Ronnie O'Sullivan has sparked concerns at the World Snooker Championship after making the "extraordinary" decision to change part of his cue during his semi-final against Zhao Xintong.
O'Sullivan has been using a new cue at the Crucible, having snapped his previous one following a defeat to Robert Milkins earlier this year, and has been vocal over his displeasure with the equipment since.
The seven-time world champion has been using a new ferrule, which is the sleeve used to reinforce the tip of a cue, during the tournament. O'Sullivan has opted for one made of titanium, which is lighter than a brass or plastic option, and designed to reduce deflection over longer distances.
What has O'Sullivan changed to his cue?
According to the BBC, O'Sullivan bought both a new tip and a new ferrule for his cue on Thursday evening, following the opening session of his semi-final against Zhao, with the scores a 4-4 ahead of Friday's session.
While perhaps not an unprecedented move, it left those on the BBC Sport coverage surprised. Presenter Hazel Irvine said: "We knew that Ronnie O’Sullivan was playing with a new tip in that session.
"Immediately afterwards, we are hearing, he actually went to a shop in Sheffield and changed not only the tip but the ferrule of his cue. A rather extraordinary thing to do in the middle of a semi-final."
Former world champion Steve Davis added: "Yeah, not great. If you’ve got problems with your equipment and you change mid-stream, how hard is that? How tough is the situation and how bad must it be to change?
"You’re playing to small margins, but the fact he was trying out a different material for the metal ferrule that has different characteristics, has in this tournament caused him all sorts of problems, but he’s still got over the line, that’s how clever he is. But he’s not happy with he cue so he’s changed it and now he’s into unknown territory."
Why is O'Sullivan changing his cue?
Speaking after his first round win over Ali Carter, O’Sullivan was asked about his new titanium ferrule and said: "I’ve wanted to try it but it didn’t feel great on my old cue.
"I just got this new cue so I had no idea how it should play, but it feels alright, sounds OK, plays alright. I’m not sure what difference it makes, to be fair, I think it lasts a bit longer."
However, when asked if he found that the titanium ferrule is reducing deflection, as advertised, 'The Rocket' was far from impressed: "That’s totally not true. I wish it was. I was playing some safety shots where you have to put side on and the white, the way I was hitting it, was just going all over the place.
"These titanium ferrules definitely don’t stop that from happening."
O'Sullivan has been critical of his performances throughout the tournament, suggesting that he only reached the semi-finals due to his opponents' struggles.
He spoke again of changing his cue after beating Si Jiahui in the quarter-finals. Telling the BBC on Wednesday: "I had some work done on my cue today, probably have to get a new ferrule, a new tip, it just feels awful, the cue.
"I’m playing awful and the cue feels awful. It’s the worst situation to be in as a snooker player. I’m still in so I’ll keep punching away, keep trying."
