Career Ronnie O'Sullivan

1 career

1.1 amateur career: achievements
1.2 1992/1993 season: qualifying success, first professional title, crucible debut
1.3 1993/1994 season: historic uk championship , british open titles, masters debut
1.4 1994/1995 season: masters title, 2 ranking event finals
1.5 1995/1996 season: masters runner-up, controversy @ crucible
1.6 1996/1997 season: masters runner-up, asian classic , german open titles, fastest ever maximum break
1.7 1997/1998 season: uk championship , scottish open titles
1.8 1998/1999 season: no major or ranking success
1.9 1999/2000 season: china , scottish open titles
1.10 2000/2001 season: world championship title , china open defence
1.11 2001/2002 season: uk championship title, semi-final crucible clash hendry, rise world number 1
1.12 2002/2003 season
1.13 2003/2004 season: second world championship title , world number 1
1.14 2004/2005 season: second masters title
1.15 2005/2006 season
1.16 2006/2007 season: third masters title
1.17 2007/2008 season: fourth uk championship , third world championship title
1.18 2008/2009 season: fourth masters title
1.19 2009/2010 season
1.20 2010/2011 season
1.21 2011/2012 season: fourth world championship title
1.22 2012/2013 season: extended break , fifth world championship title
1.23 2013/2014 season: fifth masters title , world championship runner-up
1.24 2014/2015 season: fifth uk championship title
1.25 2015/2016 season: sixth masters title
1.26 2016/2017 season: uk championship runner-up , record seventh masters title
1.27 2017/2018 season: 2 ranking titles – english open , shanghai masters

career
amateur career: achievements

o sullivan started playing snooker 7 years old, , showed considerable natural talent game: winning first club tournament aged 9 , scoring first century break (a run of 117) aged 10. o sullivan s first major success becoming 1988 british under-16 champion, aged 13. year later, o sullivan made big breakthrough @ professional-amateur tournament in stevenage. defeated world number 34 marcel gauvreau 3–2 in quarter-finals, break of 120 in deciding frame before progressing final , defeating fellow amateur anthony hamilton title. afterwards, gauvreau described o sullivan s play unbelievable , no-one s ever played against me. still aged 14, o sullivan made television debut @ thames snooker classic. made televised 75 break during quarter-final match commentated on steve davis before being defeated @ semi-final stage. 2 years later, o sullivan reached final of 1991 english amateur championship fell 10–13 steve judd. during tournament, became youngest player ever compile maximum break in recognised tournament. later same year, o sullivan defeated patrick delsemme 11–4 1991 ibsf world under-21 snooker championship title. o sullivan s last notable amateur achievement before turning professional capturing 1991 junior pot black title defeating declan murphy 2–0 in final.

1992/1993 season: qualifying success, first professional title, crucible debut

throughout o sullivan s debut season, won 74 of 76 qualifying matches. included winning streak of 38 successive victories, surpassing previous record held stephen hendry , record quick victory, winning best-of-9-frame match in 43 minutes beat tony drago s previous record. after performance, mc alan hughes first gave him nickname rocket . o sullivan won first title professional: non-ranking nescafé challenge in bangkok, triumphing on john parrott, james wattana , alan mcmanus in round-robin format. o sullivan qualified world championship , made debut @ crucible theatre on 18 april 1993, @ age of 17 years , 134 days , still third-youngest player ever compete @ venue, behind luca brecel , stephen hendry. lost 7–10 alan mcmanus in first round. o sullivan named world professional billiards , snooker association s (wpbsa) young player of year 1993.

1993/1994 season: historic uk championship , british open titles, masters debut

in 1993/1994 season, o sullivan enjoyed more success first qualifying masters wild card winning 1993 benson , hedges snooker championship defeating john lardner 9–6 in final. o sullivan captured first professional ranking title , first part of triple cown, uk championship defeating stephen hendry 10–6 in final. @ age of 17 years , 358 days became youngest ever winner of ranking tournament. making debut @ masters, lost in first round 1–5 dennis taylor. won second ranking title of season @ british open defeating james wattana 9–4 in final. reached second round of world championship, lost 3–13 against john parrott. having started season ranked number 57 in world, ended ranked number 9, , named wpbsa s player of year 1994.

1994/1995 season: masters title, 2 ranking event finals

o sullivan did not win ranking titles during 1994/1995 season, reached 2 finals. lost james wattana in final of thailand open , john higgins in final of british open. @ masters, o sullivan captured first title defeating higgins 9–3 in final. victory, became youngest player ever win tournament @ age of 19 years , 69 days. , came step closer collecting triple crown events, requiring world title complete collection. @ world championship, recorded furthest run yet reaching quarter-finals, lost 8–13 stephen hendry.

1995/1996 season: masters runner-up, controversy @ crucible

in 1995/1996 season, o sullivan again did not capture ranking titles victorious @ non-ranking charity challenge defeating john higgins 9–6 in final. defending champion, o sullivan reached final of masters, lost title 5–10 stephen hendry. first time, o sullivan reached world championship semi-finals, lost 14–16 peter ebdon. after 10–3 first round victory on alain robidoux, robidoux accused o sullivan of showing disrespect after had played left-handed during match. robidoux refused shake hands o sullivan @ end of match. o sullivan responded saying better left-handed [robidoux] right-handed. later during tournament, before quarter-final match john higgins, o sullivan involved in incident assistant press officer, michael ganley, in press room. o sullivan admitted assaulting ganley during incident. snooker s governing body, wpbsa, gave o sullivan two-year suspended ban, £20,000 fine, , advised him donate £10,000 charity, allowed him continue competing @ event.

1996/1997 season: masters runner-up, asian classic , german open titles, fastest ever maximum break

in 1996/1997 season, o sullivan won 2 ranking titles: asian classic narrowly defeating brian morgan 9–8 in final, , german open defeating alain robidoux 9–7 in final. o sullivan again reached final of charity challenge, faced stephen hendry in first-to-nine frame match. o sullivan trailed 2–8 before winning 6 frames in row level @ 8–8, before hendry won deciding frame maximum break. @ masters, o sullivan reached third consecutive final, faced steve davis. after o sullivan took first 2 frames back-to-back century breaks of 116 , 113, third frame disrupted streaker, lianne croft. davis later stated streaking incident affected o sullivan s concentration, allowing him match , afternoon session ended all-square @ 4–4. o sullivan began evening session winning 4 frames in 49 minutes take 8–4 lead, davis fought win next 6 frames , clinch title 10–8 victory. on 21 april 1997, while playing mick price in first round of world championship, o sullivan made fastest ever competitive maximum break in 5 minutes , 20 seconds, average of 1 shot every 8.8 seconds. o sullivan s first maximum break in professional competition. exited world championship in second round, losing 12–13 against darren morgan. o sullivan won non-ranking european league, defeating hendry 10–8 in final.

