World Masters of Snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan bounced back from a 2-1 deficit to clinch the title with a 5-2 victory over Belgium's Luca Bressel in the final in Saudi Arabia. If he wins, he will bank £250,000. O'Sullivan defeated Judd Trump 4-1 in the semi-finals earlier Wednesday.Bressel defeated Mark Allen 4-2 in the semifinals.
Wednesday 6 March 2024, UK, 23:19
Ronnie O'Sullivan has vowed to win the Golden Ball next year after defeating Luca Bressel in the final of the first World Masters of Snooker.
O'Sullivan defeated the reigning world champion 5-2 in Saudi Arabia to win his fifth title of the season.
However, his victory did not include potting the Golden Ball. The ball is on the bottom cushion as far as maximum break is possible and if potted in addition to 147 balls it would be worth £395,000.
Throughout the tournament in Riyadh, John Higgins came closest to the Golden Ball, but he potted all 15 men in red and black in the first frame of his second round match against Mark Williams, losing his position to a yellow. .
O'Sullivan, who pocketed £250,000 for winning the tournament, hopes to repeat the feat at next year's event.
“It was a great tournament, great venue, great crowd,” O'Sullivan told DAZN.
“It has been a while since we visited the Middle East and we are very happy to be back here.
“I’m going to win the gold ball next year. I didn’t want to win it all at once.
“This year we'll win the tournament and next year we'll get the Golden Ball. That would be great.”
O'Sullivan won the first frame with a break of 95, but Bressel came back strong in the second frame to equalize.
The Belgian closed in on the lead with a break of 81 to take a quick third frame, but a black miss in the next frame allowed O'Sullivan to equalize again with a clear 94.
O'Sullivan raced to victory after the interval, winning his 79th pro title with breaks of 121 and 124.
“It's been a great few days, I really enjoyed playing and I think the crowd was great,” said Bressel, the runner-up.