Ronnie won the Tour Championship 2019, beating Neil Robertson by 13-11 in the Final. This win brings him on 36 ranking titles, a joint-record with Stephen Hendry. It also put Ronnie back on top of the rankings: he’s the World n°1 again, for the first time since 2010. This victory also means that he’s won the inaugural Coral Cup.

Congratulations Ronnie!

Here are the match scores (snooker.org)

And some great pictures to celebrate, thanks to Tai Chengzhe! 

Here are the reports by Worldsnooker on yesterday’s action:

Afternoon session – Neil Robertson comes back at 8-8

Sunday 24 Mar 2019 04:15PM

Neil Robertson dug deep to move level with Ronnie O’Sullivan at 8-8 and set up an enticing final session at the Coral Tour Championship in Llandudno.

The Australian trailed 5-3 after yesterday evening’s action, but rallied this afternoon to restore parity and take the momentum heading into tonight’s conclusion. They will play the best of 25 encounter to a conclusion from 7pm, with the winner taking home the £150,000 top prize.

If O’Sullivan wins this evening he will equal Stephen Hendry’s record of 36 ranking titles, while 15-time ranking event winner Robertson is aiming to move into sixth position alone in the all-time ranking event winner’s list.

The Rocket, who will move to world number one if he lifts the trophy this evening, claimed the opening frame with a century run of 100 as he looked to shake off his opponent. However, Robertson stubbornly battled to keep himself in touch.

O’Sullivan had looked to be set to move four ahead, but missed the final pink with the rest after landing in an awkward position. Robertson deposited the pink and the black to make it 6-4. He followed that up with a century break of 106 to move within a frame. O’Sullivan then claimed the next to head into the mid-session 7-5 in front.

They traded frames as five-time World Champion O’Sullivan went 8-6 up. However, it was Robertson who secured the final two frames of the session to set up a mouth watering finale.

There were mistakes from both in that session, but towards the end, Neil clearly took the upper hand as Ronnie looked a bit tired and struggling for concentration.

Evening session – Ronnie wins by 13-11

Sunday 24 Mar 2019 10:33PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan secured the 36^thranking title of his career to equal Stephen Hendry’s record, after defeating Neil Robertson 13-11 in the final of the Coral Tour Championship in Llandudno.

Hendry has topped the all-time ranking event winner’s list for over 21 years since his win at the 1997 Thailand Masters. O’Sullivan now joins the legendary Scot at the top of the pile after claiming his third ranking victory of the season.

The historic moment follows on from another momentous landmark at the recent Coral Players Championship, where he made the 1000^th century of his career in the decisive frame to clinch the title. O’Sullivan has also secured the inaugural Coral Cup, having accumulated the most prize money across the three Coral Series events.

By earning the £150,000 top prize, O’Sullivan has moved to world number one for the first time since May 2010. He has displaced Mark Selby and ends a four-year reign, which extends back to February 2015. At the age of 43, O’Sullivan becomes the oldest world number one since Ray Reardon in 1983.

Overall this is O’Sullivan’s fifth victory of the season, having won invitational titles at the Shanghai Masters and Champion of Champions. He has now earned over £900,000 in prize money for the campaign.

Robertson leaves Llandudno with £60,000 for making the final and has now reached three consecutive ranking event showpieces. He won the Welsh Open and was runner-up to O’Sullivan at the Coral Players Championship.

The Australian produced a strong showing session in the afternoon session to set up this evening’s blockbuster finale, with the score finely poised at 8-8.

O’Sullivan got tonight’s play underway in spectacular fashion, firing in a break of 129 to take the opener. There was then an extended safety battle on the final yellow in the following frame, which Robertson won to restore parity once more. They continued to trade frames and went into the mid-session locked together at 10-10.

Five-time World Champion O’Sullivan took two on the bounce when they returned to move one from victory at 12-10. However, Robertson showed great character to keep in the match by producing a gutsy run of 56 to draw within a frame.

Robertson had an opportunity to force a decider, but missed a black off the spot on a break of 28. That was ruthlessly pounced upon by O’Sullivan who produced a fine contribution of 89 to take home the title. He will now turn his attentions to aiming for a sixth world title when he takes centre stage at the Crucible Theatre next month for the World Championship.

“There are certain records that mean a lot and the amount of ranking titles is one of them. It is about longevity and consistency and that is a true test of any player. It comes over time and is about the amount of titles you can win. That is quite a good one,” said O’Sullivan. “To be world number one is crazy really. I have only played in half of the events that everyone has played in. I don’t know how that has happened.

“When players like Neil and Judd Trump you are never going to have it easy. You are going to have to play supersonic snooker to get through. It was always going to be tough but I was pleased to get through.”

Robertson was left to rue missing his opportunity to take the match to a decider, but was keen to take the positives on another strong showing this week.