1997/1998 season: uk championship , scottish open titles

o sullivan captured 2 more ranking titles in 1997/1998 season. beating three-time defending champion stephen hendry 10–6 in final, o sullivan won second uk championship title. o sullivan triumphed @ scottish open defeating john higgins 9–5 in final. third year in row, o sullivan made final of charity challenge. defeated, year previous, in final frame decider, 8–9 john higgins. first time in 3 years o sullvian did not reach final @ masters, losing steve davis. after defeating ken doherty 9–3 in final of irish masters, post-match drug test found traces of cannabis in system. o sullivan stripped of title, forfeited of prize money , title awarded doherty wpbsa. o sullivan reached world championship semi-finals second time in career, lost 9–17 eventual champion john higgins.

1998/1999 season: no major or ranking success

o sullivan began 1998/1999 season winning non-ranking scottish masters, went on win no more titles during season. @ uk championship, o sullivan defending champion, withdrew tournament shortly before scheduled first-round match. manager stated suffering physical , nervous exhaustion , doctor had ordered complete rest snooker . later reports stated instead suffering depression @ time. in quarter-finals of welsh open, o sullivan made second maximum of professional career, playing against james wattana. o sullivan reached quarter-finals of masters, lost 2–6 ken doherty. in fourth consecutive final in charity challenge, , in repeat outcome of last year s final: o sullivan lost john higgins again, time 9–4. @ world championship, o sullivan reached third semi-final in 4 years. but, again denied place in final when lost 13–17 stephen hendry in high quality match featured century breaks in 4 consecutive frames (two o sullivan of 134 , 110).

1999/2000 season: china , scottish open titles

at beginning of 1999/2000 season, o sullivan reached final of one-off non-ranking millennium cup. however, lost 2–7 stephen lee. throughout rest of season, o sullivan won 2 ranking tournaments: china open, defeated lee 9–2 in final, , scottish open, defeated mark williams 9–1 in final. @ grand prix , scottish open, o sullivan hit third , fourth competitive maximum breaks of career. competing england, o sullivan part of winning nations cup team. partnering john parrott, jimmy white , stephen lee: defeated defending champions wales 6–4 in final. in triple crown events, o sullivan did not experience winning success: losing @ quarter-final stages of both uk championship , masters, 3–9 matthew stevens , 3–6 john parrott respectively, , losing in first round of world championship, 9–10 david gray despite becoming first player compile 5 century breaks in first round match @ crucible.

2000/2001 season: world championship title , china open defence

the 2000/2001 season o sullivan s successful date: winning 2 ranking titles , 4 non-ranking titles. o sullivan started season reaching final in 3 out of first 4 tournaments: winning champions cup defeating mark williams 7–5 in final after being 1–4 behind, coming runner-up williams 5–9 @ grand prix, , winning scottish masters defeating stephen hendry 9–6 in final. recorded quarter-final run @ british open, losing 3–5 peter ebdon. @ uk championship: o sullivan defeated jimmy michie 9–2 in last 32, dave harold 9–5 in last 16, quinten hann 9–5 in quarter-finals, before losing williams 4–9 in semi-finals. o sullivan defended china open title, defeating williams 9–3 in final. became seventh player in snooker history defend world-ranking tournament.

in new year, o sullivan failed reach quarter-final stages of ranking event first time season: losing 4–5 joe swail in last 16. began run of poor form saw o sullivan lose in opening round of masters 2–6 jimmy white , in second round of thailand masters 4–5 shokat ali (losing deciding frame on re-spotted black). o sullivan returned winning ways, capturing irish masters title defeating stephen hendry 9–8 in final, before experienced dip in form losing mark davis in opening round of scottish open.

at world championship, o sullivan showed no signs of fluctuating form. defeated andy hicks 10–2 in first round, dave harold 13–6 in second, peter ebdon 13–6 in quarter-finals, , joe swail 17–11 in semi-finals reach first final after 9 years professional. in final, faced john higgins. o sullivan established lead in 35-frame final never relinquished, , triumphed 18–14 first world title (completing collection of major titles). o sullivan dedicated win father. o sullivan ended season winning premier league. after finishing second in league stage, defeated higgins 6–3 in semi-finals, , stephen hendry 9–7 in final. ranked world number 2 end of season.

2001/2002 season: uk championship title, semi-final crucible clash hendry, rise world number 1

o sullivan began 2001/2002 season trying defend champions cup , scottish masters titles. @ champions cup, eliminated in group stages: defeating jimmy white before losing ken doherty , peter ebdon. @ scottish masters, defeated 6–9 john higgins in final. o sullivan reached semi-finals of british open, losing graeme dott 4–6. @ lg cup, o sullivan compiled fifth maximum break in competitive play in 6 minutes , 36 seconds on way 5–1 defeat of drew henry in last 16. second fastest ever recorded behind own @ 1997 world championship. o sullivan lost in next round, falling 4–5 ebdon in quarter-finals. o sullivan reached quarter-finals of european open, before losing 4–5 stephen hendry.

o sullivan started uk championship campaign defeating ali carter 9–2 in last 32. in last 16, leading 8–0 after winning frames in first session, opponent dave finbow withdrew match due anxiety attack. o sullivan progressed final, after defeating ebdon 9–8 4–8 behind in quarter-finals , mark williams 9–6 in semi-finals. playing ken doherty in final, o sullivan dominant, winning third uk title 10–1. victory, joined elite group of davis, hendry, parrott , higgins win world championship , uk championship in same calendar year.

