Ronnie O’Sullivan’s grudge World Championship clash with Iran’s Hossein Vafaei got off to an explosive start on Friday.
The Rocket and the ‘Prince of Persia’ had been engaged in a war of words in the build-up to their last-16 encounter at the Crucible. Qualifier Vafaei, who impressively beat VChinese superstar Ding Junhui in the first round, has had a beef with world No1 and seven-time world champion O’Sullivan for 18 months.
It stems from a German Masters qualifying tie in 2021 that saw O’Sullivan, trailing 4-0 at the time, smash up the reds from the break-off - a gesture Vafaei saw as “disrespectful”. The feud escalated when the world No.23 and former Shootout winner last year said O’Sullivan should call time on his career.
