Prior to the match, Vafaei had criticized O’Sullivan for playing a wild break-off shot in their 2021 German Masters qualifying tie, stating that he felt disrespected. At the beginning of the second frame, Vafaei repeated the same tactic, which led to O’Sullivan responding with a break of 78, eventually opening up a 2-0 lead. Commenting on this tactic, former world champion Steve Davis criticized Vafaei, calling it “disrespectful to the game of snooker.”Steve Davis added, “It’s not good to see. However, O’Sullivan went on to win the next three frames and took a 6-1 lead before Vafaei won the last, giving himself a lifeline. Luca Brecel defeated Mark Williams to enter the Crucible quarter-finals for the first time, where he will face either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Hossein Vafaei.

Source: The Guardian April 22, 2023 09:41 UTC