Ronnie O’Sullivan had some remarkable tip trouble on Tuesday at the Welsh Open and admits that it will be on his mind as his campaign continues.
The world champion against amateur player Ross Muir did not really look like it was going to be a memorable affair, but there was all sorts of drama over the seven-frame contest, which O’Sullivan eventually won 4-3.
The Rocket’s tip came off his cue twice, which is extremely unusual, and there was controversy in the sixth frame which O’Sullivan lost on the three-miss rule.
The world number one twice missed the reds after being able to hit one full in the face, then unleashed a wild swing at the cue ball, smashing it into the pink and losing the frame.
He regained his composure to win the decider and progress to the last 32, but after his tip fell off a couple of times, he is not sure how it will go in the games to come.
‘I haven’t got a clue. I’m lost on that one, to be honest, I haven’t got an answer,’ O’Sullivan told Eurosport on why he was having the problems with his cue.
‘Obviously it’s in the back of your mind because every shot I was playing, [I was] thinking “Is my tip going to fall off”?
‘Even now, I’m going to play tomorrow and not know if my tip is going to fall off my cue.
‘I’m playing certain shots thinking is it going to come off? It is what it is, you just have to deal with it and see what happens.’
He even suggested he would have to pull out of the event in Llandudno if the issue wasn’t resolved, saying: ‘I said afterwards to someone if this keeps happening I am going to have to pull out, I can’t keep having to go out of the arena every five or six shots.
‘It’s not fair on your opponent, or the crowd, or anyone. Somehow it stayed on after that but we’ll just have to see. That has never happened to me before.’
The tip problems were notable, but not as dramatic as O’Sullivan tossing away the sixth frame with a moment of madness.
The world champ claimed afterwards that he had no other shot than to have thrash at the reds, which wasn’t exactly true, but it didn’t end up costing him in the end.
‘I just didn’t have another shot really. I was snookered virtually on every ball,’ he said.
‘I had no shot, really. I either try and come off two cushions, miss the reds, frame over. Or I try and get a fluke and I tried to get a fluke, hit the pink, game over.’
O’Sullivan is back in action on Wednesday night against Rod Lawler in the last 32 as he looks to avoid the fate of the likes of Neil Robertson and Mark Williams, who have fallen early in Wales.
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