Ronnie O'Sullivan enjoyed a strong start to this year's World Snooker Championship, but signs of frustration have been visible in the Rocket
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| Ronnie O'Sullivan has been impressive in this year's World Snooker Championship(Image: George Wood, Getty Images) |
Ronnie O'Sullivan couldn't hide his frustration during his World Snooker Championship game with Si Jiahui. Before his quarter-final against the Chinese ace, O'Sullivan had been close to faultless at the Crucible this year, despite missing the best part of three months of snooker in the build-up.
He is in a strong position against Si, leading 10-6 after their second session. Yet, that does not mean everything went perfectly for the Essex-born potter.
At one stage during the clash, he punched the table in immense frustration after missing a shot in the morning session. O'Sullivan's form has been top-notch at this year's World Championship, having already dispatched Ali Carter and Junxu Pang in the initial rounds.
He dominated the first day against Si, securing a comfortable 6-2 lead overnight. Eager to finish the match swiftly, O'Sullivan had a 22-point advantage in the 11th frame.
However, after sinking the pink, the cue ball ended up too close to the cushion for his liking, complicating his subsequent shot on the red. This misstep clearly irked the experienced player, prompting him to strike the table with his fist, reports the Express.
BBC commentator Shaun Murphy reckoned it was the first time O'Sullivan has been irked in the competition so far. He said: "A bit of frustration showing this morning from Ronnie O'Sullivan. He is trying to push the cue ball into that red and you can see what he thinks of it."
Seven-time world snooker champion Stephen Hendry replied: "Yeah I think that frustration was building from the shot from the yellow, not landing perfectly on the red."
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| Ronnie O'Sullivan punched the table during his World Snooker Championship clash with Si Jiahui(Image: BBC) |
O'Sullivan rectified his initial mishap with a solid performance, potting the subsequent red and expertly positioning on the blue. From there, he dominated the frame to push ahead into an 8-3 lead.
"He's rescued the situation," exclaimed Hendry. Murphy chimed in with praise for O'Sullivan's recovery, saying: "Yeah we're so used to seeing Ronnie's pinpoint accurate cue ball control.
"We've not seen that here at the moment. He's really having to work for these. That cue ball's doing a lot more steps than it would do normally."
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| O'Sullivan did regain his composure in time(Image: George Wood, Getty Images) |
By the end of the second session, despite the odd moment of frustration, O'Sullivan roared into a 10-6 lead over the Chinese ace. He will only need three more frames to reach the last four and put himself in contention for a record breaking eighth world title.
Few would have anticipated such a surge from O'Sullivan, given his tumultuous start to 2025. He had only recorded one victory in the whole of 2025, a narrow win over Zak Jones in the Championship League.
He then pulled out of the German Masters and the UK Open at the last minute, prompting worry and confusion from the rest of the snooker world. Now O'Sullivan looks to be back to something resembling his best, he will certainly take some stopping in Sheffield.
- Tom Parsons
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