2017/2018 Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker season

The 2017/2018 Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker season began with the Hong Kong Masters in July 2017. His opening match was against John Higgins on 21 July. The season saw O'Sullivan win five world ranking tournaments, including his 6th UK Championship title, make his 900th career total century break and his 14th career total maximum break. His season ended on 28 April 2018 after falling to Ali Carter 9–13 in the second round of the World Championship.

2017/2018 Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker season
Full nameRonnie O'Sullivan
Country England
Season ranking history
Ranking points total693,000
Beginning rankingNo. 14
End rankingNo. 2
Ranking change 12
Season achievements
Record51–10 (83.61%)
Century breaks74
Highest break147 (2018 China Open)
Ranking titles5
Non-ranking titles0
Season earnings£868,000
Triple Crown record
UK ChampionshipW
MastersQF
World Snooker Championship2R
← 2016/2017
Main article: Ronnie O'Sullivan

Season overview

After reaching the final of the non-ranking invitational Hong Kong Masters, O'Sullivan found an extended period of form where he won the English Open, the Shanghai Masters and the UK Championship in the space of seven weeks. His UK Championship triumph equalled Steve Davis' record of 6 titles and Stephen Hendry's record of 18 major titles. He also was runner-up at the non-ranking Champion of Champions, reaching the final for the fourth time in five years.

In the new year, O'Sullivan lost at the Masters for the first time since 2015. He then rebounded by winning the "Ladbrokes double": the World Grand Prix and the Players Championship to capture a joint record five world ranking titles in a single season. At the China Open, O'Sullivan made his 14th career maximum break.

O'Sullivan ended the season ranked no. 2 on the world ranking list. For the 2017/2018 season, O'Sullivan had an 84% winning percentage (to the nearest percent) and earned £852,000 from overall prize money.

Season summary

June – September 2017: Hong Kong Masters runner-up

China Championship qualifying

In the China Championship qualifying, O'Sullivan was due to play against Zhang Yong. However, Zhang withdrew, giving O'Sullivan a walk-over.[1]

Hong Kong Masters

O'Sullivan was one of eight "elite" players invited to play in the inaugural Hong Kong Masters.[2] O'Sullivan reached the final, having narrowly beaten John Higgins by 5–4 in the quarter-finals[3] and Judd Trump by 6–5 in the semi-finals, despite needing a snooker in the deciding frame of his match with Trump.[4] In the final, O'Sullivan faced Neil Robertson and was defeated 3–6, despite scoring the highest break of the tournament with a run of 143 in the fifth frame.[5][6]

CVB Snooker Challenge

As part of the British quintet of himself, Mark Williams, Graeme Dott, Joe Perry and Michael Holt; O'Sullivan captained Great Britain to victory in the CVB Snooker Challenge team event, beating China 26–9 by aggregate score.[7] During the event O'Sullivan defeated opposing team captain Ding Junhui 6–1, Zhou Yuelong 3–0, and teamed up with Williams to defeat Ding and Liang Wenbo 4–3 in doubles (compiling a century break of 131 together).[8][9]

China Championship

At the China Championship, O'Sullivan reached the quarter-finals with victories over Sam Baird 5–2[10] and David Gilbert 5–3[11] before recording a 5–0 whitewash of Graeme Dott in the last 16.[12] He lost to the eventual champion Luca Brecel 4–5 succumbing to a succession of four breaks over 50 (including two centuries) by Brecel after leading 4–1.[13]

International Championship qualifying

O'Sullivan qualified for the International Championship by whitewashing Gerard Greene 6–0.[14]

October 2017: English Open title

Shanghai Masters qualifying

In the Shanghai Masters qualifying, O'Sullivan dominated Christopher Keogan, winning by 5–0[15] to book his place at the venue in Shanghai.

English Open

O'Sullivan next competed in the first of the four Home Nations events of the season, the English Open. In the first round, O'Sullivan defeated Zhang Anda 4–1. He won despite injuring his ankle prior to the match, and was forced to play in trainers in violation of the player's dress code. World Snooker later gave O'Sullivan permission to wear trainers for the rest of the Open.[16] In the second round, O'Sullivan beat Mark Davis 4–1, compiling back-to-back century breaks of 136 and 134 in the last two frames of the match.[17] In the third round, he continued his good form by compiling an additional three century breaks on the way to winning 4–1 against Zhang Yong. The match was interrupted at the end of the final frame by a female spectator running around the table. Despite the distraction, O'Sullivan continued playing and potted the pink ball for a break of 129 before he offered his cue to the spectator so she could take his last shot before being led away by security.[18]

In his last 16 match, O'Sullivan trailed John Higgins 0–1, 1–2, and 2–3 before triumphing in the decider 4–3.[19] O'Sullivan then raced into the final by beating Jack Lisowski 5–2 in the quarter-finals,[20] and Anthony McGill 6–4 in the semi-finals.[21] In the final, O'Sullivan defeated Kyren Wilson 9–2 for his 29th ranking title. During the final match he compiled four centuries and had a pot success of 98%, missing only a total of 6 balls during the 11 frames played. Altogether, O'Sullivan compiled 12 centuries during the tournament, more than any other competitor. This was O'Sullivan's first victory in a ranking event in more than 20 months.[22][23][24]

