Ali Carter Awfully Wants to Beat Ronnie O'Sullivan | 2020 ...

It is a rivalry. It's always spicy. So, 14 wins out of 15 so far for O'Sullivan. But, Ken Dante, over the best of seven frames, Carter can beat anyone. Yes. And he'll definitely be fired up for this. No doubt about that. Even the little elbow shake, if you want to call it. Hardly looked at each other. Good opener. Done. But, unfortunately, Just an awkward angle, so maybe just a safety shot. But a good opener, nonetheless. Oh, he caught the third one. Yeah, just have a look at this again, Phil. I mean, Carter. Ronnie barely just gives him a glance, even. He looks more at the elbow than he does at Carter. And Carter had a little Roy Smalls. So, there's just a little bit of need. There's no harm in that. I mean, they're from the same area, of course. Essex. Of course, the memorable ones for Ali Carter would be those two. World Championship final losses to Ronnie O'Sullivan. And there were quite heavy defeats as well. And, of course, Ronnie O'Sullivan. We all know how great he is. It just depends on his intro. He said he hasn't practiced that much. So, we'll see how sharp he is. Of course, he had problems with his tip last week as well. So, it'll be interesting to see how he starts off in this match. Well, it's one of the worst finals I think he's ever played in the Scottish Open against Mark Selby. Some of the balls he missed were really unexpected. I like that. I think Neil Fowles made a very good point there, Phil. But, you know, Ronnie only won the World Championship back in August. Maybe the season has started a little bit too early for him. He had to play in a few of the events. But he really hasn't prepared well. Here's another tester. That's a good little shot. I'm just wondering, the black spot looks covered. I wonder will he try and move this red off the black spot or will he just go around it? Referee Leo Scullion having a look at the pink spot. No, it doesn't fit on there. So, it goes on the highest available, which is the blue. The problem here is if he pots this red, gets on the black grease spots, will it still be potable? No. Wow. He let that one go a little bit, but still on the yellow. Yellow. Once again, you've got to cue these very sweetly. No. Just doesn't have that sharpness that you would expect from Ronnie O'Sullivan. Not at the moment in any way. Well, this time it's an excellent opportunity for Olly Carter. I totally agree with you, Phil. Well, he's got to make the most of these. Black available into both pockets. When he pots this red, that will free up the pink spot. Doesn't really have to make any little cannons. There's plenty of loose reds. 15, 16, 23, 24. A little bit of a... I don't know if he won that one. Short of pace. I wanted it to be another 4 or 5 inches up the table. Straighter on this red. Could still maybe hold for the pink. Played it nicely. Even though his record against Ronnie O'Sullivan is very one-sided in his opponent's advantage. I don't think that would really bother him too much. He looked pretty confident around the table so far. Yes, and I think he'll definitely be encouraged by what he's seen from O'Sullivan thus far. Coming hard on the heels of that hammering by Mark Selby in the final of the Scottish Open just a couple of days ago. You have to worry. 42 the lead, so... 52. Red and black will be 50. Of course, that loose red. Beside how he carried his hand, that and another colour will... should put pay to this frame. Which means he does need to develop the two reds below the black or he doesn't need the red that's tight to the right-hand side cushion. 50 ahead, 59 remaining. 60. He wants to try and pot as many of these balls as possible. Keep running O'Sullivan in that chair. Keep him cold. 61. 62. 69. It's in a nice position for a double. That's what he's going to play. 76. 84. 85. But he's laid down a really good marker here. Island character. 92. 94. 97. Century number 12 of this tournament already. 106. 112. 