Day 3 Masters Snooker Extra

MUSIC

Hello and welcome to Snooker Extra

extended highlights of Day three of

the Dafabet Masters on a day many

fans have been waiting for. Ronnie

O'Sullivan, playing at

fans have been waiting for. Ronnie

O'Sullivan, playing at one of his

favourite venues, Alexandra Palace

taking on Marco Fu. Runner-up at the

Masters in 2011. Commentary from

John Parrott and Dennis Taylor.

It is some record, John seven

titles?

I was on the end of a defeat

by Ronnie in 1995. I have that table

in my house. I had him in the first

round and I let him go and he went

on to win the tournament. Since

then, his record has been

phenomenal. Good event for him, he

doesn't live far away. Play their

matches, go home and sleep in his

own bed. Not a good start from

Marco, far too thick with his

safety.

He can't be leaving the cue

ball in that position. Can he get

off to a good start, Ronnie

O'Sullivan?

O'Sullivan? Brown is a bit of a

distraction for him.

That was a much better piece of

cueing than it looked. Bit of excess

top spin, bend the angle.

It is Ronnie's first frame on the

table. It is playing very quick,

that is how the players like it. We

have had something like ten

centuries in the first two days.

It is very intimidating to play

against. It really is. Playing him

in his own backyard, hitting the

ball as well as he does. He starts

like a rocket. He has played one

poor shot, Marco and now this is

looking like a great opportunity.

There is no respite when you are

playing.

It's not a good chance just yet,

there are a couple of reds available

to Ronnie.

Straightaway he has left himself an

angle on this thread to be able to

develop a few more. -- red. Just a

little nudge. That's all it took and

it developed two reds. Now there are

three or four reds available to him.

As you can see, 69 points would get

him over the winning line in this

opening frame.

opening frame.

The players would

have been a little nervous, but

nothing settles you like hitting the

ball like this in the first frame.

The referee is restarting the pink.

He has been refereeing 25 years,

John.

John.

Yes, and he still here, Dennis

because he is very good. Excellent

referee.

Not totally ideal, the bunch, the

two reds at the top of the pack are

a little bit tricky.

He has got to

be careful there isn't a plant when

he cannons into the reds. I don't

think there is, so he should be OK.

He can hit it with a bit of pace.

APPLAUSE

He has got one red, but he was

unlucky. He couldn't have hit that

any better.

He had to play it at

that pace because the two reds were

on an angle.

on an angle. Good cueing required.

Perfect.

When you watched that type of shots,

the cue is so close to the red you

are bridging over.

What a start this is. Stephen

Hendrie and Steve Davis, they knew

how to start a matches. This fella

isn't bad. First visit to the table.

Could be a century.

Could be a century.

The frame is

safe, just needs to concentrate on

clearing the remaining balls. 139 is

the highest break so far this year.

Liang Wenbo made that against Judd

Trump.

The frame hasn't even been going

eight minutes and it's almost

completed.

He has made 920 centuries in his

career.

career.

You can't start a much

better than this. And there was an

inevitability about it. There is the

century.

century. I hope you enjoyed your one

shot in this frame, Marco because

the second frame is coming up in a

minute.

Cannot do anything about

this. 47th century this season. He

made 50 last year. Last season, I

should say.

£10,000 for the highest break in

this year's Dafabet Masters. Nothing

for a maximum break.

for a maximum break. What a start

from the Rocket Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Poor safety shot from Marco Fu and

he sat down for the rest of the

frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan, 1-0.

That is where he has got to keep

that cue ball, as close to the

question as possible. Just a few

latecomers arriving, just caught

Ronnie's I line.

Might be a slightly different frame

now the black has gone close to the

question.

question. Which Marco won't mind,

give him a chance to settle down.

He's going to come up short again

with this safety.

with this safety. But not a great

deal of value in the one to the

right corner because he will beat

cannon in into another read. So just

a safety.

This is the first possible chance

for Marco Fu. The pink is awkward.

The black isn't very well placed.

He will have two screw this back.

Sometimes he lacks that little bit

of cue power. He has to force them.

He is not as good as when he is in

amongst them and stroking the ball

nicely.

Played more forcefully than he

needed. Thought he would have put

more screw back on that. But he is

under the cosh at the minute.

under the cosh at the minute. The

black does pot. Ominous.

