Ali Carter has revealed that Ronnie O’Sullivan is starting to ‘annoy him’ following his defeat at the hands of the Rocket in the Masters final on Sunday. The pair have clashed at the table on numerous occasions previously, and another chapter was added to their rivalry at Alexandra Palace over the weekend.
O’Sullivan came from behind to secure a stunning 10-7 win over Carter, despite appearing to be in trouble for the majority of the contest. The Captain stormed into a 6-3 lead but was unable to hold on during the latter stages of the game, with O’Sullivan digging deep to secure his eighth title.
Expectations were high heading into the match and the game did not disappoint, with the pair’s rivalry only being spurred on further following their dramatic final. Speaking after the game, Carter joked that he is becoming increasingly irritated by O’Sullivan.
He said: “‘He’s beginning to annoy me. It’s a good week, obviously, I’m gutted I lost the final, it’s all about winning at the end of the day. But before I rocked up last week I’d have took the final, so a lot of good things to come for me. I’m heading in the right direction.”
Carter’s light-hearted comment certainly did not raise eyebrows, with the crowd aware of the ongoing feud between the pair that has been threatening to boil over for some time.
The 44-year-old did allow his frustrations to get the better of him at one point during the final in a moment that television cameras failed to pick up. Carter is said to have had an altercation with several members of the crowd after it became clear that they were supporting O’Sullivan throughout the match.
Speaking about the incident, BBC pundit Shaun Murphy said: “I’ve just watched out of the corner of my eye before Carter played that shot, he had a small interaction with a couple of members of the audience who were shouting out for O’Sullivan. He just needs to mind that and not get involved. He’ll know that O’Sullivan, rightly so, is the popular choice here in his home town.”
Carter and O’Sullivan have clashed on several occasions, most notably in 2018 at the World Championship when the referee was forced to intervene after the Rocket sparked a row by labelling his opponent ‘Mr Angry’ mid-match. Their rivalry is showing no signs of slowing down after Sunday and the outcome of the Masters final will only add further pressure to their next grudge match.