International Championship

O'Sullivan lost in the first round of the International Championship to 17-year-old Yan Bingtao 1–6. After the match, O'Sullivan compared Yan's standard of play in the match to that of Stephen Hendry or John Higgins and predicted he would go on to become a tournament winner in future.[25][26]

November 2017: Champion of Champions runner-up and Shanghai Masters title

Champion of Champions

As the winner of the 2017 Masters and 2017 English Open, O'Sullivan qualified for the Champion of Champions.[27] O'Sullivan won his group by defeating Neil Robertson 4–1 in the group semi-final before whitewashing John Higgins 6–0 in the group final (making the tournament high break of 138 in the final frame).[28] In the semi-finals, O'Sullivan recorded his 900th competitive century on the way to a 6–2 defeat of Anthony Hamilton to reach the final where he faced Shaun Murphy.[29][30] In the final, O'Sullivan came to the brink of defeat trailing 5–9 before mounting a comeback by winning three consecutive frames. In frame 18, O'Sullivan when clearing the colours, needed just the green ball to leave Murphy requiring a snooker and to force a decider. However, O'Sullivan missed it (banging his cue on the table in frustration) which allowed Murphy to clear from green to black and take the trophy 8–10.[31][32]

Shanghai Masters

Straight off the back of the loss to Murphy in the Champion of Champions final, O'Sullivan traveled to China for the Shanghai Masters which started the day after the Champion of Champions final. Playing his first two early round matches in the same day, O'Sullivan showed "little signs of jet-lag" and defeated Gary Wilson 5–2 and Joe Perry 5–1, making the tournament's highest break of 144 in his match with Wilson.[33] O'Sullivan then proceeded to reach the final after a last 16 whitewash of Barry Hawkins and a quarter-final victory over Mark Williams, 5–0[34] and 5–1[35] respectively (again during the same day), and then defeating John Higgins in the semi-finals 6–2.[36] This marked the fourth consecutive time O'Sullivan had beaten old rival Higgins this season. In the final, facing Judd Trump, O'Sullivan raced into a 7–0 lead which he never relinquished. O'Sullivan eventually won 10–3, claiming his 30th ranking title and afterwards called it "one of the best victories of my career". O'Sullivan acknowledged that his standard of play wasn't as good as what he had produced at the English Open, but he rather credited his accomplishment to his improved mentality.[37]

Northern Ireland Open

Heading into the Northern Ireland Open, having won the English Open, there was speculation whether O'Sullivan could win all four Home Nations series tournaments, and receive the £1 million bonus jackpot.[38] In the early rounds, O'Sullivan defeated Lukas Kleckers in the first 4–2,[39][40] Duane Jones in the second 4–0,[41] before losing to Elliot Slessor in the third 1–4. After his third round defeat, O'Sullivan said of the bonus jackpot that he was “so happy the chance of the £1 million is gone, all the silly headlines, it was ridiculous." and that he "went along with it, but you have more chance of winning the lottery."[42]

December 2017: Record-equalling UK Championship title

UK Championship

O'Sullivan defeated 16-year-old Welsh amateur Jackson Page 6–3 in the first round of the UK Championship, after his scheduled professional opponent Rhys Clark withdrew and Page replaced him in the draw.[43][44] O'Sullivan went on to score two comfortable 6–1 victories over Michael Georgiou and Michael White in the second[45] and third[46] rounds respectively. O'Sullivan's third round match coincided with his 42nd birthday. O'Sullivan survived a "big scare" against Sunny Akani in the last 16. In frame 10, Akani led 4–5 and just needed to clear the remaining colours to win the match. As he potted the green ball, he attempted to cannon into and dislodge the blue ball from the cushion. However, the blue ball rolled into a pocket, allowing O'Sullivan to instead clear the colours and force a decider. O'Sullivan then won the last frame and therefore the match 6–5. Afterwards, O'Sullivan admitted that he felt like he "robbed" Akani of victory.[47]

In both the quarter-final and semi-final matches, O'Sullivan held off comebacks after powering to early leads. Against Martin Gould in the quarter-finals, O'Sullivan led 5–0 before triumphing 6–3[48] and against Stephen Maguire in the semi-finals, he led 4–0 before edging through 6–4. In a rematch of the Champion of Champions final, O'Sullivan faced Shaun Murphy in the title match. The final was speculated as a "grudge match", due to the prior documented animosity between the pair and Murphy's recent triumph over O'Sullivan. However, Murphy had apologised for comments he made in the past subsequent to his Champion of Champions victory and O'Sullivan responded by saying he had "never had a problem with [Murphy]".[49] Despite this, the morning session was edgy and the score ended level at 4–4. However, O'Sullivan won 6 out of the 7 frames played in the evening session to capture the title 10–5, his 31st career ranking title overall. During the final, O'Sullivan made 3 century breaks bringing his total to 10 for the tournament. With the victory, O'Sullivan matched Steve Davis' record of 6 UK Championship titles and Stephen Hendry's record of 18 major titles. After the match, Murphy described O'Sullivan's achievement as "phenomenal", while Davis lauded O'Sullivan as "one of the greatest winning machines" in the history of the game.[50][51]

