September 18th 2024.
Ronnie O'Sullivan had a rough start at the English Open in Brentwood, as he was beaten 4-2 by He Guoqiang on Tuesday night. The snooker legend was disappointed with his performance, describing it as "useless" and "embarrassing". It was a disappointing defeat for O'Sullivan, who was hoping to make a strong start in his first match of the event.
Things did not go well for O'Sullivan right from the beginning, as He Guoqiang won the first three frames with impressive breaks of 78 and 77. Despite O'Sullivan's efforts to make a comeback by winning the next two frames, He sealed the victory with another half-century break. This was He's second win against O'Sullivan in two meetings, maintaining his 100% winning record over the Rocket.
O'Sullivan's fans were surprised to see him playing a lot of shots left-handed, and when asked about it, he jokingly told The Sun that he was "absolutely useless" and that he might as well enjoy playing left-handed if he was going to play poorly. The five-time world champion has had a decent start to the season, with a semi-final appearance at the Shanghai Masters and a quarter-final run at the Saudi Arabia Masters. However, he is not satisfied with his game and feels like his career is coming to an end.
"I haven't got long, I'm not going to deny it," O'Sullivan admitted, "I'm not playing well enough. There's no point in even worrying about it. I've just accepted it now, which is quite a nice place to be, really." He expressed his frustration at his poor performance, saying, "I'm awful, it's embarrassing. I miss so many balls. I can't get away from it, I'm just poor. But there's nothing I can do about it."
On the other hand, He Guoqiang was overjoyed with his victory, especially since it was his second win against O'Sullivan this season. He had previously beaten the snooker legend 3-0 at the Championship League. The 24-year-old, who was named the Rookie of the Year last season, now has the opportunity to face Stephen Maguire in the last 32 in Brentwood, and he is feeling confident going into the match on Wednesday evening.
"It feels brilliant to beat him again," He said. "It is an unreal feeling, and it's like I'm dreaming. I didn't expect to win again at all." He explained that the key to his victory was to focus on his own game and not let the fear of playing against a top player like O'Sullivan affect him. He also mentioned that he has been working on overcoming his fear and emotions when playing against top players, which has greatly improved his game. Overall, He is excited about his progress and is looking forward to his future matches with confidence.
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