O’SULLIVAN COULD CATCH ME UP YET
HENDRY BACKS ROCKET TO TAKE TITLE AGAIN
STEPHEN HENDRY says Ronnie O’Sullivan can end his sevenyear itch at the Crucible.
The Rocket won the last of his five World Championship crowns in 2013.
And defeat in the 2014 final to Mark Selby signalled for many the end of his chances of matching Hendry’s record seven titles.
O’Sullivan has grabbed several of Hendry’s records. He has left his 775 century breaks trailing, having racked up 1,047.
He has beaten Hendry’s record of major title successes with 19 and equalled the Scot’s haul of 36 ranking titles.
In the worlds though, the 44-year-old O’Sullivan has not made it past the quarter-finals since that 2014 defeat.
But after watching O’Sullivan win his Championship League group on Friday without dropping a frame Hendry, above, thinks the Rocket could catch him yet.
Hendry said: “If Ronnie plays to his ability and capacity, of course he can win the World Championship. There is no doubt about it. He has not won the world title for the last seven years and not even been in the final for six since he lost to Mark.
“There is maybe a reason why he hasn’t played so well in that event in recent years. But what he has still got is that cue ball – he has it on a string.
“It is like no other player, and I include Judd Trump at his best there. He remains that little bit above the best in the world when it comes to break-building and making them from nothing. Nobody does it quite like him. Any player who wants to learn the art of break-building, watch Ronnie O’Sullivan.
“What we saw on Friday is what you get with Ronnie these days. It doesn’t matter what mood he is in or whether he is looking forward to it or he likes the venue, when he gets to the table you get a professional performance.
“He tries and he plays the game properly and that’s what we saw in the first group stage.
“He showed he was leagues ahead of the other opponents in the group and he took them apart basically – I was impressed.”
O’Sullivan’s hat-trick of 3-0 wins despite hardly picking up his cue since February sees him into the last 16 tomorrow and one of four groups of four in the second phase at Milton Keynes.
The World Championship is due to start at the Crucible in Sheffield on July 31.