at welsh open, o sullivan defeated in final frame decider 4–5 paul hunter in last 16. @ masters, o sullivan overcame joe swail 6–3 in first round, before narrowly losing jimmy white 5–6 in tense quarter-final after being 5–2 ahead. o sullivan did not defend china open title, losing 3–5 mark selby in quarter-finals. in match, played series of reckless shots , conceded 2 frames before snookers required. o sullivan reached semi-finals of thailand masters, before losing williams 2–5. o sullivan suffered 2 defeats @ irish masters , scottish open. @ irish masters, defending champion, lost in opening match in quarter-finals 2–6 matthew stevens. @ scottish open, again lost in opening match, time in first round 3–5 barry hawkins.

as defending champion @ world championship first time, o sullivan sought turn recent bad form around , break crucible curse. o sullivan defeated drew henry 10–5 in first round, robert milkins 13–2 in second round, , stephen lee 13–10 in quarter-finals advance semi-finals faced stephen hendry. in pre-match interview, o sullivan revealed had no respect hendry, referring incident during o sullivan s 13–17 semi-final defeat hendry 3 years prior, when referee had awarded miss o sullivan felt hendry should not have accepted. further added wanted send [hendry] home scotland stop 1 of former manager s players winning tournament, , know if beat , [hendry] comes , moonie in front of me , goes ne ne ne , ll @ him , done , go sad little life . . in match o sullivan took 5–3 overnight lead after first session, hendry fought level @ 12–12 before final session. hendry subsequently outplayed o sullivan winning semi-final 17 frames 13. after match, hendry said wasn t personal him , didn t remember incident o sullivan described. o sullivan unapologetic comments made, saying made better atmosphere , s better grudge match? .

o sullivan ended season defending premier league title. having finished first after league stage, o sullivan defeated jimmy white 6–2 in semi-final, , john higgins 9–4 in final. began 2002/2003 season ranked number 1.

2002/2003 season

o sullivan had successful season in 2002/2003, reaching last 16 in 7 ranking tournaments. began season winning invitational scottish masters, defeating john higgins 9–4 in final. reached quarter-finals of lg cup, losing against eventual champion chris small; last 16 of british open, losing against paul hunter, quarter-finals of uk championship, losing against drew henry; , quarter-finals of welsh open, losing against marco fu. after o sullivan won back-to-back ranking titles, defeating hendry in final of european open, , higgins in final of irish masters. reached last 16 of scottish open, before losing against ken doherty. first-round ranking event defeat of season came @ world championship, when lost 6–10 in first round against unseeded marco fu, despite making maximum break in match. defeat saw him drop number 3 in rankings. participated in premier league, despite topping table after league stage, lost 4–6 in semi-final against fu.

2003/2004 season: second world championship title , world number 1

in 2003/2004 season, o sullivan reached 3 ranking-event finals. reached final of british open, lost 6–9 against stephen hendry. won welsh open defeating steve davis 9–8. reached final of masters, lost 9–10 against paul hunter, despite having led 6–1 , 9–7. in 2004, o sullivan s father telephoned six-time world champion ray reardon, , asked if give o sullivan advice. reardon s o sullivan recovered form, , won 2004 world championship. defeated hendry 17–4 in semi–finals, one-sided defeat ever in world championship semi–final. defeated graeme dott 18–8 in final, despite losing first 5 frames. o sullivan blamed poor start on mind games dott s coach derek hill, visited o sullivan s dressing room before match. o sullivan ranked number 1 next 2 seasons.

2004/2005 season: second masters title

o sullivan began 2004/2005 season winning grand prix, defeating ian mcculloch 9–5 in final. reached semi-finals of british open, losing 1–6 stephen maguire, , last 32 of uk championship, losing 6–9, once again against maguire. in 2005, o sullivan defended welsh open title, defeating stephen hendry 9–8. during tournament, o sullivan compiled ten century breaks, including break of 146, highest of tournament. after this, won second masters title, defeating john higgins 10–3. after final, higgins described o sullivan total genius .

o sullivan won third irish masters title, defeating matthew stevens 10–8. missed china open on medical grounds; criticised anthony hamilton, said o sullivan had duty promote sport overseas. in world championship, o sullivan lost peter ebdon in quarter-final. 2–8 down, ebdon began comeback , won 13–11, playing in exceptionally determined , dogged style, many observers accusing him of deliberate slow play disrupt o sullivan s fast game. after match, o sullivan indicated press unlikely compete in following season, , perhaps retire sport altogether. o sullivan participated in premier league. after finishing third in table after league stage, o sullivan defeated hendry 5–0 in semi-finals, , williams 6–0 in final. in september 2005, announced play truncated 2005/2006 season, spending time playing eight-ball pool in united states, having been chosen compete on elite international pool tour.

2005/2006 season

o sullivan began 2005/2006 season @ grand prix, , reached final, lost 2–9 against john higgins. in last-32 match mark king @ uk championship, o sullivan sat wet towel draped on head of contest, , lost 8–9. defended premier league title. having finished first in league stage, defeated steve davis 5–3 in semi-finals, , stephen hendry 6–0 in final. o sullivan reached final of masters, lost 9–10 against higgins. o sullivan skipped malta cup, , lost opening matches @ next 2 ranking events, lost 1–5 against ian mcculloch @ welsh open , 0–5 against james wattana @ china open.

the 2006 world championship began o sullivan defeating dave harold 10–4, followed struggle through 13–10 win in second-round match against welshman ryan day. similar quarter-final match ensued against mark williams. o sullivan led 10–6 going final session. fightback williams saw him take lead winning next 5 frames; o sullivan held nerve take match 13–11, , faced graeme dott in semi–finals. dott took lead before o sullivan drew level @ 8–8 @ end of second session. cue-tip problems, had dogged o sullivan throughout event, recurred, including incident in television footage appeared show o sullivan deliberately removing tip of cue. secured him 15-minute break re-tip cue, before returned , made 124 break. tournament director mike ganley accepted player s assurance tip had fallen off, , no censure made. incident drew criticism opponent, , steve davis , john parrott. dott took 8 frames of third session, leaving himself 1 frame away second final in 3 years. final session saw o sullivan stage minor fightback, taking 3 frames in row, before mistake let dott in eventual clearance on black. after dott s win, o sullivan gave cue , case boy in crowd. bbc report claimed had used many 21 different tips during fortnight; o sullivan later stated had used 7 tips before arriving in sheffield, , further 8 during week, , return next season new cue. o sullivan s decision not enter malta cup cost him number-one rank following season.