That is a big bonus is the black

being available into the left

corner. It is now available into

both corners. All of the sudden, he

is right back in amongst them.

Just looking to see if the pink is

available. Think it is. That tells

you it definitely is. If it doesn't

spot and it goes on to the blue,

that will be handy. The back red of

the three.

When he first came to the table, I

thought it wasn't too bad. But the

fact that black potted and a couple

of shots later, he has manoeuvred

them and this is turning into

another brilliant chance. His cue

ball control is exemplary. He is

absolutely on fire at the minute.

Let that one slip away. First

mistake from Ronnie. Only a couple

of pots away from securing the

second frame and he just overhit

that slightly. Just plan to drop it

in dead weight and leave the one for

the right corner. Now it is slightly

more difficult, hampered a little

bit as well. Safely in.

bit as well. Safely in. That was

awkward cueing. He'd thought about

it.

If that bounces, he is on the red he

played for previously.

played for previously. He just

doesn't look like missing at the

moment.

Two mistakes from Marco Fu and it is

2-0 to Ronnie O'Sullivan, in no time

at all.

This used to be a tough game, John,

didn't it?

He is just the best

player at the peak of his powers at

the minute. Everything is just so

easy.

easy. OK, he lost position slightly

when he had to take the red in the

middle pocket but there was an

inevitability he would get back up

to the top of the table after he had

potted the yellow. He cannot hit it

any better than this.

any better than this. You should all

go and buy yourself a cue and have a

go at it and see how hard it is.

When he came to the table you

couldn't see any more than maybe 30

or 40 of a break. This is some

effort. Unbelievable. Two centuries

to start his match.

to start his match. And that is in

as well.

He needs to miss the brown. What a

shot that is.

If he does clear up, he will equal

Liang Wenbo's high break, 139. I

think it will go into the 140 is,

the way these players are playing.

He won't be too concerned.

He won't be too concerned. 121 in

the second frame. You are watching a

genius, the Rocket.

Ronnie reckons he was playing better

when he was 17, but how can he do

better than what he's doing the

moment?

moment? I remember Peter Ebdon

saying to me after a few years

Ronnie had been around, he said you

haven't seen the real Ronnie

O'Sullivan. He said, he can play

better than that.

better than that.

What is so

impressive is his longevity in the

game. People going into their 40s,

reckon they couldn't win tournaments

any more. Ronnie has blown that out

of the water and seems to be playing

better than ever. He has great

enthusiasm for the sport. He

practices hard, he loves it.

Not

that many years ago people were

saying it is a young man's game.

They were all winning in their 20s,

but a few players have proved that

wrong. Stuart Bingham lifted the

world title when he was 39.

No real attempt at the pot from

Marco. Just wanted the cue ball

back-up in the baulk area.

back-up in the baulk area. He needs

to get a foothold in the match, if

it is possible.

it is possible. I thought the match

last year in the semifinal was one

of the best I have ever seen. Marco

played unbelievable. If you remember

Ronnie changed his tip in the middle

of that match and still came back

out to win. That was one heck of a

batch last year. -- match.

It was awkward. Very difficult to

find the gap back down the table.

That black was always in an awkward

spot.

If he finishes nicely on the blue he

will probably play for the red that

is near the black spot. If he can

get the red away from the black spot

area, it will help.

That is the one he has played for.

If he goes back up the table and

gets on the black, it will be in the

clear when it is put back on its

spot. He is removing this red here.

May have gone a bit too far. Played

for the black. Slight change of

plan.

He has got a bit of an angle. Still

needs a good shot to get onto the

blue or the black here.

The pink is awkward to pop the black

and split into the pink and red is,

because it is away from the bunch.

That is why he has played for this

one along the cushion.

This is no

gimme, this red. Very tricky.

gimme, this red. Very tricky. To us

mere mortals.

mere mortals.

This is not a good

pack to go into, but he plays it so

well, this type of shot.

Honestly,

we might as well go home now because

this is crazy.

Already, this is looking like it

could be frame three gone.

could be frame three gone. He is

playing some phenomenal stuff.

playing some phenomenal stuff. He

has 98% pot success. Steve was

mentioning when he beat Ricky Walden

6-0. Ricky Walden had a 97% success

rate, but he had only potted three

balls.

