Ronnie O'Sullivan's quest for a record eighth World Snooker Championship title ended in heartbreak at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, as John Higgins produced a stunning comeback to win 13-12 in a final-frame decider. The defeat left O'Sullivan in a state of 'shock', revealing he had already booked a flight home before the match concluded.
O'Sullivan's Flight Booked in Anticipation of Defeat
Speaking after the match, O'Sullivan admitted he was realistic about his chances against Higgins. 'I had a flight booked home early this morning because I wasn't sure if I'd get to the third session before the match started,' he said. 'I was realistic about my chances. John is strong, playing well, and has won tournaments over the last couple of years. I haven't been in any big matches for two years. These games are a different level.'
The seven-time world champion, known as 'The Rocket', led 9-4 but lost six frames in a row across the final two sessions. Higgins, a four-time champion, fired three centuries on Monday before holding his nerve in the decider to complete a memorable victory.
O'Sullivan's Honest Assessment
O'Sullivan acknowledged that Higgins exposed his lack of recent high-pressure match practice. 'It's alright beating players ranked 30th or 40th in the world, but playing the top boys under real pressure was going to expose me in some way,' he said. 'I was really shocked that I was able to make a game of it. When I was 6-2 up in the first session, I said to my mate: I can't work this one out. I felt like I played okay. 9-7 up, I thought, okay, cool. Two sessions... one you can get a bit flukey.'
He added: 'It's a little bit of new territory for me again, but John played great. I tried to hang on to him. I just couldn't get the job done. I'll go back to Ireland, just chill there and then come back whenever I've got to play again.'
Emotional Outburst and Frustration
During the match, O'Sullivan punched the table in frustration after missing a crucial ball. However, he downplayed the incident, saying: 'I wasn't even angry. I was quite frustrated. I thought: I missed another bloody important ball. How many of these am I going to keep missing? It was a nice sort of anger. In the last round, I thought, rather than do the hands, do it with the cue. I missed the tough ball, it was just nice to go bang. Then within a second, it's deleted and I'm cool as a cucumber. I like to just get it out, draw a line under it, and move forward.'
Support for Higgins
Despite his disappointment, O'Sullivan expressed hope that Higgins could go on to win a fifth world title. 'I think it'd be nice for him because I always said if you get beat in the quarters, it's not too bad because you've had a good workout,' he said. 'But if you get beat in the semis or the final here, then I'd rather get beat first round because no one really cares who gets beat in the final or the semi-finals. If you get to the semis, you've had to do 15 days, it's a long old slog. If you get to the final, you've done 17 days. That's the worst experience for any snooker player, especially in a John and my situation. So it'd be nice for John to go all the way, but it's going to be tough.'
Higgins, who has not won the World Championship since 2011, will now face either Kyren Wilson or David Gilbert in the semi-finals.