2006/2007 season: third masters title

on way final of northern ireland trophy, lost 6–9 ding junhui, defeated semi–final opponent dominic dale 6–0, in 53 minutes—a record best-of-11-frames match. o sullivan reached quarter-finals of grand prix, lost 1–5 against eventual champion neil robertson. in december 2006, in quarter-final match of uk championship against hendry, o sullivan conceded in dramatic fashion part-way sixth frame of best-of-17 match. had gone 0–4 down after strong start hendry, before taking frame back. @ beginning of sixth frame, o sullivan opened break of 24, before leaving himself difficult shot black red. after missing red, calmly shook hand of both hendry (saying him had had enough of it, mate ) , match referee, jan verhaas, , walked out of arena, stunning present. incident caused minor disruption other quarter-final match, between graeme dott , steve davis, being played simultaneously in same arena. dott later said thought o sullivan , hendry having fight when heard audience member shout grip, ronnie. later officially confirmed o sullivan had forfeited match, awarded 9–1 hendry. o’sullivan issued statement later day, apologising , saying on feet fighting stronger , harder ever soon. on 31 may 2007, world snooker fined him total of £20,800 on incident, , docked 900 ranking points him.

o sullivan returned action @ masters, mixed response audience (being both booed , clapped). won first round match 6–1 on 16 january 2007, against ali carter, making 2 century breaks in process. however, created more controversy failing attend post-match press conference. did record short interview steve davis bbc, stating happier @ uk championship, , playing once again. sir rodney walker later issued statement declaring o sullivan had been excused dealing media because of exceptional circumstances affecting him. decision criticised shaun murphy. o sullivan went on win tournament against ding junhui, on 21 january 2007. in match, noted sportsmanship steve davis, comforting ding after twelfth frame, during ding had become visibly upset overly partisan member of crowd, later ejected. o sullivan leading 9–3 @ time, , won next frame 10–3 victory.

o sullivan went out of malta cup 3–5 loss michael holt in first round. reached quarter-finals of welsh open, lost 4–5 against neil robertson. in quarter-final match against joe swail @ irish masters, o sullivan compiled maximum break on way narrow 5–4 victory, second 147 in professional competition in ireland. initial maximum break prize of citroën coupe, worth €20,000, later withdrawn organisers. defeated john higgins 6–5 in semi-finals, , won title defeating barry hawkins 9–1 in final. o sullivan reached semi-finals of china open, lost 2–6 against eventual champion graeme dott. before world championship, in play first-round match ding junhui again, o sullivan claimed draw fixed. subsequently denied world snooker, , o sullivan later retracted accusation. in end, o sullivan won tie 10 frames 2. won second-round match against robertson 13–10 (despite losing 6 frames in row @ 1 point), before losing quarter-final match 9–13 against eventual champion john higgins.

2007/2008 season: fourth uk championship , third world championship title

o sullivan withdrew first ranking event of season, shanghai masters, citing problems doctors had advised him not travel. chose not enter invitational pot black tournament. made final of grand prix, lost 6–9 against marco fu. during northern ireland trophy, set new record compiling 5 centuries in 5–2 win on ali carter. included seventh official competitive 147 maximum break. o sullivan went out of tournament in next round, having lost against fergal o brien. on 2 december 2007, won fourth consecutive, , record seventh total, premier league snooker title, beating john higgins in final score of 7–4. on 15 december 2007, o sullivan compiled eighth maximum break in competition, in deciding frame of uk championship semi–final against mark selby @ telford, equalling hendry s record. in doing so, became third person in professional competition compile maximum win match. hendry had made first against o sullivan in 1997 charity challenge final, , mark williams had made second, @ crucible in first round of 2005 world championship. o sullivan second player after john higgins make breaks of 147 in 2 consecutive ranking tournaments (2007 northern ireland trophy , 2007 maplin uk championship). went on win tournament, beating stephen maguire 10–2 in final (from 8–0 up), thereby receiving £100,000 cheque winning first ranking tournament in 3 years.

at masters on 12 january, stephen maguire edged out o sullivan in final frame win first-round match @ wembley. in battle of top 2 players in provisional world rankings, o sullivan fought 1–4 down level @ 5–5 , take match deciding eleventh frame. o sullivan missed final blue rest, when poised win match, allowing maguire reach quarter-finals. after withdrawing invitational malta cup, o sullivan returned @ welsh open in february. playing tournament, reached final. although led 8–5, selby won last 4 frames beat him 9–8. o sullivan present @ china open, in beijing, lost 4–5 marco fu in first round. however, @ press conference, followed match, o sullivan heard making lewd remarks inviting member of press perform fellatio on him, laughing world snooker media spokesman. o sullivan joked size , girth of penis, before simulating sexual act on microphone. in june 2008, wpbsa punished him behaviour docking appearance money , world-ranking points had earned event.

at 2008 world championships, o sullivan compiled record-breaking ninth competitive maximum break against mark williams. third of season, , third maximum @ crucible. fourth maximum compiled in winning frame of match (following of hendry, williams, , o sullivan himself). interviewed steve davis after beating williams 13–7, said can buy bentley continental gt . after o sullivan potted final black, commentator dennis taylor called him total genius . however, o sullivan s 147 equalled ali carter in same tournament, halving prize money. o sullivan defeated liu chuang, mark williams, liang wenbo , stephen hendry en route final of tournament. after match, hendry described o sullivan best in world country mile . beat carter 18–8 win title on 5 may. in interview after third world title win, hinted again might not play in 2008/2009 season, stated might go on pursue many more world titles. @ end of season o sullivan left management company 110sport, join romford-based grove leisure.

