Ronnie O'Sullivan

Seven-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Masters, beaten 6-5 by Mark Williams in a thrilling contest.

"That was a special match between two of the great players, they produced the good. "He played the better snooker and was more clinical. Williams won the Masters in 1998 and 2003 and, asked if he could win a third, he replied: "I am not going to go that far. I hung in there, the battling qualities forced a decider. "You are playing the greatest player ever, if I don't beat him for another 20 years I don't care. I fancied beating him."

Mark Williams ended an eight-year wait for victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan by storming back from a three-frame deficit to win 6-5 and reach the semi-finals ...

Williams capitalised with a frame-winning 55 break and, with the help of a wonderful underarm shot, delivered a decisive 83 in the next. Williams was punished again when he missed a risky red with the rest and O’Sullivan compiled a frame-winning 79 break. O’Sullivan held the upper hand throughout and a clearance of 44 doubled his advantage.

Ronnie O'Sullivan said it would have been “a travesty” had Mark Williams not won their quarter-final match at the Masters.

“The snooker gods have done the right thing, he deserved to win. I got a bit tight. However, O’Sullivan told Casey that he did not really feel the pressure. “I didn't feel nervous, really. “I didn't score well enough, Mark scored better. The Masters

Ronnie O'Sullivan lost to Mark Williams in the quarter-finals of the Masters.

Speaking after his loss, O'Sullivan rued making "too many mistakes", but ultimately paid credit for the level of snooker his opponent was producing and gave his support for Williams to take home the trophy on Sunday. "I was happy to get it 5-5, I had the chance in the last, but when you’re not cueing well - blacks like that are missable. It’s just the way it goes. O'Sullivan still looked in charge as he held a 4-2 lead following a mini-Williams fightback. Williams finally got on the board just before the interval and came back after the break reinvigorated. O'Sullivan looked on course to reach his 15th Masters semi-final after racing to a 3-0 lead.

Mark Williams pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in Masters history, recovering from 3-0 down to beat old rival Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-5 in a classic at ...

Ever the predator, Williams stepped in with a quite magnificent clearance of 59, pulling off outstanding pots on the last four colours. I made a cracking 70 to finish it off. "It's electric, it always is when you play Ronnie in London.

Williams fights back from 3-0 down to win quarter-final 6-5.

Williams capitalised with a frame-winning 55 break and, with the help of a wonderful underarm shot, delivered a decisive 83 in the next. O’Sullivan’s safety play helped him into a 4-2 lead, but Williams then produced a stunning 143 clearance – his best break in Masters history. Williams was punished again when he missed a risky red with the rest and O’Sullivan compiled a frame-winning 79 break.

Mark Williams beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in a Triple Crown event for the first time in 23 years, winning 6-5 in a mesmerising quarter-final clash at the Cazoo ...

I made a really good clearance to go 5-4 up and a century in the last frame – it’s nice to know I can do that when I need to. In frame nine, O’Sullivan was 50-1 ahead when he missed a tricky red to a centre pocket, and his opponent took advantage with a tremendous 59 clearance to go ahead for the first time. In frame four, O’Sullivan led 31-16 when he ran out of position, and Williams gained a foothold by clipping in a long red to initiate a break of 55. Then I made a nice break for 3-1 to stick in there. The 47-year-old is the first man into the semi-finals in London and will meet Jack Lisowski or Hossein Vafaei on Saturday at 1pm. Williams made two centuries and four more breaks over 50, coming from 3-0 and 4-2 down in an epic battle at Alexandra Palace, watched by 2,000 fans who gave both players a standing ovation at the start of the contest.

Williams' hopes of beating the seven-time Masters champion seemed distant as O'Sullivan surged into a 3-0 lead at Alexandra Palace. But the Welshman – who ...

I had the chance in the last, but when you’re not cueing well blacks like that are missable. and I don’t think I’ve beaten him in the UK for 20 years. But Williams was not to be denied victory, making the most of another O’Sullivan error to build a match-winning 102. Williams capitalised with a frame-winning 55 break and, with the help of a wonderful underarm shot, delivered a decisive 83 in the next. The contest appeared to turn before the interval after O’Sullivan, among the balls and ahead in the frame, chose to wait until disturbing a pack of reds and completely missed them. “The first three frames I didn’t have a shot,” Williams told the BBC after ending a run of six successive defeats to O’Sullivan, a run stretching back to the 2014 International Championship in China.

