Xiao Guodong apologised to Ronnie O’Sullivan after knocking him out of the Champion of Champions in dramatic fashion. Xiao failed to pot a single ball in the opening three frames but picked himself up to claim a remarkable 4-3 victory.
He responded to O’Sullivan’s fast start with breaks of 130, 88 and 85 to take the match to a decisive seventh frame, which he won to claim the spoils and send The Rocket crashing out.
In his post-match interview, Xiao described his victory as the best of his career and apologised to O’Sullivan for beating him.
“I think this is my best ever win and also against Ronnie,” he told ITV. “I’m sorry to Ronnie because he played so well. I think I have the chance to lose in the fourth frame. [It was] luck.
“The game changed. In snooker, one ball can change the game so I just think to play every shot and every time keeping focused.”
Xiao admitted he had given up on his hopes of victory before snatching the fourth frame, which gave him the momentum to stage a brilliant comeback.
“I didn’t think I could win this match because in the first three frames I didn’t pot one ball,” he said. “I potted [my first ball] in the fourth frame so I think I had a little bit of luck. I just told myself to enjoy it.
“It was a very good crowd and the people watching were coming to watch Ronnie. I was happy to play Ronnie because he always has big, big fans coming here, so I just enjoyed it.”
O’Sullivan, meanwhile, was defiant after his surprise loss as he downplayed the possibility of calling time on his glittering career.
“I have been on a roll for 30 years,” he said. “It will end when I decide it ends. I’ve very rarely had an average season since turning pro.
“I might have had a couple of years with things going on off the table which meant I couldn’t really focus on snooker and went missing. I definitely had six years where I was partying a bit much.
“I might have won a few tournaments in that period, but when I’ve had my mind and focus right I usually do all right. I’ll keep playing and keep enjoying it. That’s the most important thing for me.”
