Stephen Hendry believes Ronnie O’Sullivan will still find a way to win a tournament this year, even after another frustrating early exit at the China Open in Taiyuan.
O’Sullivan was beaten 6-4 by Noppon Saengkham in the second round, adding another setback to a run that has left the seven-time world champion without a ranking title for two-and-a-half years. O’Sullivan did not hide his disappointment after the loss, saying, “I’m just very poor,” and pointing to “too many bad shots, bad frames, and silly mistakes.”
He also said he has “been like this for four years,” adding that it is frustrating but that he did not want to take anything away from Noppon Saengkham, who he felt “played a really good match” and was “cueing strong.”
Hendry sees a turnaround coming
Speaking on the Snooker Club podcast, Hendry said he thinks O’Sullivan can still produce a winning week before the year is out. “I’m going to make a prediction. I think Ronnie will win a tournament this year. I think there will be a week where he’ll just hit form,” Hendry said.
His view is based on what he sees behind the scenes. Hendry said O’Sullivan is working hard on the practice table and suggested that when he strings together his best snooker, the results can come quickly. “We know that at his best he has produced unbelievable performances, and if he can string them together he will win a tournament,” Hendry said.
That is the tension around O’Sullivan right now. His level can still rise sharply, but the errors have been costly. A few weeks before this latest prediction, Hendry had already noted that O’Sullivan can go “from the sublime to the ridiculous,” and that view was reinforced by the China Open loss.
Hendry was also careful not to overstate the certainty of the call. “I don’t know which one, so it’s not the greatest of predictions,” he said, before adding that O’Sullivan “seems to be working his nuts off” and is “pounding the practice table.”
For now, the answer to the bigger question is still pending. O’Sullivan’s ranking-title drought continues, and his most recent success came at the World Grand Prix in early 2024. But Hendry’s message was clear: even with the slump, he still expects the Rocket to deliver a tournament win before the season is done.
