RELAXED Ronnie O’Sullivan had a laugh and a joke with Crucible punters as he moved into the last eight of the World Snooker Championship.
The Rocket, 48, interacted with fans in the first frame of the third session of his second-round tie with Ryan Day.
PARonnie O’Sullivan is into the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship[/caption]
ReutersRyan Day was outclassed by the Rocket[/caption]
In Frame 17, the Essex potter cleared up the colours as he came from 35-57 points down to take an 11-6 lead on Monday afternoon.
Yet after potting the green with the rest, he could not resist sharing a few words with those seated in the front row of this famous old Sheffield theatre.
It was an unusual sight, especially as his concentration in matches is traditionally laser-sharp, almost unbreakable.
But it speaks to his approach this year, which appears to be more laid-back than usual as he chases a historic eighth-world crown.
O’Sullivan, 48, ended up winning 13-7 to reach a 22nd World Champ quarter-final in this tournament in 32 outings.
In the final frame, O’Sullivan put down a marker with an impressive score of 120 to Day’s 0.
His next opponent will be a qualifier in the shape of either Stuart Bingham or Jack Lisowski – that concludes tonight with Ball Run 9-7 up heading into the evening session.
Day, 44, talked pre-match about the scars that this place can have on you when you lose and he will return home to Wales for the off-season with plenty of regrets.
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Dynamite had many chances to win multiple frames across the two days.
If only he had not given away so many sloppy shots to an opponent of the calibre of the world No.1.
And though he may not have beaten O’Sullivan over the best of 25 frames had he been more clinical, he should have made it a more competitive affair.
Twelfth seed Kyren Wilson reached the next round with a 13-6 win over qualifier Joe O’Connor.
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