Ronnie O'Sullivan 'goes through the motions' to win eighth UK snooker title in York

O’Sullivan, pictured, who celebrates his 48th birthday on Tuesday, reeled off the last three frames to beat Ding Junhui and win the title for a record-extending eighth time, 30 years after he won it for the first time at the age of 17.

Predictably raucous scenes greeted O’Sullivan’s match-winning, exhibition-style finish of 129 at the Barbican, but the world No 1 cut a distinctly underwhelmed figure when grilled about his latest history-making achievement.

“I’m not sitting here with a massive grin and super-excited,” said O’Sullivan. “I just go through the motions a lot of the time.

“It’s great to win and I give my best when I’m out there and I want to win, but it’s not the same excitement as years ago when I was winning my first world and UK and Masters titles, and you’re buzzing.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a nice feeling and a job well done, but I get more of a buzz from going for a run in the morning or having breakfast with my mate.

“I don’t actually feel like ever playing. Once you get down there you think you’re glad you’ve done it, but even in this match today I was thinking I didn’t feel like it, I’d rather sit on my bed and watch a bit of Netflix. I feel like that a lot of the time.”

Hauled back from 4-1 and 7-5 leads by Ding, who like O’Sullivan won his first UK title as a teenager in 2005, the world No 1 dug deep when it mattered and consecutive breaks of 100 and 74 set him up for his final flourish.

It was an admirable effort from the Sheffield-based Chinese player, who had clambered off his sick bed to sink defending champion Mark Allen on the opening day having seriously considered withdrawing from the tournament.

But ultimately O’Sullivan, who had seldom been required to find his best form during his journey through the tournament, had just enough to leave Ding contemplating a second consecutive final defeat.

Ding had clawed back to level at 4-4 at the end of an absorbing opening session, after a series of costly errors gifted O’Sullivan the early advantage.

O’Sullivan wasted no time in re-establishing his lead in the first frame of the evening with a break of 84. Ding appeared intent on pressing home his advantage but was punished for taking on some risky long shots in the next two frames, O’Sullivan edging ahead again with breaks of 40 and 87, then emerging from a scrappy spell in the next to reach the interval 7-5 in front.

A brilliant pink from O’Sullivan set him up to move one frame from victory with a break of 74, and he completed his win in his own irresistible fashion.

Ding, who was also beaten in last year’s final, reflected: “The first half was disappointing because I had a chance to win more frames but 4-4 wasn’t too bad because I was 4-1 down. I came back to 7-7 but he played so well. All I could do was play good safety and make breaks. He pushed me to make mistakes.”