2004 World Snooker Championship SF Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Stephen Hendry Session 3 (BBC)

[@tonynaccarato4751]

Im glad after years of finding himself, Ronnie is the greatest of them all, wouldve been great if Stephen at his best against Ronnies best, wow one can only imagine.

[@kevanbrown7620]

Ronnie with 39 ranking titles. 21 triple crowns. 7 World's, 7 UKs, 7 Master's. 4 Champion of Champions titles. Over 1,100 centuries. 15 147s. That incredible 5 minutes 20 seconds 147. 5 centuries including a 147 in the first to 5 game. The youngest triple crown winner, 17 to beat Hendry for the UK in 1993. The oldest world champion 46 and oldest number 1. His longevity is just incredible. Ronnie is the goat.

[@say_hello_to_my_little_friend]

Fastest 147 was 5:08 actually

[@Kharkivskyi]

and now 41 ranking titles, 8 UKs, 8 Masters, and loading 8th World title I hope!!!

[@kevanbrown7620]

@@Kharkivskyi Youngest and oldest World Champion, Youngest and oldest UK Champion, oldest Masters winner. The way Ronnie played against Ding in the semi final to win 6-1 was incredible. The only player who can stop Ronnie winning a record breaking 8th World title is Ronnie himself.🚀 *Sorry, not the youngest World Champion, Youngest Masters Winner. 🚀

[@buntoonbuntoon3210]

O'Sullivan at his finest form is simply unbeatable.

[@BradRae188]

Thanks for this Semi Final re-run Nissim ❤

[@Brian-gx7yx]

Not only a the great margin of wins against 2 greats but Ronnie did it making it look so easy, G.O.A.T.

[@Zoundshine]

Stephen Hendry realized in this match that his time was up.

[@theferryman4916]

sure....that's why a couple years later he reached World No. 1 again.....because he just knew it was over....

[@TheDamnation82]

How many finals did he reach after 2002

[@jamesgoing4527]

@@theferryman4916 sure Ronnie reached world number 1 at 43 ffs beating Trump on route to winning the coral series.... Yes that's 43 years of age simply the greatest his longevity is legendary 👌

[@alanchamberlain9902]

@@theferryman4916 He won nothing after 05 do and had so many thumpings off Ronnie.

[@theferryman4916]

@@jamesgoing4527 The Fuck was that?

[@pech3617]

Hendry was a fantastic player.. definitely Scotland’s best indibibdibble player

[@imremolnarj1619]

⁹q

[@silverliteway]

I recall in the live channel introduction on bbc1 for the next item in the schedule, the host on bbc1 saying that you could stay on bbc1 for the next show or hop to channel 2 (snooker) and watch as Ronnie is giving snooker lessons on bbc2.

[@gritsp1063]

The eternal debate of the GOAT should look no further than this match. Although Hendry was on the slight decline, any reasonable snooker player can instinctively tell you the difference in ball striking and cue ball control. I've known it for years and it amazes me why the debate lingers on. Only now almost 20 years on has it finally ended. Even Hendry has admitted it for years

[@sugs1191]

after 2003 he struggled. Btw I've seen Hendry put on greater performances than what O Sullivan did here

[@JamesRichardTaylor]

I don't agree and I wasn't a Hendry fan. On the contrary I was pleased he lost this match. But this illustrates it wasn't a slight decline at all. He was nowhere near the level of 1999 or 2002.

[@Mydadisbiggerthanyourdad]

Ronnie is miles ahead

[@miguelalvesdemorais3822]

Qqqqqq

[@tytn9978]

Having watched snooker on tv in the era when Steve Davis was in full flight, I try to compare the field of competitors in Hendry's era as opposed to Ronnie's time, and yes, there is no question that Hendry dominated his era, as did Steve Davis in the decade before him, but Ronnie has continued to dominate throughout the years, no matter the newcomers who came and went. Ronnie probably has lost more matches than Stephen, but he also has won more, and his mastery of the Top 3 Events speaks for itself, as do his Maximums.

[@wizzgamer]

Don't think even the master Joe Davis would have beat O'Sullivan with him playing like that.

[@chrisjohnson4165]

57:05 The close-up showed Hendry's cue fouled the red.

[@BradRae188]

Well spotted ❤

[@paulhighe7615]

They played 4 semi finals at the Crucible, 2-2, Hendry won 2 classics in 1999 & 2002, whereas Ronnie smashed Hendry in 2004, & 2008... A 7 time world champion, playing another 7 time world champion....

[@chrisjohnson4165]

Ronnie is the only player that the other players would pay to watch. It's more like art than sport.

[@andrewmorton3344]

57:02 An uncalled foul on the red!