Scottish Open

At the Scottish Open, O'Sullivan recorded straightforward 4–1 victories over Michael Georgiou in the first round[52] and Robert Milkins in the second.[53][54] In his third round match against Li Hang, fatigue from his heavy schedule appeared to effect O'Sullivan as he took several 'power naps' between frames. O'Sullivan eventually triumphed 4–3 against Li.[55][56] In the last 16, O'Sullivan defeated Michael White 4–1 to set-up a quarter-final clash with home favourite John Higgins.[57] After losing his previous four encounters to O'Sullivan this season, Higgins whitewashed O'Sullivan 0–5 for the first time since 1994, 23 years ago. Afterwards, O'Sullivan said he was "kind of relieved" to lose.[58]

German Masters qualifying

O'Sullivan was due to face Rory McLeod in the German Masters qualifiers, but withdrew due to medical reasons.[59]

January – February 2018: World Grand Prix title

The Masters

As two-time defending champion, O'Sullivan's defence of his Masters title was hampered by illness. During each of his two matches he complained of "dizzy spells" and "double vision". Despite this, O'Sullivan outclassed Marco Fu to record a 6–0 first round whitewash, compiling three century breaks and scoring 649 points to Fu's 35. The match only lasted 96 minutes. BBC pundit John Parrott described O'Sullivan as being "at his very best" during the match.[60][61] However facing eventual champion Mark Allen in the quarter-finals, the combination of the illness and strong resistance from Allen caught up to O'Sullivan, and he lost 1–6. Afterwards, O'Sullivan praised Allen's performance as "fantastic" and said he was "glad" to be out of the competition.[62]

World Grand Prix

After a month out of competition, O'Sullivan returned to action at the World Grand Prix where he was the top seed (top of the one-year ranking list for the tournaments preceding the Grand Prix). He eased past Robert Milkins 4–0 in the last 32[63] before coming from 2–3 down to beat Yan Bingtao 4–3 in a narrow last 16 victory.[64] O'Sullivan then recorded a 55-minute 5–0 whitewash of Xiao Guodong in the quarter-finals, compiling 4 centuries with a 99% pot success rate.[65] O'Sullivan later said "I do sometimes praise myself and that was a very good match."[66]

In the semi-final, O'Sullivan fell 2–4 behind to Stephen Maguire after being drawn into "long tactical exchanges" before hitting back by winning four frames in a row with quick-fire breaks of 72, 83 and 128 to progress to his sixth final of the season 6–4.[67] Facing Ding Junhui in the title match, O'Sullivan established a 6–3 advantage in the afternoon session (compiling 3 century breaks) to take control of the match despite both players struggling for fluency at times. O'Sullivan then denied Ding any chance of a comeback by winning all four frames of the evening session to capture his 32nd career ranking title and fourth of this season 10–3.[68] This marked a new personal best for number of ranking titles won in a single season for O'Sullivan.[69]

March 2018: Players Championship title

Welsh Open

At the Welsh Open, O'Sullivan received a first round walkover after his opponent Robin Hull withdrew due to medical reasons.[70] O'Sullivan then whitewashed all his next three opponents – Graeme Dott,[71] David Grace[72] and Mike Dunn,[73] en route to the quarter-finals. However, facing John Higgins for the sixth time this season, O'Sullivan lost 5 consecutive frames after winning the first to be knocked out 1–5. Higgins said after the match that he "felt Ronnie was not there at all."[74]

Players Championship

At the Players Championship, O’Sullivan won his first match comfortably 6–1 against Graeme Dott.[75] In the quarter-finals against Ding Junhui, O’Sullivan trailed 0–2 before responding to level the match at 2–2. After sharing frames, O'Sullivan finished stronger winning three frames in a row including back-to-back centuries in the last two frames to advance to the semi-finals 6–3 where he faced defending champion, Judd Trump.[76] In a dramatic seesawing match, Trump initially held a two frame advantage at 0–2 before O'Sullivan fought back to lead 3–2 (including making a break of 143). Trump then turned the tables to lead 3–4 and 4–5 before O'Sullivan leveled to set up a decider. Despite Trump having the first scoring chance, after he went in-off, O'Sullivan responded by making a match winning break to triumph 6–5.[77] O’Sullivan faced Shaun Murphy in the final, the third title match of the 2017/2018 season they had contested. After taking the lead at 2–1, O’Sullivan never relinquished his advantage, eventually winning the championship by 10–4. By winning the title, O'Sullivan matched the record of Stephen Hendry, Ding Junhui and Mark Selby for most ranking title wins in a single season with five. O'Sullivan credited this achievement by being "focused on match snooker".[78]

