UK Championship 2023: How Ronnie O'Sullivan's snooker rivalry with Hossein Vafaei caught fire over two 'crazy' shots

ByDesmond Kane

Updated 02/12/2023 at 08:44 GMT

Ronnie O'Sullivan and Hossein Vafaei are back on good terms ahead of their UK Championship semi-final at the York Barbican on Saturday afternoon, but there was tension ahead of the previous meeting at the World Championship in April. Much of the hype centred around O'Sullivan's pool style break-off shot in a 2022 German Masters qualifier. Which a fired-up Vafaei pointedly repeated at the Crucible.

Ronnie O'Sullivan and Hossein Vafaei will collide in the semi-finals of the 47th UK Championship on Saturday afternoon in snooker's latest episode of Breaking Bad at the York Barbican.

The ignitable potting duo were involved in an ill-natured build-up to their last 16 match at the World Championship in April – which the snooker GOAT O'Sullivan strolled 13-2 – after Vafaei had accused his opponent of "disrespect" in an unique bout of green baize trash talk.

The Iran showman was clearly unhappy after O'Sullivan produced a classic pool shot in a qualifier for the German Masters in October 2021 when he smashed the balls open off the break without any care in the fifth frame.

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Trailing 4-0, he managed to hole an opening red and was spotted chuckling at the table, but it was no laughing matter for the former Shoot Out winner watching on.

It mattered little to the final outcome with Vafaei wrapping up a 5-0 victory in the bizarre first-round match, but it clearly festered as the world No. 18 responded with a similar break-off shot at the Crucible in Sheffield six months ago by splattering the reds everywhere in the first frame before O'Sullivan mopped up the loose balls with a 78.

"Play like a man," said Vafaei ahead of his previous meeting with the world No. 1.

"Don't play mind games or smash the balls and disrespect me, when 70 million or 80 million people are watching me in Iran.

"Ronnie O'Sullivan is such a legend, such a good player when he's on the table. He's just such a nice person – when he's asleep."

'Extraordinary' - Vafaei smashes into reds on break-off against O’Sullivan

Despite the pre-match hyperbole, the duo embraced warmly after the World Championship clash with Vafaei insisting there will be no repeat of his eccentric antics at a packed Barbican on Saturday.

“The past is the past,” Vafaei told reporters on Friday. “I’d been waiting 18 months to do that. I know it was a little bit crazy, but I’ve done it. Everything has karma.

“But I just want to respect my hero, and have a good friendship with him. Life is too short. I wish him the best of health and I love him.”

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The man dubbed 'The Prince of Persia' has been in regal scoring form in York, producing seven awe-inspiring century breaks in wins over Shaun Murphy (6-4), Matthew Selt (6-1) and International champion Zhang Anda (6-4).

He also weighed in with another four tons in qualifying wins over Martin O'Donnell (6-0) and Scott Donaldson (6-4).

"If I didn’t put myself in that situation who knows where I would be?," said Vafaei, who needs one more win to book his place at the Masters at Alexandra Palace next month.

"Maybe that is the reason I am here right now. I learned a lot from it and learned to control my mind, myself and my mouth!"

‘That’s a Barnes Wallis shot!’ - O’Sullivan thrills crowd with extraordinary pot

O'Sullivan is chasing a record eighth UK title, astonishingly coming 30 years after he became the youngest ranking event winner of all time at the age of 17, with a landmark 10-6 win over Stephen Hendry in the 1993 final.

His dramatic 6-5 win over Zhou Yuelong in the quarter-finals having led 4-1 then trailed 5-4 before finishing with breaks of 77 and 122 was his 100th in the event since he made his debut in 1992.

O'Sullivan admits he is more concerned about raising his own game than thinking about the past.

“I didn’t feel disrespected [about the break-off shot]. Not at all,” said the 39-time ranking event winner, who is 3-1 clear on the career head-to-heads.

“I’ve done worse – a lot worse. I like Hossein, he’s a fiery character. He doesn’t take no nonsense. That is his character. I like that in someone. He is his own person.

"If I don’t find some form from somewhere I’m going to get beat here.”

‘It was stupidity’ - Vafaei was ‘badly advised’ to taunt O’Sullivan says White

1992 UK winner Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White feels Vafaei will have learned from his mistakes at the World Championship.

"He got well beaten, and couldn't play in that because of the stupidity of what he said before the game," said White on Eurosport.

"It put him right off, so you'll see nothing like that because they are friends and that will be a top match. I can't wait for that."

UK Championship: Saturday's semi-final order of play

(best of 11 frames)

• Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) v Hossein Vafaei (Irn) 1pm
• Judd Trump (Eng) v Ding Junhui (Chn) 7pm

Latest UK Championship odds

• Judd Trump 6/5
• Ronnie O'Sullivan 6/4
• Ding Junhui 6/1
• Hossein Vafaei 8/1

O'Sullivan wraps up win over Zhou with 'grandstand finish' as he makes a century

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