Statement: Ronnie O’Sullivan withdraws from Haikou World Open
As you may have read, Ronnie has been suffering from glandular fever and has been playing in recent tournaments in Germany and Wales against his doctor’s advice.
Since returning from Wales, Ronnie has been extremely tired and has again been advised to rest in order to recuperate. Regrettably, Ronnie has decided to withdraw from the Haikou World Open.
Ronnie says: “I am very sorry that I have to withdraw from Haikou; despite my illness I have been competing well in recent weeks and was greatly looking forward to taking part in the World Open and meeting my fans in China. However, I have to listen to my body sometimes and I have decided that I will be in better shape for the climax of the season and the World Championships if I listen to my doctor and spend the next few weeks resting. I hope I can make it to Ireland and China in March and look forward to seeing you all soon”.
Welsh Open 2012 SF – Ronnie loses 2-6 to Mark Selby
It was clear from the start of the match that Ronnie wasn’t in the kind of form that had allowed him to win in Berlin and to reach the semis in Newport today. All department of his game were well below his usual standards, even his positional play and cue ball control let him down tonight. Mark Selby did what he had to do and pounced, not giving Ronnie the opportunity to find his rhythm and somehow settle. He deserved the win entirely. To Ronnie’s credit though, he kept fighting and trying, didn’t surrender to frustration, didn’t throw the match, didn’t take rash shots and stayed alert to the end.
After the match, Ronnie gave Mark Selby due credit, said he played well, is number 1 for a reason and that he’s really tough to beat. Mark Selby said he was trying to win a snooker match and although he’d love it to have been loads of centuries it wasn’t one of those matches and it was a clash of styles.
Considering that Ronnie is still battling glandular fever – he did look very tired tonight – reaching the semis was a very good achievement. Let’s hope now that he can get the rest he badly needs, some quality time with his family and comes refreshed for the next tournament.
Welsh Open 2012 QF – Ronnie beats Judd Trump 5-3
Ronnie booked his place in the semi finals, to be played tomorrow, with a 5-3 victory over Judd Trump. It was a very high quality match featuring 3 centuries, 1 from Judd, 2 from Ronnie, and several other breaks over 50. There is no doubt that Ronnie was very focused and determined to win this one, having lost the three previous encounters with Judd this season in events bearing ranking points. He made it clear after the match, saying:
“I just wanted to play my game and give him something to think about and impose my game on him,”
But he praised his young opponent also
“Judd’s a fantastic potter, he plays differently to the other players and just when you think you’ve got the balls safe, he knocks in a long one. When he made it 2-2 I felt he had the momentum, but then after the interval he seemed to be feeling the pressure and certain shots were not going in.
“His breathing got a bit heavy, which I had not noticed before. Sometimes you just sense that your opponent is feeling it. That gave me the confidence to step up a gear. Maybe he felt a bit of extra pressure because he’s been doing well lately so he was favourite. I still had to pot the balls, which is not easy.
“I’m under no pressure to be king of the jungle, the other younger players are trying to stamp their authority on the game. I can enjoy it more now.”
It takes two though to make a good match and this one was excellent. Thanks to both players and well done Ronnie!
Welsh Open 2012 Round 2 – Ronnie beats Mark J. Williams 4-1
It was again a quick match as Ronnie needed only a bit more than an hour to book his place in the quarter finals with a 4-1 win over Mark J. Williams. The match started very strongly with Ronnie making a 125 in the first frame, only for Mark J. to answer with a 133 in the next.
From there on though the things became a bit more scrappy as the match unfolded. Ronnie was solid in the balls but his long potting wasn’t the best and he struggled to create opportunities for himself. Mark J. though was making quite a few unforced mistake and gave him the openings he needed.
After his match Ronnie declared
Mark has been very consistent over the past year, but we all have bad days. I’m just trying to go out and concentrate and give it my best shot, and I’m enjoying competing. (Psychiatrist) Steve Peters has really helped me because without him I probably wouldn’t be playing.
I wasn’t worried (before Germany) about dropping out of the top 16. No one wants to drop out, but it would have been a challenge to have to qualify for the World Championship and I was looking forward to it in some respects. I never felt as if I should be ranked 17th or 18th and I had to be patient and wait for the form to come.
Ronnie who had revealed in Berlin that he is suffering from glandular fever, said today:
I went for a 20 minute walk this morning because over the last three or four weeks I have felt my body getting stiffer. But then I had to go back to bed and rest for two hours. The doctors have told me to be careful and monitor myself. I’m trying not to stress myself. I need to rest, but if I rest too much I’ll be down to 100th in the world.
