Rocket 'gutted' after spluttering out
Ronnie O’Sullivan admitted he was “gutted” to have exited the 888.com World Championship after his dreams of a third Crucible crown were ruined by John Higgins.
Having taken just one frame in yesterday’s morning session, ’The Rocket’ finally began to fire in the evening to take four frames, but it was too little too late as the Scot held his nerve to close out a 13-9 win.
“I have really enjoyed this World Championships, it has been fantastic, I am so gutted that I am not part of it,” O’Sullivan said.
The 1998 champion continues to hold the Indian sign over the world number three having beaten him in last season’s Masters final as well as the Grand Prix final in Preston earlier in the season.
And the Chigwell-based potter, who established himself as tournament favourite after dominant displays against Ding Junhui and Neil Robertson, felt he lacked the arsenal to ever truly put his opponent on the back foot.
He said: “I wasn’t able to pot long balls, anything middle distance I wasn’t confident of getting either but you still have to go for them.
“I had to stick to my guns but if I missed I knew I would get punished and I wasn’t able to compete in the safety department.
“I was pleased to make a game of it in the end but disappointed to have lost. I was trying to make something happen – it just never did.”
And O’Sullivan, a Crucible winner in 2001 and 2004, insists any of this year’s four remaining contenders could be celebrating a title triumph come May 7.
“There have been some great players who have played here this week,” he said.
“A lot of players have made some tremendous achievements and I think every one of them left in the tournament deserves to be there.
“They are all so capable. Anyone in the semi-finals of the World Championships is a great player. I’m glad I’m not a betting man because I wouldn’t want to pick a winner.”
But Higgins, who faces compatriot Stephen Maguire after he saw off Nottingham’s Anthony Hamilton 13-7, denies he has inherited the favourite tag despite beating O’Sullivan.
“That’s a load of rubbish,” he said. “It’s a good win but they are all wins at this stage.
“It will be a tough game. He is playing fantastically, he is hungry and he has a lot to prove and is coming back into form.
“It’s one I’m really looking forward to because he’s in form as well.”
The other former champion remaining in the competition, Shaun Murphy, believes he is coming into form at just the right time.
The number six seed became the first man to overcome an 11-5 deficit in a best-of -25 encounter to overcome the odds and defeat Matthew Stevens 13-12.
But he insists the label of favourite does not belong to him either ahead of his clash with qualifier Mark Selby, who saw off Ali Carter in another marathon clash which went to the wire.
The 2005 winner said: “I think if you look at Selby he has probably played better than me up to now, he has shown more form.
“I’m in the semi-final and I’m just starting to play well. I’ve saved my best for the last session of the quarter-final and I’m going into the match full of confidence.
“It will be a tough match because I know them both very well. I’m particularly friendly with Selby, we were good mates so that’ll be a tough match but I just can’t wait for it.”
