PTC1 2011 - O'Sullivan Rockets Back

'The Rocket' Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the first pro event of the season and his first event to carry ranking points since he took the 2009 Shanghai Masters title by beating 'Gentleman' Joe Perry 4-0 in the final of PTC1 at the Star Academy, Sheffield.

PTC Event 1 - Full Results

Ronnie O'Sullivan's place in this tournament looked in doubt and he almost joined fellow top pros Mark Williams, John Higgins, Judd Trump and Stephen Hendry by losing in the first round when he went 2-0 down to Mike Hallett, but after that he didn't look back and only dropped nine further frames on route to the final.

He beat Mike Hallett 4-2, Andy Hicks 4-1, Bjorn Haneveer 4-0, Martin Gould 4-2 and Stuart Bingham 4-2 on route to the semi-finals where he faced Joe Jogia. He stepped up another gear and there he made two breaks over 80, a 104 and in the 2nd frame he missed the yellow for a maximum break at 120 to win the match 4-2 to face former world championship semi-finalist Joe Perry in the final who came through 4-2 over Graeme Dott in their semi.

In the final the rocket fired in breaks of 60, 105 and 117 to win in just 51 minutes.

"My game wasn't too bad," said the three-times World Champion. "Everone was rusty. I'm just having a go and doing my best. This is a big season for me, I'm giving myself one more year, or possibly two, to see if I can improve. It's a work in progress but I do feel some optimism.

"I'm still seeing (psychiatrist) Steve Peters. I still need help although I feel a lot better. There's tournaments all over the place now so I'm just taking it as it comes."

Asked if he had been concerned about dropping out of the top 16, O'Sullivan added: "I don't worry about the rankings, although it's nice to be at the top. If I drop out and have to qualify then so be it. It would only be one match and the conditions at the qualifiers are good. Players come through them and go on to win tournaments so it wouldn't mean I couldn't win titles." (Quotes courtesy of World Snooker)

At 11th it is now hard to see Ronnie dropping out of the top 16 before the seeding cut off for the UK Championship, German Masters and The Masters in October with his current form. But the next ranking tournament; The Australian Goldfields Open is almost a month away so he will need to practice hard to keep in top shape, especially as he will possibly face local favourite; Neil Robertson in the 2nd round.

Image courtesy - On Q Promotions

It's not all bad for Joe though. Reaching the final means he gets 1600 all-important ranking points and puts him in with a good chance of reaching the televised PTC Grand Finals next year. Thats not all though, it was recently announced that Joe has joined the On Q Promotions player stable! This can only be good for Joe as other players such as Dominic Dale, Tony Drago and Barry Hawkins have improved their game vastly after joining Paul Mount and his team at the South West Snooker Academy.

Meanwhile once again; a big congratulations to Ronnie O'Sullivan, things can only get better this season if he keeps playing the way he did in the cubicles. Lets hope for his sake and his fans he can do the same in the international events and in the big three (Masters, UK and worlds) in England.

Image courtesy - Matchroom Sport