Robertson said: “The black I missed is pretty fresh in the memory. The most disappointing thing is that I didn’t even twitch on it. I was caught in two minds on whether to make another canon on the reds or play for the loose ones in the middle. With such a great chance to make it 12-12, who knows what could have happened. The most disappointing thing is how hard I had to fight to stay in the match. He looked like pulling away a couple of times, but I kept hanging on and I am proud of how I managed to do that.”

Ronnie’s interview in the Pressroom

And Ronnie came on twitter shortly after the match, with this

Crazy! Not a bad day at the office Thanks to all my fans for the continued support #rankingpoints

If you missed what happened on Saturday evening follow this link.

The first session of the Tour Championship 2019 final was played yesterday evening and it was a good session. Neil had the better start et went to lead 2-0, despite the fact that Ronnie had a 100% long pot success at that stage and had been in first in both frames. Ronnie then won five frames on the trot, aided by some excellent safeties, very clever and creative break building when in the balls when faced with an unpromising table, and a remarkable clearance to steal frame seven. Neil Robertson took the last. At that stage, my feeling was that Ronnie’s concentration had just dropped a little bit, which would be understandable given the level he had sustained over the last five frames, but all credits to Neil who had been shut out for a long time and had just lost the previous frame that he probably should have won.

So Ronnie goes into the second session this afternoon with a two-frame advantage, which is good but in no way decisive in such a long match.

Here is the report by Worldsnooker:

Saturday 23 Mar 2019 10:06PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan leads Neil Robertson 5-3 after the opening session of their Coral Tour Championship final in Llandudno.

The pair are contesting their second consecutive Coral Series final. They faced each other at the Coral Players Championship in Preston, where O’Sullivan came out on top. Whoever claims victory tomorrow will take home the Coral Cup, which is awarded to whoever earns the most prize money across the three Coral Series events.

The best of 25 encounter will be concluded over two sessions tomorrow, with the winner receiving a top prize of £150,000.

If O’Sullivan can convert his advantage tomorrow, he will equal Stephen Hendry’s record of 36 ranking event wins. While Robertson, who has 15 ranking titles to his name, can move clear of Mark Selby and go sixth alone in the all-time ranking event winner’s list with victory.

It was Robertson who made the fastest start this evening, claiming the opening two frames to secure an early 2-0 lead. O’Sullivan immediately responded with breaks of 74 and 97 to level things at the mid-session.

When they came back out five-time World Champion O’Sullivan moved further ahead with runs of 71 and 67 to make it 5-2 with five frames in a row. However, a crucial run of 48 helped Robertson to take the final frame of the evening and stay in touch at 5-3. They will return tomorrow afternoon at 1pm.

So we have a “repeat” of the Players Championship Final … the same two guys, only it’s over 25 frames and three sessions this time.

The second semi final didn’t provide the same intensity and tension as the first. Neil Robertson played very well towards the end, and – it has to be said – he also had luck on his side. Or rather Mark Allen had a lot of bad run of the balls. It was obvious that he grew very frustrated as the match unfolded. Nothing worked for him. It all exploded in the last frame where, after Neil Robertson had given him an unexpected chance, and it looked for all the world that he was going to make it 9-7, Mark Allen snookered himself on the last red. Anger got the better of him and he sent the white around the table at meteoritic speed … it was his last shot.

Here are the accounts by Worldsnooker:

Afternoon session:

Friday 22 Mar 2019 05:13PM

Neil Robertson will take a 5-3 advantage over Mark Allen heading into the concluding session of their semi-final clash at the Coral Tour Championship in Llandudno.

Australia’s Robertson requires five more frames when they return at 7pm to play the remainder of this best of 19 encounter. The winner will go on to face Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final over three sessions for the £150,000 top prize.

Both Robertson and Allen are enjoying strong seasons, having won two ranking titles apiece. 15-time ranking event winner Robertson was victorious at the campaign opening Riga Masters and the Welsh Open. While former Masters winner Allen, who tops the one-year list, secured titles at the International Championship and the Scottish Open.

The opening exchanges proved to be fragmented as Allen took a 44-minute opening frame. He then doubled his lead with a break of 78 to move 2-0 up. The third frame contained further drawn out exchanges, but it was Robertson who pivotally came out on top to cut his arrears in half.

Robertson capitalised on his momentum by compiling a century break of 106 to go into the mid-session at 2-2. Further contributions of 101, 61 and 69 helped him to make it five on the bounce, as he led 5-2. Allen then stopped the rot with a break of 77 to make it 5-3 and set up an intriguing evening to come.

Evening session:

Friday 22 Mar 2019 11:03PM

Neil Robertson completed a 10-6 defeat of Mark Allen to earn a place in the Coral Tour Championship final in Llandudno.