113. What a perfect start from Ali Carter. He missed one red to the middle, but then with his second chance, made hay. A century break, he leads Ronnie O'Sullivan by a frame to nil. He was heavily beaten in that Scottish Open final on Sunday. Carter's well aware of all this. He'll want to press on. Yeah, he hasn't practised since that final. Got a new tip on, and I would have expected a couple of days, a little bit of practice each day. But no, he hasn't bothered. We all know how quickly Ronnie O'Sullivan can turn things around. Here's another chance for him. It's a bad safety from Ali Carter. He's been a bit fortunate, Ali, that the black has gone close to this top cushion. Well, mate, it's the second time today a ball has gone into that pocket and dropped onto the carpet. Yeah, nice shot. Not a bad little flick on the blue. I mean, he could elect to take the blue and go into the left-hand side of the bunch. But he's looking at the green. Oh, the pink pot. Certainly pots into the same pocket as the red has gone for. So he may try and elect to get onto the pink here. He's certainly on it. Now, be more advantageous of the pink pots that will go on the black spot as opposed to its own spot. Oh, this hasn't worked out nicely at all. No, that's much better from Ronnie O'Sullivan. Beautifully cued. Nice angle on the blue. Not going for the brown, just playing a good safety shot. He's had a lot more patience than in previous years. Much better attitude. Much less likely to become frustrated. And I think that could be a real key this evening. I don't think it's a free ball, but referee Leo Scullion just coming down to have a check. It must be pretty close. That's why he's putting up the red next to the red. He's taking the red out of the pocket there to see if Ronnie O'Sullivan can hit the extreme. Well, it is a free ball. Wow. That's incredible. And it's a big advantage to Ronnie O'Sullivan as well. Brown over the yellow pocket will count as a red. Ronnie Carter can't believe it. Didn't intend to hit the yellow there with the cue ball, but he's still okay. He's got the angle on the green to get down for this red. Maybe that's closest to the pink. Threw that one nicely. Five. Purposely found the gap there. Eleven. Twelve. Eighteen. Nineteen. Well, when he hit that first, he thought he missed it. He stayed right down on the shot. It was only the pace and gravity that took that red in. Have a look at this. This looks a wide to me. This new cloth, though. Look how far up the jaw it hits. Any harder. And it was staying out. What a relief for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Forty-two. Forty-three. Still. Seventy-five remaining. Because he hit this. Overhit it. He overhit it. The cue ball was going to snooker him on this red, but he's okay. Forty. Pink and red still required. Just a little bit short of the pace. I'll give this red every bit of care and attention. Frame ball. Seventy-seven. So better for O'Sullivan in this frame. He was patient. Played a good snooker when he could have gone for blue or brown. Fifty-two. Fifty-three. In my book, he's the best bad table player I've ever seen. Fifty-nine. Sixty-five. Sixty-six. Seventy-two. Seventy-three. Eighty. Eighty-three. Eighty-seven. Ninety-two. Ninety-eight. A lovely century to reply to Carter's in the first frame. What a start. It is 1-1. Excellent start to this match. Hotly anticipated match, I must say. And both players have lived up to the expectation. He's just playing it off one cushion. Just a delicate little shot. He should have played it off two because he's left the red here. He's left two reds, actually. One. Eight. Nine. Sixty. Seventy. Twenty-two. He's bringing the one red out. Twenty-five. That was lovely. Very nicely controlled now. Hit the apex pink here. Full ball. As long as the red doesn't go in. Oh! Carlos Oliver with 25. Olly Carter. That's unlucky. Yeah, it's a really good split. He's got a red to the left centre here. He can hold for the pink. Or he can go up for the blue. One. You always take a chance, don't you, when you go into the pack at that speed? He didn't actually come around to see. Was there a possible plant? Seven. Eight. Fifteen. Sixteen. Twenty-three. Twenty-four. Nicely moving that red out of the way. The play for the pink into left centre. Once again, he comes to the table. He does not have to move any reds off any cushions. He's got to hold himself together here, Olly Carter. He's got to make the most of these opportunities. O'Sullivan used to describe Carter in the interview with Rob Walker beforehand. Forty-eight. Forty-nine. Forty-six. Olly Carter, forty-six. Ronnie playing the double. It's close. It's very close. Oh, what a shot he's played there. One. Excellent shot. It is, wasn't it, Phil? Well, no one plays that shot better. The one where the red is quite a long way from the cushion. And he screws back off it so often. Plays that shot to nothing beautifully. Nine. Could the genius go against their decree and still win it? Fourteen. Fifteen. Slightly over-screwed. May have to play this brown left-handed. It's a natural angle to come back up for the red, but it's all about