Ronnie O’Sullivan trails Ali Carter in the Masters final
By Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport
Published: 14 January 2024, 15:26 GMT
Updated: 20 minutes ago
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Ronnie O’Sullivan has twice beaten Ali Carter in world finals
Ali Carter has opened up a 5-3 lead over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the opening session of Sunday’s Masters final at Alexandra Palace. O’Sullivan, 48, who is chasing a record-extending eighth title, and Carter, 44, both made century breaks as they shared the first four frames. Carter then enjoyed a sublime run of 122 and won two of the next three frames to establish an advantage. The best-of-19-frames final will resume at 19:00 GMT.
World number one O’Sullivan, who won the UK Championship in December, has never won successive Triple Crown events in the same season but signalled his intent by taking the opener. However, while a recurring theme of his run to the final has been opponents failing to capitalise on lapses or some over-adventurous shots, Carter appeared to relish his surroundings.
Four years on from a loss to Stuart Bingham in the showpiece match, the world number 10 looked assured against the 40-time ranking event winner, who holds virtually every record in the sport and comfortably won both of their meetings in world finals in 2008 and 2012. Carter’s century in the fifth frame was his eighth of the tournament and equalled the mark set by O’Sullivan in 2007 and 2009. He was also able to take the third and sixth frames, in which both players had more than one opportunity among the balls. The only minor negative for Carter, which was immediately rectified with a run of 74 in the afternoon’s concluding frame, came in the seventh when he was unable to get going having been presented with two decent starting reds before O’Sullivan compiled a break of 86.
Analysis – O’Sullivan in unfamiliar territory
Shaun Murphy, 2005 world champion on BBC Two, said, “Can Ronnie O’Sullivan get to 10 frames before Ali Carter does by giving him a two-frame head start? Yes. But he’s in a position he’s not been in before this week. The most telling statistic this afternoon is that Ali is up at 94% pot success, meanwhile Ronnie is at 89%. That is rare. That gap there, those extra misses he’s thrown in, are the difference.”
Stephen Hendry, seven-time world champion on BBC Two, added, “When Ronnie gets to the table he just wants to stay there. That game works well against a player that is not at his best, but Ali is at his best. If the pattern continues, Ali will win so maybe Ronnie has to rein it in a bit. Ali has been so impressive. These two or three hours are so important, keeping his feet on the ground. People around him don’t need to talk about the fact he’s winning, he just needs to chill out. He will be expecting a reaction from Ronnie so he will have to be prepared for that.”
The Masters is considered one of the most prestigious snooker tournaments in the world, with a history dating back to 1975. Previous winners include snooker legends such as Steve Davis, Alex Higgins, and Stephen Hendry. Ali Carter, known for his tenacity and skill on the table, will look to secure his first Masters title, while Ronnie O’Sullivan aims to add to his already legendary status in the sport. The final promises to be a thrilling conclusion to an illustrious tournament.
The highly-anticipated final will continue, and fans can catch all the action live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, and online, with live text coverage of the final on Sunday, 14 January. So, make sure to tune in for the next chapter in the history of snooker.
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