O'sullivan's 'rolling The Dice' Cue Gamble Pays Off

For immoderate snooker players, changing their cue would beryllium a traumatic acquisition – not for Ronnie O'Sulivan.

The 50-year-old, a seven-time world champion, utilized a different cue connected Wednesday to nan 1 he played pinch connected Tuesday, and some had nan aforesaid ascendant effect.

His 10-2 triumph complete Chinese debutant He Guoqiang was nan associated biggest truthful acold astatine nan 2026 World Championship and kept O'Sullivan connected people for a record-breaking eighth Crucible title.

He led 7-2 aft Tuesday's first convention and breaks of 62, 113, 100 connected Wednesday, each wrong an hr and each pinch his back-up cue, group up a mouth-watering last-16 necktie against four-time victor John Higgins.

"The extremity is much important than nan cue - that's why I brought 2 cues," said O'Sullivan, who admitted it had been a risky tactic.

"I've been redeeming this each twelvemonth because it had a spot of life successful it and I thought 'if I travel present and my main cue is nary good...'.

"The extremity wasn't bully yesterday. I did a bully job, considering. I thought 'a spot of a rotation of nan dice,' it was a gamble. You person to backmost yourself. I make immoderate crazy decisions successful everybody else's eyes, but they make complete consciousness to me.

"I was a spot tense because I thought you could look a spot silly."

Instead of looking silly, O'Sullivan make 2 period breaks successful 3 rapid-fire entertaining frames earlier an enthralled Crucible crowd, which included erstwhile Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes.

It astir sewage amended too.

In nan penultimate framework of nan match, O'Sullivan looked connected people for a maximum 147 break, potting 9 reds and 8 blacks, earlier opting to spell for a bluish successful a break of 113.