pace, this shot. He's not got close to the red, so it's not as easy as it should have been. Nineteen. Quick glance at the score, he's seven behind. This is a true tester, this red. Yeah. O'Sullivan, nineteen. Never got close to it. Has he got away with it? No, not really. He missed a knot dissimilar to that very early on in the first frame. One. It's no good. Too straight on the blue. Not a great angle on brown. Pink is the best choice to get back up for that yellow. But this requires very good cueing. Possibly four cushions here. Oh, he counts on one. He's missed the pink, but he's not got on the yellow. Contemplating having a go, checking the scores. He's eight behind, so he needs... Oh, and including the pink. He's tempted. What's he going to play? Safety, I think, is the best opportunity. Yes, good shot. Yeah, that's the 2020 version of O'Sullivan. I think he'll be taking this yellow one. He could play a straightforward snooker, but very rarely refuses shots like this from O'Sullivan. Played it nicely. Very nicely indeed. Perfect on the green. Now, of course, you will need that pink. This could be... Five. A very important frame, Phil, in the context of the whole match. Chance Ali Carter had. Ronnie O'Sullivan had a good chance. He's got another one. Nine. Well, he's greatly helped by not having to put any great pace into the pink because he doesn't need position on the black. Well, I don't think he's got to play that much better. I think he's got the angle just to stun the blue. He's coming around to have a look. I don't think it's that straight. Well, maybe it is. He's got to screw off the cushion. Have a look at the zip you've got on this. Perfect on it. This is miscible. A little bit of pressure on this. This is a miscible. Thank you. It was a heart. He thought about it, but he dropped. A swing frame there. It could have swung either way. In the end, it went to O'Sullivan dramatically, and he leads 2-1. He's such a clever safety player, isn't he? He doesn't get a lot of accolades for a safety player. Well-renowned for it, but as you said, Phil, very, very clever. It's a pretty good return from Ali Carter, too. He's good cueing this one. He doesn't want to knock this red towards his bottom left-hand corner pocket. There's always the danger of knocking the red close to that corner, but has he got the cover on the yellow? He has. He's been fortunate. Ali Carter in a lot of trouble here. Yeah, trying to lay on this red. It's over his bottom left-hand corner pocket. He doesn't want to hit the reds on the way down. He has done, and he's going to leave this red. Very fine cut, this. It may just be on. Could have been easier, this one. Yeah, no problem. And he's nicely on the black. Yeah, and we see a lot of players can use both hands. Judd Trump is one. Jack Blazowski, but nobody as good as Ronnie O'Sullivan, for sure. I remember the first time in the World Championship when he played left-handed against Alain Robidoux. Quite a milestone. This is going to take a bit of time. It's going to take some job trying to get the pink in there. Don't drop it, Leo. Whatever you do. Good steady hand, as Leo. Thank you. As close to the spot as possible. In line with the black and the top cushion, and that's the only place it could go. So, back to table. Ronnie O'Sullivan, customary, sits in his chair until the referee is finished. 49. 40. They may be a plan. Oh, they certainly are. There's a little bit of a gap between them, but that can certainly be made. That's a nice little Brucey bonus for Ronnie O'Sullivan here in this break, because there was only one other loose red there available. And when playing this, he may be able to bring another red into play here. Maybe two. 46. 51. Well, he's on the brown. Is it worth it? Yeah, there's only one red available here. He's going to screw it in there, the bulk. Oh, this is a wonderful shot. Beautiful shot. Backspin. Lots of right-hand side. Oh, well, he's missed the red. Ronnie O'Sullivan, 56. Must have been tight. So, another 56 break. Left another chance for Ali Carter here. One. Good putt on the black, but he was trying to get a full ball cannon on the pink for a red into left centre. Eight. So, just a safety shot. Trying to hide the cue ball behind the yellow. Could be pushing the red towards his left corner pocket. He's got to be careful. There may even be a two-ball plant in the middle of those four reds there together. They're very, very close. Looks like he's taken a run. Well, that looked like a dead set, Phil. I don't know how he missed that plant, to be honest. You're