The China Mail - World champion O'Sullivan thrashes Iran's Vafaei in 'grudge' match

O'Sullivan, 6-2 ahead overnight, won all seven frames at the Crucible Theatre on Saturday as the seven-times world champion booked his place in the last eight with a session to spare.

This second-round match had been billed as a 'grudge' contest after Vafaei accused O'Sullivan of a lack of respect when the Iranian beat him 5-0 in last season's German Masters qualifiers.

O'Sullivan's frustration at his performance in that match saw him smash the reds with his first shot of what turned out to be the fifth and final frame.

In a bizarre gesture, Vafaei himself played a similarly rash break-off in the second frame of their Crucible clash, a shot six-time world champion Steve Davis, commentating for the BBC, said may be considered "disrespectful to the game of snooker".

O'Sullivan, however, made a point of embracing Vafaei, 26, at the end of Saturday's match and appeared to harbour no ill-feelings to his vanquished opponent.

"It's not like I take comments personally," O'Sullivan said afterwards.

The 47-year-old Englishman, who will now play Belgium's Luca Brecel, added: "I've probably had five or six people saying something over my career that has just inspired me to prove to myself that I can still play the game," said O'Sullivan afterwards.

"I play between 50 and 100 matches a year and I've got to beat everyone, there's no point getting fixated with one player and what he did. I don't say anything to him. That little black book is locked up in my mind and just kind of helped me."

- 'Gave it back' -

Vafaei, meanwhile had no regrets about his conduct.

"It was nice for the people everywhere, you see snooker at the top of the news," he said as he laughed. "Snooker is just boring players without me, so it's good to have a good character. It just makes people more interested in the sport.

"This year I lost to the greatest who ever played this game. He said to me, let's be friends together again. Everything is back like it was before and I wish him to win the tournament because he is too good for this sport."

As for the controversial break-off shot, he added: "Whatever he gave to me, I gave it back.

"I didn't let anyone know anything before. It was something between me, my God and him."

Victory at this year's tournament would see O'Sullivan surpass Hendry among modern-day greats with an eighth world title.

O'Sullivan insisted he felt no pressure, saying: "I've got nothing to lose. I've got seven UKs, seven Masters, seven worlds. When you get to my stage you realise you don't have anything to lose, and you're only here because you're enjoying it.

"The people who say I've got something to lose are the ones who have something to lose, because their own careers are just going by."

H.Au--ThChM