Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed that Ding Junhui was not impressed with Luca Brecel after being ‘bullied’ by the Belgian at the World Snooker Championship. The one-time Crucible king stormed to a 13-4 win over his Chinese rival in a brilliant display. He reeled off seven straight frames in the opening session, which Steve Davis described as one of the best he had ever seen.
Brecel only needed one frame to wrap up the match in Monday’s final session, knocking in a break of 71 to complete the rout. Ding was gracious in defeat but O’Sullivan has claimed that he was quietly furious behind the scenes, having been made to feel like Brecel was ‘rubbing it in’ with his sensational shots. The Rocket was speaking in the TNT Sports studio after beating Pang Junxu
“I could hear the balls flying in off the lampshade,” said O’Sullivan when quizzed on Brecel’s thumping victory. “I don’t think Ding liked it, to be honest with you. I think he had a bit of a wazz-up last night.
“I think he felt like he was having his nose rubbed in it a little bit, I suppose. I think he just bullied him, by what I could hear. You know, balls, doubles, trebles, big breaks.
“He’s great to watch, I must admit. When you’re watching him play like that it’s phenomenal, really. He’s such an amazing player.”
Brecel appears to be rediscovering his form at the perfect time, having struggled to find consistency since he won the world title in 2023. He has not reached a ranking event final this season but looks rejuvenated at the Crucible and will hope to go all the way.
Alan McManus has tipped the Belgian to become a two-time champion if he can make it past Judd Trump, who made a stunning century of centuries during his second-round win over Shaun Murphy, in the quarter-finals.
“Judd is the ultimate test for anybody, but this is the test for Luca,” McManus told TNT Sports. “Thinking about it now and looking at the draw, if Luca beats Judd, I think he goes on to win the title.
“Who is going to stop him? He has dismantled Ding. If he gets the better of Judd, he’s got to be favourite for the title, it’s as simple as that. If the notion takes Judd and if his form dips enough, he will be happy to say: ‘No risk with the safety’.
“Therefore, the table through time gets… not scrapped up, but it makes life difficult for Luca, keeps him in his chair a lot, doesn’t give him any table time for free.
“These are all tricks of the trade that Judd has nailed down and Luca doesn’t. What he does have is that when he plays, he has fun. A bit like Judd, he just had fun when he played here 14 years ago in the final against John [Higgins].”
