Ronnie O’Sullivan Ronnie O’Sullivan kisses Ding Junhui, his “brother,” on the cheek.

Twelve years after destroying the Chinese star in the final, the Rocket defeats him 6-3 in the semi-finals. The Englishman is all praise for Ding, calling him a fantastic representative of both China and snooker.

After giving Ding Junhui, a 19-year-old Chinese player, a beating in the 2007 Masters final, Ronnie O’Sullivan gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him he had a bright career ahead of him.

After defeating Ding in the London Masters semi-finals twelve years later, the Rocket made the same gesture again, this time adding “I love you” and going on to refer to the Chinese player as his “brother.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan denied Ding Junhui the UK snooker championship, but he has another chance to face him at the Masters
Thirty years after being the youngest winner at the age of seventeen, O’Sullivan becomes the oldest UK champion. He calls it “bonkers” that the “class of ’92” continues to win US$127,000 in prize money in York, and he gives Ding a first-round Masters matchup with the top player in the world in early January.

China’s Ding Junhui lost to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the snooker UK Championship final, but he will get another chance to become the world’s top player as early as next month thanks to his runner-up payout.

After losing to the seven-time world champion 10–7 in York, Ding earned £100,000 (US$127,000) in prize money and moved up to the top 16 in the world, securing his spot in the Masters and a first-round match in London early in January.

As he looks forward to the Hong Kong snooker tournament, Ronnie O’Sullivan thinks he is better liked in Asia. “In the UK, I don’t seem to get the same support as I do here,” the world No. 1 says while visiting Hong Kong to publicize his March return to the city.
O’Sullivan, who has declared that Chinese tournaments “pay me 10 to 15 times more,” also commends the nation’s venues and the “unbelievable support” he gets.

World No. 1 in snooker Ronnie O’Sullivan expressed his gratitude for the support he has received in Asia compared to his home country of the United Kingdom, looking forward to his All-Star Challenge return to Hong Kong early in 2019.

The seven-time world champion, who was in the city on Saturday to help publicize the event in March, gave his latest enthusiastic praise to Chinese competitions, comparing them favorably to their British counterparts, which he claimed were frequently disappointing.

According to O’Sullivan, “some of the tournaments in the UK don’t feel special.” Thus, my goal is to compete in the greatest competitions, with the finest audiences and locations.