World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan says the “gladiator” mentality helped him beat David Gilbert 10-5 at the World Cup. Rocket is aiming for a seventh Crucible crown record and reduced the match from 3-0 with high breaks of 122, 109 and 104. O’Sullivan, 46, will face Mark Allen or Scott Donaldson in the second round. Wales Mark Williams leads his compatriot Michael White 7-2 in his quest for a fourth world title. Williams was in sparkling form, making three centuries and other breaks in the 90s and 71s and playing until the finish on Monday afternoon. United Kingdom champion Zhao Xintong scored a mark by completing a 10-2 draw with Welshman Jamie Clarke. The Chinese player scored his first victory in the World Cup in an impressive way, caressing in two centuries and five additional breaks of 70 or more. Scot Anthony McGill, a semi-finalist two years ago, leads Englishman Liam Highfield 6-3 at the end of Monday morning. Another Welshman, 20-year-old Jackson Page and Scot Steven Maguire, are 6-3 ahead of Englishmen Barry Hawkins and Sean Murphy respectively. These matches end at 19:00 BST.
O’Sullivan is aiming for more records
Along with celebrities such as Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis, O’Sullivan is widely regarded as one of the greatest snooker players of all time. Now the Englishman is claiming to overthrow landmarks that would put him ahead of himself. Appears at the Crucible Theater for the 30th time, equaling Davis’s record and his triumph over Gilbert leads him to 70 wins on the field, a draw with Hendry. A relaxed O’Sullivan had a squeaky mood on the day of the tournament on the eve of the tournament, saying he was “not going to give up” the chance to win a seventh world title to draw with his old rival Hendry. To follow in on his undoubted talent, a more relaxed approach from O’Sullivan makes him an even more dangerous proposition as he could have previously withered when he was behind. Gilbert’s quick start saw him take a 3-0 lead, but O’Sullivan kept his composure by gaining six frames in a row to take control. Gilbert took the first two frames of the second session, but a yellow flicker changed O’Sullivan’s momentum as he claimed three in a row for the win. O’Sullivan said: “I’m out there playing, I enjoy it and I’re just trying to compete. It’s like a Gladiator, Russell Crowe has a hole in his hand and he knows he’s going to die, but you just have to find a way. made by winners and gladiators. “I was probably not born to play snooker, but I was born to do something with a ball. I just wish it was another sport where my temperament matched it. I find snooker challenging. “To be the best at something that takes time, effort and effort, sometimes you wonder ‘why am I doing this?’ “I was never born a winner, but I had to put it inside me. A bit like Serena Williams and Tiger Woods, I had this kind of father figure where they said ‘you’re going to be a success.’ so”. Gilbert added: “He scores so well, it looks like his head is screwed and he has a huge opportunity.” Subscribe to My Sport to watch snooker news on the BBC app.
