Why did Ronnie O Sullivan deliberately lose his match in CHina open?

[EvilDealer]

Have you not been to china? Its awful!.. I don't blame him if he did want to get out.

I know he likes to run during matches/events and alot of places in china are just not good for that.

[pat39]

Being kind to Ronnie that was a very very strange shot selection. Would he play the same shot if he was 9-8 down to Liang Wenbo in the 1st Round at the Crucible, the answer is no he wouldn't. All very strange.

[Mr P]

He is an idiot sometimes, that is part of the reason why I absolutely hate him.

[Freddie Ng]

Really upset with Ronnie ..

[Matthew01]

Get on him at 7/2 to win the world now, he'll want
it bigtime!

[goldengirl]

How can you hate a GENIUS??
I think a lot of the players don't like travelling especially just before the W.C. - perhaps at a different time of year you would get different frames of minds.
My worry is with more overseas events planned for the majority of MT players (as most are UK) - are we likely to see more of these "strange" events.
BH says it will help overseas players as they will not have to be in UK for long periods - speaking to Ding & Liang when they first arrived they missed their homes and families but - could never get the facilities/better players and competition to play in than over here until conditions and players improve in their own country.
Perhaps BH will be harming overseas players by helping them to stay home!!

[noel]

Innocent by reason of insanity (driven)...

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=o(

Noel

[Nugget]

For worried Ronnie fans - worry when he does it in Sheffield.

I didn't see the match but it sounds familiar. He has played some very strange matches in China. He just is not as concerned with winning every match as 99% of players are. It sounds like he was particularly disinterested today.

That black was very strange, as was his reaction. He needlessly played it in such a way that he might miss it, then appeared angry when he did.

Ronnie will not play like that at The Crucible. If pride in his performance isn't sufficient motivation, the money will be.

[Matthew01]

For worried Ronnie fans - worry when he does it in Sheffield.

I didn't see the match but it sounds familiar. He has played some very strange matches in China. He just is not as concerned with winning every match as 99% of players are. It sounds like he was particularly disinterested today.

That black was very strange, as was his reaction. He needlessly played it in such a way that he might miss it, then appeared angry when he did.

Ronnie will not play like that at The Crucible. If pride in his performance isn't sufficient motivation, the money will be.

I think you're wrong re: - the money incentive, surely it benefits him publicity wise the longer he spends in China where he is adored? He's got about 8 million in the Bank, I reckon he'll turn it in soon and that'll be the end of snooker. The tournament will be so boring without him.

[Erwan_BZH]

H might be adored in China but he has ALWAYS treated Chinese like crap when there, in the sense he plays trickshots instead of normal snooker, not to mention that ugly incident in '08 with the disgracious comments during the presser. This afternoon, he played so many careless shots, took so many stupid decisions that it was shocking....It is well documented he doesn't like playing over there but come on, Ronnie, you're a bloody profesional! People like me would KILL to play at your level. You just CANNOT act like an idiot everytime you go there because you don't like it.
That black was horrendous...really a shame...even Tian couldn't believe it...Nobody could, in fact. Tough to say it was deliberate but it might be yeah. Typically Ronnie to do this.

I'm glad I'm a fan of John Higgins, and not cheering for Ronnie, really. Even though he is the most talented guy to ever pick up a cue IMO, his attitude is really too childish and ridiculous for my taste.

[ore]

For worried Ronnie fans - worry when he does it in Sheffield.

I didn't see the match but it sounds familiar. He has played some very strange matches in China. He just is not as concerned with winning every match as 99% of players are. It sounds like he was particularly disinterested today.

That black was very strange, as was his reaction. He needlessly played it in such a way that he might miss it, then appeared angry when he did.

Ronnie will not play like that at The Crucible. If pride in his performance isn't sufficient motivation, the money will be.

He wasn't like that all this season.
In the end Masters' final he lost ability of rational thinking, but that looked pretty natural. Well maybe towards the end of the match with Higgins at the Welsh, where it looked a bit that he.. lost it and wasn't trying too hard anymore, maybe it was slightly similar to this..
But here it didn't look like he lost it, it did look deliberate. Very strange.
He was playing WELL, and at the same time he was throwing frame after frame away. Actually at that last frame none of the 2 looked like willing to win it...Pengfei was kind of bottling it, Pengfei/fortune giving chance and chance after chance for Ronnie to win the frame. Ronnie made a choice to lose.
(How good one has to be to need to try so hard to lose )

Pengfei's reaction after the match also shows something.

Not so sure now about Ronnie @ the crucible. If Liang will want it badly, Ronnie might give it to him, just for that reason.

[Matthew01]

Higgins is a lovely man and a great player but has no style whatsoever.

Ronnie is box office....

[Nugget]

I think you're wrong re: - the money incentive, surely it benefits him publicity wise the longer he spends in China where he is adored? He's got about 8 million in the Bank, I reckon he'll turn it in soon and that'll be the end of snooker. The tournament will be so boring without him.

I don't think so. He already has a big advertising deal over there, and can do little wrong. A couple of years ago when he was playing Fu he was taking on everything, barely letting the cue ball come to rest before playing the next shot. The crowd loved it. And remember at the World Championships, from O'Sullivan's perspective, 147 = Bentley.

I don't think he'll stop playing next season, or the one after that. What would he do?

[Looki]

The shot, THE BLACK, how he executed it... It was a bit of gamble with the table. I think he wanted to gamble a bit. The first thought that crossed my mind was that "he lost deliberately". But I don't think so...

Anyways, he gave us all, once again, something to think about.

[mick 142]

He will have a weeks head start on the rest to get over the jet lag .