Ronnie will now face the winner of Judd Trump v Stuart Bingham in the next round. It doesn’t get easier…
Welsh Open 2012 Round 1 – Ronnie beats Marco Fu 4-1
Ronnie beat Marco Fu 4-1 this afternoon in little less than one hour. Despite scoring heavily, it wasn’t the very best performance from Ronnie who missed a couple of pots one would normally expect him to make but it was more than enough to book his spot in the last 16 where he will face Mark J. Williams. Ronnie pleased the Welsh audience in closing the match with a century, the 666 of his career.
Ronnie was obviously pleased with the win. In his post-match interview he said
“The event in Germany is history and this is what’s important now. I was a bit nervous today because after winning the last tournament I didn’t want to go out in the first round. So it was good to get my hand on the table and pot some balls early on. Marco missed the blue when it looked like going 2-2 so it could have been different. He’s got a good record against me and feels comfortable against the top players so it was a tough draw.
“Mark Williams and I have known each other since we were eight or nine. We’ve had some great matches and we have great respect for each other.”
About he win in Germany he declared:
“I knew I had to win one of the last two tournaments (before the seeding cut-off point) and that gave me motivation. I was due a win somewhere along the line.”
But he refused to comment on Barry Hearn’s new plans for the World Championship.
Ronnie wins the German Masters 2012
Ronnie beat Stephen Maguire 9-7 in a very high quality and exciting match in the Tempodrom, Berlin tonight, coming from 3-6 behind. This is Ronnie 23th ranking title and the first since September 2009. He was over the moon and said those are great moments especially at this stage of his career and after the very difficult last two years.
Ronnie praised his opponent who did indeed play extremely well for the whole tournament. It takes two to make a good match! Thanks Ronnie and thanks Stephen!
This also will help his ranking although he claimed to be more happy about winning than concerned about his ranking…
listen to Ronnie’s press conference after his victory here
German Masters 2012 SF – Ronnie beats Stephen Lee 6-4
The match wasn’t a classic by any means, both players playing some fantastic shots but also making a mess of what looked like straightforward shots at times. Ronnie lead 3-1 at the MSI and 5-2 but then appeared to struggle for concentration and made it hard work to finish it. Lee’s confidence on the contrary was growing and he was potting some really scary difficult ones. The suspense lasted to the last ball …
Ronnie later revealed that he is suffering from glandular fever since end November and was feeling really exhausted. He duly praised Lee saying he had a good season and was playing some excellent match snooker. Let’s hope he can get some rest before the final where he will face either Stephen Maguire or Shaun Murphy.
You can listen to Ronnie’s press conference after the match here
German Masters 2012 QF – Ronnie beats Matthew Stevens 5-3
Ronnie looked as if his run in the tournament would end in the quarters when he was 1-3 down at the MSI and missing easy balls right, left and centre. But as it happens, the MSI came at the right time for him and he came back fighting. He crucially won the fifth frame to trail only 2-3 and from there he was able to put his opponent under pressure and he never looked back winning 5-3. He made breaks of 88, 62, 56 and 54 while his opponent only scored 52 points in losing the last four frames.
turning point of the match – winning the first frame after the MSI
German Masters 2012 Round 2 – Ronnie beats Joe Perry 5-1
Ronnie beat Joe Perry very convincingly this afternoon by a score of 5-1 and compiling 2 centuries in the process (110 and 123).
He refused to get carried away though, saying that he was just happy to be through and scoring heavily. He praised his opponent, saying that Joe is a tough player and that he’s having a good season, so he had to play well to beat him.
He will play Matthew Stevens in the quarters tonight.
Listen to Ronnie’s press conference after the match here
German Masters 2012 Round 1- Ronnie wins 5-4 against Andrew Higginson
Ronnie won a dramatic match this afternoon against Andrew Higginson. Andrew lead 4-0 at the MSI without Ronnie doing much wrong actually. Andrew was playing excellently.
After the MSI Ronnie came back fighting and clearly determined to make it a game. The turning point of the match was probably frame 6 where Andrew was 63-0 up, snookered himself on the red he wanted to play and let Ronnie in. From there Ronnie made a magnificent pressure clearance to win the frame. He was still 2-4 down but now the pressure was on Andrew … and Ronnie won the last 3 to secure a very important win.
Listen to Ronnie’s press conference after the match here
