Retaining Composure | Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Robbie Williams | 2020 Scottish Open L16 ‒ Snooker

Robbie Williams, he's back on a the start of a two-year card he didn't finish in the top 64 last season but he stayed on as one of the top four on the one-year list however he lost his points so he's starting again but he's a better player than 84 in the world and he's a player in sort of recent years who's definitely quickened up as well. Yes I think Ronnie has said of him we'll have to step up on what I saw this afternoon against Tian Penfei who really could or should have won that match I think Ronnie ended up playing okay but in the middle of it he barely pulled a ball at Sullivan didn't rein himself in either he still took all the shots on that he would normally get maximum just under a couple of hours I think between his previous match and this one so he's going to find some improvement from somewhere but all the people that count I suppose he can. Top of that well a correct screw back for the black which must be tight would like to come back a few inches further though straighter on this almost playing on Ronnie's own table here isn't it it's a disadvantage already from having played the outside tables they're all the same I know but they don't always feel quite the same when the tv lights are on them. Nine. Again it's tight can he get through the black? Probably Williams nine. Another good shot at the range no real control over what the black does Six. So again really to any fault of his own but maybe his cube will not quite where he'd like it breakers six and he didn't go for that seemed no reason why he would go for it wow that looked in I thought when he hit it that really did again people like to think these pockets are big but I think you might have voted yes or over no once he'd hit it he wants to play the plant really can't get comfortable on it. Eight. Nine. Oh dear. Sixteen. Strange old bitters though isn't it because you see it so often a player gets in three times doesn't accumulate many points kind of leaves a moment to his opponent getting one chance and winning the frame how it sometimes goes oh that is a good safety shot acknowledged by Sullivan that really has the top red I think you can get back to bolt from which also doesn't look very easy good follow-up but we've already seen that Robbie Williams has not won in just like this and this one he's got everything riding on it very good a little unlucky to catch the jaw of the pocket now he's got a difficult black so things aren't getting any easier here it's not there probably Williams a one now here's the point I'm making that now Sullivan comes to the table everything is open and let's say that seems to be how these frames pattern of these frames emerges someone comes in and all of a sudden when it's O'Sullivan you fancy might win the frame here now. Five. Six. Thirteen. Fourteen. Just the one red just off the right hand side cushion. Dealing with. Twenty-one. Green safe but if he takes high value colors with these reds he won't need it. Twenty-two. Twenty-eight. Yes I wonder if he's worked that out it's not something you always think of that far in advance it might dawn on him that that position will come up where he could not need the green but I think at the moment you just find yourself concentrating on the few shots ahead of you he's trying to get the high value colors that mean the frame is safe by then. Thirty-five. Forty-two. Forty-three. It's a poor shot from O'Sullivan he needed to be high on the black top unusual for his touch to desert him like that well I can think of players who wouldn't even go for the pot here would play the snooker but I'm not sure it suits O'Sullivan's style but players might do. Fifty-one. He's got those in why would you need to play any other shot he had some cover I think had he missed the red the black would probably have covered it. So 26 in front with the black 28 with the yellow with 25 on. He looks a little bit more focused already than earlier when he was all over the shot for a period of time. Sixty. Robbie Williams was faced with that tricky pressure black with all the reds out in the open. O'Sullivan sixty. Now this doesn't help his cause oh I thought he was going in that certainly doesn't help his cause what a shot. O'Sullivan four. Robbie Williams has seen enough he needs two snookers he's in one himself he had those early chances but it was the missed black that opened the door for O'Sullivan. Sixty. So he leads 1-0. Best of seven remember to reach the quarterfinals. If the long pots go in that's when O'Sullivan's even more dangerous. I think we all know that part the rest of it is there. Break building needs a