'He's boiled over in the paddock' – Why Ronnie O'Sullivan and Hossein Vafaei's World Open snooker clash could be feisty
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ByEurosport
Updated 20/03/2024 at 19:05 GMT
Ronnie O'Sullivan will continue his quest for a sixth major title of the season when he faces Hossein Vafaei in the last 16 of the World Open in Yushan on Thursday. The duo have been involved in some bizarre clashes over the past two years, including matches at the German Masters and World Championship that witnessed both men opt to produce pool breaks by smashing into the pack of reds.
'Extraordinary' - Vafaei smashes into reds on break-off against O’Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan and Hossein Vafaei will chase a spot in the World Open quarter-finals when they meet on Thursday morning in Yushan (6:30am GMT live on Eurosport and discovery+) in an intriguing clash marked by the memories of two bizarre break-off shots.
O'Sullivan won the final three frames to fend off Lyu Haotian 5-2 in the last 32 on Wednesday after Vafaei defeated former Welsh Open winner Robert Milkins by the same scoreline earlier in the day.
Judging by recent history, the last-16 dust-up won't be one for the faint-hearted.
Iran's leading player Vafaei was upset 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.
Trailing 4-0, the world No. 1 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, who responded with a similar break-off shot at the World Championship last April by splattering the reds everywhere in the first frame.
"That's an extraordinary thing to do I must say," said former world No. 3 Neal Foulds in the Eurosport commentary box. "Why he did that, I don't know.
"Relating to horse racing, you'd say he's boiled over in the paddock."
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'Extraordinary' - Vafaei smashes into reds on break-off against O’Sullivan
O'Sullivan mopped up the loose balls with a 78 on his way to a 13-2 filleting after Vafaei had accused his opponent of "disrespect" in an unique bout of green baize trash talk.
They last met in the UK Championship in December with O'Sullivan completing a 6-2 semi-final victory on his way to an eighth UK Championship success.
The Essex icon is also 4-1 clear on the career head-to-heads.
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'A beautifully played shot' - O'Sullivan's delightful double at World Open
O'Sullivan and Vafaei shared a hug after their last meeting at the UK Championship.
Vafaei also said afterwards that he didn't "have the heart" to play his "hero" O'Sullivan and that it was his "worst day".
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