Ronnie O’Sullivan has ‘no answers’ for tip issues and explains shot that led to forfeited frame at Welsh Open

ByNigel Chiu

Updated 14/02/2023 at 18:25 GMT

World No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan was unsure about what caused his tip to come off twice during his thrilling victory over Ross Muir. O’Sullivan also explained why he hit the cue ball so hard at 3-2 up, a shot that saw him automatically lose the frame. Stream top snooker action, including the Welsh Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and eurosport.com.

Ronnie O’Sullivan says he has “no answers” for his tip problems during his dramatic 4-3 win over Ross Muir at the Welsh Open.

A thrilling match saw O’Sullivan’s tip come off just after he made a century in the opening frame and then it came off for a second time in the next frame, which is unheard of in snooker.

It appeared to unnerve O’Sullivan initially as he went 2-1 down, before he found his stride and went on to win in a deciding frame.

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“I haven’t got a clue,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport when asked why he thought his tip kept coming off. “I’m lost on that one, haven’t got an answer.

“Obviously it’s in the back of your mind because every shot I was playing, [I was] thinking 'Is my tip going to fall off'?

“Even now, I’m going to play tomorrow and not know if my tip is going to fall off my cue.

“I’m playing certain shots thinking is it going to come off? It is what it is, you just have to deal with it.”

O'Sullivan's tip comes off for a second time against Muir

The drama wasn’t done there as O’Sullivan was 3-2 ahead and looked on course to overcome his tip troubles by winning three frames in a row to seal the match.

However, in the sixth frame, he was left in a tricky position by Muir, so decided to play the two-cushion escape.

He missed twice and referee Luise Kraatz warned him about the three-miss rule which means a player automatically loses the frame when fouling three times when a red full ball is playable.

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O’Sullivan played to hit the red that was in view, but whacked the cue ball and hit the pink instead, so forfeited the frame.

“I didn’t have another shot,” he explained. “I was snookered on virtually every ball. I had no shot really.

“I either try and come off two cushions, miss the reds, frame over, or try and get a fluke. I tried to get a fluke and I hit the pink, that was it, game over.”

Using his three decades of experience, the seven-time world champion dug in and won the deciding frame as Muir missed a few half-chances.

O’Sullivan, who will play Matthew Stevens or Rod Lawler in the third round, says he enjoys moments like that.

“That’s what excites me now,” he said. “Getting through, winning the battle within yourself. Every player goes through it – emotions up and down, it’s how you deal with them.

“If you can deal with them and come out on a positive end, that’s what you need to do really. If you want to win tournaments and have a successful career, you’ve got to learn to be resilient, battle hardened and stay in the match sometimes.”

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Stream top snooker action, including the Welsh Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk

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