Ronnie O'Sullivan's World Championship Participation in Doubt After Stunning Defeat
Snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan has openly admitted that he will 'probably' compete at the upcoming World Championship in Sheffield next month, but confesses that as recently as ten days ago, he did not expect to participate at all. The seven-time world champion's revelation comes after a shocking defeat in the World Open final in Yushan, where he was beaten 10-7 by Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
Historic Performance and Dramatic Collapse
The 50-year-old Englishman, known as 'The Rocket,' had been in excellent form throughout the tournament, making snooker history in the quarter-finals with a break of 153—the highest ever recorded in the sport. His run to the final included impressive victories over top players like Shaun Murphy, Ryan Day, and Wu Yize, showcasing some of his best performances in recent memory.
O'Sullivan started the final as the overwhelming favourite and raced into a commanding 4-0 lead. However, the 40-year-old Un-Nooh staged a remarkable comeback, winning six consecutive frames to seize control of the match. Although O'Sullivan responded with three centuries in three frames to regain the lead, Un-Nooh remained unfazed, producing breaks of 77, 132, a maximum 147, and 131 to secure a stunning victory.
O'Sullivan's Candid Reflections on Form and Future
Despite the disappointment, O'Sullivan found positives in his string of wins in Yushan, feeling more comfortable and confident in his game than he has for some time. However, he admitted that his participation in the World Championship was far from certain until recently, following a season of relative inactivity compared to his rivals.
'I can only take one day, one week at a time. I can't look any further than a week at the moment, with my career,' said O'Sullivan. 'I've not been playing for a reason, just because I haven't had a game good enough to compete. So I've been trying to find that on the practice table and hopefully bring it to the match table.'
He elaborated on his fluctuating form, stating, 'I've had quite a good year, really. I felt like I played really quite good at the start of the season, better than I was, and then I had a dip for a couple of months. January and February wasn't good and I thought "here we go," but I've managed to pull it back a little bit.'
O'Sullivan revealed his initial fears about the World Championship, saying, 'I wasn't even going to play in the World Championship 10 days ago because I was too scared. I felt like I would embarrass myself. But now I feel I probably will go, because I feel like I might pot a few balls. It's not great, I'm not in a great, great place with it, but I'm better than I was maybe two weeks ago.'
Praise for the Champion and Technical Limitations
O'Sullivan was full of praise for Un-Nooh, acknowledging that the Thai player's standard was beyond his current capabilities. 'It's been a positive week. Thepchaiya was unbelievable, deserves his victory, he played much better than me today,' said O'Sullivan. 'I watched his game yesterday in the semi-finals, he was strong. I couldn't go with that, he was far too good for me. My game's not good enough to go to that level, simple as that. It used to be.'
He candidly discussed his technical limitations, explaining, 'I just can't get to the potting angle of certain shots, I can play maybe 60-70 per cent of shots comfortably, but there's other shots I just don't have in my locker. When someone plays like that, I'm just one-dimensional, really. It limits what I can do and the amount of pressure I can put on my opponent. I just have to accept that's how it is.'
Despite these challenges, O'Sullivan remains optimistic about his overall progress. 'On the whole I'm in a much better place now that I was in the last three years and I was two weeks ago. But it could easily fall apart and be in a bad place again soon. I'm just taking each day and week as it comes. Not getting too excited or too down.'
Un-Nooh's Triumphant Victory and Future Aspirations
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh's victory was a career-defining moment, earning him £175,000 and propelling him from world number 39 to 22. His win was highlighted by a maximum 147 break in the penultimate frame, adding to the spectacle of the final.
Reflecting on his achievement, Un-Nooh said, 'After being sat on my chair watching Ronnie make three centuries, I told myself this is a great final and to enjoy it. I don't know how what happened after the interval came true. I can't believe it. I'm still stunned with my performance. How did I do that? Sometimes snooker is one way traffic. To make a 147 in the final against Ronnie O'Sullivan in a final is a great honour.'
This marks Un-Nooh's first major event victory, and he expressed his hopes for the future of snooker in Thailand. 'This is my first time winning a major event and this is the biggest prize of my career. It is a dream come true and a step forward. I want to make snooker come back to be as famous as it used to be in Thailand. Like the old times.'
As the snooker world looks ahead to the World Championship, O'Sullivan's participation remains tentative, hinging on his continued recovery of form and confidence in the coming weeks.
