Ronnie O’Sullivan knocked out of World Championship by Stuart Bingham
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Version 0 of 1. Ronnie O’Sullivan tumbled out of the World Championship on a sorry night for the five-time winner as Stuart Bingham secured the biggest Crucible win of his life. While 38-year-old Bingham advances to a semi-final against Judd Trump, O’Sullivan goes home before the final for the first time in four years. “I’ve had 20 years at the top,” said O’Sullivan. “Eventually there has to be a changing of the guard.” Bingham, meanwhile, was in tears after reeling off five successive frames to sweep to victory. Stunned by his achievement, the world No10 sought some privacy briefly after his match, and wept as he spoke on the telephone to wife Michelle. “It’s unbelievable,” Bingham said. “I lost the first frame tonight but then didn’t miss a ball, or that’s how it felt. I’m so looking forward to tomorrow for the one-table set-up. “I went back into my room just now and had a little tear and phoned the missus up and I couldn’t speak. “She said she wished she was here to give me a little cuddle.” Body language in the arena had suggested O’Sullivan was lacking the enthusiasm and focus necessary for such battles, meaning Bingham’s 13-9 victory was both richly deserved for the world No10 and the natural outcome. He sealed it with a break of 66 and O’Sullivan stepped forward to offer his congratulations. While Basildon’s Bingham was raring to go, O’Sullivan looked to be playing out of obligation, showing flashes of his brilliance but also making elementary errors. Former Australian Open and Shanghai Masters champion Bingham led 5-3 after Tuesday’s opening session, was still firmly in the match at 8-8 after Wednesday’s morning’s eight frames and returned to seize control of a match many would have expected O’Sullivan to sweep through. Bingham had made no secret of his desire to reach the last four in Sheffield for the first time and it showed, putting behind him a shaky first frame of the evening, which went O’Sullivan’s way to reel off four in a row. He ploughed in breaks of 74, 51 and 85, plus an 88 that consisted of 11 reds and blacks, and had Bingham and the crowd willing for a maximum. With the rest, he missed a red that under different circumstances he would probably have tucked away. Come the moment of victory, that was long forgotten, Bingham walking out of the famous theatre with a huge smile across his face. . |