Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-6 Mark Allen
The former four-time Masters champion and local favourite exited the competition in the first round as the genius of the baize lost to the man from Antrim.
O’Sullivan struggled with his concentration, playing a series of poor break-off shots which time and again allowed his Northern Irish opponent in. Contributions of 38 and 34 were enough to give Allen the first frame, but the Rocket responded with an 86 clearance to level the match.
A scrappy third frame went the way of the Pistol after Ronnie missed three blacks off the spot and after a break of 88 in the fourth O’Sullivan’s opponent found himself 3-1 up at the mid-session interval.
When the players returned the Rocket won three of the next four to again even the score. A 64 clearance in the fifth, edging a scrappy seventh and knocks of 66 and 41 in the eighth frame highlighted Ronnie’s ability to capitalise on Allen’s mistakes. The Northern Irish player seemed to be feeling the pressure of leading the Wembley favourite.
Carelessness at the business end of the match did for O’Sullivan though, whilst Allen showed character and determination. An 87 break and victory in a scrappy final frame took the man from Antrim over the line and put out the Rocket. An attempt at a long yellow when safety looked the better option summed up Ronnie’s day.
This contest, touted as the tie of the first round, perhaps fell slightly short of living up to the hype. Question marks continue over O’Sullivans’s attitude. Geniuses should always be up for the fight. There can be no doubt Allen has taken a scalp, but the tendency to over-hit positional shots needs to be addressed. The Northern Irishman will face either Stephen Hendry or reigning World champion Neil Robertson in the Quarter Finals.
No comments:
Post a Comment