2017 Shanghai Masters

[throtts]

Looks like you're the one who needs take a shower my friend.


Well ...
On a serius note ,

Great match .

*you got the chance to watch a genius playing this game. i hope you did enjoy..

It wasn't a great match, was it. Trump should have got it back to 8 - 5, some really silly errors from him not to.

Genius, no, wrong word for someone thats good at a sport. I realise and know how he has got to his high standard, by hard work, lots of it, from a very young age. Difference between the Ronster and 99% of the others - has to be the mental side and his ability to take practice play to match play.

In a World Final I would still back Selby though, slightly, to beat him. Selby is in Ronnie's head before the start and he also knows he can't bully him.

Really looking forward to the big ones coming up, should be interesting.

[Billy]

I think a few of you are being a little unfair on Jud. What was he to do against a bombardment like that? It's okay coming out with flippant remarks like, 'Play better', 'Pot more balls than Ronnie', or 'Don't miss', but that's easier said than done. He'd have likely done that to any player today, with the slight exception of Selby who would have ground things to a halt.

[gavpowell]

Well last week someone said O'Sullivan loses against the very top players these days, but the way he's thumping Higgins, Wilson
and Trump it doesn't seem he's declining after all.

[vjmehra]

Well last week someone said O'Sullivan loses against the very top players these days, but the way he's thumping Higgins, Wilson
and Trump it doesn't seem he's declining after all.

He's less consistent I'd say and also feels the pressure more.

Whilst on his day (e.g. the English Open final) he can play like a god, he can also have patches of absolute dross (e.g. the middle patch in the Champion of Champions final).

He'll win plenty more and I don't think we should write off equalling Hendry's World Championship record just yet...but even though he has invincible days I don't think he can maintain it for a whole tournament anymore.

[cueman]

I think a few of you are being a little unfair on Jud. What was he to do against a bombardment like that? It's okay coming out with flippant remarks like, 'Play better', 'Pot more balls than Ronnie', or 'Don't miss', but that's easier said than done. He'd have likely done that to any player today, with the slight exception of Selby who would have ground things to a halt.

Well said. Trouble is its a lot easier to criticise but when you are constantly being put under pressure that is what causes players to play a bad safety, miss a tough pot etc. The further a player goes behind the more difficult it is to stay positive, and being positive is so important in snooker.

Ronnie played a top match game, nothing spectacular but his matchplay was up there with John Higgins at his best. He put Judd in a lot of trouble with his safety, and pinched 3 or 4 frames with good clearances after Trump led the frame.

Trump needs to become more of solid match player if he's to land the big titles. When he's confident he's as good as Ronnie in the balls and scores as heavy but I still have doubts over his mental strength especially when things aren't going his way or when the pressure comes on. I've yet to see him win a big match when he's had to dig in and for me until you find that resolve and ability to win matches like that, I don't see him winning any of the triple crown events, other than the UK he already has to his name.

[sealer]

Ronnie gave him schooling :-)

[Billy]

[...] but I still have doubts over his mental strength especially when things aren't going his way or when the pressure comes on. I've yet to see him win a big match when he's had to dig in and for me until you find that resolve and ability to win matches like that, I don't see him winning any of the triple crown events, other than the UK he already has to his name.

Yes, I'd agree with this. He really isn't great from behind, but when on the receiving end of a battering like that, most would, and do, crumble.

Also, Jud often has a very vacant look. To say 'the lights on but nobody's home' may sound cruel, but I don't mean it that way. I just think his concentration is suspect as you say.

[ADR147]

Sorry but Ronnie was in a good mood today - he did not play all that well - you can't against RO JH MW MS SM any of these top boys get to 50 or 60 and then miss, and that was Judds day. The scary thing for everybody else is that if this is how Ronnie is playing when not at his best and with below par long pots, he is going to take some serious stopping at the UK.

[Billy]

Sorry but Ronnie was in a good mood today - he did not play all that well - you can't against RO JH MW MS SM any of these top boys get to 50 or 60 and then miss, and that was Judds day. The scary thing for everybody else is that if this is how Ronnie is playing when not at his best and with below par long pots, he is going to take some serious stopping at the UK.

Yes. That million pound bonus is no longer looking like quite the 'million-to-one-shot' most people were predicting, is it?

On current form - even with his B-game - O'Sullivan has most opponents beat before they even start the match.

[Odrl]

Well, that was a pretty crap day of snooker in all honesty...

