On arrival in Sheffield on Monday it was not unreasonable to expect a procession, given the 12-5 lead the 46-year-old had accrued overnight.
“I tried to be as relaxed as I could but that’s probably my greatest result against someone,” O’Sullivan said, before smiling: “This tournament brings out the worst in me but we’ll probably go again next year.” An eighth title, even in an era with players as special as Trump, does not seem impossible either. When the final and most important break of the match was completed, O’Sullivan allowed the mask to slip in a lengthy embrace with Trump before his emotions came to the fore. Arguably O’Sullivan is playing in a field much tougher than Hendry ever did but, irrespective of that, the fact that he has now won world titles in three different decades is a staggering testimony to his longevity as a player that, worryingly for his peers, seems to be getting better and better. But if anyone was ever likely to join him, it was always going to be O’Sullivan, snooker’s grand master and great entertainer.
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