Ronnie O'Sullivan showed true colours as he stopped play for rival at German Masters
Ahead of the German Masters final, fans are reminded of one Ronnie O'Sullivan act that stopped spectators in their tracks.
Snooker icon Ronnie O'Sullivan showed just how much respect he has for his peers during a previous edition of the tournament. This year's German Masters comes to a crescendo at Berlin's Tempodrom on Sunday.
And two-time champion O'Sullivan knows a thing or two about the spectacle after previously lifting the title himself in 1996 and again in 2012. However, it was during one of his less successful runs that 'The Rocket' suspended play in order to watch an entirely different match. And one may wonder if he would have won his quarter-final clash against Shaun Murphy in 2015 if he was a little more invested in his own play. While that pair played on one table, Judd Trump and Mark Selby went to war in another all-British affair on the adjacent table. And O'Sullivan simply had to pause his own contest in order to fully appreciate Trump's 147 break in all its glory.
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The act was all the more significant considering O'Sullivan was on a century break of his own as he trailed Murphy 2-1. But even that wasn't enough of a priority to prevent him pausing his audacious attempt to take in the majesty unfolding nearby.
Trump's maximum was well-timed considering he himself was down against Selby and converted the 147 to bring the frame scoreline back to 3-2. He eventually went on to lose the match 5-4, and Selby went on to clinch the crown when all was said and done.
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He beat none other than Murphy, who edge O'Sullivan by an identical 5-4 scoreline in their own quarter-final to advance. Despite the other huge talents still left in the running, it was evident this particular quarter-final session featured the premier participants at the time.
The Rocket has only competed in the main draw of the German Masters on two other occasions since that defeat to Murphy. He lost in the first round of the 2017 competition before an absence of almost a decade ended with his return to Berlin's main stage this past week.
When Ronnie O'Sullivan STOPPED for a Judd Trump maximum at the 2015 German Masters.
— WST (@WeAreWST) January 20, 2025
The world's best players return to the Tempodrom in Berlin for the @Machineseeker German Masters from January 27. ???????????? pic.twitter.com/Pr1yZJ5He6
O'Sullivan has withdrawn from the running on four occasions in that time, pulling out of the 2025 tournament on medical grounds. He's also rejected the chance to compete in Germany on three other occasions between 2019 and 2021, fixing his attentions elsewhere.
His title drought in Germany is one of the longest O'Sullivan has endured among ranking tournaments at present. He has never won the Northern Ireland Open nor the International Championship, while his sole World Open title came back in 2004.
Trump, meanwhile, has got over his 2015 disappointment in Berlin to come back and win the German Masters on three occasions. He lifted the trophy in 2021, 2022 and 2024 in what's become a happy hunting ground for the Englishman.
