Ronnie O’Sullivan advanced to the third round of the International Championship with a 6-2 win over home favorite He Guoqiang in Nanjing. O’Sullivan explained after the match why he feels he remains a popular figure in snooker.
Last update: April 11, 2020 2:21 PM
Ronnie O’Sullivan wins the International Championship in China.
Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan believes he is still fans’ favorite player in snooker and thinks he ticks ‘all the boxes’ as a sportsman.
The 48-year-old has played a limited schedule in recent months, including competing in the Chinese International Championships for the first time since losing at the English Open last September. He described the match as “horrible” and “embarrassing.”
O’Sullivan skipped the British Open and Wuhan Open and withdrew from the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open ahead of the tournament. Although he showed signs of getting through the first two rounds quickly in front of a packed crowd in Nanjing.
The Briton opened with a 6-3 win over women’s world No. 1 Mink Nutcharut on Sunday, before going on to win 6-2 the following day over He Guoqiang, the player who knocked her out of the English Open.
“I get very good support wherever I go around the world,” O’Sullivan, currently ranked fifth in the world, said on the World Snooker Tour after his win.
“I think the reason is because I’ve been playing the game for 32 years. I’ve won a lot of big titles and what people like is winning big tournaments and holding all the records. That’s my style of play as well.
“I entertained the fans. I had the support of Jimmy White, but I also had the title to back it up.
“Everyone who thinks I’m not a winner is in my camp. People who want to see really good snooker are also in my camp.
O’Sullivan is one of the pre-tournament favorites in Nanjing this week.
“If you ask 100 snooker fans who they would like to watch, most people would say me, because I tick all the boxes as a sportsman.”
O’Sullivan’s tournament opener against Nutcharut was delayed due to overcrowding at 1865 Innovation Hall. There he recovered after losing the opening frame to make a 124 break in the next contest and a 132 break later in the contest.
He also lost his opening match against He, but dominated the contest with breaks of 73, 87, 83 and 70. The Chinaman broke through a tight sixth frame to reduce the deficit before two more breaks, setting up a half-century by O’Sullivan. Last 32 meeting with Pang Junxu.