2008/2009 season: fourth masters title

o sullivan began 2008/2009 season winning northern ireland trophy, defeating dave harold 9–3 in final. o sullivan player win back-to-back ranking events in last 4 years. reached final of shanghai masters, having defeated stephen maguire in semi–finals 2 top breaks of 141 , 145. however, in final, defeated 10–8 qualifier ricky walden. o sullivan leading, walden pulled 4 frames in row win match. in premier league, secured 7–2 win on mark selby, meant had won event 8 times in total, , 5 times consecutively. however, o sullivan failed defend uk championship title, losing joe perry 5–9 in second round. o sullivan had conceded twelfth game of match go 5–7 down, although perry held lead of 23 points zero. commenting afterwards, o sullivan said might have looked lost head or whatever, m sure ll bounce back. later fined £300, , ordered pay £1,000 in costs.

in masters, o sullivan reached final beating joe perry, ali carter , stephen maguire. in tense final against defending champion mark selby, neither player able obtain sizeable lead, frames littered both big breaks , close finishes. after leading 3–1, o sullivan ended afternoon session @ 4–4, , took first frame of evening session. selby, however, won next 3 frames lead 7–5. o sullivan responded taking 3 frames in succession himself, lead 8–7. following 2 frames shared, , @ 9–8, after both players had wasted chances, o sullivan constructed break of 55, beating mark selby 10–8 , thereby claiming title fourth time. in doing became second player, after stephen hendry, win trophy more 3 times. in post-match interview, o sullivan proclaimed victory, composed cue had obtained previous saturday, greatest achievement in snooker. during exhibition in ireland in january 2009, o sullivan , jimmy white made maximum breaks in consecutive frames. in first round of 2009 world championship o sullivan compiled 3 centuries in 10–5 win against stuart bingham. o sullivan compiled 140 break in second, 104 in eighth, , 103 in 14th. defeated in second round 11–13, mark allen, after having led 9–7.

2009/2010 season

he began season winning shanghai masters, defeating liang wenbo 10–5 in final. on way final, lost 6 frames. beat graeme dott 5–0 in first round, marco fu 5–2 in second round, ding junhui 5–3 in quarter-finals, , john higgins 6–1 in semi–finals. after shanghai masters victory, joined newly founded snooker players association. in second ranking event, grand prix, beat jamie burnett 5–3 in first round, lost narrowly against john higgins in second round, 4–5. on 29 november 2009, o sullivan did not retain premier league snooker title, shaun murphy defeating him 7–3 in final. following 9–3 victory on matthew stevens in first round of uk championship on 7 december 2009, o sullivan caused controversy in post-match press conference. described outgoing regime @ world professional billiards , snooker association (headed sir rodney walker) cancer running through game , , said leukaemia has set in . went on endorse new era of snooker, headed barry hearn. won next 2 matches, 9–3 against peter ebdon in last 16, , mark selby in quarter-finals, before losing semi–final 8–9 john higgins, despite having come 2–8 8–8.

o sullivan began defence of masters title defeating neil robertson 6–4 in first round, after having trailed 0–3. after this, defeated peter ebdon 6–3 in quarter-final. in semi-final beat mark williams 6–5, reach sixth masters final in 7 years. o sullivan met mark selby in final second consecutive year, , lost 9–10 despite having led 9–6. in welsh open, reached semi–finals beating stuart bingham 5–1 in first round, jamie cope 5–0 in second round, , mark allen 5–2 in quarter-finals, lost 4–6 against john higgins in semi–finals. o sullivan lost 3–5 in first round of china open, against 22-year-old wild card tian pengfei. this, lost chance defend official world no. 1 spot. @ world championship, defeated liang wenbo 10–7 in first round , mark williams 13–10 in second round, before losing 11–13 mark selby in quarter-finals.

2010/2011 season

o sullivan began 2010/2011 season @ event 1 of players tour championship, lost 0–4 in quarter-finals against jamie cope. o sullivan next competed @ event 4, reached final, lost 3–4 against barry pinches. @ world open o sullivan made record 10th maximum break in last frame of match against mark king, won 3–0. however, had persuaded referee jan verhaas play final black, had become aware there no distinct prize money maximum break in tournament, prize of £4,000 highest break. then, played final black in nonchalant fashion. o sullivan defeated jimmy white (3–1), stephen hendry (3–1), stephen maguire (3–1) , peter ebdon (3–1) reach final, lost 1–5 against neil robertson. o sullivan participated @ premier league snooker, , qualified finals unbeaten. defeated neil robertson 5–1 in semi-finals, , shaun murphy 7–1 in final, claim ninth premier league snooker title in 14 years. in uk championship in december, o sullivan suffered exit, losing 6–9 against stuart bingham in first round.

at masters in january, o sullivan went out 4–6 in first round against mark allen. o sullivan reached semi-finals in snooker shoot-out in january 2011, before losing against robert milkins. made 2 highest breaks of tournament, 112 , 123. lost in first round of next 2 ranking tournaments, both times against ryan day. lost 2–4 @ welsh open, , 2–5 @ china open. reached quarter-finals of world championship defeating dominic dale 10–2 in first round , shaun murphy 13–10 in second round, lost 10–13 against john higgins.

2011/2012 season: fourth world championship title

o sullivan began 2011/2012 season @ event 1 of players tour championship, won 4–0 in final against joe perry. @ paul hunter classic, made 11th official maximum break of career, , set new record of career maximum breaks. reached semi-finals, lost 3–4 against mark selby. next tournament shanghai masters, reached second round, lost 3–5 against anthony hamilton. in october 2011 won kay suzanne memorial trophy, defeating matthew stevens 4–2 in final. in november 2011 reached final of antwerp open, lost 3–4 against judd trump. after 12 of 12 events, o sullivan ranked number 2 on order of merit, , qualified finals, withdrew due medical reasons.

ronnie o’sullivan playing in final of 2012 german masters

o sullivan won 10th premier league title of career. after topping table in league stage, defeated mark williams reach final, defeated ding junhui 7–1. next tournament uk championship, lost in second round 5–6 against eventual champion judd trump. @ masters, again lost against trump, time 2–6 in quarter-finals. @ german masters, reached first ranking final since 2010 world open, , won 9–7 against stephen maguire, despite having trailed 0–4 against andrew higginson in first round. reached semi-finals of welsh open, , quarter-finals of china open, lost 2–6 against mark selby , 4–5 against maguire.

at world championship o sullivan saw off former world champions in each of first 3 matches. beat peter ebdon 10–4 in first round, mark williams 13–6 in second, , neil robertson 13–10 in quarter-finals. beat two-time runner-up matthew stevens 17–10 in semi-finals, , defeated ali carter 18–11 in final, win fourth world title. aged 36, , 40 days older dennis taylor when won title in 1985, o sullivan became oldest world champion since 45-year-old ray reardon in 1978. in eighth frame of final, o sullivan made break of 141, highest break ever recorded in crucible final. ranked world number 9 @ end of season. on 10 may 2012, o sullivan named world snooker player of year , snooker writers player of year. inducted hall of fame, along walter donaldson, mark williams , john higgins.

