Ronnie O’Sullivan against Judd Trump could be one of the all-time classic Crucible finals. Here are the key stats about two of snooker’s great entertainers…
Trump leads the head-to-head record 13-12. They have met in ten finals, Trump winning seven of those. Their Triple Crown final meetings came at the 2014 UK Championship, when O’Sullivan won 10-9, and the 2019 Masters, when O’Sullivan came out on top 10-4. Their only Crucible meeting was a semi-final in 2013, O’Sullivan winning 17-11.
Chigwell’s O’Sullivan is aiming for a seventh Crucible crown, which would equal the record set by Stephen Hendry. His previous titles came in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2020. The 46-year-old is the oldest finalist since Ray Reardon who was 49 in 1982, and victory would make O’Sullivan the oldest ever World Champion, surpassing Reardon who was 45 in 1978.
O’Sullivan is chasing a 39th ranking title, already ahead of Hendry’s mark of 36. And he is hoping for a 21st Triple Crown victory as he has already won the UK Championship and Masters seven times apiece. He is playing in his eighth Sheffield final, one behind Hendry’s record of nine. So far this season, his only title came at the Cazoo World Grand Prix in December.
He has made 12 centuries during this event, so four in the final would see him match the record of 16 in a single Championship, set by Hendry in 2002 and already equalled this year by Mark Williams. O’Sullivan has conceded 25 frames in the event so far, beating David Gilbert, Mark Allen, Stephen Maguire and John Higgins.
Bristol’s 32-year-old Trump is playing in his third Crucible final, having lost to Higgins in 2011 and beaten the same player in 2019. Victory would make him only the seventh player to lift the trophy more than once in Sheffield, joining Steve Davis, Hendry, Higgins, Williams, O’Sullivan and Mark Selby.
The left-hander is aiming for his 24th ranking title, which would bring him alongside Williams in joint-fifth place on the all time list. Trump has won each of the three Triple Crown events once. He is trying to win a third title of the season having landed the Cazoo Champion of Champions and Nirvana Turkish Masters.
Trump has made eight centuries during the event and conceded 39 frames, knocking out Hossein Vafaei, Anthony McGill, Stuart Bingham and Mark Williams.
Whoever wins the final will bank £500,000 and finish the season as world number one.
There have been 103 centuries in the tournament so far – five more would equal the record of 108 set last year.
The final starts at 1pm on Sunday with eight frames in the first session, then nine more from 7pm. On Monday from 1pm they play eight more, with the balance from 7pm. First to 35 frames takes snooker’s biggest prize.
Enjoy the show!
This post appeared first on World Snooker.
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