Why Ronnie O’Sullivan’s surreal world pool championship seems inevitable

Desmond Kane says that five-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has the best chance of ending his six-year ordeal in the Crucible torture chamber.

Best for last, saved for first. In addition to being the most recent example of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s ever-impressive skill on the cue stick, his 10-1 demolition of a troubled Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the opening round of the World Championship served as a sobering reminder of what happens when he is only forced to face the balls and not fans, cell phones, a referee who can’t keep up with his rapid pace, or photographers who take pictures at the wrong time. especially those annoying snappers, against whom O’Sullivan appears to have fought a one-man war in recent years, adopting a more Perry Mason-than-Perry Mans-like demeanor.

Though it is hard to imagine O’Sullivan playing better than this for an extended length of time, he is one of the few players in the history of the game who has the potential to move up a gear or three in his pursuit of six of the best. With an incredible average shot time of 14 seconds, he defeated Un-Nooh, the number 20 in snooker, to complete the match in 108 minutes, the quickest over the course of a match since the World Championship was first held in 1977 at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.

He had gone on a rampage, winning 8-1 over night, thanks to breaks of 101, 85, 115, 74, 88, 86, and 65. A quick 93 saw him over the finish line, with Thailand’s speed merchant adding just 31 more points on Monday morning.
The difference was striking considering that fourteen months prior, O’Sullivan had been knocked out 10-8 by amateur qualifier James Cahill in the first round; following that match, he had emerged from the second session looking like a skinhead, akin to a Travis Bickle character.

O’Sullivan always seems to have a problem with something in or around the Crucible, mainly the demands and pressure from the media that caused him to pull out of the Masters in January, but this time around it looks like there aren’t many predetermined reasons for him to back out. In South Yorkshire, O’Sullivan typically worries about getting the common cold in the spring. Although there is still the more urgent problem of COVID-19 in the summer, there is less pressure now overall.
Since I’m not under the crowd’s or the expectations’ pressure, I truly prefer it. simply entering and leaving the location. I actually am in a vacation mode since there is so much less expected of me.”

totally in mode,” O’Sullivan remarked.
“It’s the first time I’ve been staying in a hotel close to the venue because normally it is full of snooker fans and it is difficult for me to get any peace and quiet.”

Although one can never control what goes on in one’s head, initially it seems like there isn’t much to be upset about at a place where he has performed in socks instead of uncomfortable shoes and destroyed a dressing room since his last appearance in the final, where he was defeated 18–14 by Mark Selby, six years ago. Perhaps this year’s bugbear is the fake canned crowd noise that has appeared out of nowhere, resembling the smoke from Hurricane Higgins’ cigarettes from years ago, but you never know.
Other than a brief conversation with his preferred broadcaster and an optional Zoom call with the media pack after the event, O’Sullivan doesn’t even need to address the media.

He can also make it back to Essex in between matches rather than be stuck nibbling on cornflakes in Milton Keynes.
The decision by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to forbid spectators from attending such events on Friday did not defame O’Sullivan, who had complained that players were being treated like lab rats, in the arena. On the first day of play, a small number of snooker loopy fans managed to reach potting nirvana. A Rocket-secure environment is also a Covid-secure Crucible.
“He draws a huge amount of expectation from the crowd and the media so I think it will be a lot more relaxed for him this year than other years – that will suit him for sure,” Neil, the 2010 winner, said.

When punters are removed from snooker, the game changes drastically. The crowd’s stench and the roar of the greasepaint are no longer distracting factors from one’s thoughts. In his own words, he is playing “pure snooker.”
It’s the closest thing to watching two extremely skilled players rehearse. The tension wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t a crowd present,” he stated.

When you see O’Sullivan roam around the table like he’s consuming pool balls, it’s tempting to get gushy. He appears to be more one with the table than the cloth covering the slates at times, making it difficult to notice. When you consider that seven-time champion Stephen Hendry was no longer playing the game professionally and six-time world champion Steve Davis had long since concluded his career as a serial winner, it is easy to forget he is forty-four.
“Someone mentioned that the draw against Thepchaiya was difficult, but I believe Ronnie’s style of play was meant for this,” Hendry stated.

Un-Nooh was the perfect match for him; he was like a selected boxer; a player with a comparable game speed won’t trouble O’Sullivan too much, especially if he can’t perform to the same flawless standards. It would be impolite to ignore the effort that goes into an easy outing like this, but there was hardly time for O’Sullivan to brood over a missed shot before he was back among the balls.

It should be remembered that fourteen months ago, in the first round, Un-Nooh was one vote away from defeating Judd Trump. In the pivotal last frame of last year’s tournament, the world champion and unchallenged number one produced a daring double to win 10-9. He is a deadly floater who was completely buried by the O’Sullivan squall and left looking like flotsam and jetsam.
Next up comes Ding Junhui, the top player in China, who eliminated O’Sullivan from the UK Championship last 16 in December with a 6-4 victory. One speculates that in order to restrict O’Sullivan during the best of 25 frames played over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, he will need to be more adept than in his 10-9 victory over Mark King.

Perhaps good news for Essex is in order as O’Sullivan sets out on his most recent Busman’s vacation to Sheffield since his initial visit in 1993 – and the abundant harvest of titles in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2013.
For this harvest, O’Sullivan has unexpectedly been given a window of chance by a Crucible that is behind closed doors. He is aware of it and smells opportunity. That in and of itself puts strain on him, but when awareness is not an urgent worry, there’s definitely less to aggravate his mood or momentum.