Stephen Hendry believes Ronnie O'Sullivan's snooker now goes 'from the sublime to the ridiculous', a pattern he says has persisted for the last couple of years. The seven-time world champion was speaking after O'Sullivan's early exit at the Shanghai Masters, where he lost 6-4 to Kyren Wilson in the last 16.
Flashes of brilliance
O'Sullivan, 50, made three consecutive centuries in that defeat, including a sublime 131, but struggled for form before and after that burst. Hendry, speaking on WST's Snooker Club podcast, said: 'That has basically been the story of Ronnie's game over the last year or two. He goes from the sublime to the ridiculous. He can suddenly look absolutely flawless and then go back to really struggling. Ronnie's game now is flashes of brilliance coupled with inconsistent form.'
O'Sullivan has not won a tournament in either of the last two seasons, despite stunning moments such as two 147s in a match at the Saudi Arabia Masters and a world record break of 153 at the World Open.
World title hopes
Before his Shanghai defeat, O'Sullivan spoke positively about his hopes of winning a record eighth world title, but only within the next two years. 'I'd love to win another World Championship. I've got two attempts at it,' the world number 14 said. 'Three years previous, I wasn't cueing well enough, so I feel like if I can find a bit of cueing find some form at Sheffield… if I don't do it this season or the next season, then it'll definitely never happen. But I'm pleased with my career. I'm happy with how things have gone, and I just want to try and enjoy these next two years. I'll reassess it in 2028 and if things are really going well, and I've surprised myself, then maybe you can extend it but you have to be realistic. I'm definitely not going to be playing qualifiers put it that way.'
Trump's winning machine
Judd Trump won the Shanghai Masters, beating Wilson in the final, his first title since February 1 at the German Masters. Hendry sees Trump as a different player now compared to a decade ago. 'Arguably, he's not as exciting to watch. He doesn't take the risks or go for the shots that he might have done 10 years ago. But there's no doubt he's a far better all-round player than he used to be,' said the Scot. 'He doesn't intimidate players with all-out attack in the same way he used to. The intimidation now comes from the fact that he's world number one—and he plays like a world number one. Judd used four different cues last season. If he's now got one that he's very happy with, it could spell trouble for the rest. Trump is a winning machine. When he gets on a roll, he loves winning. Even when he's not playing well, he has that habit of winning matches.'
O'Sullivan and Trump both begin their China Open campaigns this Sunday, facing Jackson Page and Noppon Saengkham respectively.