April – May 2018: 14th maximum break

China Open

O’Sullivan began the China Open with his heldover qualifying match (as the number two seeded player), where he progressed to the main draw with a 6–2 victory over Ross Muir.[79] In the first round of the main draw, O'Sullivan suffered a surprise 2–6 loss to Elliot Slessor in an "error-strewn performance", the second time Slessor had beaten O'Sullivan in the 2017/2018 season. However, in the 5th frame of the match, O'Sullivan made his first maximum break since the 2014 UK Championship, his 14th on record.[80]

World Championship

In the first round of the World Championship, O'Sullivan trailed Stephen Maguire 0–4 and 3–6 overnight before winning seven of the next eight frames to win 10–7.[81][82] Prior to the second round, O'Sullivan's opponent Ali Carter (who had not defeated O'Sullivan in a ranking event) added further tension to the tie claiming that "it was the Ronnie O'Sullivan show all the time", which escalated during the match when O'Sullivan and Carter "barged" into each other and exchanged words during the 19th frame. O'Sullivan told Carter to "stop being angry" and later claimed that he had been barged into by Carter earlier in the match. Carter eventually beat O'Sullivan 9–13. O'Sullivan conceded afterwards that he was second best throughout the entire match.[83][84][85]

All WPBSA sanctioned matches

The following tables document all matches that took place as part of WPBSA sanctioned tournaments that Ronnie O'Sullivan entered in the 2017/2018 snooker season.

World Snooker Tour

The following table chronicles all the main tour matches[nb 1] of O'Sullivan.

Tournament Round Date
(day month)		 Opponent (Top 16 Seed)[nb 2] Score Centuries made[nb 3] Tournament century total Tournament record Overall season record Ref.
Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, 20 – 23 July 2017.
 QF 21 July John Higgins (2) 5–4 0 1–0 1–0 [3]
SF 22 July Judd Trump (3) 6–5 128, 126 2 2–0 2–0 [4]
F 23 July Neil Robertson (7) 3–6 143 3 2–1 2–1 [5]
Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou, China, 16 – 22 August 2017.
 Q1 Not held Zhang Yong w/o–w/d 0 0–0 2–1 [1]
1R 17 August Sam Baird 5–2 124, 100 2 1–0 3–1 [10]
2R 18 August David Gilbert 5–3 130 3 2–0 4–1 [11]
3R 19 August Graeme Dott 5–0 139 4 3–0 5–1 [12]
QF 20 August Luca Brecel 4–5 4 3–1 5–2 [13]
Barnsley Metrodome, Barnsley, England, 16 – 22 October 2017.
 1R 17 October Zhang Anda 4–1 0 1–0 6–2 [16]
2R 18 October Mark Davis 4–1 136, 134 2 2–0 7–2 [17]
3R 19 October Zhang Yong 4–1 129, 127, 126 5 3–0 8–2 [18]
4R 19 October John Higgins (3) 4–3 5 4–0 9–2 [19]
QF 20 October Jack Lisowski 5–2 125 6 5–0 10–2 [20]
SF 21 October Anthony McGill (16) 6–4 139, 133 8 6–0 11–2 [21]
W 22 October Kyren Wilson (15) 9–2 132, 131, 127, 115 12 7–0 12–2 [24]
Baihu Media Broadcasting Centre, Daqing, China, 29 October – 5 November 2017.
 Q1 29 September Gerard Greene 6–0 112 1 1–0 13–2 [14]
1R 30 October Yan Bingtao 1–6 111 2 1–1 13–3 [25]
Ricoh Arena, Coventry, England, 6 – 12 November 2017.
 1R 9 November Neil Robertson (8) 4–1 134 1 1–0 14–3 [28]
QF 9 November John Higgins (3) 6–0 138, 101 3 2–0 15–3 [28]
SF 10 November Anthony Hamilton 6–2 124, 109 5 3–0 16–3 [29]
F 12 November Shaun Murphy (5) 8–10 108 6 3–1 16–4 [32]
Shanghai Grand Stage, Shanghai, China, 13 – 18 November 2017.
 Q1 13 October Christopher Keogan 5–0 0 1–0 17–4 [15]
1R 15 November Gary Wilson 5–2 144 1 2–0 18–4 [33]
2R 15 November Joe Perry 5–1 127 2 3–0 19–4 [33]
3R 16 November Barry Hawkins (7) 5–0 2 4–0 20–4 [34]
QF 16 November Mark Williams 5–1 2 5–0 21–4 [35]
SF 17 November John Higgins (3) 6–2 117 3 6–0 22–4 [36]
W 18 November Judd Trump (4) 10–3 108 4 7–0 23–4 [37]
Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 20 – 26 November 2017.
 1R 21 November Lukas Kleckers 4–2 126 1 1–0 24–4 [39]
2R 22 November Duane Jones 4–0 1 2–0 25–4 [41]
3R 23 November Elliot Slessor 1–4 1 2–1 25–5 [42]
Barbican Centre, York, England, 28 November – 10 December 2017.
 1R 30 November Jackson Page 6–3 117, 105 2 1–0 26–5 [44]
2R 3 December Michael Georgiou 6–1 2 2–0 27–5 [45]
3R 5 December Michael White 6–1 132 3 3–0 28–5 [46]
4R 7 December Sunny Akani 6–5 121 4 4–0 29–5 [47]
QF 8 December Martin Gould 6–3 107, 106 6 5–0 30–5 [48]
SF 9 December Stephen Maguire 6–4 111 7 6–0 31–5 [49]
W 10 December Shaun Murphy (5) 10–5 104, 103, 103 10 7–0 32–5 [51]
Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland, 11 – 17 December 2017.
 1R 12 December Michael Georgiou 4–1 136 1 1–0 33–5 [52]
2R 13 December Robert Milkins 4–1 112, 101 3 2–0 34–5 [54]
3R 14 December Li Hang 4–3 103 4 3–0 35–5 [56]
4R 14 December Michael White 4–1 4 4–0 36–5 [57]
QF 15 December John Higgins (5) 0–5 4 4–1 36–6 [58]
Alexandra Palace, London, England, 14 – 21 January 2018.
 1R 16 January Marco Fu (9) 6–0 121, 120, 112 3 1–0 37–6 [61]
QF 18 January Mark Allen (8) 1–6 3 1–1 37–7 [62]
Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany, 31 January – 4 February 2018.
 Q1 Not held Rory McLeod w/d–w/o 0 0–0 37–7 [59]
Guild Hall, Preston, England, 19 – 25 February 2018.
 1R 19 February Robert Milkins 4–0 119 1 1–0 38–7 [63]
2R 21 February Yan Bingtao 4–3 121 2 2–0 39–7 [64]
QF 22 February Xiao Guodong 5–0 106, 105, 102, 101 6 3–0 40–7 [65]
SF 23 February Stephen Maguire 6–4 128 7 4–0 41–7 [67]
W 25 February Ding Junhui (4) 10–3 124, 120, 105 10 5–0 42–7 [68]
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales, 26 February – 4 March 2018.
 1R Not held Robin Hull w/o–w/d 0 0–0 42–7 [70]
2R 28 February Graeme Dott 4–0 106 1 1–0 43–7 [71]
3R 1 March David Grace 4–0 133, 100 3 2–0 44–7 [72]
4R 1 March Mike Dunn 4–0 117 4 3–0 45–7 [73]
QF 2 March John Higgins (5) 1–5 4 3–1 45–8 [74]
Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales, 19 – 25 March 2018.
 1R 20 March Graeme Dott 6–1 106 1 1–0 46–8 [75]
QF 21 March Ding Junhui (4) 6–3 134, 121, 100 4 2–0 47–8 [76]
SF 23 March Judd Trump (3) 6–5 143 5 3–0 48–8 [77]
W 25 March Shaun Murphy (7) 10–4 5 4–0 49–8 [78]
Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, Beijing, China, 2 – 8 April 2018.
 Q1 2 April Ross Muir 6–2 110 1 1–0 50–8 [79]
1R 3 April Elliot Slessor 2–6 147[nb 4] 2 1–1 50–9 [80]
Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England, 21 April – 7 May 2018.
 1R 21 – 22 April Stephen Maguire 10–7 118, 110 2 1–0 51–9 [82]
2R 27 – 28 April Ali Carter (15) 9–13 121, 105 4 1–1 51–10 [85]

