1.11 "Rocket" O'Sullivan runs out of fuel at the wire

Snooker / Jamie "The Pacman" Pacheco / 13 January 2008 /

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Maguire now the favourite for the Masters

ONNIE O'Sullivan will wake up tomorrow morning wondering how he is out of the Masters after being matched at odds of [1.11] on Betfair to beat Stephen Maguire in the first round.

O'Sullivan twice miraculously escaped from the jaws of defeat, first going 4-1 down and then again looking out of the tournament with Stephen Maguire amongst the balls in the deciding frame. At this stage he was backed at [1.11] when needing just blue, pink and black to win, all straightforward pots.

At this point Maguire drifted to [7.0] in a market where the two flip-flopped for favouritism in the deciding frame but Maguire closed the deal after potting the blue and pink for victory.

Backers of O'Sullivan in the winner market will also be disappointed after the pre-tournament favourite was matched at just [2.84] during the match to win a second consecutive Masters title. Maguire, who was matched at odds of [8.0] to win by 6-5 has taken over O'Sullivan's mantle as favourite and is a [5.0] chance on Betfair.

Betfair Spokesman James Pacheco said: "It was typical O'Sullivan drama. First the recovery from 4-1 down to square the match at 5-5, then a lifeline in the deciding frame.

Customers on Betfair were happy to back Ronnie as short as [1.11] when he looked certain to clear up but it wasn't to be for them or "The Rocket".

He'll probably go for a ten-mile run tomorrow and forget all about it but his fans will be glad to know they can get [4.0] on him on Betfair to win The World Championship later on in the year."

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