Ronnie O’Sullivan has risked angering UK snooker fans again by admitting he ‘especially’ loves playing in front of supporters in China.
It is the second time this month that the Rocket has said that he prefers playing abroad after getting off to a winning start at the World Open.
O’Sullivan has already won five tournaments this season and is now gearing up for the World Snooker Championship, which begins in Sheffield next month.
The 48-year-old beat Michael White 5-3 in the second round of the World Open in Yushan on Tuesday to set up a clash against Lyu Haotian.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has risked angering snooker fans in the UK again
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O’Sullivan’s most recent tournament win came at the inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker, where he beat Luca Brecel in the final on March 6.
During the event, he risked alienating his home fans by claiming he would rather play abroad than in the UK.
O’Sullivan said: “I prefer it. I don’t drink, I don’t go out partying so this is a great place for me.
“In the UK it’s all pubs, drinking so it’s not my cup of tea and coming to a place like this I feel like I can just chill out and have a nice time.”
O’Sullivan spoke to the media immediately after his win over White on Tuesday, where he hit two century breaks.
And he revealed that he has more of a soft spot for the fans in China.
He said: “Yeah I love the fans in China. I love the fans all over the world but especially when you come to China, they love snooker.
“Ding Junhui’s really helped make snooker popular in China, which has been great for snooker and obviously great for me.
“So I want to say a big hello to the fans and thank them for the support and hopefully I can keep playing for as long as I can and keep trying to win some tournaments for you as well.”
O’Sullivan’s first tournament win of the season was at the Shanghai Masters last September.
He has since won the first two Triple Crown events of the campaign as well as the World Grand Prix in January.
He scooped a cool £250,000 from his victory in Saudi Arabia but missed out on becoming the first player to hit a 167 break.
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Ronnie O’Sullivan won against Michael White at the World Open on Tuesday
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O’Sullivan will be aiming to win a record-breaking eighth World Championship at the Crucible, a target firmly in his mind.
He said: “Yeah I’d love to. I’d love to try and win the Crucible. It’s a hard tournament, long time, 17 days. So a lot can happen there.
“I’d love to win that another time to make it eight but there’s so many good players around.
“So you have to get a little bit of luck, play some good snooker at the right time. I’ll be going there trying my best.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Michael White 5-3 in the second round at the World Open
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O’Sullivan was pleased to get through on Tuesday and was surprised by the changes at the venue in Yushan.
He added: “The setup with the table out there. The crowd are really good, the crowd are really close so it creates a good atmosphere.
“It’s changed a lot in five years, I didn’t recognise the place. Last time we came here it was just this venue and now you have other buildings and beautiful new roads. It’s changed so much.”
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.