Other

CVB Snooker Challenge

O'Sullivan played both singles and doubles representing Great Britain in the WPBSA sanctioned non-ranking CVB Snooker Challenge.[7]

Singles
Tournament Round Date
(day month)		 Opponent (Top 16 Seed)[nb 2] Score Centuries made[nb 3] Tournament century total Tournament record Overall season record Ref.
Nanshan Culture & Sports Centre, Shenzhen, China, 28 – 29 July 2017.
 RR 28 July Ding Junhui (4) 6–1 0 1–0 N/A [8]
RR 29 July Zhou Yuelong 3–0 0 2–0 N/A [9]
Doubles
Tournament Round Date
(day month)		 Partner vs. first opponent / second opponent Score Centuries made[nb 3] Tournament century total Tournament record Overall season record Ref.
Nanshan Culture & Sports Centre, Shenzhen, China, 28 – 29 July 2017.
 RR 29 July Mark Williams vs.
Ding Junhui /
Liang Wenbo		 4–3 131 1 1–0 N/A [9]

Table legends
Round legend
Q# Qualifying round
#R Early round
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QF Quarter-final
SF Semi-final
F Lost in final
W Won in final
Tournament type legend
World ranking event
Non-ranking event

World Snooker Tour season records

The following records do not contain any non-tour matches.

Ranking history

O'Sullivan began the season ranked no. 14 on the world ranking list.[87] Following his UK Championship victory, he climbed to world no. 2[88] and remained there for the rest of the season.[89] Despite winning five world ranking titles O'Sullivan finished the season ranked second on the one year ranking list, behind 2018 World Champion Mark Williams.[90]

Head-to-head matchups

O'Sullivan's 2017/2018 season overall record was 51–10 (83.61%). His record against players seeded with a rank within the top 16 at the time of their meetings was 16–6 (72.73%).

