Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ali Carter LIVE: Snooker Tour Championship score and updates from grudge match
O’Sullivan leads Carter 7-1 in the race to 10 frames following the afternoon session as the bitter rivals avoided any confrontation in Manchester
The bitter rivalry between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter resumed this afternoon as the two Essex snooker stars clashed in the Tour Championship quarter-finals in Manchester. O’Sullivan absolutely dominated his foe to build a 7-1 lead in the best-of-19 contest, which will play to a finish from 7pm BST this evening.
The pair have a long-term feud and dislike of each other that came to a head after the final of the Masters earlier this year. O’Sullivan came from 6-3 down to win an eighth Masters crown at Alexandra Palace but Carter was furious with his opponent, accusing him of “disgusting actions” and “snotting all over the floor”.
‘The Rocket’ rejected those claims and hit back with a foul-mouthed rant, insisting “everybody knows what he’s like” and claiming his rival has “issues”. O’Sullivan said: “He’s a f*****g nightmare. F*****g why has he got issues with me? I’m not having it. I don’t care, grow some balls. I don’t give a f***. The more he brings it on, the more I f*****g punish him every time. He needs to sort his f****** life out.”
The Tour Championship is the final tournament before the World Snooker Championship, which begins on 20 April at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, where O’Sullivan will look to add to his UK Championship and Masters successes this season by clinching a modern-record eighth world title.
Follow all the action below, plus find the latest sports betting odds, offers and tips here:
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-0 Ali Carter
A safety mistake from Carter as he leaves the cue ball bang in among the reds at the business end of the table. O’Sullivan picks out a nice cut on the red to the left middle and he’s got a good chance in this third frame.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-0 Ali Carter
On the other table, Gary Wilson currently leads Zhang Anda 2-0 in their best-of-19 match
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-0 Ali Carter
You feel Ali Carter needs to win those scrappy frames to have any real chance today. But that’s gone now so we go again for frame three.
Good opening red from Carter but he’s unfortunate to land awkwardly on the black, so just the single point.
FRAME! Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-0 Ali Carter
O’Sullivan pots the yellow, leaving Carter needing two snookers and he concedes. Ronnie O’Sullivan wins the second frame!
That was incredibly scrappy and disjointed but they all count and Ronnie leads 2-0.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-0 Ali Carter
Carter misses the yellow and hits the black! So O’Sullivan now leads by 31 points with 27 points remaining. He’ll tidy the frame up from here, you’d think.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-0 Ali Carter
Wonderful safety shot by O’Sullivan! Cue ball near the baulk cushion behind the green with the target yellow ball tucked tightly behind the black at the other end of the table!
Carter has to hit this AND get it safe. O’Sullivan only needs to pot the yellow to win the frame.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-0 Ali Carter
A long-ish yellow is frame ball for O’Sullivan and he misses it! He just can’t put this frame away! He leads by 24 points with 27 remaining, so Carter will need to clear all the colours to snatch it
But we’ll have a safety battle first.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-0 Ali Carter
Carter swerves out of the snooker but leaves the red for O’Sullivan to cut to the left middle. Chance to wrap the frame up here.
Left with a tricky red along the bottom cushion though... Plays it dead-weight and rolls it in! That should be the frame now.
Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-0 Ali Carter
Carter pots a red to narrow his deficit to 31-22 but misses a long blue up into the yellow pocket. O’Sullivan in again and plays an exquisite shot on the yellow, dragging the cue ball down the table to dislodge the two reds on the bottom cushion. He’s unlucky to see the white land tight on one of them and not leave a pot.
34-22 to O’Sullivan with two reds remaining and he gets cArter in trouble with a safety shot behind the green.
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