What goes in this corner? It

looks pretty tight. There is a gap

there. When you are playing really

well, that is the sort of thing that

presents itself to you.

Wonderful touch. Wonderful touch.

Powered it in.

Powered it in. Has left himself two

reds. Obviously thinks he can pot

this and flick another read out. He

went through the gap.

went through the gap. Got a little

flick on the pink he probably could

have done without.

have done without. Still wouldn't

expect him to miss this pink, the

way he has been playing.

Is just the

position at the side of it. It is

quite difficult.

Has it gone far enough or is the

pink going to block his path? It has

come up a little bit short.

come up a little bit short. He will

not win this third frame with one

visit. I don't think anybody has

ever started the Masters with three

century breaks. Have you got your

record books with you?

There is so much pressure on Marco.

That was an excellent reply.

Ronnie also tapped the table in

acknowledgement.

APPLAUSE

His cueing is just wonderful.

He

really is in the group. Look at

that. Superb.

There are four frames to be played

before the mid-session interval.

Marco has not had much of a chance.

You could not say his last shot was

a bad shot, it was an excellent

safety shot.

Just over half an hour and it is

3-0.

He has not potted a ball yet, Marco.

That was five penalty points he had

there.

there.

How are you playing? I have

not had a shot yet.

This brown will make it 100 ball

spotted.

Even that stunned run looked easy

and it is such a tough shot to play.

He started the third frame at the

break with 50. It is 3-0 to Ronnie

O'Sullivan.

Marco Fu has a great temperament,

but is he going to get any chances?

He needs this frame before the

mid-session interval.

That is a pretty good cue ball

tapped on the table again. But he

tapped the cue ball in the previous

game and Ronnie cleared up.

He is one of the best tactical

players in the game as well. Not

only does he cleared the table with

one visit, when needed he is as good

as safety player as there has ever

been.

Not often you see 98% especially

after three frames played. He has

not missed a long pot.

Not that there has been much safety

playing.

It goes without saying that this is

a massive frame for Marco. If he

could just scramble a frame and the

3-1 behind at the interval. I know I

am asking a lot. He has to try and

find it from somewhere. That was a

good shot.

I mentioned at the start of the show

that you have to go back to 2015

with Ronnie when he lost a match. Do

you remember who it was too? I will

give you a clue, it was on a

Saturday afternoon.

If it was a

Saturday afternoon, it would be a

semifinal.

Correct. I probably

commentated on the match. Was it an

Australian? 6-1 to Neil Robertson

and every time he has played in it

since then he has defeated everyone

he has looked at. It is on record.

It is a brilliant auditorium. It is

absolutely packed to the rafters on

a Tuesday afternoon. Wonderful.

Look at the way the balls are

scattered all over the table now.

Marco Fu is yet to pot a ball. When

he gets a chance, there will be a

few available. But will he get the

chance?

Tight on the cushion and it will be

awkward for Marco. And it is. He

cannot get any back spin to get back

onto the black from that angle.

That

was such a good shot.

was such a good shot. Absolutely

tied to the back cushion that cue

ball is.

The only shot I can see is to come

off the side cushion near the yellow

pocket. But can he get their playing

off this red?

That is pretty good. Well played.

He is in the driving seat in this

exchange, Ronnie.

exchange, Ronnie. Once he plays the

one on the right-hand side is

leaving the one near the yellow.

Ronnie has not got his man, but he

is certainly in the driving seat in

this exchange. Marco is looking at

the red on the right-hand side. That

is the one he wants to play off.

Thinking of playing the red in the

middle. Wow, 3-0 down, some pressure

on this one.

He overtook at it. That was so

difficult.

difficult. The sort of pot that you

would knocking if you were leading

3-0. But not the sort of pot if you

have not had the ball.

Yes, just a little awkward this

chance. That red closest to the cue

ball, he has to be careful he does

not get an Buchanan. He has to be

careful with this one. He is not

entirely happy with the shot.

entirely happy with the shot. -- get

a cannon.

a cannon.

He knows he could run out

of position. In the end he found the

gap.

The blue may go up into the corner

and that will be a bonus. He is

awkward on the brown, he is having

to bridge over the red.

This is a little bit awkward.

He has not really had cue ball in

any part of this break yet. It has

been slightly off.