2012/2013 season: extended break , fifth world championship title

o sullivan after winning fifth world title

on 6 june, world professional billiards , snooker association released statement announcing o sullivan had not signed official players contract , therefore not eligible play in 2012/2013 world snooker event until did so. on same day o sullivan said found contract onerous , in stage of career did not wish make commitment. on 7 august announced had signed contract , playing in october s international championship , december s uk championship. after shanghai masters dropped out of top sixteen first time since entering in 1994/1995 season, ranked world number 17. o sullivan s return snooker short-lived, withdrew inaugural international championship due advice doctor not travel. on 6 november o sullivan announced had withdrawn every event had entered , not play remainder of season. however, on 26 february o sullivan announced during press conference return game , defend world championship title.

at crucible o sullivan defeated marcus campbell in last 32, ali carter in last 16, stuart bingham in quarter-finals. reached final without falling behind once, , defeated barry hawkins 18–12 win fifth world title. o sullivan s break of 103 in 15th frame 128th century break @ crucible theatre, breaking stephen hendry s record of 127 crucible centuries. during final extended record 131 century breaks. o sullivan became player score 6 century breaks in world championship final. became third player retain title @ crucible after steve davis , stephen hendry.

however, after title win, o sullivan refused definitively rule out title defence in 2014, saying in post-match interview love playing, playing in smaller events, , see goes on.

2013/2014 season: fifth masters title , world championship runner-up

o sullivan after winning paul hunter classic

o sullivan started 2013/2014 season ranked number 19. although out of top 16, winning world championship previous season allowed him seeded in every tournament decided enter (number 1 in world championship 2014 , number 2, behind defending champion, others. personal reasons, pulled out of first ranking tournament of season, wuxi classic, shortly before due face michael wasley in qualifying round. in june 2013 competed in bulgarian open, first tournament appearance outside england in 15 months, lost 2–4 against john higgins in semi-finals. went on win paul hunter classic defeating gerard greene 4–0 in final. o sullivan qualified international championship defeating joel walker 6–1 in qualifying round, , defeated anthony mcgill 6–2 @ venue, before losing 4–6 against liang wenbo in last 32. after o sullivan reached final of antwerp open, lost 3–4 against mark selby, despite leading 3–1. in champion of champions defeated ding junhui , neil robertson in final frame deciders , went on win title defeating stuart bingham 10–8 in final. reached quarter-finals of uk championship, lost 4–6 against bingham, despite making breaks of 135 , 127 in match.

ronnie o’sullivan @ autograph session in berlin after not qualify german masters

at masters, o sullivan defeated robert milkins 6–1 in first round, before whitewashed ricky walden 6–0 in quarter-finals, match lasted 57 minutes , 48 seconds. during match scored 556 points without reply, new record in professional event, beating previous record of 495 points set ding junhui @ 2007 premier league snooker. defeated stephen maguire 6–2 in semi-finals reach record tenth masters final, surpassing 9 appearances stephen hendry. facing defending champion mark selby in final, took 7–1 lead in first session, before going on 10–4 victory fifth masters title. on 22 january 2014, disciplinary committee of wpbsa issued statement o sullivan had been found in breach of association s members rules. fined him £6,000 , ordered him pay £1,000 in costs on 3 posts on personal twitter account, made in september , october 2013, deemed damaging image of sport. first post related match-fixing allegations, second suggestion had used performance-enhancing drugs, , third tweet described offensive . committee fined him additional £1,000 making abusive, insulting , disrespectful comments referee jan verhaas during december 2013 qualifying round german masters. incident arose after verhaas asked o sullivan tuck shirt in during match. o sullivan apologised conduct referee, stating felt unwell on day , venue overly warm.

at welsh open, o sullivan defeated ricky walden 4–1 in last 16, john higgins 5–1 in quarter-finals, , barry hawkins 6–2 in semi-finals. defeated ding junhui 9–3 in final win third welsh open title, , 26th ranking title of career. in last frame of final, compiled record 12th maximum break in professional competition, breaking previous record of 11 maximum breaks had held jointly stephen hendry. during season o sullivan competed @ players tour championship, , finished second on european tour order of merit, qualify players championship grand final. there defeated scott donaldson 4–0 in last 32, lost 3–4 against yu delu in last 16, despite making 140, highest break of tournament.

at world championship, o sullivan began title defence beating robin hull 10–4 in first round. playing joe perry in second round, o sullivan behind first 2 sessions, recovered win match 13–11. against shaun murphy in 16th world championship quarter-final of career, o sullivan took 13 of last 14 frames win match 13–3, session spare. defeated barry hawkins 17–7 in semi-finals, session spare, reach sixth world championship final. facing mark selby in final, o sullivan began strongly, taking 10–5 lead, lost 10 of next 12 frames trail 12–15. went on lose 14–18, first ever defeat in world championship final. @ around 1:30 a.m., on way home final, o sullivan , six-year-old son involved in car crash. neither o sullivan nor son injured. after world championship, new ranking system took effect, based on two-year rolling prize money list rather ranking points. meant o sullivan ended season ranked number 4.

2014/2015 season: fifth uk championship title

o sullivan started 2014/2015 season @ paul hunter classic, lost 2–4 against tian pengfei in last 16. first ranking event shanghai masters, lost 3–5 against alan mcmanus. ronnie o sullivan competed in international championship, cited biggest event in asia, in chengdu after beating james cahill qualify. having battled beat ben woollaston 6–4, in opening match of tournament, ronnie sailed past next 2 opponents, mcgill , li hang, 6–1. set meeting mark williams, man had not beat o sullivan 12 years, in quarters; however, after falling 3–0 behind, williams won next 5 frames , match, 6–5. o sullivan next competed in champion of champions defending champion. o sullivan begun defence 4–2 defeat of stuart bingham. went on whitewash marco fu 6–0 reach semi-final. in semi-final, o sullivan defeated ding junhui 6–4 , went on defeat judd trump in high-scoring final, 10–7, making 4 century breaks , eleven breaks on fifty during match. on 4 december 2014, o sullivan completed 13th career maximum break in fourth round of uk championship, against matthew selt. 3 days later won fifth uk championship, coming through 10–9 against judd trump in final. after trailing 1–5 , 4–9, trump won 5 frames in succession, before o sullivan prevailed in deciding frame despite playing broken ankle, having broken previous week whilst running.

