Ronnie O’Sullivan and Jimmy White marvel at ‘unorthodox’ snooker pro at Welsh Open – ‘He doesn’t feel pressure’

After 27 years as a professional, the 46-year-old won his first ranking title at the 2022 Gibraltar Open, becoming the oldest first-time winner of a ranking event since Doug Mountjoy at the 1988 UK Championship. He has otherwise been something of a journeyman on the World Snooker Tour.

But for all his struggles and hard work, O’Sullivan and White have been marvelling at how relaxed, free-flowing and instinctive Milkins is. Both snooker legends have been mightily impressed by his speed, unorthodox play and the fact that pressure does not seem to get to him at all.

“I love watching Rob play, you know,” O’Sullivan said in the Eurosport studio.

“He is just unorthodox. He is out of position a lot, but he pots these balls. He is confident and he is good to watch.

“Milkins is handling this final pretty well. Because he is so quick and instinctive, the pressure cannot really get to him.

“Yes, he is always going to throw in a few mistakes, but with his speed and quick thinking, he does not really feel pressure. He plays off instinct much more.

“It can be very off-putting for his opponents too. As a player, it can be very hard to play against.

“Drago was like that: he was up out of his chair, he’s missing balls and you think he has gone, then all of a sudden he is back. Milkins is a bit like that – he is a very similar player to Drago, very instinctive.”

White agreed: “Yes, he seems to get down, pull the cue back and hit! But he pots some really good balls, you know.

“He leaves himself in bad positions but just nonchalantly rolls the balls in. He has got good bottle and good self-belief, he just needs to bring it all in a bit and get a bit more control.

“He plays on instincts, like on a tightrope. He is never settled, but the way he plays, I don’t think you could settle because I think he would not go for the shots he goes for.

“For his opponents, you think you have got someone because they are starting to miss, but all of a sudden, they just roll one in and away they go again.”

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