HOSSEIN VAFAEI beat Ronnie O’Sullivan to spare his blushes after an awful miss in the deciding frame.
The duo, who have a long-running feud, met at the World Open in China.
EurosportHossein Vafaei missed an easy shot and thought he’d lost the game[/caption]
GettyVafaei was handed another chance and kept his nerve at the second time of asking[/caption]
X @eurosportRonnie O’Sullivan and Vafaei’s feud appeared to be over[/caption]
Vafaei booked his place in the quarter-final with a dramatic 5-4 win.
But the Iranian thought he had wasted an opportunity during the decider while he was 33-0 up.
The pressure appeared to get to the 29-year-old as he failed to pocket the easiest of reds.
It led to Eurosport commentator Neal Foulds gasping: “Oh wow, what a miss. I’ve seen nothing like that.”
O’Sullivan was unexpectedly handed a lifeline and set himself up with the chance to win the match, having potted a red with a fantastic shot.
However, the Rocket then missed a simple black and gave Vafaei a second opportunity to seal victory.
He made no mistake as he held his nerve on the colours to win by one point.
After his shock win, Vafaei revealed he was still a tad embarrassment by his poor miss.
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He said: “I’m still shocked how I missed that red to be honest with you.
“I went down [on the shot] so quick so my eyes couldn’t see anywhere.
“That’s unforgivable and all of sudden the game changed. I thought I was going to lose that.
“I’m very happy that in the end I get the victory.”
Vafaei previously clashed with O’Sullivan in 2021, accusing him of “disrespect” during a German Masters encounter for smashing the reds with a break-off shot.
The 48-year-old then annoyed him again following comments encouraging young people not to take up snooker.
Vafaei hit back and claimed O’Sullivan should retire and left the legend extra “fired up” for their next meeting.
However, their feud seems to be over as Vafaei added today: “He’s my hero – just playing against O’Sullivan is just a dream come true, never mind winning.”
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