Snooker is an Evil Game Ronnie O Sullivan vs Shaun Murphy 2019 NIO QF

Sean Murphy's six. Well he's thinking of taking the pot on, screwing off the reds, trying to get back towards the balk area. Very risky. The safety's easy, just a thin shot of the red closest to the right side cushion. But playing the attacking shot. Now, how's your luck, Sean? How's your luck? He's left one. Now I do think you've got to attack O'Sullivan, that's for sure, but I'm not sure about that shot that he played. And there's nothing really safe here. Struck that well, and that's a good sign for O'Sullivan fans. Yeah, it's interesting, the matches he's played this week, I've commented on most of them. There's been a lot where he hasn't gone in immediately, there's been either safety or the other person's been in broke down. But then when he gets his chance, he's pounced, he's made a frame winning break. So he's showed patience, but then when the moment's come, he's stepped in. And this could be another situation similar to that. I could play up for the blue hole, one of the balk colours even here. Makes it easy to get to those two reds. Yeah, played it perfectly. And then try and get the right side of the blue. I may play for the brown here. Well, anxious looks, because he doesn't want to be straight on the brown. Yeah, he could just get there. Doesn't want to be dead though. That's a tough pot now. Had it bounced a couple of inches, it would have been easy. But this is difficult. Good pot. Well, this has been a very cool break actually. First frame of the night. Could be a few nerves, hasn't shown any. I think that's the word, David, cool. It's as though he enjoys the pressure. Needs up two and including the blue to win this opening frame. Checking the scoreboard, that's the maths of it, three balls. He took on a very ambitious shot, Sean Murphy. Looks like it's going to cost him. This is the shot. Very attacking. Well, it didn't pay off. It's O'Sullivan who's made an excellent break here in the first frame. Six to nine. Well, you never know what you're going to get from Ronnie. He can be mean and moody, he can also be magnificent. And that was a great break to start the night. Four. Five. Ronnie O'Sullivan, five. Not the best kiss in the world on the blue. It wasn't an easy table. But that same thing counts for O'Sullivan. This isn't an easy table. If he took the green, he'd need the black off the last red. One. Well, that's not too bad. He's going to nudge the black out here and take in a pink on. Got to pot it, though. And he doesn't want to push the black safe. Got to pot it, otherwise he needs a snooker. So that's the black out. So one relatively safe ball, the yellow. Needs at least a brown on this. Well, he wants to be playing for the black. Because that leads him to the yellow. And that looks just about perfect. The green's easy. But it's not easy to get onto it from the yellow. Now, will he screw all the way down the table from this? He has done. And he needed to. Seventeen. Because that green wasn't easy from the side cushion. This would be a real steal, Murphy. For the boss of the frame. Twenty. Up until the point where O'Sullivan got in here. Now, what kind of an angle does he have on the brown? Twenty-four. Yeah, that's just about perfect. Needs some more. Twenty-nine. Well, he said he's come here to have some fun. But it's more fun when you're winning. And this break has been superb. He really has engineered these well. And played that left-handed. It's an early blow to land for Ronnie O'Sullivan. A superb clearance by no means was that straightforward. He can hear the cheers from the crowd. Sean Murphy led the frame. But it's Ronnie O'Sullivan who leads the match. Two-nil. Now, Sean considering playing the double. And I think it's worthwhile. Could only leave the red he's playing on. Leave an angle on the black to be able to go into the reds. Well, I thought it was worth a go. But he didn't. No wish to have done for it now. Not ideally on the green. But he's playing the pot. And a good pot it was. Doesn't want to be dead on the cushion. Doesn't want to be straight. On this red. Little smile because he's straighter than what he wanted. Oh, well. When you can pot like that, does it matter? Terrific pot again. Made it look so easy. Might be able to show you that one again. Look at this. For timing. White balls seem to take off then. Thank you. Thirteen. Well, the blue is all he needs. Though he would like another red. Eighteen. Nineteen. Well, he's in big trouble Murphy here. O'Sullivan is in his stride. And he's coasting towards the semi-finals. Twenty-four. The opponent can see how easy he's making the game look. Twenty-five. And it's bound to have an effect on you. Well, the frame well and truly won't. Thirty-one. Just underlining how well he's queuing. Thirty-seven. And that tells its own story of the pot's success. Golf between them. He won, didn't he? He did. But what a shot again, left-handed. Now a little cannon to the red and pink. Trying to develop it. Into bounce. Just like that. Crowd loving it as well. Forty-four. And why shouldn't they? We are. Well, I don't think Sean Murphy and his fans are. But it seems every time Murphy comes to the table it's a pressure shot. And it's a choice he's got to make. What shot he plays, how he approaches it. But time's running out in terms of his approach to this match. He's