The win sees Australia’s Robertson reach his third straight ranking final and the 25^th of his career. He will take on Ronnie O’Sullivan for the £150,000 top prize. The best of 25-frame clash will take place over three sessions on Saturday and Sunday. The winner will be guaranteed to take home the Coral Cup, which is awarded to the player who earns the most money across the three Coral Series events.

Robertson will be hoping to cap a memorable week with silverware on Sunday evening. He celebrated the birth of his second child with fiancee Mille last weekend, a girl called Penelope.

The Thunder from Down Under has now ended a four-game losing streak against Allen, which included defeat in this season’s International Championship final. Robertson now leads the Northern Irishman 10-7 in their head-to-head record.

Robertson, who has claimed titles at the Welsh Open and Riga Masters this season, grasped the early initiative this afternoon by emerging from the session 5-3 ahead.

The match turned back in the direction of Allen as the action recommenced this evening. He took the opening frame with a break of 77. Robertson responded to make it 6-3, but it was Allen who forced his way back to parity at the mid-session. The Pistol fired in breaks of 82 and 103 on his way to claiming three frames in a row and making it 6-6.

When they returned the pendulum swung once more and Robertson assumed control of proceedings. This time it was a match winning streak, as he took four frames in a row with breaks 106, 87 and 52 to progress and book another final with O’Sullivan. He will be hoping to fare better this time after suffering defeat at the hands of the Rocket in the  Coral Players Championship final.

“I really got motoring to have a good lead going into tonight. I won the first frame this evening then I just lost my focus,” said Robertson. “I had to tell myself to concentrate harder. I was still playing well and I felt really good. It was just maintaining my focus when I got in the balls.

“This is my fifth final this season and I’ve never done that before. Ronnie got the better of me last time. Hopefully I can improve my efforts and get the better of him in a best out of 25 frame match, which will be very exciting to play in.

“Ronnie is the best player ever, there is no question about that. You need to apply the pressure when you get the chances. Everyone gives you chances, but it is when you take them and how you take them which is very important.”

Whoever wins on Sunday night will also take the Coral Cup and this trophy.

Coverage:

Before the match they showed a short interview with Ronnie following his win on the previous night.

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Honestly it’s hard to call a winner here. Ronnie had a day off, and should be more rested, but I’m not sure that he will be able to muster the same intensity against Neil – who is a good mate – than against Judd. Not that Judd is an “enemy”, but their rivalry at the table is intense and Ronnie was on the back of two final defeats. Also it would be better if he could take the facts that a win would bring him on par with Stephen Hendry regarding ranking titles, and get him back on n°1 in the rankings, out of his mind. But I doubt that the media will allow him to forget that. That said Ronnie looked determined all week. He could do with finding back his long potting though… Neil on the other hand will want to take revenge on the 10-4 drubbing he was inflicted in Preston. If he plays the way he did at the end of the match yesterday, he will be hard to beat. However, yesterday, my feeling was that he was playing with freedom: he sensed how frustrated Mark Allen was, he knew he “had him”. Against Ronnie, he will know that he can’t let his guard down at any time.

Ronnie came from 6-2 and 8-5 behind to beat Judd Trump by 10-9 – on the last black – in the first semi-final in Llandudno yesterday. 

It was quite an extraordinary match and one that took us fans on a rollercoaster!

Here are the match scores thanks to snooker.org

Session 1:
41-69 (54), 65-27 (64), 27-73, 47-74 (66)
0-62, 100-0 (100), 4-74 (69), 0-74 (50)

Session 2:
82-0 (82), 91-31 (50), 20-94, 65-45
44-67, 130-0 (130), 134-0 (134), 63-44
4-80 (61), 64-39, 62-60

The first session ended with Ronnie trailing by 6-2, and I was glad that the match was played over 8 + 11 (possibly) because had it been 9 +10, I feared it would have gone 7-2. It wasn’t exactly a repeat of the Masters in January, Ronnie was playing better than he had then, but his long potting failed him and this meant that he was not able to create his own chances. Judd played confidently – he had beaten Ronnie in their last two finals – and he was dominating the match.

Here is the report of the afternoon session (Worldsnooker:

 Thursday 21 Mar 2019 04:09PM

Judd Trump has opened up a 6-2 advantage against Ronnie O’Sullivan in their semi-final clash at the Coral Tour Championship in Llandudno.

The Ace in the Pack held all the cards this afternoon and requires just four more frames for victory, with O’Sullivan needing eight of the remaining 11 to be played. Last time the pair met was the Masters final in January, when Trump opened up a 7-1 first session lead and went on to claim a 10-4 victory. He will be hoping for a similar outcome this evening.

