Ronnie O’Sullivan reaches 1,000 career centuries in Players Championship win
Ronnie O’Sullivan became the first snooker player to make 1,000 career century breaks after successfully defending his Players Championship title with a convincing 10-4 victory over Neil Robertson.
The five-time world champion started the week in Preston on 994 career centuries and rolled in a 101 break in the opening frame of his firstround win over Barry Hawkins. Nos 996 and 997 soon followed during his 6-4 quarter-final triumph over John Higgins but he could not add to his total in his 6-0 whitewash of Mark Allen in the last four.
O’Sullivan moved to 999 after two centuries in the afternoon session of the final gave him a 7-2 lead, which he quickly extended to 9-4 at the mid-session interval in the evening. Within one frame of his 35th career ranking title, O’Sullivan went about securing the ton that would earn him another place in history.
He teased the fans by stopping his approach while on 99 before potting the red left-handed and recording a 134 break – even though he potted the white after sinking the final black to deny him a superb 141 finish.
O’Sullivan’s attempt at snooker history was not the only talking point of the week as the 43-year-old maverick has bizarrely adopted an Australian accent in post-match interviews and also claimed to have set up an all-Australian final against Robertson.
In Sunday’s final ‘The Rocket’ rattled in a 67 break during the opening frame before there was controversy in the next as he complained to the referee, Terry Camilleri, over the re-spotting of the black. That did not stop him from registering runs of 66 and 52 to claim a 2-0 lead before breaks of 70 and 65 saw O’Sullivan take a 4-0 advantage into the first interval.
Robertson got on the scoreboard with a well-worked 65 in the fifth set before a brilliant 116 break saw O’Sullivan regain his four-frame initiative. The duo traded the next two frames before O’Sullivan added a wonderful 105 for a 7-2 lead.
The Australian found a century of his own with a 120 clearance to cut the deficit to 7-3 in the opening frame of the evening session, before O’Sullivan came within inches of securing the landmark moment in the 11th frame. Having built a neat 90 break, he could not get position on the final red which was tight to the side cushion. His effort, played while stretching with the rest, held up short in the jaws of the left corner pocket.
Robertson responded to reduce the score to 8-4 but O’Sullivan eased to the 13th frame to put himself within one of victory, and he ended the match in style as the crowd gave him a standing ovation once he had passed the magical 100-point mark.