Ronnie comforts Ding
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ByEurosport
Published 22/01/2007 at 17:11 GMT
Ronnie O'Sullivan paid tribute to Ding Junhui as he reflected on his Saga Insurance Masters final victory at Wembley on Sunday. O'Sullivan crushed the Chinese youngster 10-3 in a match partially overshadowed by the reaction of a crowd whose remarks were n
SNOOKER; Ding Junhui; Saga Insurance Masters, 2007
Image credit: Imago
"I played well," he said. "I had to play well because he made me sit in my chair for the first two frames.
"He's that type of player who can make you feel vulnerable.
"There's another player that's not here tonight and that's Paul Hunter. He used to make you feel the same.
"But Ding doesn't need to prove anything to me. If he keeps on improving he'll be a multiple world champion."
Ding claimed at the post-match press conference he was upset by insulting remarks made by a man in the audience, who is alleged to have shouted "Go home to China".
Ding said: "It is very different to events like the China Open because the fans go in groups and I felt very alone here.
"I was a bit annoyed with the man's comments because I couldn't concentrate."
Ding was almost in tears towards the end of the match - unable to cope with O'Sullivan's brilliance and the noisy 2,000 crowd.
He offered his hand to O'Sullivan with the score at 9-3 in a gesture that suggested he had had enough as play broke for an interval.
"Ding just thought it was best of 17 instead of 19," revealed O'Sullivan.
"We've all been there.Your mind just goes. I told him: "Come on, there's one more frame to go, let's have a cup of tea then do what we have to".
Ding had begun the tournament a week ago with a maximum 147 break live on TV. He is the youngest player to achieve the feat, having beaten the previous record held by O'Sullivan.
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