The Rocket to take on giantkiller Un-Nooh for world crown

Ronnie O’Sullivan produced a nerveless clearance in the final frame to beat Wu Yize 6-5 and secure his place in the final of the World Open in Yushan. He will take on Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who spurned chances on the pink and black in a dramatic decisive frame, before eventually getting over the line to defeat world number one Judd Trump 6-4.

The Rocket is flying high after a moment of history yesterday saw him craft the highest break ever seen in professional snooker, a run of 153. Having stated at the start of the week he was rebuilding his cue action and struggling to find confidence in his game, it has been a remarkable showing from the seven-time World Champion to this point in the event. 

O’Sullivan can now look forward to the 66th ranking final of his career tomorrow over the best of 19 frames against Un-Nooh for the £175,000 top prize. 

50-year-old O’Sullivan could enjoy another landmark moment with victory in tomorrow’s title match. He would become the first ever player to win a ranking event in his teens, 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. 

Wu and O’Sullivan’s only previous meeting came at the 2022 European Masters. On that occasion it was a one-sided 5-1 win for O’Sullivan. However, Wu is a different prospect these days.

The 22-year-old Chinese star won his first ranking title earlier this season at the International Championship. He defeated John Higgins 10-6 to capture the silverware. Wu came within one frame of the Masters final earlier this year, losing his semi-final 6-5 against Kyren Wilson. 

The opening exchanges this afternoon went the way of 41-time ranking event winner O’Sullivan, who made breaks of 86 and 78 en route to a 3-1 lead at the mid-session. 

Wu dug deep and after taking the fifth frame he edged a dramatic sixth to make it 3-3. It came down to the final ball and Wu deposited a black along the top cushion reminiscent of O’Sullivan’s shot to seal his 153 break yesterday. 

The pair began to trade big breaks as the match went down to the wire. Runs of 97 and 118 from O’Sullivan and 86 and 77 from Wu ensured the match went down to a final frame at 5-5. The first chance went the way of Wu but he was forced to play safe on 43. O’Sullivan sensed his chance and deposited a daring red to the yellow pocket. From that he made 89 and ran out the victor. 

“I like my bottle when I’m flowing. I like my bottle anyway really,” said Englishman O’Sullivan. “At 5-5 when he missed I had a chance on the red I had to go for it. The ball went in, which I couldn’t believe, and I made a great clearance.

“I knew that if I got the red I fancied I could clear up. In previous years I was begging my opponent to not miss because I didn’t want to embarrass myself. That is different now. I feel a lot happier because I’m in that frame of mind. Even if I miss, at least I fancy it. 

“His cue power and snooker brain is great. He has a lot to learn but it is the easy bits he needs to learn. He’s like me before I met Ray Reardon. He can pot balls and score really well. I’m telling him he needs to learn the other side of the game.”

A nerve-shredding tenth frame saw Un-Nooh miss a routine pink with the final two balls at his mercy. The ball went safe and a tactical battle ensued. Trump deposited a double but didn’t land on the black. Another Trump double attempt could only find the knuckles of the middle pocket and Un-Nooh slotted home a long range black to reach his third ranking final. 

The 40-year-old is gunning for a second piece of ranking silverware and a first win in a full format event. The quickfire cueman’s previous tournament win appropriately came at the 2019 Shoot Out. 

Un-Nooh’s only other appearance in a ranking final came here in Yushan, back in 2019. He faced Trump in the title match and fell short in a 10-5 defeat. Tomorrow Un-Nooh goes toe to toe with seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, over 19 frames, for the £175,000 top prize. Victory for Un-Nooh would see him catapult into the top 12 on the Sportsbet.io One-Year List and earn a place at the Tour Championship. 

Defeat for Trump sees him lose in the semi-finals for the third time this calendar year, having suffered 6-5 losses at the hands of John Higgins at the Masters and the Players Championship. He did capture the title at the German Masters though and his consistent form will give him heart ahead of the Tour Championship and the World Championship. 

The opening frame this evening saw Trump come from having required four snookers to move 1-0 ahead. Un-Nooh restored parity, before a break of 89 put Trump 2-1 up. A tight frame before the interval then went the way of Un-Nooh, who cleared the colours to steal on the black and draw level at 2-2. 

Un-Nooh produced inspired snooker when play resumed to get to the verge of victory. Runs of 128, 134 and 134 helped him to three of the next five frames to move 5-4 ahead. At that point he dramatically got over the line with that pulsating tenth frame. 

Un-Nooh said: “When I missed the pink I had goosebumps. I was in shock. Wow. How did I miss that? I got lucky not to leave him on the black and I was able to pot it to the left corner. It was a good shot in the end. 

“I didn’t want to play safe on the black. I just thought, come on, go for it. I wanted to play with confidence. I didn’t want to play safe with him as he is a really good safety player. I was so relieved and I’m happy to get into a second final in Yushan.

“What a game tomorrow. It is my dream final. I dreamed one day I’d play Ronnie in a final. If the luck goes with me then hopefully I can win.”