O’sullivan is going extra mile to shape up for glory
REIGNING world champion Ronnie O’sullivan attributed a stunning first-round comeback win over Ding Junhui at The Masters in Milton Keynes to his physical and mental health.
Having t rai l ed 3-1 at t he mid-session interval, the 45-yearold looked down and out at 5-3 behind in the best-of-11 encounter at the Marshall Arena.
But the Rocket — who has 37 ranking event titles to his name in addition to seven Masters wins — responded by claiming the match’s final three frames, with two half-centuries in tow, to eventually prevail 6-5.
“I’m probably the fittest I’ve been for 10 years,” said O’sullivan, the World No.3. “I’m running 45 miles a week at the moment, and I’m more excited about that than anything else, really.
“I’m trying to get up to 60 miles a week if I can, while potting a few balls and enjoying the snooker. It was nice to pot a few balls today and get the result.
“When it’s not going your way in a big match, you’ve just got to suck it up sometimes. I never doubt my ability to stick in there — I’m Premier League in the mentality department.”
Despite Judd Trump being absent from the tournament and the fact the likes of Neil Robertson and Mark Selby have already f al l en in Buckinghamshire, O’sullivan isn’t expecting an easy ride in The Masters’ latter stages.
But having committed a considerable number of hours to the practice table amid the coronavirus pandemic, he is hopeful he will start to reap the rewards over the coming weeks and months.
O’sullivan added: “I don’t pay a lot of attention to who goes out and when because it’s getting harder to win tournaments with a lot of players in their prime. It never works out how it’s supposed to — that’s just sport.
“There’s not been a lot else to do recently so I’ve been on the practice table for six hours a day religiously for three weeks. If it doesn’t come off at this tournament, hopefully it will at another one soon.”
World No.9 Ding added: “I had good chances to win the match but did not take them. I sometimes made it complicated to win frames, I just needed to take simple shots and take the points. I sometimes confused myself.”
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