __queue_sample_after(struct sample_queue *new,
-				 struct sample_queue *iter,
-				 struct list_head *head)
-{
-	list_for_each_entry_continue(iter, head, list) {
-		if (iter->timestamp > new->timestamp) {
-			list_add_tail(&new->list, &iter->list);
-			return;
-		}
-	}
-	list_add_tail(&new->list, head);
-}
-
 /* The queue is ordered by time */
 static void __queue_sample_event(struct sample_queue *new,
 				 struct perf_session *s)
 {
-	struct sample_queue *last_inserted = s->ordered_samples.last_inserted;
-	struct list_head *head = &s->ordered_samples.samples_head;
+	struct ordered_samples *os = &s->ordered_samples;
+	struct sample_queue *sample = os->last_sample;
+	u64 timestamp = new->timestamp;
+	struct list_head *p;
 
+	os->last_sample = new;
 
-	if (!last_inserted) {
-		__queue_sample_end(new, head);
+	if (!sample) {
+		list_add(&new->list, &os->samples);
+		os->max_timestamp = timestamp;
 		return;
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Most of the time the current event has a timestamp
-	 * very close to the last event inserted, unless we just switched
-	 * to another event buffer. Having a sorting based on a list and
-	 * on the last inserted event that is close to the current one is
-	 * probably more efficient than an rbtree based sorting.
+	 * last_sample might point to some random place in the list as it's
+	 * the last queued event. We expect that the new event is close to
+	 * this.
 	 */
-	if (last_inserted->timestamp >= new->timestamp)
-		__queue_sample_before(new, last_inserted, head);
-	else
-		__queue_sample_after(new, last_inserted, head);
+	if (sample->timestamp <= timestamp) {
+		while (sample->timestamp <= timestamp) {
+			p = sample->list.next;
+			if (p == &os->samples) {
+				list_add_tail(&new->list, &os->samples);
+				os->max_timestamp = timestamp;
+				return;
+			}
+			sample = list_entry(p, struct sample_queue, list);
+		}
+		list_add_tail(&new->list, &sample->list);
+	} else {
+		while (sample->timestamp > timestamp) {
+			p = sample->list.prev;
+			if (p == &os->samples) {
+				list_add(&new->list, &os->samples);
+				return;
+			}
+			sample = list_entry(p, struct sample_queue, list);
+		}
+		list_add(&new->list, &sample->list);
+	}
 }
 
 static int queue_sample_event(event_t *event, struct sample_data *data,
@@ -559,10 +544,6 @@ static int queue_sample_event(event_t *event, struct sample_data *data,
 	memcpy(new->event, event, event->header.size);
 
 	__queue_sample_event(new, s);
-	s->ordered_samples.last_inserted = new;
-
-	if (new->timestamp > s->ordered_samples.max_timestamp)
-		s->ordered_samples.max_timestamp = new->timestamp;
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.h b/tools/perf/util/session.h
index 9fa0fc2a863f..a00f32ed1c79 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/session.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/session.h
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ struct ordered_samples {
 	u64			last_flush;
 	u64			next_flush;
 	u64			max_timestamp;
-	struct list_head	samples_head;
-	struct sample_queue	*last_inserted;
+	struct list_head	samples;
+	struct sample_queue	*last_sample;
 };
 
 struct perf_session {