Bold indicates player was ranked top 16 at time of at least one meeting. Record shown in round brackets indicates their meetings when player was ranked within the top 16 if different from the overall season record. Italic indicates player was ranked world no. 1 at time of at least one meeting. Record shown in square brackets indicates their meetings when player was ranked no. 1 if different from the overall season record. The following list is ordered by number of wins, then reverse ordered by number of defeats and then chronologically ordered:

Finals (5 titles, 2 runners-up)

O'Sullivan reached seven finals and won five titles in the 2017/2018 season:

Ranking finals (5 titles)
Outcome No. Tournament Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. English Open Kyren Wilson 9–2
Winner 2. Shanghai Masters Judd Trump 10–3
Winner 3. UK Championship Shaun Murphy 10–5
Winner 4. World Grand Prix Ding Junhui 10–3
Winner 5. Players Championship Shaun Murphy 10–4

Non-ranking finals (2 runners-up)
Outcome No. Tournament Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. Hong Kong Masters Neil Robertson 3–6
Runner-up 2. Champion of Champions Shaun Murphy 8–10

Ranking points

The following table documents the results of all world ranking tournaments O'Sullivan competed in during the 2017/2018 season and the ranking points he was awarded for each result. Ranking points were distributed according to the prize money schedule.[91] This also represents his total prize money from world ranking results (in £):

Tournament Result Ranking points awarded Running season ranking points total
China Championship QF 18,000 18,000
English Open W 70,000 88,000
International Championship L64 4,000 92,000
Shanghai Masters W 150,000 242,000
Northern Ireland Open L32 3,500 245,500
UK Championship W 170,000 415,500
Scottish Open QF 10,000 425,500
German Masters L128 None 425,500
World Grand Prix W 100,000 525,500
Welsh Open QF 10,000 535,500
Players Championship W 125,000 660,500
China Open L64 5,000 665,500
World Championship L16 27,500 693,000
Result legend
L# Last #, qualifying round
L# Last #, early round
RR Round robin
WR Wildcard round
QF Quarter-final
SF Semi-final
F Lost in final
W Won in final

Non-ranking results

The following table documents the results of all non-world ranking tournaments O'Sullivan competed in during the 2017/2018 season and the prize money he was awarded for each result:

Tournament Result Prize money (£) Ref.
Hong Kong Masters F 45,000 [92]
Champion of Champions F 50,000 [93]
The Masters QF 25,000 [94]
Total 120,000
Result legend
L# Last #
RR Round robin
WR Wildcard round
QF Quarter-final
SF Semi-final
F Lost in final
W Won in final

Non-ranking Team results
Tournament Result Prize Money (£)
2017 CVB Snooker Challenge W 16,000
Total 16,000

High break prizes

The following table documents all high break and maximum prizes (indicated in bold) O'Sullivan received during the 2017/2018 season and the prize money he was awarded for each:

Tournament High break Prize money (£) Ref.
Hong Kong Masters 143 10,000 [92]
Champion of Champions 138 0 [93]
Shanghai Masters 144 3,000 [37]
Players Championship 143 5,000 [95]
China Open 147 21,000 [nb 4] [96]
Total 39,000

Total earnings

Season

The following table totals all prize money O'Sullivan earned in the 2017/2018 season on the World Snooker Tour:

Source Prize money (£)
Ranking results 693,000
Non-ranking results 120,000
Non-ranking Team results 16,000
High break and maximum prizes 39,000
Total 868,000

Career total

O'Sullivan began the 2017/2018 season with £9.0 million (to the nearest £100,000) in career total prize money.[nb 5] O'Sullivan ended the 2017/2018 season having earned £868,000 from prize money from ranking results, non-ranking results and high break prizes, therefore bringing his total to £9.8 million (to the nearest £100,000).

Century breaks

Season

During the 2017/2018 season, O'Sullivan made the following total number of century breaks:

Tournament Tournament total Running season total
Hong Kong Masters 3 3
China Championship 4 7
English Open 12 19
International Championship 2 21
Champion of Champions 6 27
Shanghai Masters 4 31
Northern Ireland Open 1 32
UK Championship 10 42
Scottish Open 4 46
The Masters 3 49
German Masters 0 49
World Grand Prix 10 59
Welsh Open 4 63
Players Championship 5 68
China Open 2 70
World Championship 4 74

Career total

O'Sullivan began the 2017/2018 season with 874 career total century breaks.[nb 6] O'Sullivan ended the 2017/2018 season with 74 additional century breaks, therefore bringing his total to (874+74=) 948.

