It was a bit of a disappointing end of an otherwise brilliant season for Ronnie as he lost by 13-9 to Ali Carter in the last 16 this afternoon. Ronnie did actually play better than he had in the last 32 against Maguire, but Ali played really, really well and he deserved the win 100%. The pundits on BBC, Steve Davis and John Parrot said that this was probably the best ever they had seen from Ali.
Ronnie had no complaints in his post-match press conference
Ronnie’s full press conference is here:
There appeared to be a bit of needle between the players as Ronnie appeared to “barge” Ali’s shoulder whilst going back to his seat. But both players downplayed the “incident” after the match and the final handshake looked friendly enough. The baseline is probably that they were both so intense that it got a bit out of hand in the heat of the moment but nothing more.
Here is the report on Worldsnooker
Ali Carter came through an ill-tempered clash with Ronnie O’Sullivan 13-9 at the Betfred World Championship to book his place in the quarter-finals.
The tension was palpable in a fiery Crucible atmosphere. The pair exchanged words after clashing shoulders in the 19thframe, with Carter leading 10-8. Referee Paul Collier interjected and asked the two players to calm down.
Just the previous evening Carter had neglected to shake Collier’s hand at the end of the second session. However, he later apologised to the official, stating that he forgot due to being so focused on the match.
Carter came into the tie with the odds stacked against him. This victory was his first in 14 meetings with the Rocket. The pair have previously met in two World Championship finals, with O’Sullivan lifting the title in 2008 and 2012.
On this occasion Carter imposed himself from the off, finishing the first and second sessions with 5-3 and 9-7 advantages.
O’Sullivan attempted to apply the pressure in the early stages this afternoon. Carter had taken a 37-0 lead in the opening frame, but missed a yellow with the rest. That allowed the 33-time ranking event winner to step in and clear with a sublime break of 66 and make it 9-8.
Carter refused to flinch and a run of 63 helped him to restore his two-frame advantage. Following the altercation in the 18th, the Captain secured the frame to move three ahead at 11-8.
Breaks of 59 and 71 saw O’Sullivan claw his deficit back to 11-9 at the mid-session. When they returned Carter struck a critical blow.
The five-time Crucible king O’Sullivan had looked set to take the frame, but broke down on 54 when he missed a regulation blue. The Captain stepped up to the plate and made a steely clearance of 51 to take the frame on the black. He then won the next to seal a famous victory and he roared with delight in the aftermath. Carter will now face either two-time Crucible winner Mark Williams or Robert Milkins in the quarter-finals.
On the incident in the 18th frame Carter said: “He will do anything he can to win, and so will I. He barged me, but I’m sorry, I’m not going to be bullied by anyone. I’ve been through a lot in my life, much harder things than a shoulder barge from someone. If I was going to fall over and roll on the floor, that’s not me as a person. It’s impossible. He didn’t exactly head-butt me and put me on the floor. The Crucible is really tight, it’s packed in there. We brushed shoulders and that’s all there is to it. There’s no malice there from me.
“I’m not intimidated by Ronnie like other players are. I’ve been through harder things than that in my life, so I won’t let myself down.
“There was a barge. I’m walking to the table and he’s walking away from the table. I might have invaded his space and he might have invaded mine. It’s heat of the moment stuff, there’s not a load of room out there. We had a little shoulder barge and a laugh about it, there’s no malice there.
“It’s a great win. I’ve got the utmost respect for Ronnie and what he’s done for the game. He’s under huge pressure and expectation, and to beat him today is very special. I’m only in the quarter finals, the job’s not done yet, so I’ll go home for a day or two and come back for the next match which will be even harder.”
O’Sullivan said: “There’s not a lot of space out there, it’s the Crucible and if it was about three inches smaller I doubt you could hold the event here. There were a couple of collisions out there and sometimes you just touch each other. Formula One has it all the time, they have contact in cars and we have contact with humans. It was nothing, just heat of the moment stuff and it’s forgotten about.”
“There’s no hard feelings between me and Ali. We’ve known each other since we were ten and practised together. I’m not sure many players speak to each other during matches. Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis didn’t chat. I’m not one for chatting anyway. It’s quite superficial stuff really if you’re trying to create a relationship and a chat with an opponent. They are my rivals and competitors, I don’t want to get too friendly with anyone.”
Big thanks to Tai Chengzhe for these pictures
MissingClip 2018 WSC: preview of the Ronnie O’Sullivan – Allister Carter match (Session1, Eurosport)
Session 1:
MissingClip 2018 WSC: review of the Ronnie O’Sullivan – Allister Carter match (Session1, Eurosport)
Session 2:
Session 3:
MissingClip 2018 WSC: review of the Ronnie O’Sullivan – Allister Carter match (Session3, Eurosport)
And just to lift our mood a bit … the big incident.
and true to his word Ronnie cooked his friend a breakfast on the barge, setting the fire alarm off in the process!
Unfortunately, Matt Smith’s prediction didn’t come true and Ronnie wasn’t a winner … and if I’m honest, I don’t think he will win another World title now. (trying a bit of reverse jinx …)
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
I get it but it somehow doesn’t justify his WSC record in the past 4 years…QF, 2ndr, QF, 2ndr…that’s bad enough for anyone in the top 16
Well I suggest that you look at how many and who in the current top 16 have not lost to a qualifier (in round one or later) in those 4 last years. You will be surprised. Ronnie has reached at least the last 16 every of the last 15 years and never lost to a qualifier since 2003…. And I also suggest that you watch a bit how of some of the ones who got through, with a much easier draw, are playing. You are exactly the kind of fan Ronnie or any top sportsperson doesn’t need, the ones who forget that they are human beings, not some kind of winning machines.
well, I’d be surprised if he cared about what I think. I guess he doesn’t visit this blog too often
no I don’t think it’s fair Adam, and form is fickle. Look at Mark Selby’s season. Once again, if you can’t cope with the ups and downs of Ronnie form, find yourself the perfect player and go support them. Good luck.
May I point out though that it pretty much seems like in the past years that Ronnie forgets how to play snooker the moment he enters the Crucible?
Yes and that’s what pressure does to everyone. He has always a lot of expectations on him, and a lot of demands too, from the media, from the broadcaster and from the sponsor. He isn’t a confident person. I know that this may sound strange, but it is true. The two last times he won it, he wasn’t the favourite. In 2012 he had only just avoided to have to qualify, in 2013 he came back having only played – and lost – one match all season. I don’t think that being a favourite helps him one bit.