O’Sullivan marches on despite losing two frames

Ronnie O’Sullivan, the world champion and world no 1, underlined his class with a 4-2 victory over Ben Woollaston in the BetVictory Scottish Open at Meadowbank, Edinburgh. He led 3-0 before his Midlands rallied, but Ronnie’s potting power eventually broke Woollaston.

In the opening frame, O’Sullivan broke, taking cue ball up the table. Woollaston, 35 from Leicester, whose best finish was as a runner-up to John Higgins in the 2015 Welsh Open, eyed one of the reds separated from the pack and went for safety, the cue ball ending up in baulk.

O’Sullivan went for long red and missed. Woollaston maintained his safety first attitude. Ball on green spot.

More fencing but an attempted safety from Woollaston saw the cue ball hit the blue. O’Sullivan opted for safety. So did his opponent.

The Rocket then went for a long pot, he missed and Woollaston stayed safe. Finally, the champion potted a long red into the bottom right-hand bag to open the scoring, then missed with green into the centre. He was back at the table minutes later and the Rocket was off, picking off the free reds and following with a colour.

Woollaston could only sit and watch as the master accumulated, concentrating on the pink and black. O’Sullivan’s break of 50 ended when he missed a red into the bottom right-hand corner.

His opponent then had a break of eight. O’Sullivan moved in for a snooker but his opponent somehow managed to pot a red into the middle and attempted to build.

His attempt faltered on 12 when he missed a black into the bottom right hand pocket. Score 20-51. 

A break of 14 from O’Sullivan took the score to 65-20 before a bout of cat and mouse. O’Sullivan was then snookered but countered with a stunning recovery of three cushions. Another snooker came, more fencing, keeping the cue ball as far from the only remaining red as possible.

O’Sullivan, however, eyed his chance and potted long red between brown and black, a superb shot, break nine then Woollaston said OK, that’s enough.

Frame two and Woollaston was first to score, accumulating 30 but stopped to ponder after attempting to break up the reds. On he went, potting two tricky reds, but came unstuck on 55, brining the rest into play when the cue ball was close to a red. His only option was to opt for safety.

So did O’Sullivan, but the champion then claimed a red into the middle bag and stated to build. The black was off its spot but the pink sufficed for the Essex man who raced to 25, claiming the last red into a middle pocket, then he concentrated on the colours, yellow, green, brown took him to 47.

Blue disappeared for 52 and the pink was dispatched for 58 leaving the black. Score 58-55 with the black just below the right middle, Woollaston attempted a pot into the bottom right but missed and Ronnie said thank you for 2-0.

O’Sullivan broke in frame three, and soon he was in with a break 16 thanks to a neat black into the bottom pocket with one leg on the table, but the break ended with a missed red into the middle bag on 32.

Woollaston was back in and his break developed, working the black, but it ended at 30 when he failed to cut the pink into a mid pocket.

O’Sullivan prowled and picked off the reds. Woollaston looked at the floor. Then last red went with O’Sullivan’s break on 42. Yellow disappeared, green on spot, but he surprisingly missed. The Leicester man had seen enough. O’Sullivan was 3-0 after 55 minutes.

It was a long way back for the Midlander who edged The Rocket 4-3 in the Gibralter Open in March, but he pocketed a long red into the bottom right and moved to 15, then 23 as Ronnie sat impassively in his seat.

A blue into the middle helped break the pack and it was followed by a delicate red, also into the middle. On he went to pot the final red for 99 and then the yellow disappeared to take him into three figures with the balls all on their sport. The break finally halted at 132 for 3-1. 

O’Sulllivan broke in the next and then failed with long red. Woollaston went 10-0 down but was soon into the reds before missing a blue into the green bag on 24.

O’Sullivan was back at the table and in went a red followed by a pink, then another red then pink and on he went. Minutes later it was 29, then 35 when the pink went and Woollaston looked to the ceiling. 

He moved on to 43, 50, then he missed a red into the bottom with 43 points left on the board and the score at 60-24. Woollaston was asked to play again after missing a red and O’Sullivan then rattled the jaws of the yellow pocket with a long red along the cushion.

The score was 64-24 with 35 left on the table and the Leicester man moved in and, with all the balls on their spots, cleaned up with a break of 41 for a 65-64 win and a second frame.

Frame six and a bad start for the world No 1 as he missed a long red and his opponent was in. But his stay was short-lived as he missed a black off its spot.

O’Sullivan sensed victory. Woollaston looked glum. The Rocket was off and running, 25, then 31, then 39, a superb long red for 40, away went the blue into the green bag, a red then black. 

On he went, 59 quickly became 72 with only 59 left on the table. It ended with O’Sullivan bagging a break of 93, missing the final red, for 4-2. And he was gone.