Ronnie O’Sullivan unimpressed with ‘not great’ snooker despite Saudi thrashing as he reveals why he plays left-handed

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN admitted he was unimpressed with his “not great” snooker despite thrashing Lei Peifan.

The Rocket booked his place in the last 16 of the Saudi Arabia Masters with a 5-1 victory on Tuesday evening.

Eurosport

Eurosport

He raced into a 4-0 lead before the interval and sealed the win with a stunning 131 clearance to set up a clash with Zhang Anda.

O’Sullivan even showed off his prowess with both hands as he played shots with his right and left.

However, the seven-time world champion was not convinced by his performance after the match.

Asked about using his left hand, he told Eurosport: “Not great, I’ll put it on the back burner a bit.”

The 48-year-old added: “I haven’t had no feel for over two years now, it’s been really difficult to sort of get any enjoyment from it.

“Its been tough, you know, so I decided to start playing a bit left-handed because it just frees me up a bit. I enjoy playing and then I can actually practice.

“For me, anything to get my cue out of the case and obviously when I go into the match I’ve just got to do anything I can to compete but it’s not pretty, it’s not good, I’m not flowing but what can you do. Just got to go with what you’ve got.”

O’Sullivan will have no time to improve before he is next in action, though, after admitting his frustration with his own performance.

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He faces Zhang for a place in the quarter-finals in Riyadh on Wednesday, with the match featuring in the evening session.

Mighty Mouse completed his own dominant display as he beat Scott Woollaston 5-0 in their last 32 meeting.

The Rocket has won three of their five previous encounters, but was beaten the last time they met in November 2023.

Both O’Sullivan and Zhang will fancy their chances of making the final, with world number one Judd Trump in the opposite half of the draw.

Trump came back from four frames down to beat Wu Yize 5-4 during Tuesday’s afternoon session.

Inside Ronnie's colourful career

FROM his lightning breaks to blasts at officials, Ronnie O'Sullivan has fired snooker into the spotlight.

The seven-time world champion makes almost as big an impact away from the table as on it.

O’Sullivan has three children – two daughters and a son.

And the Rocket’s on-off relationship with British actress Laila Rouass has also hit the headlines.

He has opened up on battles with his weight and addiction .

While the controversial cueist reckons he wasted NINE YEARS of his career by partying too hard.

Despite being worth £14million , O’Sullivan is renowned for his love of canal boats and snubbing flashy cars .

His rivalry with fellow star Judd Trump has been branded ‘snooker’s greatest feud’.

And Ali Carter had his nose knocked out of joint by the Rocket in their infamous ‘Snotgate’ row.

Check out all our latest Ronnie O’Sullivan articles.