Ronnie O’Sullivan says he was 'getting outplayed' before Hong Kong Masters comeback win over Neil Robertson
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Updated 08/10/2022 at 20:14 GMT
Ronnie O'Sullivan admits that if his Hong Kong Masters semi-final against Neil Robertson had been a boxing match, they would have stopped it long before he staged his remarkable comeback win. O'Sullivan needed to win five straight frames to recover from Robertson's excellent start, and he conceded afterwards that Robertson had been 'the better player today'.
‘Dangerous!’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan drops impressive double
Ronnie O’Sullivan staged a remarkable comeback to beat Australian Neil Robertson at the Hong Kong Masters 6-4.
Robertson was flying against O'Sullivan, surging into a seemingly impregnable lead, before O'Sullivan roared back into contention.
O'Sullivan admitted afterwards that he was all but finished when Robertson was at his best.
He told the press: "Neil played so good at the start of the match, from 1-0 down to 4-1 up I don’t think I potted a ball. If it was a boxing match they’d probably have stopped it at that point.
"I was getting outplayed, but I hung in there. I don’t beat myself up as much as I used to, so I always give myself a chance. That is one of my strengths, to not play my best and dig out results."
The ever humble Rocket was full of praise for his opponent after his incredible victory. He said: "I think Neil was the better player today, he played the much better snooker, I just hung in there and tried to be patient, hoped he missed a few balls and I could make a few breaks and hopefully make him think a little bit."
He provided an insight into the potential source of his comeback win, a touch of complacency on the part of Robertson. O'Sullivan said: "He dominated the table and I think sometimes the game can become too easy and he lost a little bit of concentration, once you’ve missed one ball you start to miss a few more and that’s the way it went today."
O'Sullivan will face Marco Fu in the final. Fu, who staged an equally exciting comeback victory in his own semi-final, is a popular player on the circuit. Looking forward to the final, O'Sullivan said: "All the players really like Marco, he’s one of the nicest guys on the circuit. He’s had a really hard two or three years, not played much snooker, had something wrong with his eye. It just shows the class of player he is, to come here this week beat Mark Selby, class player and John Higgins, all time great, 147 in the last frame."
With Fu being a local of Hong Kong, the home crowd will undoubtedly be right behind him in the final. O'Sullivan was looking forward to the atmosphere.
He said: "To play Marco in Hong Kong is great. It is great for Marco to make it to the final. I know how much it means to him to do well for the Hong Kong snooker fans. I am just happy that I am able to get to play him in the final."
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