Ronnie O’Sullivan admits he almost pulled out of Welsh Open after cue issues in second round
Ronnie O'Sullivan facing snooker sanctions
Ronnie O’Sullivan revealed he came close to conceding his dramatic second-round match with Ross Muir at the BetVictor Welsh Open after twice losing his tip.
The seven-time world champion overcame the frustrating cue issues and forfeiting a frame due to violating the three-miss rule to scrape into the last 32 with an enthralling 4-3 success.
He had looked set to cruise to victory at Venue Cymru in Llandudno as he began with a superb break of 108.
But his tip flew off when potting the final pink of the first frame and again midway through the second, causing two delays to the match.
Scotsman Muir seized on the disruption to move 2-1 ahead courtesy of a pair of half-century breaks before O'Sullivan seemed to have sufficiently regained his rhythm as he moved back in front with knocks of 58 and 78.
But there was a further twist as, having appeared to disagree with a warning from referee Luise Kraatz, an exasperated O'Sullivan fouled for the third successive shot by wildly smashing into the pink and sending the cue ball flying from the table to gift his opponent the sixth frame.
The world number one took a scrappy decider to edge through before saying he had been ready to sacrifice his place in the tournament.
"The tip's great, it just keeps falling off," he told BBC Sport. "Every time I played a shot, I just kept thinking 'is it going to fall off?'.
"It was hard because you've got no trust basically. I said to the guy (Muir), 'if it comes off once more, I'll have to just pull out' because I can't keep changing my tip every five or six shots, it's just not fair on the opponent, or even the crowd.
"It stayed on, so we'll have to just wait and see (how it is in the next round). It's never happened to me before.
"The tip was beautiful, it's nothing to do with the tip, maybe I need a new ferrule (the small band of metal below the tip) - I'll probably get a new ferrule on after this tournament.
"I'm just pleased that I was able to put it to the back of my mind, still play. It's not all about talent, it's about resilience, about mindset."
Recommended Offers
£30 Matched Free Bet if your first Acca loses + 100 Free Spins
New UK customers only. Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football, Horse Racing, Tennis, Cricket or Basketball multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets are available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 100 Free Spins on More Unusual Suspects (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on free spin winnings. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days after the new account is registered.
18+ BeGambleAware.org. Full T&Cs apply #ad
Get up to £50 Welcome Bonus
New customers only. Opt-in required. 100% Match Bonus up to £50 on 1st deposit of £10+. 50x wagering & game weighting applies. Debit Card deposits only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid for 7 days from your new account being registered.
18+ BeGambleAware.org. Full T&Cs apply #ad
Get £10 in Free Bets
New customers only. This offer is valid for 7 days from your new account being registered. Min Deposit: £10. Free Bet awarded: £10. 1 x £10 must be wagered at odds of 1.75+ to unlock Free Bet. Debit Card deposits only (exclusions apply). Free bet will expire 7 days after the 1st deposit.
18+ BeGambleAware.org. Full T&Cs apply #ad
