Ronnie O’Sullivan equaled Stephen Hendry’s modern-day record of seven World Snooker Championship titles by stopping a Judd Trump rally in its tracks with an 18-13 win in the final on Monday.
The showpiece match at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre was in the balance when the evening session started, with O’Sullivan leading 14-11 in the best of 35-frame contest after 2019 world champion Trump had bounced back from 12-5 down overnight.
However, having lost his first session of the tournament, O’Sullivan, at 46, the oldest World Championship finalist since mentor Ray Reardon in 1982, surged ahead before sealing victory with a break of 85.
Photo: AFP
“That’s probably the greatest result I’ve ever had,” O’Sullivan said after sharing a long, tearful embrace with Trump at the end of the final.
A right-hander who is also comfortable playing left-handed, O’Sullivan is widely regarded as the most naturally talented player in snooker history. Nicknamed the “Rocket” for his speed around the table, O’Sullivan has the most career ranking titles (39), is the only player to make more than 1,000 competitive centuries and has made more maximum breaks of 147 in competitive play than anyone else.
Sportingly, he paid tribute to Trump by saying his opponent was already an “all-time great,” because of his attacking approach.
He then played down his achievement in matching Hendry’s tally of world titles by telling the BBC: “I’ve never bothered about records — when you get them, it’s kind of nice, I’ve never performed well if going for that, I’ve just tried to enjoy my game.”
“I don’t have targets... I like to win, but it’s not the be-all and end-all,” he said. “The Crucible brings out the worst in me — it’s probably not the best idea, but we’ll probably go again next year.”
Monday’s triumph came 21 years after O’Sullivan first won the world title with Hendry, now a television commentator, saying: “He’s taken the game to new levels, he really has. He’s got it all.”
It was a point endorsed by Trump, who said of O’Sullivan: “It’s been a pleasure to share a table with him. It’s an amazing achievement and he’s the best player of all time.”
“I was just glad to make a match out of it,” the 32-year-old left-hander added.
Additional reporting by AP
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