Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Luca Brecel to extend epic Shanghai Masters winning run

17/09/2023 15:38

Ronnie O’Sullivan has won his fourth Shanghai Masters title on the spin, and fifth in total, beating Luca Brecel 11-9 in a superb final on Sunday.

When the world number one (O’Sullivan) and world champion (Brecel) plotted their routes to the final it always looked like it was going to be a memorable affair and it certainly was.

It is rare that the Rocket is the more circumspect player on display, but even the seven-time world champion could not claim to be as buccaneering as Brecel who took on near enough every pot available to him in the entire match.

It shows the immense talent of the Belgian Bullet that he can play in this wild style and push the Greatest Of All Time nearly all the way in Shanghai, where O’Sullivan has been unbeatable for years.

This was the first time the tournament had been held since 2019, due to a pandemic-inforced break, meaning the last time O’Sullivan lost in Shanghai was a shock defeat to Michael Holt in 2016.

While this is not a ranking event, the top two in those rankings have proved that they deserve those spots, while the Rocket gains a measure of revenge on the Bullet for the World Championship quarter-final defeat in April.

It is another profitable week for both men, with the Englishman picking up £210,000 for his efforts, while the Belgian gets £105,000 for finishing runner-up. The 28-year-old will certainly have retained his position as O’Sullivan’s favourite player to watch as well.