ROCKET RONNIE SECURES WORLD CROWN
Ronnie O'Sullivan clinched his third World Championship at the Crucible yesterday with a 18-8 victory over Ali Carter.
O'Sullivan, who had been hotly tipped for the Championship after his 147 break against Mark Williams in the last 16, earned a comprehensive victory against Carter to add to the titles that he won in 2001 and 2004.
The Rocket also claimed the world number one ranking in the process and now joins Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Mark Williams as the only players to have won the UK Championship, World Championship and number one ranking in the same season.
O'Sullivan was always in control of the final, leading by 11 frames to 5 going into the final day on Monday and after establishing a 16-8 lead, wasted no time in claiming the final two frames.
But the 32-year-old, who walks away with £328,500 in prize money for the win and his 147 break, was surprisingly disappointed with his performance despite the convincing win.
"It feels strange because I'm relieved more than anything else," he said. "I played really good in the semi but I felt quite uneasy in the final.
"The best I felt was during the first three frames and the last two frames.
"Everybody expected me to blow him away," added a subdued O'Sullivan, who rattled in five centuries against Hendry.
"The problem was that I practised with Ali during our teens, so I know his game inside out and he knows my game. Sometimes it's difficult to play well because you know what they're capable of."
O'Sullivan didn't match his semi-final performance against Stephen Hendry and felt that he could have recorded an even more convincing victory.
"I didn't play fantastically well," conceded O'Sullivan. "Even though I had the big lead I never really felt that comfortable.
"I was winning three and he was winning one but having that big lead did not put me at ease.
"The scoreboard was never in my mind because I was
trying to get my own game up to a higher standard."
O'Sullivan also hinted that he may even take a break from
the sport, something that he has threatened to do previously.
"Sometimes I think it might be nice to go out as world champion, and with me being world number one and UK champion as well, it might be good to have a bit of a break," he told BBC Sport.
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