See also

Notes
  1. All main tour matches appear on World Snooker's official calendar.[86]
  2. Official seeding revisions were used for tournaments they were prescribed for on World Snooker's official calendar.[86] Otherwise the most recent seeding revision was used for any other tournament.
  3. Breaks in bold indicate highest break made in the tournament and thus O'Sullivan received the high break prize. Breaks in italic are maximum breaks.
  4. 147 and high break prize shared with Stuart Bingham.
  5. Before the presumption of the 2017 UK Championship, O'Sullivan had made £9.2 million in career total prize money.[97] Having made £353,500 from ranking results, non-ranking results and high break prizes between the beginning of the season and the beginning of the UK Championship, O'Sullivan thus had made an estimated £8.9 million (to the nearest £100,000) in career prize money at the beginning of the season.
  6. By the conclusion of the 2017 UK Championship, O'Sullivan had made 916 career total century breaks.[51] Having made 42 between the beginning of the season and the end of the final, O'Sullivan thus had made (916-42=) 874 career total century breaks at the beginning of the season.

References
  1. "Ronnie O'Sullivan v Sam Baird: China Championship 2017 preview - Rocket launches quest for Guangzhou glory". Live Snooker. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  2. "Hong Kong Masters draw and ticket details". World Snooker. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  3. "O'Sullivan beats Higgins in thriller". World Snooker. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  4. "Rocket soars into Hong Kong final". World Snooker. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  5. "Robertson victorious in Hong Kong". World Snooker. 23 July 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  6. "Hong Kong Masters 2017: Neil Robertson beats O'Sullivan in final". BBC News. 23 July 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  7. "Camsing Global CVB Snooker Challenge". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  8. "中英挑战赛-奥沙利文6-1丁俊晖 中国4-13暂落后" (in Chinese). CBSA. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  9. "中英明星挑战赛落幕 英国队26-9完胜中国队夺冠" (in Chinese). CBSA. 29 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  10. "Rocket lifts off in Guangzhou". World Snooker. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  11. "China Championship: Selby, Higgins, Trump, Ding, Fu, Hawkins all out". BBC News. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  12. "China Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Graeme Dott to reach quarter-finals". BBC News. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  13. "China Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan beaten by Luca Brecel in quarter-finals". BBC News. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  14. "Rocket storms through in Preston". World Snooker. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  15. "O'Sullivan and Trump book Shanghai spots". World Snooker. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  16. "Ronnie O'Sullivan can wear trainers at English Open". BBC News. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  17. "Remarkable Ronnie O'Sullivan cruises through, Liang Wenbo hits 147". Eurosport. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  18. "Ronnie O'Sullivan lets spectator take final shot in win at English Open". BBC Sport. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  19. "Ronnie O'Sullivan ousts John Higgins to reach English Open quarters". Eurosport. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  20. "English Open: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Jack Lisowski to make semi-finals". BBC Sport. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  21. "Ronnie O'Sullivan wins thriller against Anthony McGill to reach English Open final". Eurosport. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  22. "Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Kyren Wilson 9-2 to claim title". BBC Sport. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  23. "Magical Ronnie O'Sullivan coasts to English Open title with flawless performance". Eurosport. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  24. "O'Sullivan lands English Open crown". World Snooker. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  25. "Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ding Junhui suffer shock early exits in China". Eurosport. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  26. "International Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan thrashed by Yan Bingtao in China". BBC Sport. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  27. "Qualifying List 2017". Matchroom Sport. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  28. "O'Sullivan hits Higgins for six". World Snooker. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  29. "Ronnie O'Sullivan hits 900th career century in semi-final win over Anthony Hamilton". Eurosport. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  30. "O'Sullivan reaches fourth 188BET Champion of Champions Final". Champion of Champion.com. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  31. "Champion of Champions: Shaun Murphy beats Ronnie O'Sullivan in final". BBC Sport. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  32. "Shaun Murphy holds off Ronnie O'Sullivan comeback to clinch title". BBC Sport. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  33. "Ronnie O'Sullivan hits 144 break on way to Shanghai Masters last 16". Eurosport. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  34. "Ronnie O'Sullivan breezes past Barry Hawkins to Shanghai Masters quarter-finals". Eurosport. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  35. "Ronnie O'Sullivan powers into semi-finals with 5-1 victory over Mark Williams in Shanghai". Eurosport. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  36. "Ronnie O'Sullivan sets up final showdown with Trump after beating Higgins 6-2". Eurosport. 18 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  37. "Shanghai Masters: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Judd Trump for 'one of the best victories'". BBC Sport. 18 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  38. "Can Ronnie O'Sullivan win £1m from snooker's Home Nations series?". Eurosport. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  39. "Rocket up and running in Belfast". World Snooker. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  40. "Ronnie O'Sullivan forced to defuse row after irate photographer confronts him". Eurosport. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  41. "Northern Ireland Open: Home favourite Mark Allen crashes out". BBC Sport. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  42. "Ronnie O'Sullivan happy 'ridiculous' £1m jackpot dream is over as John Higgins exits". Eurosport. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  43. "Clark replaced by Page in UK draw". World Snooker. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  44. "UK Snooker Championship 2017: Ronnie O'Sullivan moves into round two". BBC Sport. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  45. "UK Championship 2017: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Michael Georgiou in round two". BBC Sport. