'I didn't even have a dressing room!' - Ronnie O'Sullivan on 'not ideal' Crucible gaffe at World Championship

Published 01/05/2022 at 10:08 GMT

World No. 1 Ronnie O'Sullivan did not have everything his own way despite overcoming his old rival John Higgins in their classic World Championship semi-final on Saturday evening. The Rocket had an array of issues to deal with during the match, as he revealed in entertaining fashion when he joined Jimmy White in the Eurosport studio to look back on another famous win at the Crucible.

‘I was a bit unsettled!’ – O’Sullivan on 'seatgate', lack of dressing room and missing chalk

Ronnie O'Sullivan has detailed the "not ideal preparation" he had to contend with during the final session of his dramatic semi-final with John Higgins at the World Championship.

The 46-year-old wrapped up a 17-11 victory over his old foe Higgins to set up a Crucible final to truly savour with Judd Trump on Sunday and Monday.

It is the fifth occasion in O’Sullivan’s illustrious career that he has occupied the world No. 1 ranking, and the first time since 2019, as he continues his pursuit of a record-equalling seventh world title.

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If he can equal Stephen Hendry's record of titles at the Crucible it will be truly momentous, but he told Eurosport after his semi-final with Higgins that he actually felt "unsettled" and had to deal with a few nightmare issues during the match.

First, he told match referee Marcel Eckardt that his "seat is wet - not sure how this can be, to be honest", but then added that it was not the only frustrating factor at play for him in the encounter.

Speaking at the end of the match when he joined his good friend Jimmy White in the Eurosport expert chairs, O’Sullivan acknowledged his discomfort due to many factors during the match.

“It must have been wet because I sat down and was drenched," O'Sullivan said while smiling in the studio.

"It must have been wet from before. Yeah, it was wet from before. I am actually going to have to bring out a hairdryer because, I don't know, someone has wet the seat.

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“Then as I turned up to the venue to get in my dressing room, I didn't even have a dressing room!

"Yeah, I was a bit unsettled tonight, to be honest with you. I forgot my chalk. It was not ideal preparation.”

When fellow snooker legend White stated "it won't happen tomorrow", O'Sullivan simply responded "yeah".

Trump, meanwhile, showed admirable resolve to repel a stunning Mark Williams comeback to clinch the deciding frame and book his place in the final against O'Sullivan.

The 32-year-old has not triumphed at the Crucible since 2019 despite repeatedly holding the No. 1 world ranking and being a consistently dominant force at the top of the game.

The Bristolian will be hoping for similarly smooth preparation to what O'Sullivan will be seeking following the two titanic semi-finals in Sheffield as both players vie for a famous win on the very biggest stage.