The magnificent seven is complete. The 30-year journey to immortality in snooker, which did not pass without bumps in the road, was probably never easy, even in its final stages, given the prize offered. But while Judd Trump has made everyone wonder if the impossible could really happen at one point on Monday afternoon, the World Cup ended with even more story about Ronnie O’Sullivan: and that thing really means something.
Sometimes O’Sullivan is so calm about the size of his achievements in the game that he is practically horizontal. But anyone who understands snooker can appreciate that this moment, the seventh world title to beat Stephen Hendry and the record of the modern age, is the only thing that will mean so much since he first lifted the trophy. in Crucible 21 years ago. At times, it seemed unrealistic for anyone to be able to climb this mountain again, given the pure dominance that Hendry enjoyed to win his seven world crowns.
But if anyone was ever likely to join him, it would always be O’Sullivan, the great master of snooker and a great artist. It can be said that O’Sullivan plays in a field much harder than Hendry, but nevertheless, the fact that he has now won world titles in three different decades is a striking testament to his longevity as a player, which is worrying for his peers seem to be getting better and better.
When the final and most important breakthrough of the game was over, O’Sullivan allowed the mask to slip into a long embrace with Trump before his emotions came to the fore.
“I tried to be as calm as possible, but this is probably my biggest result against anyone,” O’Sullivan said before smiling. “This tournament brings out the worst in me, but we’ll probably go again next year. The eighth title, even in an era with special players like Trump, doesn’t seem impossible either.
Arriving in Sheffield on Monday, it was not unreasonable to expect a march, given the 12-5 lead that the 46-year-old has accumulated overnight. Someone was wondering if Trump would return a beaten man, doing practically everything, and practically giving up the title of his childhood hero. However, he won six of the eight shots available this afternoon to reduce O’Sullivan’s pillow to three shots. It was his most dazzling session in the tournament and the worst for O’Sullivan, but the credit goes to Trump for the way he came together.
As he won frame after frame, conversations began to shift from whether there would be an evening session at all, to whether attendees could witness the biggest comeback in snooker history, second only to Dennis Taylor lagging behind Steve Davis. with 8-0 in 1985. Everyone knows what happened then. In the end, however, there will be no repeat for the Bristol, but he is certainly a multiple world champion in the wait.
Even Trump could not hide his admiration for his hero in this most historic occasion for snooker. “He will become the best player of all time,” he said. “He is getting better and better. His determination, dedication … you can see him there. He was the best player in the whole tournament for a long time. I was happy that this afternoon I just managed to match.
Ronnie O’Sullivan goes to Judd Trump to share a warm hug with his opponent after winning the title. Photo: Olli Scarf / AFP / Getty Images
However, his time will have to wait at least another year. No player is going through a World Cup triumph without a session to forget, and in the midst of Monday afternoon, when Trump threatened to push O’Sullivan all the way, it was easy to forget that for the first time the Rocket was hesitating. tournament long. This was probably his masterpiece in terms of running to the world crown, with almost dominance from start to finish.
Beautifully positioned at 14-11 on Monday night, O’Sullivan returned refreshed and revitalized for the final session. If Trump had said that first shot and returned it by two, maybe O’Sullivan’s nerves would have been erased. But breaks of 82, 88 and 75 on both sides of Trump’s solid 64 brought O’Sullivan to the brink of glory, heading for the mid-session interval.
Trump needed a strong start to the evening, but he didn’t get it. That left the door open for O’Sullivan, and despite a century of the 32-year-old in what turned out to be the penultimate shot of the championship, his coronation ended with a high break of 85.
If there were any doubts about O’Sullivan’s status as the greatest of all time, they may now have finally been removed.
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