Excellent.

He is still at 16 seconds for his

average shot time. With the balls

all over the table you would think

he would take longer, but sometimes

you have to think a bit more than

the rates are near the black.

You

practice what is up at the top end

of the table. When they are spread

around like this it needs a bit more

concentration.

Talking about record, John, I cannot

remember a player playing four

frames and not putting the ball in

the Masters. That is a possibility

at the moment.

He may have landed on the other red.

403 points and Marco has got five,

which he did not score himself. It

is tough to say the least.

is tough to say the least.

If there

was any consolation for Marco Fu, it

could be he is going into the

mid-session interval and it is the

best of 11. So he will have a chat

with his coach Terry Griffiths and

Wayne who is over from Hong Kong and

probably head to the practice table

because he has not had any chance

whatsoever.

He is just in the zone, totally

focused.

focused. As if the 2000 people in

the auditorium are not here and he

has just got one snooker table.

has just got one snooker table. It

was a big red for Marco to take on

in the middle pocket, fraught with

danger.

danger. This is a massive shot to

take on. When he missed it he just

had to sit and watch this.

Just the trick you read on the left

side of the table that might prevent

him from making his third century in

four frames.

Do you want a bet? Honestly he is

just absolutely in the zone

completely.

It is not possible to play any

better than this. What a treat they

are getting this afternoon from a

genius.

genius.

He is up to 99% pot success

rate, incredible.

That also might be a record, to make

three centuries in four frames in

the Masters.

the Masters. Trying to use the jaw

of the pocket to get up onto the

pink. It does not matter if he does

not get this in.

not get this in.

We have watched a

genius at work here this afternoon.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has three

centuries. It is 4-0 to the Rocket.

This is absolutely outstanding from

Ronnie O'Sullivan. Today he was

simply unstoppable.

simply unstoppable. Looking at his

results he has not won as much as

you would think.

My personal opinion

is that when Ronnie's safety game is

at its very best, he is the best

player in the world by far. The last

two World Championships he won he

was virtually unbeatable, as

unbeatable as I have ever seen any

player and the quality of his safety

has dropped a little bit and the

standard is so high now I think it

makes all the difference.

When I

have played Ronnie he came to the

table in so much trouble most of the

time and you think, we know about

your scoring and we know how good

you are on the balls and you are

legal, the most centuries, so

creative, the artistry is fantastic,

but his defensive play when he

wanted to be is unbelievable.

In the

last couple of years sometimes I

thought he turned down more shots

than other players. Perhaps he is to

save.

When he is on his game he does

not have a weakness. If you are

being ultra-critical because he

plays everything with side,

sometimes his long game is not spot

on until he adjusts to the cloth and

the speed and everything. I have

noticed with Ronnie if it is a

brand-new cloth and a brand-new set

of balls, sometimes he can get it

wrong by a long way early on and

until he adjusts and when he adjusts

he goes into his genius mode and can

reel off a century. That would be a

weakness for me because he plays

everything with side.

Can you switch

motivation on and off like a tap? Or

do you have it all season?

Having

not achieved the things he has

achieved it is difficult to say. But

at his level other things must

excite him than excite me in the

game of snooker. It must take a lot

of challenges to get him out of bed

in the morning. He might want to win

a match a certain way and if he

cannot win a match that way, he

might lose interest a bit until

another challenge raises its head

and he thinks, I have another chance

to do things in an exciting way

entity is reinvigorated. But when

you have achieved what he has

achieved to keep coming and to keep

trying is the mark of somebody very

special.

A pretty amazing performance so far

from Ronnie O'Sullivan. Can he

finished Marco Fu of awkward Marco

Fu stage what would be a remarkable

comeback.

Will the mid-session interval change

things?

He did not play to get the white

there, he hit it a bit harder than

he intended.

Touching ball which helps the

situation.

We saw Ronnie backstage with his

friends and he has had a new tip put

on and the first time he used was on

the practice table today which is

amazing.

He will not be taking that

one off in a hurry!

This time it is not touching so

there is not a lot Marco can do

here.

Just a little bit of a stalemate at

present.

present. He will be able to get up

the table this time.

Almost.

You are just wondering whether those

two read at the back of the pack are

close to the corner.

That is an excellent shot. Well

played, Marco. Very good.