in semi-finals defeated 6–1 neil robertson, meant o sullivan lost @ stage first time in masters career after 10 prior victories , ended winning streak in competitions stood @ 15 matches.

in world championship, o sullivan defeated craig steadman 10–3 in first round , matthew stevens 13–5 in second round, suffered surprise 9–13 defeat stuart bingham in quarter-finals. o sullivan involved in many incidents during tournament. while playing steadman, breached snooker s dress code when removed pair of uncomfortable shoes , played briefly in socks, before borrowing shoes tournament director mike ganley. in match stevens, frustrated @ missing shot, snapped cue in half hitting against table. in quarter-final match, o sullivan placed chalk on table , used line shot. controversially, referee terry camilleri did not penalize him incident, though many commentators, including former world champion ken doherty , former tour referee michaela tabb, argued under rules of snooker referee should have called 7-point foul. these incidents led stephen hendry o sullivan not focused. think sign has got other things on mind, said hendry. not focused on winning world championship.

2015/2016 season: sixth masters title

o sullivan won pro–am pink ribbon tournament in july 2015, defeating darryn walker 4–2 in final, took hiatus professional tour 8 months. declined defend champion of champions , uk championship titles, stating suffering debilitating insomnia, made debut providing in-studio expert analysis during uk championship, alongside jimmy white. returned professional competition in qualifying rounds german masters in december 2015, defeating hamza akbar 5–1 in first round, losing 3–5 stuart carrington in second round.

in 2016 new year honours, appointed officer of order of british empire (obe) services snooker.

in group 1 of championship league, made 800th competitive century break of career in match against barry hawkins, , went on defeat ricky walden 3–0 in semi-finals , robert milkins 3–0 in final, earning ticket winners group. @ masters, defeated mark williams 6–5 in first round, mark selby 6–3 in quarter-finals, , stuart bingham 6–3 in semi-finals reach eleventh masters final of career. defeated barry hawkins 10–1 in final win sixth masters title , equal stephen hendry s record masters wins.

at welsh open, o sullivan defeated barry pinches 4–1 in first round. in fifth frame of match, o sullivan declined opportunity make maximum break, potting pink off penultimate red , completing break of 146. stated afterward prize money of £10,000 not worthy of 147. world snooker chairman barry hearn called decision unacceptable , disrespectful . in second round, defeated tian pengfei 4–0 in 39 minutes, breaks of 110, 90, 112 , 102 in 4 frames played. tian scored 37 points in match. in third round, defeated jimmy robertson 4–0 in 55 minutes, performance included breaks of 94 , 131 part of run of 300 points without reply. defeated yu delu 4–1 in last 16, , defeated world number 1 mark selby 5–1 in quarterfinals, finishing break of 132. 6–3 victory on joe perry in semi-final secured place in final against neil robertson. despite trailing 3–5 after afternoon session, o sullivan won 6 frames played in evening session, finishing break of 141 defeat robertson 9–5 , equal john higgins s record of 4 welsh open titles. 28th ranking title, put him in joint second place higgins , steve davis number of career ranking titles. on tournament whole, o sullivan won 36 of 47 frames played, , compiled ten century breaks.

at championship league, o sullivan lost 3–2 in final against judd trump. during tournament, o sullivan s 24-match winning streak came end following 3–0 defeat mark williams. o sullivan faced michael holt in first round of world grand prix , lost 4–3.

in world championship, o sullivan beat david gilbert 10–7 in first round. after match, refused attend mandatory press conference, , refused talk tournament broadcasters, bbc. received formal warning world snooker, , advised further breaches of contract lead fines. in second round, lost 12–13 barry hawkins, first loss against hawkins in 14 years , second time in 13 years had failed reach world championship quarterfinals.

2016/2017 season: uk championship runner-up , record seventh masters title

o sullivan @ 2016 european masters in bucharest, romania

o sullivan began 2016/2017 season late, @ shanghai masters. in first round, defeated liang wenbo 5–4 after recovering 1–4 down. first professional tournament match in 5 months. however, far progressed, in second round lost 2–5 michael holt. competing in inaugural european masters, o sullivan defeated david gilbert 4–1 in first round, mark allen 4–2 in second round, mark davis 4–1 in quarterfinals , whitewashed neil robertson 6–0 in semi-final. facing judd trump in final, o sullivan took 5–3 lead after first session. in second session, o sullivan further led 8–6 before losing 8–9. in first of home nations series of tournaments, @ inaugural english open, o sullivan defeated jimmy robertson 4–0 in first round, zhao xintong 4–3 in second, lost chris wakelin in third 3–4. @ international championship, o sullivan beat xiao guodong 6–4 in first round , kurt maflin 6–4 in second reach last 16. however, defeated michael holt 4–6, making third consecutive loss holt in 2016.

o sullivan returned action in champion of champions. won group defeating robin hull 4–2 in first round , martin gould 6–2 in second, , beat mark allen 6–2 in semi-final impressive performance including 3 century breaks. o sullivan not reproduce same form in final , lost 7–10 john higgins. @ inaugural northern ireland open, o sullivan defeated david john 4–1 in first round, jimmy white 4–1 in second, , zhang anda 4–0 in third. kyren wilson edged out o sullivan 3–4 in fourth round after o sullivan had staged comeback 3 consecutive century breaks after going 0–3 behind.

at uk championship, o sullivan produced dominant displays in opening rounds defeating boonyarit keattikun 6–0 in first, rhys clark 6–0 in second , michael georgiou 6–1 in third. beat matthew stevens 6–2 in fourth round, mark williams 6–2 in quarter-finals, , marco fu 6–5 in tense semi-final, winning deciding frame decisive break of 130. in final, o sullivan played mark selby. in first session after o sullivan went 2–1 up, selby took advantage of errors o sullivan win 5 straight frames. however, in high quality second session, o sullivan fought close within 1 frame @ 7–8, selby prevailed winning next 2 frames , title 7–10. in last 6 frames of match, total of 5 century breaks made, 2 o sullivan of 134 , 130. defeat marked first time o sullivan had lost in uk championship final , third consecutive defeat in major final in season.

