More history has been made by Ronnie O’Sullivan. At the York Barbican Centre, The Rocket defeated Ding Junhui 10-7 to win a record-tying ninth UK Championship, two days ahead of his 48th birthday. By doing this, O’Sullivan lifts the trophy thirty years after winning it for the first time as a seventeen-year-old, making him the youngest and oldest champion of this renowned competition.
In York, Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated Ding Junhui 10-7 to win a record-tying eighth UK Championship championship.
The Barbican Center’s patrons were treated to some spectacular snooker action by the world No. 1 and his close friend Ding, but O’Sullivan ultimately proved to be too strong for his opponent to overcome, winning his 40th ranking title.
O’Sullivan becomes the competition’s youngest and oldest winner with this win, which comes thirty years after his first victory at the age of seventeen.
Additionally, he will have an additional £250,000 when he celebrates his 48th birthday on Tuesday.
“I get tremendous satisfaction from winning every tournament,” O’Sullivan remarked.
“I simply had to go out tonight and have a clear head tonight. I reasoned that I needed to make Ding earn my defeat if I was going to lose.”I wanted to give the large throng here value for their money. Tears, sweat, and blood on the table. I put everything into it.
“I keep criticizing myself for being older, and I keep telling myself that it will end eventually. However, I’ll carry on till the wheels come off!”
After trailing 3-1 in the final, Ding battled back to produce a 4-4 result at the end of the afternoon session.
Following the restart, O’Sullivan broke a run of 421 consecutive points by Ding to grab the lead and make it 5-4 with an outstanding break of 84 points in the ninth frame.
In the next frame, O’Sullivan immediately got back among the balls and managed a snooker, giving the impression that he was back in the game. Ding successfully made his getaway, but O’Sullivan lost on a long blue risk and had to pay for it with the frame.
Leave a Reply