Stephen Hendry has reacted after Ronnie O’Sullivan thrashed Jackson Page 10-1 in the first round of the World Snooker Championship.
It was a vintage performance from the seven-time champion and he’s in Sheffield again looking to stand alone with eight world titles.
O’Sullivan won the tournament two years ago to draw level with Hendry on seven titles but lost to Luca Brecel in the last eight 12 months ago.
This season, The Rocket has already won the other two major titles in the Masters and the UK Championships and now he’s targeting the triple crown.
After such a comprehensive win, Hendry has reacted and he’s delivered an amazing verdict on the greatest player to ever pick up a snooker cue.
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Stephen Hendry delivers ‘incredible’ verdict on Ronnie O’Sullivan
Well, it’s fair to say that the performance of O’Sullivan has caught the eye of the man he aims to eclipse in the next fortnight.
In fact, Hendry was so impressed that he believes O’Sullivan won’t even be tested during this year’s edition of the competition.
Hendry said live on BBC Two: “He always beats the players who he’s supposed to beat every single time. If you’re going to that game today and he’s 8-1 up, you can book lunch for two o’clock. It’s incredible.
“I tend to think this could be a procession this World Championship. I really do. He looks like he’s on it, the draw has opened up. There are two players in his half that have beaten him this year; Mark Williams and Zhang Anda. They’re both out.
“He’s got Judd possibly in the semi-finals who hasn’t beaten him since 2020. I think this could be a procession this year, honestly.”
Ronnie produces magic and Hendry could be right
Wow! What a performance from The Rocket.
This was a truly special performance from O’Sullivan and he does look seriously tuned in for this tournament.
With O’Sullivan not entering until day five, it does mean that this year is a shorter event for him and that’s a problem for his rivals.
The first round can always be tricky for the seeded players.
With qualifying seeing the players outside of the top 16 play at least two games, they typically come in fresh to the longer format.
Jackson Page came through against the troublesome Noppon Saengkham and he was well prepared for this match.
As Hendry has alluded too, however, he was no match for O’Sullivan and better players could struggle against the best ever at this tournament.
Who does Ronnie O’Sullivan play next?
Well, the seeds haven’t done too well this year and as a result, O’Sullivan will face a qualifier in Ryan Day.
The Welsh performer knocked out Barry Hawkins 10-8 and he will hope to cause an almighty shock in round two.
O’Sullivan won’t be fazed by anyone and he does have a strong record against Day as a professional.
In 11 matches that the two have played, O’Sullivan has won nine of them, with Day winning just twice.
Interestingly, the pair have met at the World Championship in the round of 16 previously.
On that occasion in 2006, O’Sullivan ran out a 13-10 winner before losing to Graeme Dott in the semi-final.