Aaron Hill, the 18-year-old who downed Ronnie O’Sullivan at the European Masters on Thursday night, says he was motivated by the Rocket’s insulting comments towards young players in snooker.
Irishman Hill is in his first season as a professional and turned in a superb performance to beat the world champion in the second round in Milton Keynes, edging him out 5-4.
It is only the teenager’s second tournament as a pro and the man from Cork has already made a huge name for himself by besting the biggest star in the sport.
The victory comes after O’Sullivan said at the World Championship that he’d have to ‘lose an arm and a leg to drop out of the top 50 in the rankings’ because the young players in the game are ‘so bad’.
Hill says he was out to prove him wrong and did just that.
‘That comment was in the back of my head a small bit, but I didn’t worry about it,’ Hill told WST.
‘I just said to myself when he said it, that one day I am going to show him what I can do. I think today was the day.’
Hill is a two-time European Under-18 champion and European Under-21 champion, so has been known as an extremely bright prospect for some time, and showed great maturity during and after the contest.
Breaks of 74, 52 and 78 in the decider helped him to victory and even when O’Sullivan battled back from 3-1 behind to lead 4-3, he remained remarkably calm.
‘I’m speechless at the moment,’ he said. ‘I didn’t just go out there and be happy to be there. I still wanted to win the match.
‘If I’d lost after being 3-1 up, I’d have been disappointed. Even if I lost that lost one, I’d have been disappointed. I am just so pleased with that victory.
‘Everyone back home, my family and my friends must be buzzing. I just looked at my phone and I think it is going to take until Christmas to reply to everyone. I’m just living off the moment and can’t wait for the next round.
‘3-1 up, I was just like, woah, I’m really in this game now and probably favourite to win it if I kept playing the way I was playing.
‘Then it got to 4-3 down and I jut said to myself in the chair, “look, if you were offered 4-3 down before the match, would you have taken it?” Of course I would have taken it, so I just tried to go 4-4 and then anything can happen in a decider, like you saw.
‘I just said to myself in my room before, “go and enjoy it, I’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.” Hopefully I can show what I can do and thankfully I did there.’
The Irishman has another chance to down a veteran in the third round, where he takes on Matthew Stevens for a place in the last 16 on Friday.
‘As I did in that game, no matter who I play I’m just going to play the table, play the balls, one frame at a time, one ball at a time and just keep believing,’ Hill explained. ‘You have to beat the best to beat the best. I believe in myself.
‘I just want to thank my family, my friends my sponsors, I hope I’ve done them proud.’
The defeat for O’Sullivan came in his first match since winning a sixth world title and leaves world number one Judd Trump as favourite to lift the trophy on Sunday in MIlton Keynes,
MORE: Aaron Hill out to ‘rattle’ Ronnie O’Sullivan at the European Masters
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