Trump and O’Sullivan jointly occupy the top of the Coral Cup Standings on £130,000, where the winner is derived from who earns the most prize money from the three Coral Series events. They hold the first two tournaments between them, with Trump having won the Coral World Grand Prix and O’Sullivan claiming the Coral Players Championship title.

With Trump holding a 2-1 advantage this afternoon, he compiled a crucial 66 break to come from 46-8 down in the fourth frame and move 3-1 ahead at the mid-session. A further run of 55 helped him into a 4-1 lead when they returned.

O’Sullivan responded with a century break of 100 to make it 4-2. However, it was Trump who claimed the remaining frames to secure his 6-2 lead going into tonight. The remainder of the best of 19 clash will be played out this evening at 7pm.

Coverage:

One difference with the Masters final though was that Ronnie looked up for it, even at 6-2 down. I expected him to come back in the evening fighting. However, winning looked highly unlikely. I was thinking “If he can make the score honourable, come back to 10-7 maybe, I’ll be happy”. When he won the first two frames after they resumed, I thought, OK, he might have a mini chance here … just.

So here is the report on what happened in the evening session (Worldsnooker):

Friday 22 Mar 2019 01:01AM

Ronnie O’Sullivan completed a sensational fightback by downing Judd Trump on the last black to win 10-9 and reach the final of the Coral Tour Championship in Llandudno.

The deciding frame was packed with drama, as both players had opportunities to seal the match. Masters champion Trump was first in with a break of 50, before breaking down and allowing O’Sullivan back into the frame.

Eventually it all came down to the colours, where Trump spurned a match ball yellow to the top right pocket. O’Sullivan then potted a sensational yellow and proceeded to clear and steal the match. He clinched it with a tough black along the bottom cushion, punching the air with delight after it dropped. The Rocket was never ahead until that very last ball.

Victory means that O’Sullivan now edges in front in their head-to-head record, leading 11-10. It’s his first win of the season over Trump, who had defeated him in finals at the Northern Ireland Open and the Masters.

The result now leaves O’Sullivan potentially just one match away from equalling Stephen Hendry’s record of 36 ranking event titles. If the five-time World Champion seals the trophy on Sunday, it would also see him move to world number one and end Mark Selby’s four-year reign at the top of the rankings.

O’Sullivan and Trump came into today’s clash tied at the top of the Coral Cup standings on £130,000, which are derived from earns the most money from the three Coral Series events. Defeat this evening now forces Bristol’s Trump out of the running for top spot.

The Ace in the Pack had led 6-2 after a sparkling first session of snooker this afternoon, but he was soon reeled in as the Rocket surged back into the tie.

Breaks of 82 and 50 allowed O’Sullivan to immediately move back withing two at 6-4. There were then three consecutive frames which lasted over 30 minutes, as the game moved into a tactical phase. Trump emerged with an 8-5 advantage.

The resilience of O’Sullivan then came to the fore as he claimed three on the bounce, including back-to-back century breaks of 130 and 134, to make it 8-8. Trump was first to move one from victory thanks to a contribution of 61, before O’Sullivan levelled to set up the thrilling finale in which he clinched the tie.

“I went out there with a different mindset tonight and I just felt relaxed. I was enjoying it and playing each frame and each ball as it came,” said O’Sullivan. “I didn’t even feel the drama. I know everyone was saying what a great match it was, but I didn’t really feel nervous at all. I just enjoyed it and once I got my mind right and played the balls on the table it was a different game from this afternoon.

“I’m not driven by records and I’m glad I’m not. You take the beauty out of the game if you do that, then it all becomes about statistics. I’d trade every ranking point that I have made and every bit of prize money for the experiences and the highs I have had from playing this game since I was a kid. There are very few people that have been the best in the world and the greatest at what they do. I feel like I am in that bracket. There are 8 billion people on this planet. How many can say they are the greatest at what they do? For me I have had the ultimate experience of being the king of my sport and I am still fighting and still punching, I’m proud of that.”

Coverage:

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The action:

Ronnie’s reaction at the end of the match says it all. How much it mattered, how determined he is. Yesterday he was a picture of resilience, he was the big fighter. This defeat will hurt Judd Trump. Winning on Sunday would put Ronnie on top of the rankings again, and he would go to the Crucible as world n°1 unless Mark Selby wins the China Open early April. This would be quite extraordinary considering that Ronnie has skipped a lot of events this season, including all of the very lucrative Chinese ranking ones.

A huge thanks to Tai Chengzhe again for some great images:

Here is Ronnie talking to the press, and to Phil Seymour:

Today we will know who will join him in the final. Based on what I saw, I favour Neil Robertson slightly. At least this one I can watch from the point of view of a neutral…

Should Mark Allen win tonight, Ronnie is guaranteed to go home with the Coral Cup on Sunday, whatever the outcome of the final. Neil Robertson can still overcome him if he wins on Sunday.