Ronnie O'Sullivan on whether he's just created the greatest sporting documentary of all time after giving it the fairytale ending. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most World Snooker Championship titles with seven. His swashbuckling professional career spanning 28 glorious years has taken snooker fans to mesmerising heights and even at the age of 44, his continued brilliance and popularity across all generations is keeping him very much at the forefront of the sport. There were a handful of Scottish professionals in the early years of TV snooker but they did not seriously challenge for titles, although one hard man, Eddie Sinclair, did take on the notoriously thirsty Canadian Bill Werbeniuk in a legendary drinking contest. Hendry had not even played the game before his parents bought him a half-sized table for Christmas in 1981. Hed sacrificed much to get to the top and had no regrets. Career Total Statistics Tournament Record Most Frequent Opponents Rounds Reached Century Frequency Centuries per Season Graph Ranking History Prize Money History. Stephen Hendry retires after World Snooker Championship defeat Wishaws John Higgins was taken with one of his brothers to a snooker club as a boy by their father, who could have a social drink with his friends while his sons were happily occupied. Copyright 2017-2023 Rookie Road Inc. All rights reserved. As a seven-time World Champion, Hendry is the most successful player in the modern era of the World Snooker Championship and holds the record for the most seasons as world number one. In terms of weeks spent as world number one, as of April 18, 2022, Stephen Hendry tops the list. It capped a tumultuous tournament for O'Sullivan, who had threatened to launch a breakaway tour then required a final-frame decider to edge past veteran Ken Doherty in round two. While many had given the enigmatic Rocket GOAT status on talent grounds long before he'd surpassed Stephen Hendry's records for most ranking titles (36) and Triple Crowns (18) due to the . In terms of weeks spent as world number one, as of April 18, 2022, Stephen Hendry tops the list. Discovery company. Now in the world's top 16 for the first time, Ronnie O'Sullivan booked his place in the Masters tournament automatically, having made his debut the previous year after coming through the qualifying event ranked 57 in the world. We look back at his 28 years of astonishing milestones, achievements statistics, maximum breaks, and fan-pleasing antics. Although they've both thrilled the Sheffield crowd with three 147s apiece at snooker's spiritual home, the Rocket's incomprehensibly brilliant maiden maximum in five minutes eight seconds will never be surpassed and it speaks volumes that the closest anyone has ever got is O'Sullivan himself when clocking six minutes and 30 seconds against Marco Fu in 2003. He had pushed his career earnings past 6.2 million (about $10 million) and by November had reclaimed his number one ranking. "The ultimate goal is to play one more match at the Crucible. Ronnie O'Sullivan is happy to share the World Snooker Championship record with 'absolute legend' Stephen Hendry but feels that the feat means more to the Scot than it does to. Hendry, 43, retired on Tuesday after a 13-2 quarter-final defeat by Stephen Maguire ended his 27th consecutive appearance at the Crucible. **Hendry resumed playing in 2021 after nine years out, but his future on the tour is unclear. O'Sullivan set up another instalment of his budding rivalry with Mark Selby after beating Joe Perry (6-5), Ali Carter (6-2) and Stephen Maguire (6-1) and he'd edge another titanic tussle between the pair 10-8 to claim his fourth Masters title. That year he won the Dubai Classic, the Asian Open, the Scottish Masters, the UK Championship, and the Masters. Hendry continued his ascent in his third professional season, winning his first world ranking titles at the 1987 Rothmans Grand Prix and the 1988 British Open. pic.twitter.com/PoE9RBEcNh. However, when pressed for a more serious answer he replied: "I've never bothered about records, I've never performed well if I'm going for stuff like that. O'Sullivan's sixth world title came on his 28th appearance in a row here, and during the final he played his 1,847th Crucible frame to creep past the record previously set by Hendry of 1,846. To qualify for that would be incredible. Rookie Road may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. He repeated as world champ from 1992 to 1996. Evans slams 'disgusting' prize money in women's snooker as Baipat claims world title, Hendry had stated his main aim was to come through four qualifying rounds to return to the Crucible, scene of his finest moments in the sport, when he embarked upon his comeback after working with much-lauded SightRight coach, "I know that kind of means nothing, but when I first started with Stephen Feeney, I wanted to get back to enjoying playing snooker again even if it was on the practice table,". Glaswegian Alan McManus had already turned professional in 1990 and made an immediate breakthrough, reaching the UK Championship semi-finals and winning the Masters qualifying event in his debut season. Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2010 World Open - Mark King, 11. He was employed on a lucrative contract promoting cue sports in China and enjoyed punditry and leisure time spent playing golf, but nothing can compare with the thrill of competition. He claimed the number one ranking in 1990 and held it until White defeated him at the world championship in 1998. On that occasion he was thrashed 5-1 by Dennis Taylor in the wildcard round but this was a completely different story, overcoming John Parrott, Terry Griffiths and Peter Ebdon prior to a 9-3 triumph over fellow teenage sensation John Higgins. Who has won the most World Snooker Championship titles? Stephen Hendry - Season 2022-2023 - Professional Results Who has won the most World Snooker Championship titles? Hendry, O However, one big difference was how he approached the game itself. To be the best was all he had ever wanted. This is generally known as the start of the 'modern era'. While his comments about needing to lose one arm to drop out of the world's top 50 were still going viral, it looked as though he'd bow out when supposedly playing recklessly against Mark Selby in the semi-final. Growing up, he also spent time living in Edinburgh and Fife. I can't explain it. He represented his nation at the highest level of a hugely popular sport with distinction, winning 36 ranking tournaments including seven World Championships. Stephen Hendry - Wikipedia As an added bonus, here's how he equalled Stephen Hendry's century break record of 775 against Ricky Walden Ronnie O'Sullivan's incredible career in numbers, RONNIE O'SULLIVAN WINS HIS SIXTH WORLD SNOOKER TITLE AT THE CRUCIBLE, Ronnie O'Sullivan wins UK Championship 1993, B&H Masters 1995 Final: Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs John Higgins Part 2, SNOOKER UK CHAMP 1997 final O`Sullivan vs Hendry part 2, Stephen Hendry 147 v Ronnie O'Sullivan Decider Charity Challenge 1997, 2001 World Snooker Championship Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs John Higgins, 2004 World Snooker Championship Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Graeme Dott Session 4 (BBC), 2005 Snooker the Masters Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs John Higgins Frame 9-13, DECIDER O'Sullivan v Selby SF 2007 UK Championship, 2007 Snooker UK Championship Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Stephen Maguire Frame 9-12, Ronnie's 147 v Williams at the 2008 World Championship, 2008 World Snooker Championship Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Ali Carter Frame 21-24, 2009 Snooker The Masters Final Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Mark Selby Frame 13-18, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Ali Carter 2012 World Championship, Amazing 2013 World Championship Final | O'Sullivan - Hawkins, Selby v O'Sullivan FINAL FRAME 2014 Masters HD1080p. He has played a partial schedule in 2021 and 2022, never making it past the second round of a tournament. There are some young prospects in Scotland, but not in the numbers of 30 years ago. 1 ranking for a period in 2005. From March 1990 to January 1991, Hendry won 5 straight titles and 36 consecutive matches to post the longest unbeaten string in the sports history. Hendry had observed Steve Davis aloofness, the way he set himself apart from his rivals. He became the first player to score the maximum of 147 three times in tournament play, recording his first 147 in 1992 and two more in 1995 (he scored additional maximums in 1997 and 1998, two in 1999, and others in 2001 and 2009). By now, those he had inspired had become good in their own right, and so a decline began which ended in his retirement in 2012 at the age of 43. I wouldn't say it's the wrong decision - it's just down to the individual.". 1995: Beats Nigel Bond in the World Championship final. Stephen Hendry 'didn't want' Ronnie O'Sullivan to equal world title Hendry, O'Sullivan, Davis and the players with the most trophies, Is Ronnie O'Sullivan snooker's GOAT? 2023 Eurosport, a Warner Bros. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Nobody could stop him this time as he downed former champions Peter Ebdon (10-4), Mark Williams (13-6) and Neil Robertson (13-10) before waltzing past Matthew Stevens (17-10) in the semi-finals and Ali Carter 18-11 for the title. Even before his victory, O'Sullivan was already considered by many to be the greatest player of all time not least because of the number of ranking titles he has collected during his storied 30-year career. What Is The Prize of The World Snooker Championship? He competed in the World Amateur Championship that year, setting a record for being the youngest entrant ever.. SUBSCRIBE for the biggest and best videos from the only official World Snooker channel on YouTubeWebsite: www.wst.tvTwitter: @WeAreWSTFacebook: /WorldSnooker. Hendry won five consecutive Masters titles between 1989 and 1993 and five consecutive world titles between 1992 and 1996, both records in the modern era. The only trophies Hendry has ever wanted to handle are the ones he has won. Tribute to Stephen Hendry. Welcome to my brand new YouTube channel, Stephen Hendry's Cue Tips. He retired as a player following a 13-2 loss to fellow Scot, He last played a competitive match on the main tour in November, losing 6-1 to. At 19 years and 69 days, O'Sullivan became the youngest Masters champion and that record stands today. Ranking the game's top five players in history, including World Championship stars. The result gained revenge from losing a deciding frame in that year's Charity Challenge final, in which Hendry scored an iconic maximum break. Stephen Gordon Hendry was born on January 13, 1969, in South Queensferry, Scotland.