Mark WIlliams had plenty of praise for Ronnie O'Sullivan after defeating the Englishman at the Masters.

The win was a special one for the Welshman, especially after defeating arguably snooker’s greatest ever player. He was tying me up in the knots. Ronnie O’Sullivan has been labelled snooker’s ‘greatest ever player’ by Mark Williams, despite losing to the Welshman at the Masters on Thursday.

Ronnie O'Sullivan surrendered a 3-0 lead to crash out of the Masters following a remarkable comeback by Mark Williams, who moves into the semi-final.

The Welshman produced a tournament-best break of 143 and reached the semi-finals.

I had the chance in the last, but when you’re not cueing well blacks like that are missable. and I don’t think I’ve beaten him in the UK for 20 years. But Williams was not to be denied victory, making the most of another O’Sullivan error to build a match-winning 102. Williams capitalised with a frame-winning 55 break and, with the help of a wonderful underarm shot, delivered a decisive 83 in the next. The contest appeared to turn before the interval after O’Sullivan, among the balls and ahead in the frame, chose to wait until disturbing a pack of reds and completely missed them. “The first three frames I didn’t have a shot,” Williams told the BBC after ending a run of six successive defeats to O’Sullivan, a run stretching back to the 2014 International Championship in China.

It's quarter-final time! Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams kick off proceedings on Thursday in a hotly-anticipated match.

We've got young pretenders: Jack Lisowski v Hossein Vafaei. It wasn't a total gimme but it wasn't a brute either, and Mark takes a moment; he knows this is a crucial visit, and when he doesn't screw back far enough following his opener, he has the thinnest of cut-backs to sink the black, then kisses the brown ... Next visit, he tries for one to right-middle from the top cushion and gets close, but instead leaves a thin cut to the same pocket which Mark takes well before nuzzling up to the yellow. Mark nicks home a tight starter to left-middle then does similar with one to right corner, and he's looking good in the frame. He takes the yellow, but overruns a little, and though he looks sanguine about a red he has to guide into right corner, parallel with the top rail, he misses it; can Mark punish him? Another nervy shot leaves Ronnie with a thin cut-back red to keep the break going; he plays it well, and is now in decent control, taking red-blacks. The pink is blocking the path to the yellow, but other than that, there are no obvious impediments to the clearance which will put mark one up with two to play, and no reasons at all to think he won't find a way. A loose brown means a tricky blue - it goes down, of course - but a massive shot is now required to get the pink into the yellow pocket while getting on the black ... But this is Mark J Williams we're talking about, so he cuts it home to right corner like it's nothing and this now feel over. But now it's time to go again and we've another belter in store: Jack Lisowski v Hossein Vafaei! Then, when he finds himself in and around the pack, he takes one on to right-middle, misses, and this is now another chance for the Prince of Persia. Jack misses frame-ball, a cut to left corner, but Hossein needs everything and red, yellow and brown are on the bottom cushion.

Mark Williams ended an eight-year wait for victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan by storming back from a three-frame deficit to win their Masters quarter-final 6.

and I don’t think I’ve beaten him in the UK for 20 years. The world number 12 opened in style as runs of 96 and 76 carried him into a 2-0 lead but Vafaei hit back strongly to win the next three, equalling Williams’ tournament-highest break of 143 in the process. Williams was punished for missing a risky red with the rest in the third frame as O’Sullivan compiled a decisive break of 79 but the contest began to turn before the interval. O’Sullivan won a tense 10th frame, making 77 after a long safety exchange, but Williams was not to be denied and made the most of another error from his opponent to build a match-winning 102. “The first three frames I didn’t have a shot,” Williams told the BBC after ending a run of six successive defeats to O’Sullivan, stretching back to the 2014 International Championship in China. But the Welshman – who clawed his way back into the contest with a then outright tournament-best break of 143 – won three successive frames to lead his fellow veteran 5-4.

Ronnie O'Sullivan took a one-frame lead in his Masters quarter-final against Mark Williams after a supreme 115 break at Alexandra Palace on Thursday.

