‘Rocket’ admits his time at the top may be over
Print Edition
Five-time world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan’s eventful world championships came to a disappointing end on Wednesday when he lost 9-13 in the quarterfinals to fellow-Englishman Stuart Bingham.
O’Sullivan, whose mercurial behavior during the tournament saw him play part of a frame without his shoes on, almost snap his cue in half and make an obscene gesture, had no answer to Bingham’s play in the final session having gone in all square at 8-8.
O’Sullivan, who had made the final in the past four years, conceded that perhaps his time at the top was over.
“I’ve had 20 years at the top, eventually there has to be a changing of the guard,” said 39-year-old O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan won the opening frame of the evening session to go 9-8 up but after that he barely got a look-in against a player he had humbled 13-4 in the quarterfinals at the 2013 championships.
Bingham, winner of two ranking events, broke down on the way to a maximum 147 effort, having pocketed 11 reds and 11 blacks, as he edged to within two frames of victory.
A composed 51 took world No. 10 Bingham closer to the winning line, before a 66 break gave him a famous victory and a place in the last four for the first time on the 38-year-old’s ninth visit.
Bingham burst into tears and then rang his wife.
“I went back into my room just now and had a little tear and phoned the missus up and I couldn’t speak,” said Bingham.
“She said she wished she was here to give me a little cuddle.”
Earlier Shaun Murphy followed Judd Trump, who will play Bingham, into the semifinals after overcoming giant-killing Scottish qualifier Anthony McGill 13-8.
McGill had beaten Stephen Maguire and defending champion Mark Selby to reach the quarterfinals on his tournament debut, but 2005 champion Murphy proved a bridge too far.
Murphy compiled three centuries, which enabled him to race away from McGill at 6-6, and secured his place in the last four with a 67 break.
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