O’Sullivan admits it would have been a “travesty” if he’d won Williams clash

13 January 2023 , 13:31

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Ronnie O'Sullivan has paid tribute to Mark Williams (Image: PA)

Ronnie O'Sullivan has admitted it would have been a 'travesty' if he would have won his Masters quarter-final against Mark Williams. O'Sullivan's tournament came to an end on Thursday following defeat to the Welshman.

The star pair played out a match for the ages, which was eventually settled via a deciding frame, won by Williams to secure a dramatic 6-5 victory. Whilst O'Sullivan came agonisingly close to a semi-final spot, it seems he believes the result was a fair one.

The Englishman shot out of the blocks to blow away Williams early on to give himself a healthy 3-0 advantage after the opening three frames.

The 47-year-old though soon hit back to win six of the last eight frames to secure an incredible comeback win. Placing the plaudits on his opponent, O'Sullivan told Eurosport post-match: "I didn't deserve to win that match today.

"I didn't score well enough, Mark scored better. I got off to a good start, which gave me a chance to hang in there, but when you don't score you shouldn't really win at this level.

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Ronnie O'Sullivan was gracious in defeat (PA)

“The snooker gods have done the right thing, he deserved to win. So fair play to him. He deserved his victory. I was happy I made a bit of a fight of it... The snooker gods done the right thing today.

"It would have been a travesty if I'd have won that. It would have been hard on Mark, especially after last year, when Neil [Robertson] beat him - that was a tough one to take. So fair play to him. He's come back.

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Mark Williams secured a memorable victory (PA)

"He's got another chance to get into the final.” O'Sullivan was still well in the game with one frame to play and the scores level. However he was the first to drop his guard in the decider, allowing Williams to tie up the match with an impressive century break.

Revealing he did have some nerves in the final frame, 'The Rocket' added: "I didn't feel nervous, really. I felt a little bit nervous in the last frame - I had the one chance but when you're not cueing smoothly and you're not scoring, those balls are missable. And I wasn't surprised when I missed it. I got a bit tight. But that's what happens when you're not, on the button, but that's just the way it goes.”

Joshua Lees