“Fame & shame” Ronnie O’Sullivan finally set for huge victory” after the elimination of the major threats…
At the Crucible, the World Snooker Championship is off to an exciting start.
The defending champion Luca Brecel is eliminated after losing to David Gilbert on the first day of play, while 2023 finalist Mark Selby was also unexpectedly eliminated in the first round by Joe O’Connor.
World No. 2 Judd Trump easily advanced to round two after defeating Hossein Vafaei 10-5, but fellow British player Ali Carter was eliminated in the first round by Stephen Maguire.
Ronnie O’Sullivan will face Jackson Page in the opening round of the Crucible, so his return won’t happen until Wednesday.
Shame & Frame
Moaning Hossein Vafaei was admonished by potting puritan Shaun Murphy to quit visiting the Crucible if he didn’t like it.
The 29-year-old Iranian took to Twitter to vent his frustrations about the backstage amenities at the renowned Sheffield venue after losing badly in the opening round of the World Snooker Championship.
The Prince of Persia claims that the practice rooms resemble garages and that the Crucible STINKS, in need of urgent paint work.
There are rumors that this tournament may be moved to Saudi Arabia or China, where players receive first-class treatment and bigger prize pools.
However, Murphy, the world champion in 2005, retaliated against Vafaei, calling it “sacrilege” to disparage the Home of Snooker for almost half a century.
“Perhaps not having grown up in the UK, Hossein’s not as emotionally connected to this tournament as many of the UK players are,” remarked the forty-one-year-old magician.
Sel By Time
Mark Selby acknowledges that with his shocking defeat last night, he might still choose to give up pool this summer.
At the end of the match, the four-time champion became distraught after being defeated by a rookie.
He declared:
“I’ll review it in the summer without a doubt.
“I felt like I was preventing myself from performing as well when I had the opportunity during that first session. I can’t carry on like that.
“It’s no good for me. It makes me ill and gets me down mentally.
“I’ll sit down with Vikki and see what the options are. It will be a big decision.
“If I do carry on playing, then I need help on the mental side of it a little bit more
“So I can go out there and enjoy the game. For me, it’s always sort of life-or-death. I have always been that kind of character.
“Always putting too much pressure on myself and trying too hard.W
