Ronnie O’Sullivan loses frame after wild foul at Welsh Open – 'He just whacked it', says stunned commentator

14.02.2023 - 21:09 eurosport.com

Ronnie O’Sullivan briefly lost control during an extraordinary moment at the 2023 Welsh Open, conceding a frame after wildly falling foul of the three-miss rule.

Leading 3-2 in his best-of-seven encounter with Ross Muir in Llandudno, O’Sullivan had already missed twice when referee Luise Kraatz informed him that he would lose the sixth frame if he did not hit a red with his next shot.

Ad O’Sullivan immediately asked “why?”, prompting Kraatz to walk around the table and point to a red perched below the pink, which was partially obscured by another red.

Under the three-miss rule, frames are lost if a player does not hit a legal ball when not snookered – and Kraatz deemed O’Sullivan was not snookered.

O’Sullivan

Robert Milkins beat former world champion Shaun Murphy 9-7 to win the Welsh Open and pocket a £250,000 (€258,704) payday in Llandudno. The 46-year-old from Gloucester claimed the first prize of £80,000 (€90,000) and a £150,000 (€168,700) bonus for topping the BetVictor Series ranking list, which has run across eight events since last July. "I can't even speak, it's unreal really," Milkins, who won his first ranking title in 27 years as a professional in the Gibraltar Open 11 months ago, said on Eurosport.

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