Sometimes O’Sullivan is so relaxed about the size of his achievements in the game that he is almost horizontal. But anyone who understands snooker can appreciate that this moment, the seventh world title to equal Stephen Hendry and equal the modern-day record, is the only thing that will mean so much since he first lifted the trophy high in at Crucible 21 years ago. At times it seemed unrealistic that one could climb this mountain again, given the absolute dominance Hendry enjoyed to win his seven world crowns. But if anyone was likely to come with him, it would always be O’Sullivan, the great snooker master and the great entertainer. Undoubtedly, O’Sullivan plays on a much tougher field than Hendry ever, but despite that, the fact that he has won world titles in three different decades is a shocking testament to his longevity as a player who, worryingly for his peers, seems to be getting better. When the final and most important break of the fight was over, O’Sullivan allowed the mask to slip into a long hug with Trump before his feelings came to the fore. “I tried to be as relaxed as I could, but that’s probably my best result against someone,” O’Sullivan said before smiling. . Not even an eighth title, even in an era with players as outstanding as Trump, seems impossible. Arriving in Sheffield on Monday, it was not unreasonable to expect a procession, given the 46-year-old’s 12-5 lead overnight. One wondered if Trump would return a beaten man, essentially making the moves and effectively giving the title to his child hero. However, he won six of the eight frames available this afternoon to reduce O’Sullivan’s cushion to three frames. It was his most dazzling tournament session and his worst for O’Sullivan, but the credit goes to Trump for the way he collected it. As he won frame by frame, the debate began to shift from whether there would even be an evening session to whether attendees could witness the biggest comeback in snooker history, second only to Dennis Taylor leaving Steve Davis behind. 8-0 in 1985. Everyone knows what happened then. In the end, however, there would be no replay for Bristoliano, but he is definitely a multiple world champion on hold. Even Trump could not hide his admiration for his hero in this most historic snooker occasion. “He will go to the best player of all time,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. His determination, his dedication … you can see it out there. He was the best player in the whole tournament by quite a big margin. “I was happy to have just played one race this afternoon.” Ronnie O’Sullivan goes to Judd Trump to share a warm hug with his opponent after sealing the title. Photo: Oli Scarff / AFP / Getty Images However, his time will have to wait at least another year. No player went through a triumph in a world championship without forgetting a period and in the heat of the moment on Monday afternoon, when Trump threatened to push O ‘Sullivan to the end, it was easy to forget that it was the first time that Rocket had wavered. long duration of the tournament. This was undoubtedly his masterpiece in terms of running for a world crown, with almost dominance from start to finish. Ready at 14-11 Monday afternoon, O’Sullivan returned refreshed and refreshed for the final session. If Trump had backed this first frame and turned it in two, O’Sullivan’s nerves might have frayed. However, the breaks of 82, 88 and 75 on either side of a 64-yarder from Trump led O’Sullivan to the brink of glory in the middle of the session. Trump needed a strong start to the night, but he failed. This left the door ajar for O’Sullivan and, despite a century from the 32-year-old in what proved to be the penultimate frame of the league, his coronation ended with a supreme break 85. If there were still doubts about O’Sullivan being the greatest of all time, they may now have been removed.
