Ronnie O'Sullivan was 'turned on' during Masters final win as snooker icon rubs salt into Ali Carter's wounds

Ronnie O'Sullivan was 'turned on' during Masters final win as snooker icon rubs salt into Ali Carter's wounds

WATCH NOW: Sports round-up as Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Ali Carter in Masters final

Jack Otway

By Jack Otway


Published: 15/01/2024

- 08:27

The 48-year-old came from behind to win 10-7 at Ally Pally on Sunday night

Ronnie O'Sullivan has bizarrely claimed he was 'turned on' during his Masters final win over Ali Carter on Sunday.

The 48-year-old looked to be facing defeat at Alexandra Palace when his opponent surged into a 6-3 lead.


Yet O'Sullivan showed why he's considered the greatest snooker player of all time, eventually winning 10-7 after a terrific comeback.

Speaking after the match, the veteran couldn't help but rub salt into Carter's wounds.

Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronnie O'Sullivan has admitted he was 'turned on' during his Masters final win over Ali Carter

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He admitted he was 'turned on' by hunting down Carter, with the pair previously clashing in 2018.

And O'Sullivan also made his enthusiasm for the sport clear, revealing he 'loves it' when the odds are stacked against him.

"I just had to keep Ali honest, I thought let’s see if he has the bottle to get over the line," he told Eurosport.

"That was the only thing that turned me on tonight.

"Let’s just get him to that point. I want to see if he twitches. I love seeing it when their bottle goes. I love it.

"You can play terrible and still get them in that position and it’s like, let’s see if you can do it.

"That’s what was driving me on tonight, get him to that point to go, come on, let’s see if you’ve got it.

"Not many people have. It’s a good place to find out, when you’re out there. Most of them do [feel it], there are very few that don’t.

"That’s my main asset really now, I just get them to that point and go, okay it’s about potting big balls and holding yourself together.

"There’s a few on the tour that can do it but not many, so I always like to get them in that situation and see if they can produce.

"You know when someone’s bottling it, I’m not saying Ali did, but he let me off the hook tonight, he gave me some breathing space and that gave me a little bit of confidence."

While it was joy for O'Sullivan, it was pain for Carter.

The 44-year-old produced a fine showing in London but it wasn't enough, with his rival claiming victory instead.

Carter had, at one stage, looked as though he'd reign supreme.

But he had no answer to O'Sullivan's brilliance and will have to take some time to reflect on the defeat.

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Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronnie O'Sullivan was delighted after beating Ali Carter to win the Masters on Sunday

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Carter spoke out following the showdown and joked O'Sullivan was 'starting to annoy' him.

"He's beginning to annoy me," joked Carter.

"It was a good week, obviously I'm gutted I lost the final it's all about winning at the end of the day.

"Before I rocked up here last week I'd have took the final.

"So a lot of good things to come from me, I'm heading in the right direction."

Ali Carter Masters

Ronnie O'Sullivan was 'turned on' by hunting Ali Carter down during Sunday's epic Masters final

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He added: "Ronnie played very well there, I know he missed a couple at the end I think the crowd were getting a bit excited.

"When you play Ronnie you're playing against the crowd as well, you gotta' accept that.

"I tried my best and it just wasn't good enough today."

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