You want to hit these good and thin.

That was a bit too thin.

REFEREE:

Foul and a miss.

But much better to miss the red

together with the first attempt.

If you were to play the same shot

against and miss it, you would get a

warning.

That is about spot on. Anything thin

is good.

All the makings of being the longest

frame in the match so far with the

black tied up. Just going to little

bit awkward, this frame.

bit awkward, this frame. 15 seconds,

his average shot time, Ronnie.

Finding it difficult to find a path

back to the baulk area, Marco. It

does look a little awkward. There is

a cluster of five by the black and

he's going to play off those.

Doesn't want to go in-off,

obviously. He will settle for that.

He will get at terrific round of

applause because it will be his

first point he scored in this match,

believe it or not. How is he going

to get on a colour?

APPLAUSE

He knew he was going to get his

first pot, but he knew he couldn't

get onto a colour.

It always happens

when you are at the end of a barrage

when somebody is playing so well. He

just couldn't do it from that

position.

That is OK. He will be pleased it

went into the pocket because if it

had wobbled in the jaws, he would

have let Marco in with a decent

chance. He can't cut this in. But he

has to be careful with the cue ball.

Going to be another point. Tough

green, doesn't want to force this

type of shot into get up to the

reds. Maybe he has to try and make

something happen. If you are rolling

this in, it will be OK. Very well

played.

Still very awkward. Black tied up,

pink, awkward. He just needs to get

in amongst the balls to have a

chance to knock a sizeable

contribution in. Yellow and brown is

a decent target to try and get in

behind.

That is as good as he could have

done with the weight of the cue

ball. It wasn't a brilliant

situation for getting a good safety,

but the way he has played it, it

couldn't have been much better.

Look at this, a fly landed on his

head. He got down and played the

shot, as if it wasn't there. Do you

think he is trying hard?

He has got away with that. Played

that in such a way as to bring the

black back into play and was hoping

to get the white back down the

table. But left very awkward for

Marco here.

Miss hit it. When you

are on, you are on. Things go your

way. Balls all over the place, he

knows himself, Ronnie, he has had a

right results.

right results. Could have left

something really simple.

something really simple. Good shot.

Right Marco, this is the chance you

have been waiting for. Got to score

now, my man.

Not the best. Shouldn't have had the

cannon into the blue. Already making

it awkward for himself. Needed to

build up a rhythm, but the white

going into the blue has spoiled

things.

That was such a thin shot he took

on. He would love to get the black

back on its spot.

It was one of

those poor positional shots, the one

before, that forced him into a shot

that might get him onto the black.

And that is what happened. Maybe it

is to acute. He went for the brand.

It is the shots when he has two

power them in, he lifts on the shot.

I didn't see him missing that. You

can see it lifting up. It is a trait

he has always had in his game. It

has never stopped him that much, but

that was disappointing.

Not an easy chance. It is the first

positional shot from the blue,

trying to land on a red, is not

straightforward.

That has worked out lovely. Now he

is on the pink.

is on the pink. If normal service is

resumed, you will be feeling a

little bit for Marco Fu again.

We mentioned earlier they had the

brilliant semifinal last year when

Ronnie beat Marco 6-4 stop Marco had

a couple of. Breaks in the 80s. The

only time they played again was in

the quarterfinal in 2016 and Ronnie

one that 6-1.

There have been quite a few flies

around over the last couple of days.

But one stage, we had a little ant

on the cue ball.

Not straightforward here to clinch

the frame. He is 30 in front.

Going to need the blue and one more

red. Just glancing at the

scoreboard.

scoreboard. He needs pinpoint

accuracy if he's going to get nicely

on the red that will take him past

the winning post in this frame. And

that is pinpoint accuracy.

We are getting the full repertoire

of the genius at work. Any type of

break, up and around the black spot,

he has been knocking those in.

he has been knocking those in. This

one wasn't totally straightforward.

For Marco Fu, it is one of those

days where he just has to sit and

watch.

It is just one way traffic.

Marco had a bit of a chance in that

frame but Ronnie O'Sullivan is just

on fire and he now leads 5-0.

So Marco, breaks off in frame six

and not the best break off he has

ever played. He will be hoping it

won't be his last break off in this

year's masters. But the odds are,

Ronnie's favour of a whitewash.

