Ronnie O’Sullivan tips Si Jiahui to bounce back from World Snooker Championship agony, urges him not to change game
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Published 29/04/2023 at 18:13 GMT
Luca Brecel snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, as he rallied from 14-5 behind to claim a 17-15 victory over Si Jiahui in the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship. Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White said in the Eurosport studio that the Chinese youngster will bounce back from the agony of defeat and show his undoubted class in the years to come.
‘Dead and buried!’ – O’Sullivan and White hail Brecel comeback
Ronnie O’Sullivan feels Si Jiahui will learn from the agony of defeat to Luca Brecel in the semi-finals of the World Championship, while Jimmy White says the manner of the loss will not be repeated.
Si appeared to have one foot in the final when leading 14-5, but Brecel produced a stirring fightback as he won 11 frames on the spin before closing out a 17-15 victory.
Brecel said Si played near-perfect snooker before succumbing to the pressure of the occasion.
Si made Brecel work for the win by taking the 31st frame, and O’Sullivan felt that showed character.
“I am pleased Si got his action back towards the end and finished on a high as it would have been horrible if he'd lost all those frames on the trot and not made a break over 10 in the last 10 frames,” O’Sullivan said in the Eurosport studio. “At least he got over that and put up a fight.
“Hopefully Si will learn from that and it’s a case of Crucible nerves, and next time when he’s in that situation he will be patient and get out of it quicker.”
Si’s strength is his ability to pot balls, but he has struggled on the tactical side of the game.
O’Sullivan does not feel Si needs to change his approach to any degree.
“He just needs to keep playing his game,” O’Sullivan said. “I think he has a good balance. He does not need to change his game, he is well suited to the professional game.”
White echoed O’Sullivan’s thinking, and feels Si will not stumble in the future.
“He will never have played that amount of frames and that amount of matches in two weeks before, he also played the qualifiers, it is a lot to absorb for a young lad,” White said. “If he ever gets in that situation again, I am sure he won’t get beaten.
“That frame when he lost all those frames on the spin to then make that break shows character.
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‘Dead and buried!’ – O’Sullivan and White hail Brecel comeback
“He will be disappointed, but he will learn from it. He will be back and showed us what a fantastic player he is.
“He has proved what a great player he is. What I like about his game is he is such a great potter with great technique.
“You do not want to take too much of that away with safety. That kind of play can beat a good tactical player.”
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