- By Steve Sutcliffe
- BBC Sport
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Venue: Alexandra Palace, London Dates: 7-14 January |
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Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button and online; live text coverage of the final on Sunday 14 January. |
Ronnie O’Sullivan fought back to claim a record-extending eighth Masters title with a thrilling 10-7 victory over Ali Carter at a raucous Alexandra Palace.
O’Sullivan, already the youngest-ever winner of the tournament, becomes the oldest-ever champion too, aged 48.
He trailed 6-3 in the evening session but then reeled off seven of the next eight frames to seal his win.
O’Sullivan’s victory means he earns the £250,000 top prize, with Carter taking home £100,000.
The world number one, who collected his eighth UK Championship in December, had never previously won consecutive Triple Crown events in the same season.
However, he now has the opportunity to emulate Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Mark Williams, who are the only players to have won all three in the same campaign, with Scotland’s Hendry achieving the feat twice.
O’Sullivan goes through the gears as Carter stumbles
World number 10 Carter, a 2020 finalist, had talked of relishing the opportunity to face the man who beat him in both of their meetings in world finals in 2008 and 2012.
And initially he was able to back that up, compiling breaks of 106 and 122 as he opened up a 5-3 lead on Sunday afternoon.
He then made the perfect start as play got under way in the evening, with a fine cut on a long red to the top left corner pocket helping him to extend his advantage.
A refocussed O’Sullivan, who was guilty of playing several over-adventurous shots earlier on, responded with two half centuries as he won the next three frames to level the match at 6-6 going into the interval.
Having seen his three-frame lead evaporate in just 37 minutes, Carter delivered a magnificent riposte with a difficult red to the right middle laying the platform for a record ninth century break of the tournament, surpassing the mark set by O’Sullivan in 2007 and 2009, with a wonderful 127.
But 40-time ranking event winner O’Sullivan took a nervy 14th frame and the pivotal 15th frame after Carter agonisingly failed to execute a superb attempted cannon on two reds and then missed a pink into the left middle.
A break of 89 put ‘The Rocket’ on the brink of victory and he converted that as a clearly deflated Carter missed the chance to prolong the match beyond the 17th frame.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
