Snooker prospect Joe O'Connor has identified icon Ronnie O'Sullivan as "the big one" when it comes to players he would most like to overcome.
O'Connor, 27, recently settled for silver after finishing second to Gary Wilson in the 2022 Scottish Open. The Leicester native was widely praised for his performances in Edinburgh, where he managed wins over Ding Junhui, Mark Williams, Zhao Xintong, Ricky Walden and Neil Robertson.
Seven-time world champion O'Sullivan was among those impressed by O'Connor's displays and went so far as to tip the up-and-comer for a future World Championship. O'Connor was flattered to hear praise from such a respected figure, having only just made his ranking final debut.
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"I have seen it on Twitter that he [O'Sullivan] said that," he told Metro. "I don’t know, I don’t know what to say. The best ever to play the game is tipping me to be world champion, it doesn’t get much better than that."
O'Connor's Edinburgh win over Robertson was sweet revenge for the 6-0 drubbing 'The Thunder From Down Under' dealt him at the UK Championship in 2014. He boasts perfect records against Ding and Williams, meanwhile, but a win over O'Sullivan would go a long way to completing the set.
"There’s maybe one or two that are missing," added O'Connor when asked about any particular opponents he's like to beat. "One of them is the big one, the Rocket. Hopefully I can tick that one off in the coming years before he hangs his cue up."
O'Sullivan has been surrounded by speculation regarding his future in the sport for several years now. The Rocket turned 47 on Monday and has previously suggested he expects to be retired by age 50.
That gives O'Connor some idea of how long he has left to notch a win over arguably the greatest snooker player of all time. O'Sullivan's joint-record of seven world titles is level with fellow great Stephen Hendry, though he'll have a chance to break that duck come May 2023.
O'Connor is only starting out in comparison, having turned professional in 2018 shortly after becoming England's amateur champion. His World Championship forecast is high praise coming from O'Sullivan, though victory over The Rocket himself would be a reward of its own.
