Cueing up for the snooker world championship- Ronnie O’Sullivan
Bettor.com profiles the main players and outsiders for this year’s world championship
Ronnie O’Sullivan has a lot to prove as he embarks on his quest for a fourth world crown.
Despite winning the Shanghai Masters this season, O’Sullivan has had one of his poorest campaigns, and has been left behind by John Higgins, who has beaten him on several occasions this season. He also lost in The Masters final to Mark Selby, having thrown a massive lead away.
O’Sullivan currently holds 22 world ranking titles and arguably should have more. He has also made nine 147s in his career, with five on record as the fastest ever seen. O’Sullivan won the last of his three world titles back in 2008, where he stormed to victory, powering his way through opponents and battering Ali Carter in the final. He played an unbelievably high standard of snooker, and that was the best he has ever played in his career.
However, O’Sullivan is his own worst enemy, and has encountered a difficult period both on the table and off it over the past few years. Famously, back in 2008 at The Masters, he smashed up his cue, and won the tournament having only practiced with another one for no more than an hour. Problems in his personal life have also hampered the Chigwell cueman.
O’Sullivan is one of the most naturally-gifted players to ever pick up a snooker cue, and is often branded as a genius. His great ability to construct something out of nothing has made him one of the best break-builders of all time. When presented with the opportunity, all he needs is one chance to clinch the frame.
It is bad enough that when you play an in-form O’Sullivan you will not have a chance, but he can also play left-handed, and makes the game look so ridiculously easy. Now he integrates his left-hand play into his game so easily it virtually becomes unnoticeable.
His comeback against Higgins in the semi-finals of the UK Championship this season was almost one of the greatest matches of his career. He staged a tremendous fight back, and all of O’Sullivan’s skills were severely put to the test, being 8-2 down to level and almost take victory.
O’Sullivan should have won more tournaments this season, by his own high standards, and also judging by the fact he’s the bookies favourite in every tournament he enters. His defeat in the final at The Masters to Selby was a sign of a c***k in his armour, as he has many times lost in finals from having a comfortable lead. Selby rescued the match in January to take The Masters off O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan also lost to Shaun Murphy in the Premier League in the final, a tournament which he has won for the past five years. Before the final, he ran a half-distance marathon in the morning to give himself some motivation for the match.
He has the capability to win another world crown, and looks to be the only man who could prevent Higgins from retaining his title. O’Sullivan on form is one of the best players of all-time. On his day, an opponent would not be able to even take a frame. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that O’Sullivan could win this tournament, and win it playing sublime snooker, as he did on his last two triumphs.
His biggest threat could be himself.
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