Ronnie O'Sullivan insisted he had "no other shot" after violating the three-miss rule with a reckless attempt that cost him a frame during his dramatic Welsh Open clash.
The Rocket scraped through an incident-packed second round match against Ross Muir with a 4-3 victory in Llandudno. O'Sullivan's frustration was palpable as he was twice forced off the table during the early stages of his match with cue problems.
The world No.1's tip flew off from his cue in consecutive frames against his Scottish opponent, causing him real concern as he took extended breaks to solve the major issue.
And, with O'Sullivan already irked by a lack of confidence in his cue, he lost his cool at 3-2 up in the best-of-7 clash as he inadvertently forced a decider.
O'Sullivan was embroiled in a safety battle in the early stages of the sixth frame and looked to escape back to the baulk end from two cushions, despite having clear vision of a red.
But after missing his first two attempts at striking a red ball, match referee Luise Kratz was obliged to warn the seven-time world champion that he must make contact with a red in his next shot or forfeit the frame.
There was a single red that Kratz pointed out O'Sullivan could see and make full contact with, but, rather than attempt an alternative astute safety shot on that ball, he recklessly whacked the white into the pack instead.
A rash O'Sullivan walked back to his seat facing a decider after striking the pink full in the face, with referee Kratz looking stunned as she awarded the frame to Muir.
Eurosport commentator David Hendon said: "Wow, he just whacked it and hit the pink, not the red. Just when you think you’ve seen everything. Extraordinary way for the frame to end.”
O'Sullivan was accused by some fans on social media of deliberately losing the frame after the extraordinary incident, with the cue ball also flying off the table. "That’s why you never punt on Ronnie O’Sullivan… Threw that frame away." one fan wrote. "Threw his toys out of the pram big time... Total lack of respect for the ref," another added.
But after edging over the line in the decider, O'Sullivan claimed he had no other shot so thought it was worth smashing the white in the hope of a fluke.
"No, I just didn't have another shot really," he told Eurosport when asked if his shot was a sign of his frustration. "I was snookered virtually on every ball. Well I was really. I had no shot really.
"I could either try and come off two cushions and miss the reds, frame over or I try and get a fluke. I tried to get a fluke and hit the pink and that was it, game over."
And O'Sullivan was pleased with his resilience as he put the chaos of the sixth frame and cue tip drama behind him to seal his spot in the next round at Venue Cymru.
"I think that's what excites me now, just getting through, winning the battle within yourself," he added."If you want to win tournaments and have a successful career you have to learn to be resilient and battle hard and know how to stay in the match."