I know a lot of people absolutely hate one sided finals, and I am not a particular fan of them myself. But I think there is a difference between a final like this season's English Open, where O'Sullivan played tremendously well and never really gave Wilson a chance, and a final like today, where Trump just made mistake after mistake even though he had a bunch of easy chances. I wouldn't call it a "bombardment", because the huge deficit was more the result of Trump's own inefficiency than anything O'Sullivan did. You just can't compete in a major ranking final if you can't make a break over 40 even though you have a scoring chance in virtually every frame.

Trump had won the last two finals against O'Sullivan and generally has quite a respectable record against him, so I thought we wouldn't see this sort of thing from him anymore. But today very much reminded me of the way he played against O'Sullivan in the semi-finals of the 2013 World Championship, and then again in the first half of the 2014 UK final. He is great at bullying opponents in the early rounds, as evidenced by all of his 5-0 victories this week, but he lacks that mental strength to really raise his game when titles are within reach, something that the likes of O'Sullivan, Higgins or Selby are really good at. His attitude is completely off sometimes as well. He was criticized for his comments ahead of the World Championship last season and lost in the opening round, and it looks like he hasn't really learnt his lesson. After winning in the semi-finals yesterday, he said that he was looking forward to playing O'Sullivan or Higgins in the final, because they were the only two players he could still learn something from at this point. :redface: I can think of a few more actually...

On the positive side though, it has to be said that Trump never did anything "stupid" even when he was a long way behind. I can just imagine someone like Stephen Maguire thumping the table and playing all kinds crazy shots out of frustration at being so far behind, but Trump played properly throughout the match today, and I think that's a good habit to have. It didn't help him today, but it just might make a difference in a match or two over the course of his career.

But enough about Trump, well done to Ronnie O'Sullivan for winning his first major ranking title in almost three years, and his first in China since 2009. That makes it 27 for him now, excluding the short-format stuff, so he is just one away from Davis. :wink: He didn't play as well as he did in the English Open final, but he made a couple of really good clearances at the right times, and his discipline and decision-making throughout the match was exemplary. He had quite a difficult draw on paper, but in reality his last five opponents played some real poor snooker against him, which was a bit of a shame. I would have preferred to see him pushed a little bit more, because we never really saw him raise his game to that extra level he is capable of. We will never know whether he had it in him this week, but my suspicion is that he did. :wink:

Finally, as always, a word of criticism about Eurosport's coverage this week. They didn't annoy me with their TV choices like they usually do, which was nice for a change, but that annoying habit of going to commercials in the middle of the commentator's sentence is still there. I assume that only happens for the viewers on the continent, and I for one don't appreciate being treated like a second-class viewer. Going to commercials just before a re-spotted black is poor as well. I usually criticize the sub-optimal commentary of Studd and Hallett, but on this occasion I will nitpick a little and quote David Hendon, whom I actually really like as a commentator. Just before the final started, he said that this Shanghai Masters was "one of the best events we've seen all season" in terms of quality, and I just don't understand how anyone could say that based on the matches we saw on TV. There was a bunch of one-sided or low-quality affairs, sometimes both, and hardly a good match on TV all week, so I for one was a little disappointed with this event. Also, saying that O'Sullivan and Trump are "the two most exciting players in the game" is fair enough as a subjective opinion, but please don't state it as if it were a fact that everyone should subscribe to.

Anyway, sorry for the generally negative tone of this post, I'm just slightly grumpy today. Nothing to do with snooker though, I always try to enjoy it as much as I can, and I'm already looking forward to the UK Championship. :smile:

Great win for ROS. I hope he doesn't suffer burnout though. When was the last time we had a player do well at this point of the season and not fade away come the new year?

Last season? :wink:

[sealer]

Yes. That million pound bonus is no longer looking like quite the 'million-to-one-shot' most people were predicting, is it?

On current form - even with his B-game - O'Sullivan has most opponents beat before they even start the match.

https://twitter.com/Eurosport_UK/sta...14629027663872

[ken147]

Judd is missing the tight cue ball control, mental toughness and temperament when the heat is on. He's needs a mentor to guide him and also start eating the right food and getting fit which helps him physically and mentally. These changes in his life style and attitude will improve his overall game.

[vmax]

Judd is missing the tight cue ball control, mental toughness and temperament when the heat is on. He's needs a mentor to guide him and also start eating the right food and getting fit which helps him physically and mentally. These changes in his life style and attitude will improve his overall game.

Didn't work for Neil Robertson.

[ken147]

Didn't work for Neil Robertson.

Robertson took it to the extreme with taking on Ebbo as a mentor and getting sucked into veganism. Not the best combination and also his addiction to video games played a major factor in his loss of form.

[ken147]

Watch 1:26:00 onwards. I found it quite amusing.
https://youtu.be/Wv1B6Eb0YTU