Barry Hawkins reacts to shock UK Championship win over Ronnie O’Sullivan

Barry Hawkins claimed a immense triumph astatine UK Championship arsenic helium knocked retired defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan successful the opening round.

Hawkins, who had to travel done qualifying to marque it to the Barbican, came from 4-2 down to triumph 6-4 to assertion his archetypal triumph against O’Sullivan since the 2016 World Championship.

The decision extends the Rocket’s mediocre tally of signifier successful caller months. The 48-year-old has now mislaid the first-round match successful 3 of his past 4 competitions.

‘It has been 8 years since I’ve beaten him truthful that triumph has to beryllium close up determination for me,’ Hawkins reflected aft his win.

‘It’s a monolithic win. So galore times I’ve played him and helium has done good and different times helium has been determination for the taking and I’ve crumbled and could not instrumentality advantage.

‘He looked crisp to me, but I felt beardown astatine the extremity to get a win. Hopefully this gives maine a batch of assurance and I tin instrumentality that into the adjacent round, but I can’t get carried away.’

Despite his mediocre form, O’Sullivan, an eight-time UK Champion and apical effect this week, started confidently with breaks of 128 and 114 to instrumentality a 3-1 pb into the interval.

A mistake from O’Sullivan aft the interruption allowed the Hawk to adjacent the spread to 3-2 with a interruption of 60 but the Rocket rapidly re-established his two-frame pb with a interruption of 69 to pb 4-2.

Hawkins, though, knowing a triumph would massively assistance his bid to suffice for The Masters, rapidly answered backmost to adjacent the spread to conscionable 1 again.

And the 45-year-old did not look backmost from there, reeling disconnected 3 much frames successful a enactment to unafraid a 6-4 triumph and his harmless transition into the 2nd circular wherever helium will play the victor of Xiao Guodong vs Dave Gilbert.

‘Obviously this is simply a large effect but there’s nary mode I volition beryllium blessed if I bushed Ronnie and past suffer successful the adjacent round,’ Hawkins added.

‘I cognize I tin bash it, but sometimes I’ve not turned up, played atrocious and crumbled, but I’ve present conscionable beaten the champion subordinate successful the world.’

O’Sullivan, meanwhile, sought to instrumentality the positives from his loss. ‘Barry played a bully lucifer and deserved his win, truthful I person to springiness each the recognition to him,’ helium said. ‘He played well, was coagulated and took his chances.

‘I’m conscionable enjoying playing, that’s the important thing. I effort to not look backmost connected it and connected to immoderate the adjacent lawsuit is.’

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