lot of attention. If these start going in as it did on the last day of the world championship and he played so well to see off Kieran Wilson. I think that was actually the best day he played in that championship you know a few sessions he lost which of course happens. It's hard I don't think there can be many world champions that have gone all the way through Crucible without losing a session here or there. How you recover but O'Sullivan not he was just in front overnight against Kieran not playing all that well. Twenty-three. And I don't think we've seen the best of him this season I guess with the championship being when it was. Thirty-one. Quite hard to think about going through all the preparations again so soon. This break might be coming to an end here because he just got stuck on the bunch. Well he gets on one there it's probably 2-0. Ronnie O'Sullivan. Thirty-eight. Wow and a miss. It's not looking too hopeful is it. Goodness that was a very difficult shot. There was almost an argument there to just let the cue go I think. That was a hard shot to try and bury the cue ball in there. So many reds he could have left. Those chances in frame one but O'Sullivan back in here in frame two. Eleven. Again I think the cue ball went too far there. I don't think he's entirely happy with that tip that he's got on. He said it was a little soft and a little spongy. I guess this is a missable sort of a shot. You're not careful. Ronnie O'Sullivan wants to bite that tip off it would seem. He doesn't like it does he. I mean there's no getting away from it. Not making a great sound actually I don't think. Making that pinging noise that you'd expect a tip to make. So he seemed to like it yesterday but not so much today. We know exactly how he feels after that. Only significant really though if Williams can punish. He got to the quarter-finals Robbie Williams of the English Open this season. Very lost to Neil Robertson. 23. It's not easy to say he's got to clear up but really I think he has to. That one red that's on the right would be the awkward one or possibly a little awkward to get on. But if you can have any chance of winning this match you've got to pick up frames like this because chances don't come along all the time. 31. This is a key shot playing on that play on it from where the pink cue ball and the pink were. Now what do you play here? The double kiss looks on. If you play the red up and down or the cue ball up and down off the red the first red it's one of them where it looks quite difficult to avoid. Oh and a miss. But as I say it looks like there's a double kiss in the offing or whatever he plays here. So he gets a thin edge of something. Sullivan got away with that loose shot. No control of the cue ball. Williams has to wait one. Wow he thought I won't leave anything here. I'll cover the other red. He might feel a little aggrieved that the balls are finished where they have. It's a terrible shot by Sullivan. He has so much room there to finish up the table further than that. That really was out of character The strength has always been the control of the cue ball that he possesses. Deserves it in for that last shot. It's Olivier Martial of course two balls close together and you have to say which one you're going to hit. That's a great recovery though. Terrific. Six. So he leads by 20 on this last red. Left-handed again. Seven. Two yellows and a green he needs. Eleven. Well he can tie. So the green is required. He doesn't bring his own extension. Some players have got all sorts of things out onto their cue. Ronnie just has no interest in any of that. Maybe he should have one of his own. A lifeline for Robbie Williams. A chance to tie the frame. Surely he can get to it. He'd be unlucky if he couldn't. It means it's going to be difficult to control for the brown. Three. Could have finished better I suppose. Robbie Williams. Three. Robbie Williams. Four. That's a good shot. That has given him renewed hope. Well he has to prioritise getting this blue ball on a cushion here. This looks pretty good. Wow. What a shot. I think his mind was made up by that's all he could hit but it's a great shot. There's one in the frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan. Five. Frame conceded. Enough. Williams did have his chances. So very tight frame but it's O'Sullivan leading 2-0. Good. Are we going to stay with this? See if he can make it. That is such a good shot. Wilson has played there. So we've got a bit of everything here. It's still magic in these 1-4-7s. I know we're seeing quite a few of them at the moment but they still have meaning I think. They're still at the Welsh Open in the very first frame of his first match against Jackson Page. Made one as I