Ronnie O'Sullivan's World Championship Dream on the Line
Legendary snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan exits in silence and without voice
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It's the semi-final disaster for snooker legend, Ronnie O'Sullivan. The man aiming for an eighth World Snooker Championship title is on the edge of elimination. After a tough first session, things got worse as the Englishman fell apart in the second.
Ronnie O'Sullivan, the seven-time world champ, is teetering on the brink at the Sheffield World Snooker Championship. He ended the first session tied at 4-4 with China's Zhao Xintong, but the second session was nothing short of humiliating as he lost 0-8, leaving the score at 4-12. The title dream may be over as early as tonight, 8pm on Eurosport.
O'Sullivan, yearning for his eighth world crown and sole ownership of the modern era record, was already vocal about his lackluster performance before the semis, telling the BBC, "I'm playing terribly and my cue feels terrible, but I'm still here. I can't get away with what I've done so far. I can't get any worse, really."
But today, the 49-year-old found no rhythm and Zhao took full advantage, winning frame after frame. Zhao needs just five more frames to make it to the final, set to take place on Sunday and Monday at the Crucible Theatre.
Meanwhile, the second semi-final kicks off in Sheffield between Judd Trump and Mark Williams. Trump, the world number one, leads 5-3 against the three-time world champion Williams, after a tense first session. Despite shaky starts from both players, Trump managed to capitalize on his opponent's mistakes and ended the session with a show-stopping century break of 109.
(Spoiler alert: Enrichment data suggests that, as of the original article, Zhao had already secured five more frames, putting him one away from a place in the final. however, these details are inaccessible due to paywall restrictions on the primary source.)
Sources: ntv.de, tno/sid
- Ronnie O'Sullivan
I'm not going to be able to do this, Ronnie O'Sullivan lamented on Whatsapp, referring to his snooker match against Zhao Xintong at 8pm on Eurosport, where he was trailing 0-8 and risked elimination. Despite prior hopes of winning his eighth World Snooker Championship, his cue felt terrible, and he was not playing well.