got to get that next frame on the board. The one before the interval. Otherwise, surely it's O'Sullivan going through. He's playing well enough in general to do that. But what are you supposed to do when hit with this sort of snooker? Sixty. Six to five. The only good news is, for Sean, is that it's quick. Seventy-one. We'll soon be into frame four. The bad news is it'll be three-nil down. Seventy-eight clear. What a glorious break that was as well. Just fantastic. So Ronnie O'Sullivan firmly in control of this match. Two away from victory, leading three-nil. He thought that was in. He was walking around after it. Yeah. Twenty-four minutes since he potted the ball. Stop the clock. One. It all depends on this split. If it goes well for him, he'll have a chance. He doesn't want to hit them too hard. Send the reds towards the cushion. That could have been kinder. Six. Good recovery. Seven. One thing Sean is, and he's a fighter, he's got great belief that he can do the same. Twelve. Thirteen. That red next to the black, making playing for the black difficult. Eighteen. Nineteen. So close. Wrong side of the blue. Well, if he's held the spot, it makes it easier to play for a colour from this red. And that's good thinking from Sean Murphy. Twenty-four. Yes, and that red below the blue is making things difficult for the next red. It would help if he could play the cannon to the black and stay on the other red, but not sure if he's got the angle to play that shot. Well, now it's really difficult to get to a colour from one of these reds to the middle. He's looked at the black before, into that left corner pocket. Thirty-two points behind. That's a good pot. So this black must go. And the way he's got to play it, he'd better get it, because he's got to play it with a touch of screw. Yep, good shot. Thirty-eight. No, too high. He's too high. Well, what a signal for Sean Murphy. Just as he was looking good with a chance to clear, he's left this in the jaws, and what a chance now for 4-0. So Sullivan needs the black and the red for 4-0. Eight. Nine. Fourteen. Sixteen. Twenty-three. Twenty-eight. Thirty-four. Yeah, just knocking everything in. He's getting right through the ball. Magical to watch. It's to the interval, just one frame from the semi-finals of the Northern Ireland Open. Sean Murphy's had chances, but it's O'Sullivan firmly on top. Ronnie O'Sullivan, one. Three. Four. Six. Twelve. Thirteen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty-one. Twenty-two. Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty-five. Thirty-six. Forty-two. Forty-three. Forty-nine. Fifty. Fifty-seven. Sixty-three. Sixty-four. Seventy. Seventy-one. Seventy-seven. Seventy-eight. Eighty-four. Eighty-six. Eighty-nine. Ninety-three. Ninety-eight. Sean Murphy, 104. Ronnie O'Sullivan, seven. Three. Sean Murphy. And that wasn't far away, but he has left a red to the ball corner. Red will go to the green pocket. But it goes to the ball corner. What about that? Absolutely magnificent. And I love the way he places the cue ball. Hasn't left anything. And he missed it. Eight. Nine. Twelve. Thirteen. Now, if he can leave himself low on this red to the right corner, he may be able to open more reds up as he come too far. Twenty. No, looks okay. Twenty-one. Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Ranking title to eclipse the record that he jointly holds with Stephen Hendry. Anybody hurt? Well, that wasn't a good kiss on the red. That's where you need a better flick. And this final kiss on the red there hasn't left him on anything easy. And the red's over both corners, so this has to go in. So, Sean Murphy with his chance. Had he been on a red there, O'Sullivan, you couldn't see him missing. Well, good putt. Needs another one here. And lots of pressure on this shot. He's got it. He'd be on the point of shaking hands with Murphy and looking forward to the semi-final. Had he done so? Nine. Well, just a little hard. Nicely done. Thirteen. Well, everything going in cleanly. Doesn't look like missing. Twenty-one. Twenty-nine. Well, just a little short there, but shouldn't be a problem. Thirty-seven. Forty-five. Fifty-three. Fifty-six. Needs both these reds. Fifty-seven. Well, that's as bad as it could be. Needs to keep running. So, this red, he's missed it, though. Has he got this move yet? Well, Murphy's sixty-four. Well, that was frame ball. Very good break up to that point. Landed slightly awkwardly on the red, but at least he's covered the potting angle. Well, that's a theory he did. Incredible, and that's what he's played, you know. He needs another one. Yeah, good shot. Two absolutely magical shots from O'Sullivan. First this one, and then the black. So, the only difficult ball is the pink, and he's good enough to play that left-handed. Thirteen. Murphy had his chance. He should have potted the red. Seventeen. He's pinning all his hopes on the pink. Needs a bounce. Twenty-two. Well, not the best. No. O'Sullivan, twenty-two. It was awkward, but you certainly would have put most of your life possessions on O'Sullivan getting it. It's a nasty little shot, this. Yeah, you expected him to pot it. Shades of Steve Davis in eighty-five. Oh, goodness me. Incredible. Just needed the pink. Thank you. That's going to hurt Sean Murphy. That's really going to sting. That was a chance to just plant a seed of doubt in Ronnie O'Sullivan's mind. Yeah!