Ronnie O'Sullivan suffers disastrous whitewash in morning session against Zhao Xintong in World Snooker Championship semi-final
By Jonny Bray
Published 02/05/2025 at 12:35 GMT+1
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Ronnie O'Sullivan suffered through a nightmare morning session against Zhao Xintong in the World Snooker Championship semi-finals and trails 12-4. Zhao didn't lose a frame during an impressive showing in Sheffield, but many fans have been left scratching their heads after The Rocket reportedly decided to make changes to his cue ahead of the session.
'Doesn't normally miss those' - Uncharacteristic O'Sullivan miss highlights 'brave' ferrule change
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ronnie O'Sullivan had a nightmare morning session at the 2025 World Snooker Championship as Zhao Xintong established an impressive 12-4 lead at the Crucible.
The match could have swung either way at the start of the session, with the scores locked at 4-4 after a closely-fought encounter on Thursday evening.
However, O’Sullivan surprised fans in Sheffield before the action got underway on Friday morning, reportedly changing both the tip and the ferrule of his cue.
The decision appears to have backfired, with O'Sullivan currently trailing by eight frames, and TNT Sports commentator David Hendon feels it was a brave move to make the changes at such a vital point in the contest.
"He does not normally miss those," he said.
"Changing a ferrule, he won't know what it is playing like, until he is playing under pressure with it.
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'Immaculate snooker' - Zhao runs riot over O'Sullivan with another century in dominant session
Video credit: TNT Sports
"Yesterday, he seemed to be striking the ball so well with his new tip and his new ferrule, but he was not happy.
"It was a brave decision."
The Cyclone came out of the blocks firing at the Crucible, producing a break of 57 to take an early 5-4 lead.
There was very little O'Sullivan could do to stop his opponent, as he followed that up with an even better break of 112 to double his advantage.
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Things then went from bad to worse for The Rocket, with Zhao extending his lead to 7-4 after another impressive visit of 82.
It was 8-4 shortly after when The Cyclone produced a frame-winning break of 57, and he didn't let up after the interval.
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'I don't think he can believe it' - O'Sullivan woes worsen as he misses routine blue
Video credit: TNT Sports
A visit of 67 made it 9-4, and Zhao then won his seventh frame in a row to extend his lead to six with another big visit of 115.
Zhao finished the morning on a high, taking the 15th frame with ease before wrapping up a perfect showing in the session with a break of 87.
O'Sullivan now has a mountain to climb if he wants to reach the final against either Judd Trump or Mark Williams.
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