The much-watched snooker event - the Lhasa Snooker Masters has come to an end. In the battle of focus, the world's No. 1 O'Sullivan was defeated by Chinese player Ding Junhui, who won the first championship of the new year with a big score of 6:5. In addition to winning and losing, the sportsmanship and friendship made the audience deeply admired. The prize money of this invitational tournament is not included in the rankings, but Ding Junhui's victory in his hometown still makes people's eyes shine. In the face of doubt, who will concede the ball, or is it a real battle of strength?
This competition will be the ultimate contest between O'Sullivan and Ding Junhui, both of whom have left countless glorious records on the professional stage of snooker. O'Sullivan is one of the greatest players in snooker history, and his impressive record of 40 ranking tournaments makes him unique on the historical stage, while Ding Junhui follows with 14 ranking tournament titles, and the two are comparable in strength. For the two champions, this competition is not only a battle of personal honor, but also a grudge between the two champions. As a frequent visitor to the Snooker Grand Slam, O'Sullivan has won 7 crowns, while Ding Junhui has never been able to win the Grand Slam honor, which has also become a regret in his career. Let's look forward to the wonderful performance of the two champions on the field, and also hope that Ding Junhui can make up for this regret.
In the first half of the match, Ding Junhui realized that it was going to be a very difficult match and was well prepared for it. He has always remained calm and showed an extraordinary level of competition, although in the passive situation of falling behind 1-5 in the opening stage, he was not intimidated by O'Sullivan's momentum, but relied on his firm belief and excellent skills to win the game in five consecutive cities, successfully reversed O'Sullivan, and won the game. Although some fans questioned O'Sullivan's possible release of water in the game after the game, we could not make a definitive judgment on this speculation, and it can only be understood that the wonderful performances of the two sides made the atmosphere continue to rise, which caused some controversy. Regardless of the result, we should recognize the performance of the two top players, who both interpreted the spirit of snooker in their own way, and gave people a deeper understanding and love for snooker.
Ding Junhui has been recovering well in recent years, reaching the finals of the British Championships for two consecutive years, and although he failed to win gold, it can be seen that he is gradually returning to the top. Controversy ensued, with some arguing that Ding Junhui's defeat on his birthday was in the name of handicaping. During the game, Ding Junhui and O'Sullivan showed a very high degree of etiquette and skill, such as when Ding Junhui overscored, O'Sullivan took the initiative to give up; Ding Junhui did a difficult snooker, O'Sullivan did not succeed in cracking, Ding Junhui no longer made it difficult, but took the initiative to attack. Such tacit understanding and respect make people deeply appreciate the deep friendship between the two snooker legends.
Looking at the past results of the two, you will find that O'Sullivan has always maintained his desire to win. In last year's British Championships, O'Sullivan scored as many as 15 consecutive stages. In this Lhasa Masters, he led Ding Junhui 62:16 in the first game. After some tenacious struggle, Ding Junhui pulled back a game with 78:39. O'Sullivan seized the opportunity to score another 119 points and rewrote the total score to 3:1. Ding Junhui still responded silently and won 78:39 again, narrowing the score to 2:3.
After halftime, O'Sullivan broke 100 with 73:46 and then won the match point. The audience thought that O'Sullivan would easily win the championship, but they didn't expect him to lose five games in a row, and was finally eliminated by Ding Junhui 6-5. Despite the defeat, O'Sullivan still showed his modesty to everyone, and under the benevolent exterior, he couldn't hide his inner dedication to the game.
When talking about the game, the audience said that the win or loss had nothing to do with the real identities of both parties, and it was more like two highly influential stars performing on the same stage. Lhasa is located at a high altitude, and O'Sullivan even needs oxygen to maintain his activity level when meeting with fans. The outcome may not be so important in their eyes, but what they value more is the joy and healthy experience brought by the sport itself.
Although the match took place in a specific environment, the competitors were at a high altitude, and the physical exertion was relatively large, regardless of victory or defeat, the performance of both players fully reflected the charm and sportsmanship of snooker. This is not only a respect for the competition itself, but also an affirmation of the spirit of the players.