How O'Sullivan sparked golden season with unlikely Shanghai Masters victory

Ronnie O’Sullivan enjoyed one of the finest seasons of his gilded 32-year snooker career last year as he claimed five major titles across a memorable 2023/24 campaign.

The snooker GOAT won the Shanghai Masters, UK Championship, Masters, World Grand Prix and the Riyadh Season World Masters in Saudi Arabia and also reached the final of the Tour Championship.

But O’Sullivan can perhaps look back on his win over old rival John Higgins in the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals as the victory which sparked his glorious silverware splurge.

Trailing 5-2 and struggling for form, Higgins had the chance to see out the win in the eighth frame.

But breaking down on 52 leading 58-0 proved so costly as O’Sullivan suddenly came roaring back to pinch the frame on the pink before completing a memorable 6-5 success, finishing with breaks of 100 and 130 before a bewitched crowd of locals in the Chinese city.

The long red he potted to get the ball rolling on his match-winning clearance was a sublime pot under intense pressure.

“He should have put me away really,” said O’Sullivan. “He had enough chances, he was 5-2 up and in control of the game and uncharacteristically for John, he didn’t finish it off and I think from there he got a little bit disappointed with himself, but I didn’t expect to do anything because I was really awful.”

O’Sullivan progressed to overcome Mark Selby 10-7 in the semi-finals and Luca Brecel 11-9 in the final as he added to victories at the event in 2009, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

It was a sign of things to come for the rest of the year with O’Sullivan extending his unbeaten run in Shanghai to 18 matches since 2017.

He is line to face International Championship winner Zhang Anda in his tournament opener in the last 16.