Ronnie O’Sullivan on Sunday aims to become the first player to win any Triple Crown event – the World Championship, UK Championship and Masters – eight times as he faces Judd Trump at Alexandra Palace. The Rocket secured his spot in a 13th Masters decider when he ousted Ding Junhui 6-3 in their semi-final clash.
The 43-year-old raced into a 4-0 lead at the mid-session break with a clinic of precise snooker that gave the Chinese little or no chance to gain a foothold.
Ding won a scrappy fifth frame to get on the board before firing back-to-back century breaks to get back in the match. He looked on course for a stunning maximum break in frame seven having pulled off a number of outrageous pots but missed the green – ensuring the 147th maximum break in snooker history is still up for grabs.
O’Sullivan duly countered in style, taking the two frames required, including a sublime 93 break to wrap up the match. He had a warm embrace for Ding afterwards before telling BBC Sport he sees him ‘like a brother’.
In the 2007 Masters final, a visibly distraught Ding struggled to hold back the tears and was consoled by O’Sullivan at the end after suffering a heavy 10-3 defeat.
“I was hoping Ding would get the 147. It would have been fantastic for the crowd, and for Ding. He gave it a good go. It was a great moment, a great atmosphere,” said O’Sullivan.
“I won’t divulge what I said to him at the end. Everyone knows how close I am to him and how I feel for Ding. I don’t kiss many people, but I like Ding, he’s a special guy and a special human.”
O’Sullivan is favourite at 1.40 to win the Dafabet Masters final, with Trump 2.80. The Rocket can be backed at 7.50 to win the match 10-7.
While more records may fall, it sounds as though O’Sullivan won’t be distracted by history.
“The number of titles and finals don’t really mean much to me. They’re just numbers at the end of the day. Snooker is just something I do. It does get a little bit harder as you get older. Even when it’s supposed to feel easy it feels harder these days,” he added.