Rocket wary of final threat
Ronnie O’Sullivan has insisted he will not be guilty of complacency as he bids to win a third World Championship crown against either Ali Carter or Joe Perry.
Stephen Hendry believes O’Sullivan produced “snooker perfection” as the seven times world champion was overwhelmed 17-6 with a session to spare in the semi-finals.
Carter and Perry are journeymen professionals, competing in the semi-finals for the first time, in comparison to The Rocket who at one stage won 12 frames in a row against Hendry and compiled 448 points without reply.
But O’Sullivan is taking nothing for granted despite his awesome form against the Scot.
He said: “If I was as confident as I used to be, at 15-16, and felt that comfortable at the table, there is certainly a chance that I would be over-confident in the final.
“I used to feel that I could dominate games even when people played well. I just used to go up a gear.
“But I’ve had to struggle for quite long periods of time and it kind of dents your confidence and at times I didn’t know how I was going to play from one day to the next.
“I’ve been consistent all season and, coming here, I felt confident I could do something but you’ve still got to battle through these games and there have been times in this tournament where it has been hard.
“I could have easily thought it isn’t going my way and you can dig your own grave in some respects – but I haven’t done that and it is good to be in the final and I am taking nothing for granted.”
O’Sullivan added: “I am very pleased to win the match, pleased to have got through as I did. There were times in that game where I felt really good out there.
“I felt I was in control of everything I done perfectly. well. It is a great feeling when you are out there and everything is going good.
“There were spells during the game where I felt really good and everything I was doing was coming off perfectly well and I was scoring, playing good safety, potting a few long balls. It was a good feeling.”
Hendry lavished praise on O’Sullivan and said: “It was outstanding snooker. I thought he played fantastic. It was the best I’ve ever played against. He is the best player in the world now by a country mile.
“I feel gutted, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes you’ve got to hold you hand up and say the other guy was too good. There was nothing I could do today.”
Carter will go into today’s two sessions holding a 9-7 advantage after overcoming a 5-3 overnight deficit.
