Anthony Hamilton upsets Ronnie O’Sullivan in Last 16 – 2011 Shanghai Masters tournament
The Robin Hood of Snooker, Anthony Hamilton, has put a shocker on the cards as he defeated Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ O’Sullivan by a frame score of 5-3 in a best-of-nine frames last 16 match of the 2011 Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters tournament on Thursday, September 8, 2011.
“Anthony deserved to win, he was solid,” said O'Sullivan. “I had chances but missed some silly balls. It was a 50/50 game but he played well towards the end when it mattered.”
O’Sullivan and Hamilton prior to this meeting had met nine times before and O’Sullivan posted a win in eight of their nine meetings. However, Hamilton produced a brilliant game and beat the match favourite comfortably.
The 35-year-old O’Sullivan looked superb during the beginning of the match as he won three of the first five frames with runs of 92, 65 and 74. However Hamilton, who previously pocketed two frames by firing in breaks of 49 and a magnificent 107, won the sixth and seventh frames in a row to go in front at 4-3. Hamilton showcased classy breaks of 94 and 72 in the meanwhile.
In the eighth frame, Hamilton, who was runners up in the China Open in Shanghai in 2002, missed an easy red on 13 but he was lucky not to leave his opponent with anything easy. Ronnie attempted a long pot which he failed to convert and when the chance presented itself again, Hamilton slotted a modest break of 63 to finish the match.
Ronnie O’Sullivan afterwards shared his feelings with the media. He said, “I'll go home and start again. I'm enjoying playing. It would be nice to be back at the top but I don't expect it. I'll just enjoy whatever is left of my career. I've got nothing left to prove and I'm not young anymore.”
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