Ronnie O’Sullivan says Robert Milkins reminds him of Tony Drago – ‘He’s got a really good snooker brain’

Ronnie O’Sullivan says Robert Milkins reminds him of flamboyant snooker player Tony Drago, after the world No. 27 reached the Welsh Open final.

He won the final three frames after a cagey start to the match and a brilliant deep screw shot on two reds that saw the first fly into the right centre in the penultimate frame underlined Milkins’ growing confidence.

“If I was sitting in my chair, I wouldn’t think he got lucky there,” O’Sullivan said in the Eurosport studio when analysing the shot.

“He’s got a really good snooker brain. He reminds me of Tony Drago. Players like him and Drago see shots like that.

“He played good, solid stuff, did enough to win. He’s got a lot of confidence, so he will fancy the job [in the final].”

Milkins turned professional in 1995 but has only played one previous ranking final which came at last year’s Gibraltar Open, where he beat Kyren Wilson 4-2.

This month, the 46-year-old has been in great form, having reached the semi-finals of the German Masters two weeks ago.

Neal Foulds says Milkins is just a “normal guy that plays snooker, who has a gift” and thinks his triumph in Gibraltar boosted his career.

“It certainly helped him,” said Foulds. “Gibraltar was not the biggest event, but it was a ranking event, and in that final he wasn’t frightened to get over the line.

“He beat Kyren Wilson, pinched the first frame of that match with a sensational match so he’s not overawed by the occasions. If a chance comes, he is capable of taking it.

“He’s doing a lot of things wrong. He can go out of form a little bit, even in the middle of a match, almost goes to sleep for a while, but then he rises from the slumber. All inspiration, that’s the type of player he is, a very natural type.”

– – –