Ronnie O'Sullivan 'not so scared' and in 'cruising' mode after win over Ryan Day at World Snooker Championship
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Published 29/04/2024 at 19:24 GMT
Ronnie O'Sullivan kept alive his tilt at a remarkable eighth World Snooker Championship title by seeing off Ryan Day at the Crucible to progress to the last eight. Afterwards, speaking to Eurosport, O'Sullivan explained he felt he had been "mediocre" in his victory, but - citing his 2013 world crown - said that he has felt like this on the baize before.
'Mediocre', in 'cruising' mode - O'Sullivan reacts to securing quarter-final place
Ronnie O'Sullivan admitted to feeling "not so scared" as he reacted to securing yet another World Snooker Championship quarter-final spot with his win over Ryan Day on Monday.
O'Sullivan wrapped up an ultimately comfortable 13-7 triumph, having led 10-6 overnight.
However, it was not, to most observers, the most fluent version of O'Sullivan that's been seen on the famous Crucible cloths - and the man himself concurred afterwards.
"I found a bit more of a cruising sort of place, I'm not really good or really bad, I'm just sort of mediocre - which is nice, it's a nice place to be," he told Eurosport.
"I know I need to play better but I didn't play well until the final day of the 2013 World Championship [that he won by beating Barry Hawkins in the final].
"If you're not in it, you'll never get to wonder what could happen.
"So I'm always optimistic, I always try and think the longer I'm in it, you just never know when it'll click.
"Sometimes it just doesn't click, but you have to just try and stay in the tournament."
Asked about the motivation and self-belief he is carrying after his two serene wins at the tournament so far, O'Sullivan added: "I feel like it's getting a bit better.
"I feel like I'm not so scared of the table and the balls as much. I'm a bit more optimistic, sometimes that's not a good thing because optimism brings expectation, expectation brings a different type of pressure.
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"So it's like 'OK, I've got to deal with this now'.
"Whereas before I was struggling and just thinking I'll probably lose, so there's no pressure on you really, you just go out there and fight.
"So it's different, but I've been here before so I know how to unwrap it and still go out there and play."
O'Sullivan will play the winner of Jack Lisowski and Stuart Bingham, a second-round encounter that plays to a close on Monday night.
On the other table, John Higgins and Mark Allen will also fight it out for a last-eight berth.
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