[@surindersingh724]

Good spot! Surprised Hendry didn't penalise himself. He's usually quite good like that.

[@BradRae188]

Well spotted ❤

[@JohnSmith-su3ze]

17:06 Sure plays a mean cue ball!

[@tytn9978]

Oh, Tommy, Tommy Toooooooomy!

[@jamesgoing4527]

Ronnie o'sullivan it's official you're the greatest 19 majors 36 ranking titles the most premier leagues the most centuries and 147s keeping hendry Higgins Williams Selby robbo ding and trump to name but a few at bay entertaining us for decades keeping snooker afloat in the most competitive era ever keeping sponsors happy and viewing figures up all on his own terms never been a slave to the game or politically perfect....... His aura and presence is unique nobody like him everything he does makes headlines only for Ronnie snooker wud be sponsored by pukka pies and maplin enjoy him whilst you can Ronnie the player the pundit the brand BILLYGOAT 🙏

[@AnsarAli-lu9vs]

Brilliant

[@kevinscott1697]

This was the first big thumping Hendry had in his career and he admits in his book that it was the first time he went into a world championship semi final not really believing he could win, that he thought his time was passing and it was around this time that he no longer had Ian Doyle around to kick him up the backside when he played poorly and he had been forced to change his cue after his original one was snapped by baggage handlers at Heathrow, although the way he won the second frame with some difficult pots should have given him the belief to compete with O Sullivan and he’d already beaten him twice in the semi finals at the crucible and even in 2004 he was still winning things but his belief and winning momentum was gradually whittling away and his last tournament victory came a few months later in early 2005, after that his yips problem which had begun to develop in around 2000 became too frequent and he admits he should have retired long before 2012.

[@dannydoyle7040]

People need to realise that there are two ways in which you get in (meaning get a chance at Snooker). 1. You wait until your opponent miss. 2. You play telling safety that forces an error from your opponent. Hendry could not cope with Ronnie’s constant exceptional telling safety shots & that’s why he made errors. Ronnie’s cue ball control is greater than any progressional in history bar none. Ray Reardon said thus in 2017 when they did a 40th year anniversary of the crucible.

[@alanchamberlain9902]

@@dannydoyle7040 I agree Ronnie totally schooled Hendry at safety in this match. Hendry kept missing his chances and was leaving Ronnie in. You can’t let Ronnie in or he will mop up all day. Hendry was on the slide here and his old cue was broken etc.

[@leebeardshall7668]

Some say 17-6 was ronnie o'sullivan best and rightly so.. But this one 17-4 is the best he ever played.

[@bensonlow6225]

😊😊😊 QqqqqqqqnV qqnQqqqqqq’

[@samheeley]

What happened with the 4th session that wasn't needed, did people get a refund or did they wheel Virgo out to do his routine?

[@FaisalB-no8gc]

Ray reardon came right on time , without ray , this match could of been even , gone either way

[@JohnSmith-su3ze]

18:13 Someone left his dentures at home

[@RalphieMuskinyaar]

Went on to equal Hendry’s 7

[@bokyaw-ov3ew]

🙏🙏🙏🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🐘🐘🐘🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭🎼🎼🎼🎼🎶🎶🎶🖤🖤🖤🎱🎱🎱🎶🎶🎶🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🙏🙏🙏

[@captpicard6894]

Ronnie’s genius is that he makes a difficult game look so easy. His cue ball control is the best there has ever been, that’s why he scores centuries and 147’s so easily because he is always leaving himself easy pots with just the right amount of angle to continue the beak.

[@Billy147swfc]

1:24 😂😂😂

[@tonynaccarato4751]

Stephen still the greatest snooker player, ronnie most talented.

[@pech3617]

What about now? or maybe if he wins 8?

[@tonynaccarato4751]

@@pech3617 Ronnie is the greatest snooker player ever, no one can deny him that moniker, love him to bits, i hope he can win 10, and thrill us all for a few more years, cheers to ronnie.

[@kevanbrown7620]

Surely O'Sullivan is without doubt the greatest. He has 21 triple crowns. That's 7 World's, 7 UKs, 7 Master's. 39 ranking titles. Over 1,100 centuries. 15 147s. 4 Champion of Champions titles. That incredible 147 in 5 minutes 20 seconds. His longevity is amazing. 30 years of winning titles. He's broken all records. 5 centuries including a 147 in a best of 9 game. He beat Stephen Hendry in 1993 for the UK, 30 years later he's world number 1 at 46 years old and the oldest world champion and world number 1.

[@louisarmstrong8863]

You people get it through your heads in any sport you only last so long !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! as to O'sullivan he is nothing compared to Stephen Hendry