“He will probably feel like he has let people down, apologising, you can’t really ever apologise for a performance like that. You just have to say: ‘Thank you very much I got over the line’. I think the crowd appreciated that.
“The apology to the crowd was a lovely gesture, as much as he does feel a bit of responsibility as the best player we’ve ever seen to entertain as well, that is part of the weight on his shoulders.”
A stunning long red in the final frame sealed victory for O’Sullivan, which Mark Allen marvelled at. “Honestly that last red he got I can’t tell you how good a shot it was,” he added. “For all the rubbish that was played today and Ronnie will say that, this is an unbelievable bit of cueing.
“I don’t know many people that would have actually taken that on considering the circumstances but an unbelievable shot, dead centre to win the match at the first chance of asking. He’s a showman isn’t he? He said he wants to take that first chance because he might not get another but that was an unbelievable red.”
