Rocket Fires Magic Maximum
Ronnie O’Sullivan made a brilliant 147, the 15th of his career, to wrap up a 4-0 win over Allan Taylor at the BetVictor English Open.
O’Sullivan has now made four more 147s than any other player, with Stephen Hendry behind him on 11 maximums, followed by John Higgins on eight.
Today’s 147 was his second of the year having made one at the China Open in April. It’s the 143rd maximum in snooker history and second of the week; Thepchaiya Un-Nooh having made one on Tuesday. They will share the £17,000 bonus prize, earning £8,500 each as long as the break is not equalled this week.
Defending champion O’Sullivan had already made a 135 in the second frame against Taylor, also taking two other scrappy frames as he went 3-0 ahead. In the fourth he was barely out of position as he potted 15 reds with blacks then cleared the colours. The blue was a thin cut to a centre pocket, coming in and out of baulk to keep position, and he played it to perfection before slotting in the pink and black.
“It’s nice to get a 147 for a good crowd,” said the world number three, who now meets Jimmy White or Matthew Stevens in the last 32 on Thursday. “The last time I played really well was at this tournament last year in Barnsley. Since then I have been hit and miss. I started working with (coach) Stephen Feeney because I felt I had to try something. It’s the last throw of the dice. I had a really good six or seven years before that working with Steve Peters.
“The game evolves and gets better. New talent brings fresh ideas so you have to try to learn from that. For me as a purist it’s all about feeling as if I am capable of winning tournaments.”