Welsh Open 2021 - 'I've had some dark days' - Jordan Brown on his path to beating Ronnie O'Sullivan
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Updated 21/02/2021 at 22:49 GMT
The Welsh Open of 2021 got a fitting final, with the event going down to the final frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan was the overwhelming favourite to secure victory at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, but he came up against a rival in Jordan Brown who refused to give in and the Northern Irishman was rewarded with a 9-8 win.
'I have had some dark days' - Brown on his journey to Welsh Open title
Jordan Brown has revealed he had to overcome some dark days, and that hard work led to his Welsh Open final win over Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The Northern Irishman broke onto the snooker tour in 2009, but the season was not as packed as it is now and he was unable to accumulate enough points to retain his card. It was not until 2016 that he got a second shot.
Brown secured a tour card through Q School in 2018, and showed promise over the past couple of years.
The current season saw him reach the quarter-finals of the German Masters, but he surpassed that with a run to the Welsh Open final at Celtic Manor - where he held his nerve to win a final-frame decider over the current world champion.
The win is a world away from when Brown was working full time in a petrol station to make ends meet, and he has urged others to pursue their dreams.
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'Get in there!' - The moment Brown shocked O'Sullivan to win Welsh Open title
“I have had some dark days in my snooker life,” Brown said on Eurosport. “But that is what makes you stronger as a player and a person.
“I just never stopped believing in myself. I was working full-time in a petrol station and was playing full-time snooker as well.
Five years ago I said to myself 'just give it a proper go' as I never fully committed myself and it is paying off now.
“The big turning point came about five years ago. I was messing around off the table and wasn’t putting the hours in. I just thought I should put the hours in and the effort in and see where it takes me.
“Whatever you are doing and if you want something bad and feel you can achieve it, then do not give up.
“I’ve shown that anything can be possible if you believe in it enough.”
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'A proper player' - O'Sullivan lauds Brown after losing final
Brown joins Alex Higgins, Dennis Taylor and Mark Allen as Northern Irish winners of a ranking event.
When asked what it feels like to be in that company, Brown said: “It means everything.
"To be in the same bracket as the past champions like Dennis, Alex and my good pal Mark I can't put into words what that means to me. To be a part of that is really special.”
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