Ronnie O'Sullivan has hailed rising snooker star Ben Mertens after the pair battled it out at the English Open. O'Sullivan took on Mertens in English Open qualification on Monday, and secured a tense 4-3 victory.
After initially flying out the traps to lead 3-0, 'The Rocket' was soon pegged back as the 18-year-old remarkably won three frames on the bounce to level the things up at 3-3. Mertens was denied a fairytale win though, as O'Sullivan secured the deciding frame.
Despite the defeat, the teenager received high praise from arguably the greatest snooker of all time following their clash in Brentwood.
"He is a great cueist, hits the ball well," O’Sullivan told Eurosport . "I like his game. He is only young and he is going to be around. The sky is the limit for him really. I just think he hits the ball well.
"He has a very good snooker brain, sees the shot, plays the shot. He is a great lad. He plays the game nicely and you want to see more players play the game like that.
O'Sullivan's high praise will no doubt have meant the world to Mertens, who prior to the match on Monday, described the seven-time world champion as his 'idol'. Pre-match, the Belgian said: "It’s been hard but I'm enjoying it and it’s also it's my dream to play on the tour one day.
"To play against Ronnie O’Sullivan is amazing. Yeah, it's a dream come true... He's my idol, he is my hero . And yeah, he's my hero. So it's a special day for me today.”
What are your thoughts on Ben Mertens' performance? Let us know in the comments section below.
In spite of the victory for 'The Rocket', his afternoon in The Brentwood Centre was not a comfortable one. The arena has had a heating problem throughout the week, after Britain was hit with below freezing temperatures.
As a result, O'Sullivan revealed he was shivering whilst competing at the table. He commented: "I was shivering at one point, then my nose started to run. It was so cold, but I got used to it in the end. Then you come in here and it’s too hot. I’m never happy me, too hot, too cold.”
