O’Sullivan in the pink after quarter-final win

Ronnie looking to defy odds and defend

Ronnie O’Sullivan racked up another seriously impressive win on Thursday afternoon over Neil Robertson to reach the semi-finals of the Masters in London.

In normal circumstances you would now see traders falling over themselves to keep The Rocket on side. So, why are punters still able to get one of the greatest players to ever chalk a cue at a reasonable offer? Coral are currently trading the 41-year-old at a market best price of 6/4. Have we dropped the ball?

Looking out of sorts

Well, not exactly, for as good as Ronnie is – demonstrated once again when hammering Barry Hawkins to win the 2016 version, his sixth outright title to bring him on a par with Stephen Hendry – he faces what appears to be a gruelling route to the top-step.

Sneaking through against Australian Neil Robertson courtesy of a 6-3 score, the match wasn’t as cut-and-dry as the tally would suggest, with both men looking out of sorts. O’Sullivan just seemed to get the better break on the day and went on to bank his place in the semis where he will now face the winner of Marko Fu and Mark Allen on Saturday.

Rocket fears for the future

Speaking after the match, Ronnie, who hasn’t won a title in almost a year, February’s Welsh Open shaping as the last, didn’t exactly fill backers with confidence…..

“I can feel and sense that I am missing too many easy balls now. I need to cut them out,” he told the BBC after beating Robertson.