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Ronnie O’Sullivan’s bid for a record eighth World Championship came to an end after he lost to Stuart Bingham on a dramatic day at the Crucible.
O’Sullivan had hoped to overtake Stephen Hendry as the competition’s most successful player of the modern era, but was sent off at the quarter-final stage after a chaotic encounter that ended 13-10 in favor of Bingham. .
O’Sullivan, the previous tournament winner in 2022, arrived in Sheffield aiming to become the fourth man to win the Triple Crown in a single season, having won the Masters and UK Championship earlier in the season.
But the 48-year-old was overcome by a few scuffles in Sheffield with an indifferent Bingham.
The first frame was frame 12, when Mr. O’Sullivan rejected a seemingly drinkable red because he thought the black had not been respotted correctly.
The cue ball was so close to the black spot that umpire Desislava Bozilova was asked to replace O’Sullivan, who lost frame, a moment described by the BBC’s Neil Robertson as “probably one of the greatest balls ever”. did. Some of the best sportsmanship I’ve ever seen in any sport. ”
However, O’Sullivan felt otherwise, claiming that some referees “understood” him and suggested he wanted to prove Bozilova “wrong”.
“It wasn’t very good potting the ball after that, but I just wanted to get the point across,” he said. eurosport. “The main point is decided. I don’t really want to win, so I can sleep at night once the principle is decided.”
Bozilova, 31, has been a referee on the Pro Tour for 12 years. World Snooker said she acted correctly from start to finish.
More drama would ensue in a tight 21 frames as O’Sullivan was spooked by Arena’s movement while waiting to aim for Bingham’s missed pink.
Spectators descending the stairs disturbed the seven-time world champion, but he took his seat to wait for the crowd to calm down.
Urged by Mr Bozilova to reopen, Mr O’Sullivan told staff to “relax” and “just relax” and sat down again as more people came through the front door.
O’Sullivan fired a long red but was unable to convert it into the deciding goal, with Bingham converting the final three to set up a semi-final encounter with Jack Jones.
“That’s to be expected,” O’Sullivan said after the defeat. “I’m actually very happy and I feel like I’m hitting the ball well, which is more important for me at this stage.
“It wasn’t the win I wanted, but it’s a joke, that’s how things go. I wish Stuart the best of luck. He played a great game and deserved the win. I’m happy to be out. There were a few mistakes here and there, but overall it wasn’t too bad.
“I just came here knowing that this was going to be another difficult tournament, no one has a divine right to win any match. A lot can happen in the game of snooker and that’s when you It’s just a sport you know.”