Ten years old Despite the tougher challenges that lay ahead, Ronnie O’Sullivan made a successful comeback to snooker today, demonstrating that he may be hard to stop in the world championship.
The reigning champion defeated Marcus Campbell of Scotland 10–4 to set up a second-round match that will begin on Saturday against either Ben Woollaston, a rookie in the Crucible, or Ali Carter, the opponent he defeated in the previous year’s final.
O’Sullivan’s early rustiness was expected considering that he had not played for almost a year, but he could afford it against a 40-year-old opponent who appeared to become unresponsive under the spotlight. Following the first session, O’Sullivan led 7-2 and returned in the evening with breaks of 90 and 102 as.
O’Sullivan has been on a career hiatus, which he had planned to continue longer than it really did, since winning the title the previous year. After declaring in November that he would miss the remainder of the season, O’Sullivan changed his mind in February, and this is his first competition back.
Although he has scored a lot of goals, he is not sure if his performance warranted his position as the clear favorite and believes there are weak points in his game that other players may take advantage of.
“It was fine,” stated O’Sullivan. “Over the past five weeks, since I announced that I was playing, the journey has been exciting. I didn’t feel anxious. I had no idea how I would compete or how the match would proceed. I am approaching it as an experiment.
I did alright in the balls. Both the lengthy potting and the safety weren’t very good. I probably wasn’t as cunning and shrewd as usual overall. But you lose that match tightness when you stop playing for a year. That will return as you play matches.
Do I think I have a good chance of continuing and succeeding? We’ll simply have to wait and see, but stranger things have happened. Most likely not.
It’s comparable to attempting to get in shape the day before the race. It is not going to happen. It could take three competitions and a few knockouts to accomplish.
“This is a new experience for me. I’m not as familiar with it as you are. Still, it should be entertaining to see.”
Before lunch, O’Sullivan had breaks of 82, 62, 71, 85, 86, and 58, which suggested he had been practicing as consistently as he had claimed.
As the 37-year-old stepped out shortly after 10am, he was met with a boisterous reception. His friend, the artist Damien Hirst, gazed on as he answered with some early brushstrokes of brilliance.
O’Sullivan played a left-handed break-off stroke to start the match, but he quickly sank four reds and four blacks. If a maximum 147 break did not cross his thoughts, it definitely did for others. He removed the blue from the fifth red, making the opening frame less magical, but he still moved calmly in the direction of what appeared to be a century. He got to 82 but missed his next red, so it was only a break that won the frame. It was hardly a world away, though it was remarkably close given the circumstances.
Strangely, Campbell is placed 27th to 28th, one spot higher than O’Sullivan, but it is understandable given the world champion’s lack of play this season.
Campbell’s meager aspirations for the evening were quickly dashed. Campbell’s recovery ended at 9-4 as he forced an interval with a fluked green that enabled him get to 9-3.
Campbell said that his six-frame loss was “a wee bit unlucky”. Campbell remarked, “I didn’t make many mistakes.” “I’m pleased with my performance. It was a worthwhile endeavor to engage in.”