o sullivan ended 2016 @ scottish open. defeated matthew selt 4–2 in first round, adam stefanow 4–1 in second, jimmy white 4–2 in third , mark allen 4–2 in last 16. beaten 2–5 john higgins in quarter-finals.

in new year, o sullivan returned masters defending champion. defeated liang wenbo 6–5 in dramatic first-round match. in tenth frame, liang missed final black in clearance have given him victory. after potting black, o sullivan went on produce break of 121 in deciding frame win match. o sullivan beat neil robertson 6–3 in quarter-finals, , marco fu 6–4 in semi-finals reach twelfth masters final despite problems cue tip. in final, defeated joe perry 10–7 win seventh masters title, setting record number of title wins @ tournament. after tournament, o sullivan received disciplinary letter world snooker on comments made press after match fu. criticised referee terry camilleri s performance , photographer during post-match interviews. led o sullivan stating no longer give in-depth answers in interviews or press conferences, claiming when share thoughts, risk being fined .

at german masters, o sullivan lost 4–5 mark king in last 32 despite leading 4–1. o sullivan entered world grand prix seeded fifth on one-year ranking list. defeated yan bingtao 4–2 in first round, lost 1–4 neil robertson in second. in final event of home nations series, welsh open, o sullivan progressed past tom ford 4–1 in first round. defence ended mark davis, beat him 3–4 in second round after o sullivan had led 3–0.

o sullivan entered players championship seeded 7th on one-year ranking list. defeated liang wenbo 5–1 in first round, defeated 3−5 judd trump in quarter-finals. @ china open, o sullivan defeated gareth allen 5−0 in first round, upset 4−5 mark joyce in second.

on eve of world championships, o sullivan attended 40th anniversary celebration of crucible theatre holding world snooker championship past champion. o sullivan faced debutant gary wilson in first round. won 5 of first 6 frames before wilson fought winning 3 consecutive frames trail 5−4 @ end of first session. in high scoring second session, o sullivan went on defeat wilson 10−7 , celebrated repeatedly punching air. speaking media @ length first time since masters, o sullivan attacked wpbsa during post-match press conference using threatening language in communications him , said no longer bullied governing body in future. jason ferguson, chairman of wpbsa, , barry hearn, chairman of world snooker, denied allegations. past champions john higgins , stuart bingham backed o sullivan higgins expressing sympathy him , bingham saying had point . however, 2005 champion shaun murphy claimed o sullivan s comments wrong . added further intrigue ahead of second round clash of o sullivan , murphy. o sullivan later issued statement saying not making further comment during championships , instead focus on quest sixth world title .

during second round match, o sullivan opened 4 frame advantage on murphy in first session lead 6−2. in second session, o sullivan maintained advantage lead 10−6 going final session. third session saw no comeback murphy , o sullivan progressed quarter-finals 13−7. quarter-finals furthest o sullivan progress, fell behind ding junhui 6–10 after opening 2 sessions. despite scoring tournament s highest break 146 in final session, lose 10–13. following loss, o sullivan stated had no intention of retiring.

2017/2018 season: 2 ranking titles – english open , shanghai masters

hong kong masters: o sullivan 1 of 8 elite players invited play in inaugural hong kong masters. o sullivan reached final, having narrowly beaten john higgins 5–4 in quarter-finals , judd trump 6–5 in semi-finals, despite needing snooker in deciding frame of match trump. in final, o sullivan faced neil robertson , defeated 3–6, despite scoring highest break of tournament run of 143 in fifth frame. part of british quintet of himself, mark williams, graeme dott, joe perry , michael holt; o sullivan captained great britain victory in cvb snooker challenge team event, beating china 26–9 aggregate score.

china championship: o sullivan entered 1 of first 6 ranking tournaments of season, china championship. reached quarter-finals victories on sam baird , david gilbert before recording 5–0 whitewash of graeme dott in last 16. lost eventual champion luca brecel 4–5 succumbing succession of breaks after leading 4–1.

in lead english open, o sullivan qualified international championship , shanghai masters whitewashing gerard greene 6–0 , christopher keogan 5–0 respectively.

english open: o sullivan competed in first of 4 home nations events, english open. in first round, o sullivan defeated zhang anda 4–1. won despite injuring ankle prior match, , forced play in trainers in violation of player s dress code. world snooker later gave o sullivan permission wear trainers rest of open. in second round, o sullivan beat mark davis 4–1, compiling back-to-back century breaks of 136 , 134 in last 2 frames of match. in third round, continued form, winning 4–1 against zhang yong. o sullivan compiled 3 centuries during third round match. match interrupted @ end of final frame female spectator running around table. despite distraction, o sullivan continued playing , potted pink ball break of 129 before offered cue spectator take last shot (where missed twice) before being led away security. in last 16 match, o sullivan trailed john higgins 0–1, 1–2, , 2–3 before triumphing in decider , winning 4–3. in quarter-finals o sullivan beat jack lisowski 5–2. in semi-finals o sullivan scored 6–4 victory on anthony mcgill reach final. in final, o sullivan defeated kyren wilson 9–2 29th ranking title. during final match compiled 4 centuries , had pot success of 98%, missing total of 6 balls during 11 frames played. altogether, o sullivan compiled 12 centuries during tournament, more other competitor. o sullivan s first victory in ranking event in more 20 months.

in first of 2 follow-up ranking tournaments in china - international championship, o sullivan lost 6–1 in first round yan bingtao, making century break in frame added account. however, month later, during shanghai masters rediscovered form, led continuing success. o sullivan came through several highly reputable opponents, defeating gary wilson, joe perry, barry hawkins , old rivals mark williams , john higgins, dropping 6 frames on route final. there faced judd trump, in more-than-fantastic form, had whitewashed first 4 opponents 20 consecutive frames on board , had beaten jack lisowski 6–3 comfortably in semi-finals. straight beginning, o sullivan knew had raise game , did perfectly, raced 7–0 lead. after 2 players exchanged 1 century break each , after trump narrowly lost frame 12 on final black, o sullivan won final 10–3, calling 1 of best victories of career , claiming 30th ranking title. o sullivan acknowledged hadn t played brilliant did in barnsley, rather credited accomplishment patience, experience , improved mentality.