Historic triumph for “The Rocket”: Ronnie O’Sullivan, the exceptional player, won his seventh title at the Snooker World Championships in Sheffield.
The 46-year-old Englishman prevailed at the Crucible Theater after four sessions and a gala performance with 18:13 against his compatriot Judd Trump. O’Sullivan crowned himself as the successor to Mark Selby (England) and drew level with Scottish legend Stephen Hendry after world titles – nobody won more in the Crucible era.
“The snooker gods were by my side,” O’Sullivan said. “He put me under pressure for two days. I tried to stay relaxed.”
O’Sullivan got off to a strong start on Sunday at the beginning of the final, “The Rocket” went into the crucial Monday with a 12:5. In the third session, however, Trump, world champion from 2019, turned up – and shortened to 11:14. But when it came down to it, world number one O’Sullivan was there again and showed no weakness. Afterwards he celebrated with his family in front of the fans and repeatedly raised his winning fist in the air.
Before the World Cup final, O’Sullivan had announced that he wanted to take a break. “This tournament means 17 days of stress. I need a detox,” said the snooker star on “Eurosport”, but he doesn’t think about retiring: “I don’t feel tired, it’s just a difficult tournament.”