18 January 2024 , 23:20
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Ronnie O'Sullivan has again shared his struggles despite reaching the World Grand Prix quarter-finals in Leicester, saying he's not having fun.
After a close 4-3 victory over Zhou Yuelong, he told ITV4: "I've got to really consider whether I can carry on feeling how I'm feeling out there I just don't get any enjoyment from the way I'm hitting the ball. I feel like it's just hard work, I haven't a clue where the balls are going, and a lot of it's just guess-work."
He added that winning makes it harder to decide what to do next. He said: "The worst thing is you're winning bloody tournaments as well. If I was getting pumped every round playing like that it would be an easy decision to make."
Ronnie started strong with two big breaks but then missed a shot that let Zhou come back into the game. Despite never beating Ronnie before, Zhou managed to tie the match with some great shots. Ronnie reflected, "I've got to really consider whether I can carry on feeling how I'm feeling out there I just don't get any enjoyment from the way I'm hitting the ball."
Despite bouncing back from a three-frame deficit in their latest UK Championship face-off in December, Zhou ended up trailing again before forcing another final frame decider by landing 65 and 66 breaks. After hitting a red and black first, Zhou missed his centre shot, allowing O'Sullivan to swoop in with a cool 90 break to secure yet another win.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan said it was just "guess-work" over where he was hitting the ball (Getty Images)"It's been happening like this for 25 or 30 years, so it's nothing new," said O'Sullivan. "It's the only thing I've known and it's hard not to do this because it's my job, it's all I know, so I've struggled through it. But I can't accept bad cueing, I'd rather cue well and lose than cue awful and win tournaments. I get no satisfaction out of it, I really don't."
Meanwhile, last eight contender Gary Wilson awaits O'Sullivan following his 4-2 victory against Tom Ford in the Northern Ireland Open. The current champion Mark Allen suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Zhang Anda, China's rising star. Despite managing to score a 137 break after a slow start that saw him 3 frames down, Allen couldn't keep himself in the tournament.
Chinese player Cao Yupeng is set to face-off with Judd Trump in the semi-finals following undeniable wins over both Mark Selby and Mark Williams. Trump sailed to a 5-1 victory over local favourite Selby, while Cao made a comeback from 3-0 and 4-2 down to defeat Williams 5-4. The 33 year old clinched the win with a break of 74.
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