say at the UK. It was live actually here on Eurosport a couple of weeks ago. Made three a total. Eleven. You see that top red of Caron's will go but he's going to play on the other one anyway. Pink is very very near to its own spot isn't it. As I always talk about that. It's unusual to be where it is. Ronnie O'Sullivan. Eleven. While on our main table not a great deal happens still for once. Quite rare when O'Sullivan plays that you can say that. One. Judge Trump said the other day you know this is where you really start to fill the nerves as a snooker player when you've got the chance to make one in a tournament. Six. We can show you what's happening if it's an event on the other table quite comfortably. I know that people would like to see. We're just coming up to the 39th anniversary of the first on television. Steve Davis. January 1982. Shot now. What's he going to do? Bobby Williams. Thin one now from there. Also he's not only the pot but just getting in behind the yellow would not be easy at the moment. Disappointment for Caron Wilson but he leads the match 2-1. Meanwhile Bobby Williams in front. Precise position to land on that right hand red of the two. I wonder if there was any value in going for Bobby Williams. One. More difficult for O'Sullivan. Also to jump there. Seven. Red jumped up in the air. Ronnie looked bemused by it all. Ronnie O'Sullivan. Seven. Just said I can't play with this anymore. That long run of wins at the Norbreg. There's a lad from New Zealand called Mark Canavan. Ronnie had said to him that he'd liked his cue. He said I think I might have used that. Four. Williams has finished very awkward here on this yellow. He's 22 in front 27 on. He's yellow and green. It's been that sort of frame. Bobby Williams. Four. All bits and pieces. Jump wheel Jeremy O'Neill. O'Neill because beat Sean Murphy earlier. They're just getting going. That's not dissimilar to that blue that he potted for. I'll make the highest break in this frame. Fifteen. He has to win this frame and then he's got a chance of winning the match. He needs to be dragged into it all. Tip on his cue's okay. That's all he needs to worry about. Not that he's not trying. It's just every shot is very ill-directed. Green wriggles in. He's consumed his entire thought process. Bobby Williams. Three. Highest break 15 this frame. Four. They all count the same though if you win them. Bobby Williams. Four. Should have potted that blue though. I don't think Ronnie's got any ideas. I think Ronnie would never have been playing on for a while now at the end of frames isn't he? I'm sure. One thing I do know. Well it's time to set it now Ronnie because the frame's over. It was a bit of a grind. 27 minutes. He leads 2-1. It's not good clearly. Catching the blue. Sullivan is often able to improvise. He hasn't really complained about conditions very much. Nine. Tip on his cue Not to say he won't knock in a big break here. The cue ball disappearing to the Vulcan is not going to help that. Sixty. Ronnie O'Sullivan. Sixty. I mean the only break to speak of was that 60 from Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first frame. Highest break since then by either player. Just 38. If he plays this long red it's a horrible shot. I mean he's tight on the cushion. Can't leave the red there. Might just play a dump shot here. Leave the cue ball at that end. Terrific cueing. Very nice. That was a good shot as well. Terrific cueing. Well it wasn't a full pocket and he's played it with left hand right hand side to go around the back of the black. And I say the first part was the problem. It wasn't a full pocket. I think if he was going to play that he probably needed to give it a bit more thought. He got down and played it quickly. As I said the one thing he must do is not get dragged into O'Sullivan's issues. Can win this match. The way things are going. Williams. O'Sullivan's pot success has now come down to just 80 percent. Now what about this? Some sort of a plant has emerged in the middle of the punch. Must have hit the wrong red first though. Well it was unlucky but surprised how hard he hit it and how slow the first red reached the pocket. And the twist in the tail was the Well another chance for Williams. He's got a sense a chance here. It's an opportunity. He's just not taking it I'm afraid. No I'm afraid he's been dragged down. Not able to play his own game. I'm sure he's very frustrated missing that. I think also Dave over the years we've seen players go into matches against O'Sullivan almost beat before they started. 31. Can intimidate you with his presence actually when he's playing well or even on a day like today when he isn't. 32. A couple more reds with colours should do it. 39. 