Following the match, Hendry and Davis were asked to assess O’Sullivan’s performance. And they had a difference of opinion. “I’ll mark him against what he’s capable of – fiveish, 5.5,” began Hendry. But Davis hit back by exclaiming: “I’d go 10 because it doesn’t matter – it’s just about the win.”
Hendry then hissed: “That wasn’t what the question was, you’ve ducked another question.” And Davis insisted: “No, no I’ve taken it in a different light.”
Hendry gave some more context to his initial assessment when asked to elaborate on it as he added: “What I will say is that in the two frames against Ryan, you couldn’t play better snooker than that. That was what he was capable of, but then he went below it. So I’m giving him 5.5, 6.”
Davis held firm with his analysis as he was adamant that all O’Sullivan has to do is win matches to get top marks. “I’m going 10 because all he has to do is win,” added the six-time world champion. “What else do you need? He’s still in the tournament, that’s a 10.”
O’Sullivan came into the Crucible tournament with hopes of clinching a record eighth World Snooker Championship title after drawing level with Hendry’s record of seven two years ago. The Rocket thrashed Jackson Page 10-1 in the first round before opening up a 10-6 lead over Day following the first two sessions of their second round encounter.
O’Sullivan and Day returned to the table on Monday afternoon, with the 48-year-old winning the first two frames of the day. Day hit back to reduce his deficit to five frames, before O’Sullivan closed the match out.
“Early days for me, trying this new way of playing, different style of cueing, just to get away from the yips as I call it, the easiest way of explaining it,” O’Sullivan told the BBC after his victory. “It’s been hard work for two years and I decided I couldn’t continue playing like that so I had to make some changes so it’s the body and mind trying to catch up with each other. I’ve got some of it right, it’s just the other pieces need to fall in [to place] – I’m trying to work out the puzzle.
“It feels like I want to play, I want to get my cue out of the case. I’m not scared of the table, I’m not scared of the balls. I’m scared of some other things but that not, which is the most important thing. When you’re confident in your ability to do something given the chance, you feel all right.”
