Ronnie O'Sullivan's long unbeaten run in Shanghai comes to an end
- Planet Sport writer
- 20 July 2024
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s eight-year undefeated run at the Shanghai Masters came to a dramatic halt on Saturday he was thrashed 10-3 by Judd Trump in the semi-finals.
O’Sullivan came into the contest on a 21-game winning streak in the tournament and seeking a fifth consecutive title, but never got going in the afternoon as Trump romped to an 8-1 lead.
Trump, yet to win a Shanghai Masters title, enjoyed breaks of 106, 128 and 127 in a thoroughly dominant session.
O’Sullivan came out fighting in the evening, taking the first frame of the session with a clearance of 71 and then punishing a costly miss from Trump to make it 8-3, but Trump responded with breaks of 110 and 67 to secure his first win over O’Sullivan since 2020.
During the interval, the death of Ray Reardon – O’Sullivan’s former mentor and coach – was announced. The six-time world champion, who was 91, had been battling cancer.
Trump will now face Shaun Murphy in Sunday’s final after ‘The Magician’ recovered from an 8-5 deficit to beat Mark Selby 10-8.