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  46. "UK Snooker Championship 2017: Ronnie O'Sullivan thrashes Michael White, Barry Hawkins beaten". BBC Sport. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  47. "UK Snooker Championship 2017: Ronnie O'Sullivan recovers to reach quarter-finals". BBC Sport. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  48. "UK Snooker Championship 2017: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Martin Gould". BBC Sport. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  49. "UK Championship 2017: Ronnie O'Sullivan to face Shaun Murphy in final". BBC Sport. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  50. "UK Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan matches Steve Davis with sixth title". BBC Sport. 10 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  51. "O'Sullivan matches major records". World Snooker. 10 December 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  52. "Ronnie O'Sullivan finishes with a flourish in first-round win, but Murphy tumbles out". Eurosport. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  53. "Scottish Open: Ronnie O'Sullivan & John Higgins reach third round". BBC Sport. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  54. "Robertson undeterred by missing Masters". World Snooker. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  55. "Scottish Open: Ronnie O'Sullivan, Fu, Higgins, Maguire into last 16; Ding out". BBC Sport. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  56. "Ronnie O'Sullivan eases into Scottish Open quarter-finals". Eurosport. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  57. "Scottish Open: John Higgins to face Ronnie O'Sullivan in quarter-finals". BBC Sport. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  58. "Scottish Open: John Higgins whitewashes Ronnie O'Sullivan to reach semis". BBC Sport. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  59. "O'Sullivan pulls out of German Qualifiers". World Snooker. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  60. "Masters: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Marco Fu 6-0 at Alexandra Palace". BBC Sport. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  61. "Awesome O'Sullivan white-washes Fu". World Snooker. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  62. "Masters 2018: Mark Allen beats Ronnie O'Sullivan at Alexandra Palace". BBC Sport. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  63. "Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Robert Milkins in World Grand Prix". BBC Sport. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  64. "Ronnie O'Sullivan hits back to edge Yan Bingtao at World Grand Prix". Eurosport. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  65. "World Grand Prix: Ronnie O'Sullivan makes four centuries v Xiao Guodong". BBC Sport. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  66. "Ronnie O'Sullivan hits four centuries in five frames to reach semi-finals in only 55 minutes". Eurosport. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  67. "World Grand Prix: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Stephen Maguire to reach final". BBC Sport. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  68. "World Grand Prix: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Ding Junhui to win title". BBC Sport. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  69. "Can O'Sullivan break the £1 million barrier?". World Snooker. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  70. "Trump survives Jones scare". World Snooker. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  71. "Rocket flies into round three". World Snooker. 28 February 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  72. "Magical Ronnie O'Sullivan dismisses David Grace in 44 minutes to reach last 16". Eurosport. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  73. "Sublime Ronnie O'Sullivan coasts into quarters, John Higgins whitewashes Nigel Bond". Eurosport. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  74. "Welsh Open: Ronnie O'Sullivan knocked out by John Higgins". BBC Sport. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  75. "'Ferrari' O'Sullivan motors past Dott". World Snooker. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  76. "O'Sullivan fires three tons in Ding win". World Snooker. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  77. "O'Sullivan into final after Trump thriller". World Snooker. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  78. "Players Championship snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Shaun Murphy in final". BBC Sport. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  79. "Ronnie O'Sullivan through in China, Mark Williams on fire". Eurosport. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  80. "Ronnie O'Sullivan knocked out of China Open after making maximum 147". BBC Sport. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  81. "World Snooker Championship 2018: Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Stephen Maguire". BBC Sport. 2018-04-22. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  82. "Ronnie O'Sullivan v Stephen Maguire: O'Sullivan mounts glorious fightback to reach last 16". Eurosport. 2018-04-22. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  83. "World Snooker Championship 2018: Ronnie O'Sullivan loses to Ali Carter". BBC Sport. 2018-04-28. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  84. "Ronnie O'Sullivan tells journalists: 'Until I die, you will have to keep writing stuff'". BBC Sport. 28 April 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  85. "Ronnie O'Sullivan v Ali Carter: Tempers flare as O'Sullivan exits 2018 World Championship". Eurosport. 2018-04-28. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  86. "Calendar 2017/2018" (PDF). World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  87. "2016/17 Official Rankings (End of Season)". WPBSA. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  88. "2017/18 Official Rankings (Revision Six)". WPBSA. 10 December 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  89. "Latest Provisional End of Season Rankings". WPBSA. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  90. "1 YEAR LIST" (PDF). World Snooker. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  91. "Indicative prize money rankings schedule 2017/2018 season" (PDF). World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  92. "2017 Hong Kong Masters Prize Money". Snooker Database. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  93. "Prize Fund", championofchampionssnooker.co.uk, Matchroom Sport, retrieved 14 May 2018
  94. "The Masters snooker prize money, when is the 2018 final and who are the previous winners". metro.co.uk. Metro News. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  95. "Crucible places at stake in Beijing". World Snooker. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  96. "China Open: Stuart Bingham makes 147 break a day after Ronnie O'Sullivan". BBC Sport. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  97. "Ronnie O'Sullivan: 25 years at the top for a 'creative genius'". BBC Sport. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.