surprised. I'm surprised. Most importantly, Carter's surprised. The kiss on the black, though, is left. O'Sullivan, an awkward opener. One. It was to most people. Oh, that was a shocker. O'Sullivan, one. A shocker. That was virtually frame ball. Not the chance missed from Ronnie O'Sullivan. What a reprieve for Ali Carter. Eight. Nine. One quasi-awkward red on the table. But Carter will be fancing his chances. Straight with the cue ball once he hit that top cushion. Fifteen. Sixteen. Twenty-three. The last red. He won't be of much concern to Ali Carter. It's just important when he pots this red, get a good angle on the black or the pink. There's plenty of room behind that red. He's played for the pink. Twenty-four. It's not a great angle. Playing for black might have been a better option. You see, almost dead straight. So he's going to have to pot the pink, screw back the cue ball in the line where the cue ball is now, and maybe leave a shot with the rest. Maybe he's got a slight angle off two cushions. Let's see if he can generate enough pace. It's not too bad. He's set for that. Thirty. Ali Carter, thirty. Yes. Missed red. And here's the advantage of playing left-handed. Bad miss from Ali Carter, has to be said. You would have expected him to get that. Well, that's the difference. Being able to play that left-handed as opposed to using the rest is so much more of an advantage. Six. Eight. Eleven. It's not been vintage, Ronnie O'Sullivan. Fifteen. A couple of missed chances from both players in this frame, and it's in a very important frame, of course. Ronnie will only need one now for victory. Ali Carter has his back against the wall. He's yet to leave the launch paddies. Three-one down. He needs all three remaining frames. Grand Prix. Given the way this match has developed, it would not be a stretch to say that Carter could be three-one up himself. I completely agree, Phil. He's had his chances, and he started off so well with that century in the first frame, but just a couple of crucial pots, frame winners, that he's missed. One. On the black. He doesn't have to go into them here. Planned to go into them, but unfortunately... Ali Carter, one. Missed the black, but has he left anything? Possible red up into the top left-hand corner pocket for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Can screw back off the pack for the black. Oh, beautiful shot. Wonderful shot. He's got a wonderful angle here on the black. He can pop this black and screw back into the pack if he wishes. Bring some more reds into play. It's been a bit unfortunate there. Okay, he's on a couple of reds, but it could have been a little bit nicer. Nine. Just a bit short with the cue ball. Got the blue into this bottom left-hand corner pocket. Recovery. 14. 15. 18. 19. Well, that's gone wrong. 26. He's played that with a lot of pace. It's very unfortunate not to be on an easier red. Taking this red on. Hasn't put up many of those. He's been quite good when he's got in amongst them close, but anything from distance. But look at this, Phil. Didn't have to play that. I was a bit surprised he played the split there, because he could have played on a couple of loose reds. He's missed it, and I think he's left it as well. He's just missed too many of them tonight by the character. OK, it wasn't easy, but seven or eight times out of ten, you'd expect Ali Carter to pot that particular red. Carter has missed nine pots so far. Something you cannot afford to do. Eight. Nine. He's still struggling a little bit with the cue ball here. Recovery. He's on this red, just to the left of the pink. This will open up the pink, of course, to the right centre. 14. Now. Won't need, of course, any of those reds there. Tied up on the right-hand side cushion. Can just concentrate on these reds around the pink spot. 19. 20. That's just gone slightly wrong. I think he's been, of the two, he's potted the more important balls, hasn't he? And Ali Carter has missed those. 27. He sets such exalted standards that when he dips, we criticise. It's not been that bad, but for him, it's been a little loose. But he'll be delighted with the scoreline, that's for sure. First round to a century from Ali Carter. Maybe in trouble here, but certainly hasn't been the case. A couple of precarious moments that proved very vital in Ronnie O'Sullivan's favour. Ali Carter's missed chances. 49. 50. 57. O'Sullivan's 15th win over Carter in 16 attempts. He missed a few tonight near O'Sullivan, but in the end, his opponent missed a few more. The final scoreline, 4-1 to the Rockies.