46. Just checking that he's 49 in front 59 on so red above the yellow. 47. And he had a good chance he really did. 50. But this was a missed black early on. Seeing plenty of shots missed to that near jaw in that pocket aren't we? That one was never in. One or two I've thought I've looked in which have also stayed up. That one not so. It was right at the point where O'Sullivan looked at very desperate. Wow. But this for a shot. 51. Red doesn't come back up of course. Yeah 51 was the winning break from Ronnie O'Sullivan who leads 3-1. I say Dave the only reason O'Sullivan has won one match today and is on the brink of winning another is because of the effort he's putting in. He's trying very hard because I've known him in better form than this but not try so hard on every shot and of Now he's putting every effort in. He's very unlike O'Sullivan this performance. Well if there is it's not much. Five on the miss. Six. Seven. Clearing away the pink spot which is of course where the black will go. The black spot is absolutely done for so now that that red's been potted it'll be the scoring rule but from the pink spot. 14. 15. Opportunity to put this match to bed here. 22. Attitude and discipline. Couldn't have been better. Sometimes you just have to tough it out. 23. 28. Not the worst place in the world to land. 29. Plenty of colours to play on. 30. 34. 41. 42. Such a good shot there. The black spot now is available. Next time he pots it. 49. He played it in a safe way there to be on that bottom red or certainly the one nearest the black. There it is. Comes through the gap there. 50. He's such a remarkable player. He's all over the shop really. He's not in any way firing on all cylinders but he still managed to find something here. He's missed that one though. O'Sullivan 50. Now this is really the last chance O'Sullivan for Roy Williams. Can he get the two reds? If he's a bit straighter on the black he might have a chance but I don't see how he can touch them from there. The angle's just going across the front of them not going into them. It'll have to be another visit. Robbie Williams 8. Well he's missed that by about an inch. Robbie Williams 4. I'll tell you what I don't know what he'll do on this third go. If I was Robbie he'd definitely go back. He's got to play a different shot because he missed it by so far that he could be done for the three strokes and he got nowhere near hitting that last shot. You're right in with it. It was never threatened. Warning administered. He's left him a problem. He wants to play the same shot but I don't think he has enough confidence to do it. He was never going to miss that one was he? He's actually left the red on but he put himself in his own trouble there. Yeah he certainly made sure but can Williams this time take advantage? 4. Oh dear well. Wow how did that stay out? Robbie Williams 4. It has stayed right over the pocket. Incredible. 1. No idea how that stayed up. Certainly to finish where it did. If he can lay a good snooker here then the match could well be over. Throw yourself in 5. No he can just get to the red. I think the blue if he's not in the way it's close to being in the way. What a chance for Robbie Williams now. I mean he would absolutely mop these up all day long. I think if he's playing somebody else maybe on a different table. Well any colour will do off the red. 1. 7. 14. Now what's very important he's going to keep that man engaged for another frame is if the angle he gets on the pink if he finishes the other side of the pink it's an easy shot to get on the black. Doesn't want to be straight or anything like that. 19. It's not perfect by any means at least he'll be on the black but now this is difficult. Under a lot of pressure now. This is a clearance he had to make. He found himself with a slightly difficult shot here. Robbie Williams 90. Well what a chance that was. It really was. Just put himself as you say under pressure on the pink. Oh he got so close. Something about that pocket. Well there is Dave you're right. It's the one that Williams missed that red in that stayed over the hole and the same's happened here. People's running loose here. Oh you're joking. That is a nightmare. Well he needs a snooker now. He's not unlucky really. So as I say Robbie Williams requires a snooker. Get the chance though. Now Sullivan will have tougher tests the next round before he gets through this and the other thing I'll say is it will be with a different tip on his cue. Great shot. Quite a big target. Don't think O'Sullivan can go around the back. Sullivan though still quite able to put this away. Ronnie O'Sullivan is finally through to the quarterfinals. Ronnie O'Sullivan has defeated Lee Williams by four frames to one.