Snooker: ROCKET CAPTURES EIGHTH UK CROWN

Ronnie O’Sullivan has won his eighth MrQ UK Championship title, extending his record, with a 10-7 victory over Ding Junhui in York. The win also makes O’Sullivan the oldest UK Champion, just two days shy of his 48th birthday, surpassing Doug Mountjoy’s previous record set in 1988. O’Sullivan won his first UK Championship at the age of 17, defeating Stephen Hendry in 1993. He has since gone on to add further wins in 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017, and 2018, as well as this year’s triumph. O’Sullivan now has 22 Triple Crown titles and 40 ranking event trophies, cementing his status as the greatest of all time. Ding’s £100,000 prize money secures his place in the top 16 of the world rankings and qualification for the Masters, where he will face O’Sullivan in the first round.

As his opponent approached the finishing line, Ding, a winner of 14 ranking events, rallied to bring himself back into the game. He scored runs of 52 and 104, winning two frames in a row and leveling the match at 7-7.

When the pressure was on, O’Sullivan managed to push himself towards victory. He scored breaks of 100 and 74, bringing him within one frame of winning at 9-7. In the 17th frame, he thrilled the crowd with a spectacular 127 break that earned him a standing ovation and secured his victory in York.

O’Sullivan was delighted with his performance, saying, “I love competing, I love performing, I love playing, and I love that I went out there tonight and used my head.” He praised Ding as a “classy player and classy guy” and expressed his appreciation for the support of fans in China.

Despite their age, both O’Sullivan and Ding continue to win tournaments. O’Sullivan acknowledged that winning the Sheffield tournament, which lasts for 17 days, will be a challenge, but he remains confident in his abilities. Ding was pleased with his performance, despite ultimately losing to O’Sullivan.