RON: I’M STILL IN FRAME FOR NO.
UPBEAT Ronnie O’sullivan believes he has five years left to chase down Stephen Hendry’s record seven Betfred World Championship titles.
The defending champion was sent packing 13-12 by Anthony Mcgill in a second round Crucible cracker on Friday night. O’sullivan holds the records for most ranking titles (37), most Triple Crown – World Championship, UK Championship and Masters – wins (20), most century breaks (1,107), and most maximum 147s (15) during his illustrious career so far.
But Hendry’s elusive Crucible record remains the one scratch left to itch for the Rocket.
“I have probably got another five years to equal Stephen,” admitted the world No.2. “The way I look after myself, the way
I play, I look around and there are some decent players, some very good players. I could get it right maybe one more time.
Quest
“It’s probably the only record I haven’t got so I won’t be too hard on myself. Can I still win here? Yeah. I wouldn’t say that if I didn’t think so.”
Meanwhile, Neil Robertson continued his quest for a second Crucible crown with a 13-9 victory over Jack Lisowski. But four-time champion John Higgins squandered a £55,000 bonus as he missed the 15th black for a magical maximum 147 in the second session of his match with Mark Williams.
And Williams eased to a comprehensive 13-7 victory.
Last year’s runner-up Kyren Wilson saw off a spirited Barry Hawkins fightback to win a battle of former finalists 13-10.