Northern Ireland Open: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Mark Selby on final black to reach final

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Ronnie O'Sullivan
O'Sullivan dropped just four frames in five matches en route to the semi-finals

Ronnie O'Sullivan held his nerve to beat world number one Mark Selby on the final black and reach the Northern Ireland Open final.

O'Sullivan, ranked third in the world, led for most of the contest, only for Selby to fight back from 5-3 down and force a deciding frame.

O'Sullivan then trailed in the decider but edged it 70-68 to claim a thrilling 6-5 win at Belfast's Waterfront Hall.

Judd Trump defeated Eden Sharav 6-3 in Saturday's other semi-final.

The Englishman raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to breaks of 54, 107 and 68 before Scottish player Sharav pulled a frame back.

A 108 from Trump restored the three-frame advantage but Sharav hit back to make it 4-3.

World number five Trump knocked in a 97 break to go two clear before sealing his spot in Sunday's final.

O'Sullivan, 42, had failed to get beyond the last 16 in the first two years of this tournament but arrived in good form having won the Champion of Champions event last week.

He dropped just four frames in five matches en route to this year's semi-finals, where he enjoyed frame-winning breaks of 135 and 114 before taking a 3-2 lead.

The five-time world champion stretched that to 4-2 with a break of 112, before going 5-3 up, but Selby managed to draw level at 5-5.

The 35-year-old three-time world champion led during the final frame only to give the initiative back to O'Sullivan, and he made it count to reach his first Northern Ireland Open final.

Stephen Hendry tweet saying O'Sullivan and Selby are "the two best players in the game"
Between them, O'Sullivan and Selby have won five of the last seven world championships

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70 comments

  • Comment posted by RoyaltyinTheChampionship, at 22:45 17 Nov 2018

    Enjoyed the match. I often get the feeling Ronnie doesn't like playing Selby as he can tie you up in knots, but thought the respect between the two players was there for everyone to see, tapping the table after great shots from their opponent.

  • Comment posted by Tom, at 22:34 17 Nov 2018

    Ronnie is like marmite. Love him or hate him, he is by far and away the best and most naturally talented that has ever lived.

    Personally, I like the fact that he is willing to call out who/what he sees as wrongs in the game but can understand why this may come across as irritating.

    Go well Ron, loving your work...

  • Comment posted by Ian Blasdale, at 22:41 17 Nov 2018

    Snooker at its gripping best. Today snooker is the winner!

  • Comment posted by Jas0999, at 07:44 18 Nov 2018

    Excellent game of snooker. Mostly one visit frame wins until the latter frames. Selby played great and I’m not a fan, but he did. Ronnie was excellent. Overall superb stuff.

  • Comment posted by michaelo, at 23:38 17 Nov 2018

    Good match, and it seems that neither player farted!!!

  • Comment posted by roll3rd, at 23:01 17 Nov 2018

    Everyone has their own personality, that's what makes them who they are. If you don't like it, then don't watch them play or read posts about them. I can understand rivarly in football, but this is snooker.... Just enjoy the game....

    ... Then I see Shaun Murphy's face, and can't help but want to punch it. Sorry Shaun, you just have one of them faces.

  • Comment posted by Regarder, at 22:34 17 Nov 2018

    Fantastic match. O'Sullivan always seemed to have that little bit more and I think deservedly won.

  • Comment posted by Jono, at 07:37 18 Nov 2018

    Selby may be number one in the rankings but Ronnie is the GOAT.

  • Comment posted by Tom, at 22:38 17 Nov 2018

    #7 - I may well, and quite fairly, be accused of being a Ronnie fan boy but he hasn't churned out the retirement spiel for years. In fact, he has stated for a long time that he's around for as long as he's good enough to compete...

  • Comment posted by Adam, at 00:32 18 Nov 2018

    It was a great game between 2 great players with contrasting styles.it should be a good entertaining final.may the best man win.it's a long shot but i'd like to think Ronnie has another world title or two left in him.he's still the no.1 box office star in snooker.the greatest player ever to pick up a cue should have equalled or beaten Hendry's record of wins but what a player and what a career.

  • Comment posted by the frantic four, at 23:20 17 Nov 2018

    Best man won, yes close in frames and took the last black to decide match but did you see the points difference? Ronnie was the better player today easily.

  • Comment posted by db451, at 22:36 17 Nov 2018

    I think we all know if Ronnie wasn't there, in this era the sport would fizzle out

  • Comment posted by db451, at 22:32 17 Nov 2018

    Im hoping Ronnie comes out and gives Hearn the Rocket again.
    He calls it how it is, someone in a position of power has to.
    I mean how much money can the Hearns' want? Havent they got enough?
    They should put some back into the sports they involve themselves in.
    rather than cheapen them for the benefit of their own pockets.

  • Comment posted by imlikewhatever, at 23:08 17 Nov 2018

    Well done Ronnie, raw talent thats never been manipulated, unlike the snooker school boys, will always draw the attention and split opinion. Should be a good final if Judd doesnt bottle it.

  • Comment posted by Maxi, at 05:41 18 Nov 2018

    There’s some harsh comments about Selby here. He may lack the flair and entertainment factor of an Alex or Ronnie but he’s a granite match player, one of the 5 best players of all time IMHO. That said I’m glad Ronnie won.

  • Comment posted by Joe hudds, at 01:32 18 Nov 2018

    Gwan Ronny! The GOAT

  • Comment posted by trevor sinclair, at 09:36 18 Nov 2018

    O'Sullivan deserved to win. Selby refused pots, which O'Sullivan took on successfully, and Selby refused the free ball and the chance to take control, preferring to win through repeated fouls. Fortune favoured the brace.

  • Comment posted by Adam, at 02:38 18 Nov 2018

    @27 original koppite.i agree but that's why I said Ronnie is the greatest player ever to pick up a cue.he is better than the rest past and present, but Selby has won 3 world titles already and will most probably win more so hes more than a good player in my eyes.same with Davis and Hendry.great players, and ruthless, they were like robots.i hope Ronnie can equal or beat Hendry's record.

  • Comment posted by original-koppite, at 02:00 18 Nov 2018

    Amazing how the guru got RoS playing fearless by convincing him it doesn't matter if he loses. Sadly it's caused him to lose touch with reality as shown when he described Selby as the best in the game, a title that we all know belongs to RoS.

    Scoring twice the points Selby did, taking on shots, trying to win the game while Selby played to not lose refusing shots that could have seen him win.

  • Comment posted by Darren Crabb, at 09:04 18 Nov 2018

    What is it with men on the internet? All that bile and hatred..Really weird..

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