Sunday in Leicester saw Ronnie O’Sullivan extend his remarkable run of form by winning the 2024 World Grand Prix.
At the Morningside Arena, the Rocket overcame a 4-0 deficit to defeat Judd Trump 10–7.
With success, O’Sullivan achieves a career ranking title record of 41 and starts his second of what looks to be an incredible 2023–24 campaign.
The 48-year-old has now won 14 straight World Snooker Tour matches. During this exceptional run, he also won silver in the UK Championship and the Masters last week.
Earlier this term, in the first half, O’Sullivan also won the renowned Shanghai Masters in China.
The world’s top two competitors faced off in a thrilling matchup in the World Grand Prix to decide the winner.
However, it wasn’t nearly the spectacular event that many had anticipated, especially in light of O’Sullivan’s captivating performance in the semifinals.
Despite the day’s constant drama and anxiety, neither contestant was able to perform to the best of their abilities.
Trump was able to take advantage early on, building a 4-0 lead before the halfway point of the session.
The top seed, who has won three ranking events this season, was, however, far from at his best and appeared more nervous as the tie went on.
By winning three of the next four frames, O’Sullivan fought his way back to trail by only two at the end of the first session.
Trump moved three clear once more and seemed to be off the hook when the seven-time world champion squandered a chance early in the evening’s play.
However, O’Sullivan swiftly cut the lead to one with breaks of 58 and 74, and he promptly restored parity by winning a close 12th frame on the black.
There were two crucial moments that really turned the tide of the battle in his favor after he took the lead for the first time.
Trump rattled the last black in the fourteenth frame and the brown in the fifteenth frame, ultimately losing both despite having great possibilities to win the following two tight games.
To his credit, the potter from Bristol pushed deep and managed to stay in the running with a timely 73.
Trump then had an opportunity to close the gap to one, but he made a weak safety and a poor positioning stroke, which allowed his legendary opponent to win 10–7 and clean the scores.
With his triumph against his toughest adversary, O’Sullivan collects the £100,000 champion’s cheque and solidifies his position as the finest player in the world right now.
When Ronnie O’Sullivan surpasses Steve Davis’ record for professional tournament titles—aside from team or doubles titles—he will undoubtedly own every significant record in the sport that I can think of. This is one record that I didn’t believe he would break. He will be unstoppable if he surpasses Hendry’s seven global titles and captures his first triple crown in a single season at the world championship this year. I always believe that a record remains in the “possession” of the person who sets it until it is actually broken. For example, in the modern era, Hendry’s record of seven world titles in snooker is still held by O’Sullivan, just as Michael Schumacher’s record of seven Formula One world titles is currently held by Lewis Hamilton.
The fact that O’Sullivan has already achieved a major event hat-trick without much attention has irritated me. On the other hand, the snooker media duly celebrated Trump’s October treble. This is still a hat-trick even though the Masters isn’t graded. It may perhaps be the first time in O’Sullivan’s career that he has triumphed in three straight competitions.
The debate about what counts as the most career titles won is the issue with the record. In my opinion, there should only be individual competitions. Additionally, I would exclude snooker variations like Power Snooker.
In the multi-session finals, O’Sullivan and Trump are presently tied at six.
Murphy received the highest break award for his 145-point contribution.
You’re correct in that he has taken part in three consecutive events, which is really incredible. However, since the Scottish Open and the Shoot Out took place in between the UKs and the Masters, it isn’t quite three straight events on the schedule. Furthermore, he did travel to Edinburgh but changed his mind at the last minute. For me, there is therefore a little variation. Of course, nonetheless quite stunning, and even more distinguished than Trump’s events.
