World Snooker Championship: Ronnie O’Sullivan warns Si Jiahui of ‘massive scar’ on career after Luca Brecel comeback

Should Si Jiahui lose out on a spot in the World Championship final to Luca Brecel after having held such a dominant lead, it could result in a “massive scar” on his career, says Ronnie O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan believes that letting such a dominant lead get cut, especially if he goes on to miss out on a spot in the final, could be damaging for Si in the long run.

“I don’t know how he’s going to feel, that young boy… Neither player felt good about nicking the last frame,” O’Sullivan said in the Eurosport studio.

“We don’t know nothing about him, so it’s really hard to predict. He’s come from nowhere. Is the pressure getting to him? We’ll find out.

“If he pulls away [in the final session], and does what he has been doing, then okay, he’s put that to bed, and it wasn’t nerves.

“Like I said, I don’t know. I’ve never seen the guy play. Can’t comment. He’s in the semi-finals of the World Championship, and he’s played some exceptional snooker. I don’t know.

“It’s the Crucible Theatre. It can get to you. He fancies it, Luca. He’s punching the air there. He obviously feels like he’s sensed a weakness in Si. He feels like there’s a weakness there somewhere for him to go like that. He’s thinking, ‘I can still win this’.”

O’Sullivan was quick to dismiss the idea that Si may be feeling fatigued, which led to Brecel’s partial comeback, saying: “He’s 20 years of age. He’s flying. He’s playing great.

“Adrenaline is a fantastic feeling that goes through your body, he could go three days without sleep if you’re adrenalined up. You can’t use that as an excuse.”

Jimmy White added: “[Si] wasn’t expecting to come back to the table so we’re maybe seeing a little bit of inexperience.

“There is a bit of frustration because he’s lost five frames on the trot, but I still think he’ll win,” he added.

“I still think he’ll regroup. He is young, but we’ll have to wait and see. Luca fancies it now. You see the fist bump to his friends as he went out there, meaning ‘I’ve got a chance’.

“Si is still four frames in front – a huge advantage.”

The pair will play to a finish in their semi-final match from 14:30 UK time on Saturday afternoon.

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