Land when you are playing well that

is the sort of little flick that you

get there.

It looked as if he was going to play

for the loose red. He might go

straight into the pink now.

straight into the pink now. I have a

funny feeling when he parts of this,

he will clear the path for the one

to the right.

Definitely.

to the right.

Definitely. Now both

of them go. There is one on either

side available. He will play this

and leave the cue ball a little bit

low so he can play at cannon. He

will be able to pot this and forced

another couple of reds into play.

Lovely touch. Report this and he can

play into the top of the pack.

He is on the loose red.

It is all about the split now.

Ronnie was getting down to see if he

could pot the long pink.

That could be end of break unless he

takes a double on. It is not what he

played for. He could play a shot to

nothing and get on the black. He

fouled it.

fouled it. He immediately walked

away from the table and declared a

foul on himself. He was going to

take the double on there.

He must have just touched it. You

could not really see much. If you

touch with your hand, in you know

yourself straightaway.

Player still do that, declare a foul

on themselves.

Surely not. That was difficult. Look

where it is going. A bit of a chance

for Marco.

He has had no touch whatsoever, he

has been kept off the table.

Probably a little bit embarrassing

for Marco. He cannot get any rhythm

going.

And even when he pots the difficult

black and yellow is there to stop

him from coming back up to the reds.

I think that shot tells you a lot. I

think Marco is ready to leave the

arena.

It is one of those days where he

never got a chance.

He can send the red backed up the

table as long as he does not hit the

green. He played it well.

green. He played it well. Can Marco

see enough of this red and possibly

get round behind the pink?

And once again look at the pace on

the safety shot.

I know I may sound like a bingo

caller, but 120, 100 150, 112, 75,

those are Ronnie O'Sullivan's

breaks. That is phenomenal.

Fantastic scoring.

In the cluster of four, the one on

the left-hand is available.

When he removes this red, it will

clear that the red, and those four

are safe.

are safe. This is looking like the

end of match.

97% pot success rate.

Just looking there to see if that

read on the pink spot will be

available in a couple of shots time.

You have to say it is all over here.

36 is the difference. That red feels

a bit tight. He can always play the

cannon. Which is what he has done.

He did not take any chances. He

thought if he went into them he

would be extremely lucky not to take

one.

one. But Marco is still a top class

player. It is one of those days

where you run into something that is

very special indeed.

Ronnie O'Sullivan could not hope to

start his defence of the title in a

better shape. He has been superb, he

really has. Every aspect.

really has. Every aspect. He is

already favourite for this

championship this year. On today's

performance he will be shorter in

the betting, that is for certain.

Surely he can't bring the read out

and clear up from here.

and clear up from here. That is even

more clever. To develop the yellow

and still leave the chance on this

difficult read. No.

difficult read. No. A big smile from

Marco Fu. You have to feel sorry for

him. Everybody is standing up in

recognition of that performance from

Ronnie O'Sullivan. Absolutely

amazing. He takes the match 6-0.

Marco had a couple of chances and he

did not take them and I am pleased

to be in the next round. It does not

matter to me if I win another

tournament. For me it is a good

discipline. I have got a little bit

of a purpose in life. I know if I

perform well, then I know that I do

it in a style and a manner that is

different to the way most people or

anybody else does it. There are one

or two players who are a joy to

watch. The rest to me are decent to

watch. I know when I am on form I

think people enjoy it.

He played

very well. He missed a few so it is

not 100% I am sure. He put me under

pressure. Yes, it is just one

mistake and it seems to be frame

over.

I do not belong to one

section, I feel like I belong to one

snooker world and they show me

around for the year.

He is getting

better. He has got the ability and

the experience and the mentality and

the hard work. Yes, he is doing very

well.

I do not come to the table and

not feel like it. Some days the flow

is stronger than others. That is why

I played the sport, because of that

feeling. Some people meditate to get

that peace of mind or whatever they

call it, I just pop balls. What ever

it is going on and off the table

gets forgotten about. It is like

Gazza, the only time he felt relaxed

was on the pitch because it stopped

him from being driven mad. For me

this is a nice place to be.

A scintillating performance from

Ronnie O'Sullivan setting up a

quarterfinal clash with Mark Allen

on Thursday at one o'clock. We are

back with more coverage as Shaun

Murphy gets his