His snooker career at one time looked like it would be short but is now one of the longest and most successful.

“I said to the doctor, I still don’t feel right. O’Sullivan has been able to articulate that his lurches, seizures and tumbles were never the end point. One mechanism he has had in his favour is an ability to talk about whatever is ailing him. Two years later he won the 1998 Irish Masters but was stripped of his title and prize money when a post-match drug test busted him for cannabis. He had an ability to autopsy himself. Sometimes instead of “in perspective” it was “out of perspective”. He had won the world championship the year before, his first. “I was 19 when they put me mum away,” he said. Furtive and understated, he sat himself down in a private room off the main hall in Dublin’s Citywest Hotel. Now etched with grey, his hair and eyebrows were dark as anthracite and he pulled hard on a cigarette. Sometimes he was “loving” snooker and other times it was “boring”. Sometimes for “motivated” it was “lacking motivation”.

Speaking to Eurosport at this week's Masters Snooker, O'Sullivan was asked who the biggest influence of his career was and he listed three, including a fellow ...

Like O'Sullivan Reardon is known as a snooker great and dominated the sport in the 1970's winning six world championships in that time. A lot of the time I would quit, didn't know I was quitting... During his remarkable career at the table, O'Sullivan has asserted himself as arguably the greatest player of all time. He got me a technique that was capable of winning a world championship basically." I was really good at sabotaging, didn't know I was doing it. With 15 maximum breaks, over 1,100 centuries and seven world titles the Englishman has dominated the sport during his career.

Ronnie O'Sullivan says that he was unsure whether he would ever play snooker again when he contended with off-the-table issues between 2009 and 2011.

So I have found a way to enjoy it, but part of the enjoyment was to not go to those dark places. It is just one of those that you have to do. That is why I hated it because I promised myself I would never go there. It is a daunting task, but you can't shy away from it." I'm not hard on myself because I believe in the snooker gods. "It's not until you have finished that it kind of hits you, and I didn't like that feeling. "I checked out about eight years ago so I kind of play snooker for fun. "It's a tough event," he said on the Eurosport podcast. The nervous system was kind of like pulverised for 17 days straight. 1 after he conquered the Crucible for a record-equalling seventh time with his latest incredible showing on the biggest stage. “But that was more to do with off-the-table issues. I just got a love for playing well, you know, and wanting to master this game.”

Jimmy White believes a combination of himself, Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry has made Ronnie O'Sullivan the greatest snooker player of all time.

“If you have Jack’s scoring and long-pot ability, it puts a lot of pressure on your opponent’s safety. He will play Hossein Vafaei on Thursday, after the Iranian triumphed over Mark Selby 6-2. “Ronnie O’Sullivan, Zhao Xintong and Lisowski hit the ball like nobody else. Asked which current player he sees himself in, the 60-year-old said: “Jack Lisowski. “He took all of those styles so he can play any shot and he's got that natural instinct. It made him the youngest-ever ranking tournament winner, a record he still holds.

The Welsh Potting Machine aimed to show exactly why he has that nickname when he tried to pot a ball using just one hand in his thrilling Masters match with ...

Williams will go on to face Jack Lisowski in the semi-finals this weekend after he defeated Masters debutant Hossein Vafaei in the last eight. I have been playing well for a while and I am over the moon." I was happy to get it to five and, when you are not playing well, those blacks can be missed." I hung in there, the battling qualities forced a decider. "And on this occasion it was not effective but at least he has been able to run to safety.” While those in attendance enjoyed the shot however, there were some fans on social media who were not impressed, and one even called the Welshman a “show-off’.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has helped put Essex on the world sporting map and the snooker GOAT's success story could see the English Open remain there for good.

World Snooker Tour chairman Steve Dawson confirmed on Friday the Home Nations event will return to the venue this year. “We are delighted to be heading back to Brentwood. Stream top snooker action including the 2023 Masters live on Eurosport and The Home Nations Series has become a permanent fixture on the snooker calendar with Eurosport broadcasting the English Open, Northern Ireland Open, Scottish Open and Welsh Open to millions worldwide. The Masters It proved a fantastic location for the English Open last year and we were thrilled to see the venue packed every day and a great atmosphere,"