The English snooker icon Ronnie O’Sullivan has won his sixth world title. The 44-year-old prevailed at the legendary Crucible Theater in Sheffield 18: 8 against his compatriot Kyren Wilson (28), who was in a World Cup final for the first time. O’Sullivan had already secured the title in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2013.
With his 37th victory in a world ranking tournament, he is now the sole record holder in front of the seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry. In his opening match, O’Sullivan had set another record. For the 10: 1 against the Thai Thepchaiya Un-Nooh he only needed 108 minutes, it was the fastest win in World Cup history.
“I never thought about titles. I wanted to have fun here. It’s nice when you can live your dream,” said O’Sullivan, emphasizing: “Every world title is something special.”
O’Sullivan dominated the final clearly, the preliminary decision was made when he won seven frames in a row and moved from 10: 8 to 17: 8. In terms of drama, however, the semifinals could not be beaten: Both finalists had prevailed against their opponents by a wafer-thin 17:16. Defending champion Judd Trump was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
300 spectators in Sheffield
The final, which was held on Saturday and Sunday, was also attended by around 300 spectators in the Crucible Theater. The visitors had to wear masks in the vicinity of the venue, but they were allowed to take them off in their place during the final game.
Initially, the entire tournament was supposed to be played in front of fans, but this project was abandoned at short notice due to the increasing number of new corona infections. O’Sullivan had already criticized the organizers’ plans before the tournament started. “They treat the event and us like laboratory rats,” he said.
During the tournament, O’Sullivan also lived up to his reputation as an enfant terrible and a friend of clear words on another point. With violent criticism of the young snooker, he had caused a stir. “When you watch some of them, you think: I’d have to lose an arm and a leg to get out of the top 50,” he said.
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