Ronnie O’Sullivan admits he’s 'been awful for 18 months' despite comeback win over John Higgins in Shanghai
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Updated 14/09/2023 at 15:14 GMT
Ronnie O'Sullivan described his recent form as "useless" after beating John Higgins in a clash of titans in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters. The seven-time world champion rallied from 5-2 down to win 6-5 but was highly critical of his performance and admitted Higgins should have finished him off. In the semi-finals, O'Sullivan faces Mark Selby, who beat Judd Trump 6-1.
O'Sullivan completes 'one of his best-ever wins' with 130 break in Shanghai
Ronnie O’Sullivan lambasted his recent form despite winning a thrilling quarter-final against John Higgins in the Shanghai Masters.
The Rocket fell 5-2 behind in the race to six and looked well out of sorts before summoning a great escape, capping off a remarkable comeback victory with back-to-back centuries.
But while this would be cause for celebration for most, O’Sullivan described his game as “awful” and “useless” in the aftermath.
“He should have put me away really,” O’Sullivan said. “He had enough chances, he was 5-2 up and in control of the game and uncharacteristically for John, he didn't finish it off and I think from there he kind of got a little bit disappointed with himself.
“I didn't expect to do anything because I was really awful. I've been awful for about 18 months now, so it's been a long time to not really find any form. You start to just go through the motions a lot of the time, which is not nice really.
“I've had to do it before so you kind of get used to it, but it'd be nice to come out of that slump and try and play some decent matches because it's been a long while since I've gone this long not really playing any good snooker. It's been pretty useless if I'm to be honest with you.”
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O'Sullivan says he's been 'awful for 18 months' after stirring comeback win over Higgins
Such is his slump and inconsistency in his own mind, the seven-time world champion admitted just looking at his snooker case is a frightening prospect.
“I'd rather feel good and lose than feel bad and win. I've always said that and I'll continue to say that,” O’Sullivan added.
“It’s a hard game anyway - well it's not a hard game when you're feeling good, it's the easiest game in the world - but when you're not feeling good and you play really bad for 18 months, it's hard to just even want to get your cue out the case.
“I get scared looking at a snooker case thinking, ‘God, this is going to be awful’. But I just have to fight and just see where it takes me.”
That is what he did, winning four frames on the bounce to stun his fellow Class of ’92 graduate. It also kept him in with a chance of landing a fourth successive Shanghai Masters crown, and O’Sullivan paid special tribute to the fans in attendance and the event in general.
He said: “Playing like this if I was playing in one of the UK tournaments in the four table set-up, I probably would have given up, thought 'I'll just get out of here as quickly as I can', but obviously when you got a nice crowd, nice venue, it kind of forces you to just dig in.
“Because you don't really want to lose. So yeah, at this tournament, you give it 100% all the way. And yeah, I've got a good record here, I don't know how many times I've won it, but it'd be nice to get to the final.”
To do that he’ll need to conquer another tough tactician in Mark Selby. The Jester lost the opening frame against Judd Trump before reeling off six in a row to book his spot in the final four, scoring four breaks of 50-plus in the process.
"I don't really care who I play," O'Sullivan said, when asked about the prospect of resuming his rivalry with Selby. "I'm just going to just try and play for as long as I can, I enjoy coming to China.
"I've got reasons to play if you like, so I'll continue to play for them reasons."
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