Reigning seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is regarded by many as the best snooker participant ever.
Born in 1975, he was marked for stardom from an early age and loved a really adorned junior profession. In 1991 he received the world under-21 championship in India, the televised Junior Pot Black, and made a 147-maximum break on his option to the ultimate of the English beginner championship – on the time turning into the youngest participant in historical past to finish a most in a acknowledged competitors.
He turned skilled in 1992 as a 16-year-old and received 74 of his opening 76 matches, together with a profitable streak of 38.
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Nonetheless as a rookie, O’Sullivan navigated 10 rounds of qualifying matches to make it by means of to the Crucible Theater for the 1993 World Snooker Championship, though he misplaced within the opening spherical there.
Nevertheless, it was later within the calendar yr when he was propelled into the sporting mainstream by profitable the 1993 UK Snooker Championship – the game’s second largest rating occasion – after defeating world champion and world primary Stephen Hendry 10-6 within the ultimate. Per week earlier than his 18th birthday, O’Sullivan turned the youngest ever winner of an expert rating occasion – a file that also stands at the moment.
O’Sullivan has compiled 15 most 147 breaks in skilled competitors – greater than anybody else. Nicknamed ‘The Rocket’, his excellent body on the 1997 World Snooker Championship took simply 5 minutes and eight seconds; one other file, and proof of his uncooked pure expertise and pace across the desk.
Regardless of struggling together with his well-documented psychological well being points, eager runner and pundit O’Sullivan has been snooker’s chief flagbearer for the previous quarter of a century. He’s a famous person each on and off the desk.
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Ronnie O’Sullivan’s World Championship titles
Ronnie O’Sullivan presently has seven world snooker championship titles, a record-equalling feat within the sport’s fashionable period on the Crucible Theater in Sheffield.
His first world title got here in 2001 when he defeated John Higgins 18-14 within the ultimate. Additional triumphs got here in 2004 and 2008 after denying Graeme Dott and Ali Carter respectively in these title matches, each with an 18-8 scoreline.
O’Sullivan would defeat Carter once more within the 2012 ultimate (18-11), and regardless of taking part in only one match all through the entire season within the lead as much as the 2013 World Snooker Championship, he efficiently defended the game’s biggest prize for the primary time following an 18-12 success towards Barry Hawkins.
Going for a three-peat the following yr, O’Sullivan’s 100% file in world finals was damaged by Mark Selby, though world championship glory numbers six and 7 got here in 2020 and 2022 as he defeated Kyren Wilson (18-8) and Judd Trump (18-13).
Victory over former winner Trump meant {that a} 46-year-old O’Sullivan turned the oldest world champion in historical past, and he tied up with Stephen Hendry’s file of seven world titles, all of which the Scotsman received within the Nineteen Nineties.
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s profession titles
Ronnie O’Sullivan has a file quantity of total rating and Triple Crown main occasion titles.
On the time of writing, O’Sullivan has 39 rating titles to his identify – three greater than Hendry, who’s subsequent on the checklist. He has lifted rating trophies in eight totally different international locations and in 4 totally different a long time.
O’Sullivan presently has 21 Triple Crown main titles. Consisting of snooker’s three largest occasions, he has seven UK championships – greater than anybody else, seven Masters – greater than anybody else, and 7 world championships. Once more, that is three greater than Hendry on the all-time checklist.
In addition to these seven Masters successes, O’Sullivan additionally has loads of different prestigious invitational occasion titles to his identify, together with 10 Premier Leagues, 4 Champions of Champions, and earlier this season he received the 2022 Hong Kong Masters in entrance of a reside viewers of round 9,000 within the enviornment.
“What he stated blew me away.” ❤️
A tearful Ronnie O’Sullivan explains why his hug with Judd Trump was such an emotional second.#ilovesnooker | @WeAreWST | @ronnieo147 | @judd147t pic.twitter.com/Dml2Kdu7MA
— Eurosport (@eurosport) May 2, 2022
How a lot prize cash has Ronnie O’Sullivan Received?
From profession match prize cash alone, Ronnie O’Sullivan has earned over £13 million in winnings.
His largest single paydays got here on the 2020 and 2022 World Snooker Championships the place he collected £500,000 on every event to win the title.
O’Sullivan twice banked the 147 most break bonus of £147,000 for reaching perfection on the Crucible Theater within the 1997 and 2003 World Snooker Championships. In 2003, he trousered £169,000 for those who embody the very best break prize, too.
He additionally made 147 on the 2008 version, however needed to share the prize with Ali Carter who additionally made one through the match.
Who’re Ronnie O’Sullivan’s rivals?
On account of his supreme and unmatched longevity on the high stage of the game, Ronnie O’Sullivan has had many fierce rivals all through his illustrious profession.
He’s a part of the well-known ‘Class of 92’ alongside John Higgins and Mark Williams – all three turned skilled that yr and have gone on to win a number of World Championship titles, and loved numerous epic matches towards one another.
As O’Sullivan broke onto the circuit, he had the duty of usurping Stephen Hendry who dominated a lot of the Nineteen Nineties with seven World Championship title wins and a really lengthy stint because the world primary.
Well known as the 2 biggest gamers of all-time, the duo confronted each other in quite a few large clashes and finals. O’Sullivan twice defeated Hendry within the UK Championship ultimate and Hendry denied O’Sullivan in a Masters ultimate.
O’Sullivan has progressively taken away a number of of Hendry’s data, though each are presently tied on seven world titles every.
2001. 2004. 2008. 2012. 2013. 2020. 2022. Ronnie O’Sullivan is a seven-time champion of the world!
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— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) May 2, 2022
In recent times, world champions Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Judd Trump have all entertained with memorable showdowns in main occasions towards O’Sullivan. Maybe nine-time Triple Crown main winner Selby has prompted his fellow Englishman probably the most heartache, being the one participant within the sport to have defeated O’Sullivan in UK, Masters and world finals.