'Certain heavy defeat' – Neil Robertson doesn't mince words after Ronnie O'Sullivan hammering

Wales Online

03-05-2025

'Certain heavy defeat' – Neil Robertson doesn't mince words after Ronnie O'Sullivan hammering
Ronnie O'Sullivan had the tip and ferrule on his cue changed overnight with his World Championship semi-final against Zhao Xintong evenly poised at 4-4 before suffering a heavy defeat
Ronnie O'Sullivan is at a loss to explain his Crucible struggles
(Image: PA )
Neil Robertson insists Ronnie O'Sullivan's decision to make significant changes to his cue mid-match at the World Championship was always going to lead to "certain defeat".
The drastic modification, which saw him have both the tip and ferrule on his cue changed, came with his World Championship semi-final against Zhao Xintong locked at 4-4 after the first session.
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However, the changes seemed to backfire when the match resumed with O'Sullivan failing to win a single frame in the Friday morning session, resulting in a 12-4 deficit. Zhao went on to secure a 17-7 win, booking his place in the Crucible final and becoming only the second Chinese player to do so after Ding Junhui.
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After the first session, O'Sullivan sought out Chesworth Cues in Sheffield for an urgent retip and a switch from a titanium to a brass ferrule (the metal sleeve located at the end of the cue beneath the tip).
The business confirmed O'Sullivan's visit and the work done on his cue in an Instagram post: "Well, we can't pull the wool over your eyes, yes it was Ronnie's cue. www.chesworthcues.com. That late night express retip and changing his ferrule from titanium to brass, was for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Book your retip in today."
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The decision to undertake such a severe alteration during a crucial match raised eyebrows across snooker. However, it was perhaps no surprise given his history of equipment issues, which included breaking his previous cue in anger and binning it as he pulled out the Championship League in January.
Former Crucible champion Robertson has voiced his opinion on O'Sullivan's mid-match change, saying he should have been warned of the consequences. The Australian posted on X: "I hope who ever changed Ronnie's tip AND ferrule made it very clear to him that doing so would result in an almost certain heavy defeat before posting anything on social media. Switching from titanium to brass or vice versa mid match unless something was damage is crazy."
Speaking after his Crucible exit, O'Sullivan said he was unsure whether the new cue was to blame. He said: "I don't even know if it was the cue, the ferrule or me. There were three things.
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Neil Robertson has weighed into the debate about O'Sullivan's cue
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"I just don't even know where the white ball's going. I'm at a loss, to be honest with you. I don't even know what to say. Sometimes you've got to try something different, you know? It didn't feel great before so I tried to go back to the old brass ferrule.
"I'm not making the cue as an excuse or anything like that but if I hadn't snapped my old cue maybe I'd have been able to give him a better game but really my performances have not been good enough."
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The other semi-final is set for an exciting finale with Welsh legend Mark Williams leading world No. 1 Judd Trump 13-11 ahead of the final session on Saturday.