Ronnie O'Sullivan 'as angry as you'd ever see' with table punch after horror miss against John Higgins at World Championship

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Ronnie O'Sullivan's anger bubbled over during the final frame in the middle session of his World Championship second-round match against John Higgins as he punched the table after a costly miss.

'Ouch!' - O'Sullivan punches table in fury after missing routine red

Video credit: TNT Sports

O'Sullivan headed into Sunday's evening session 6-2 ahead of his 'Class of 92' foe, and things were looking overwhelmingly positive for The Rocket as he headed into the interval with an 8-4 lead - having knocked in a fabulous century clearance in the second frame of the night.

However, after the break, a number of errors crept into O'Sullivan's game and that saw Higgins cut into his deficit with the pair going into Monday at 9-7 in favour of the seven-time world champion.

But the final frame in particular was one containing huge drama, with a number of major errors from both O'Sullivan and Higgins - and the former gave a visible show of his fury after a particularly frustrating miss.

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A red was teed up invitingly for O'Sullivan on the baulk end of the table and, although from a tight angle, a player of his potting reputation would be expected to comfortably sink it.

But when the red rattled the jaws and bounced to safety, O'Sullivan punched the table in anger, sending an audible thump around the arena - before returning to his seat, shaking his head and grimacing.

"And there, a reaction," Dave Hendon said in the TNT Sports commentary box. "Pressure. It wasn’t easy but the reaction to the miss tells you everything."

'As angry as you'll ever see him' - McManus reacts to O'Sullivan PUNCHING table after miss

Video credit: TNT Sports

Watching the incident again, Dominic Dale said on commentary: "Ouch! He’s probably annoyed with himself, he probably didn’t focus on the pot properly, had an extraneous thought going through his head at the time he struck the cue ball, which is really annoying when that happens."

Particularly since he has undertaken a reduced schedule and pulled away from many ranking events, O'Sullivan has appeared a nonchalant figure around the table - taking errors in his stride.

But his show of frustration was a sign of how seriously he is taking his quest for a record eighth world title and TNT Sports expert Alan McManus feels his history with Higgins was also a factor.

"Watch Ronnie's reaction, really angry," McManus said. "That's about as angry as you'd ever see O'Sullivan and there's good reason for it.

"John hasn't played well. He's been here before, O'Sullivan against John, and he'll expect a full-scale comeback. That's why he's so frustrated."

'What a frame' - Higgins clears to cut O'Sullivan's lead and set up thrilling finale

Video credit: TNT Sports

The second-round clash between the pair - who hold 11 world titles between them - was one of the most highly-anticipated clashes in recent Crucible history.

And McManus feels that despite Higgins not being at his best, the fact he won the session and pulled himself into contention means the face-off will get the ending it deserves on Monday afternoon - live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

"It wasn't vintage Higgins, far from it," McManus said. "At the end of it, John [got the] job done. He's won the session. But thankfully for everyone, we're going to get what we want, a close contest and a thriller tomorrow."

Jimmy White added: "There were so many mistakes by both players. I think they're both in shock, but the table seems to be playing really tight."