Ronnie O'Sullivan is on the verge of history, after reaching the Masters final for a 14th time with semi-final victory on Saturday.
48-year-old O'Sullivan has not appeared in the decider since 2019, when he lost 10-4 to Judd Trump. He will have an opportunity to win out for the eighth time on Sunday afternoon, when he faces either Ali Carter or Mark Allen in the final.
O'Sullivan defeated Shaun Murphy in dominant fashion on Saturday at Alexandra Palace, ultimately winning 6-2.
Sunday's final will give him an intriguing opportunity to hold two records simultaneously - to be both the youngest and oldest player ever to win the Masters.
O'Sullivan's first triumph came at 19 years old in 1995, and he will have the chance to become the oldest player ever to win the prestigious tournament on Sunday afternoon.
In classic Ronnie fashion, he could not resist poking fun at the younger generation after his ruthless win in Saturday's semi-final, saying that the up-and-comers "look old" in comparison to him, and that he is feeling as fresh as ever.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan throws dig at young players after dominant win over Shaun Murphy
Ronnie O'Sullivan was in buoyant form after dispatching of Shaun Murphy at Ally Pally on Saturday. O'Sullivan has been critical of the Masters venue this week, but he was complimentary towards the crowd as he spoke to Eurosport in the immediate aftermath of his victory.
Unsurprisingly, Ronnie is a popular figure with the Ally Pally audience - and they were left in stitches by a typical O'Sullivan jab at snooker's younger generation.
"I feel young in my mind"
What a match! Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Shaun Murphy 6-2 to get to the finals ⚫👀#TheMasters pic.twitter.com/QPZxVRCrgR— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 13, 2024
When the record-breaking opportunity was mentioned to O'Sullivan by the interviewer, he responded by saying he felt younger than many of the promising "youngsters" he has come up against in recent years. He even went so far as to say he feels mentally fresher than the younger generation:
I don't feel that old. I know what my age is but I feel young in my mind.
I feel young when I'm around the table - I feel a lot younger around the table than these younger players. They look old, their brains are quite slow. I still feel like my brain's pretty quick around the snooker table, which is enough.
They need to get their act together because I'm going blind, I've got a dodgy arm and bad knees - they still can't beat me!
The tension between the snooker legend and the younger challengers to his crown is not new, with Ronnie having previously both criticised and been criticised by younger opponents.
Ronnie O'Sullivan will face either Ali Carter or Mark Allen in Sunday's final. The first session will get underway at 1pm, and the second at 7pm.
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