Visits: 2
“I’m here to win the tournament”
Last Updated: 24/04/19 5:03pm
Giant-killer James Cahill has set his sights on winning the World Championship after his stunning first-round win over world No 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The Blackpool amateur held his nerve to win 10-8 against a player he described as his “idol”, who has won five titles this season, recently recorded his 1,000th career century and was chasing a sixth Crucible crown.
Cahill played on the professional tour from 2014 to 2017 and has already secured a return for next season, helped by another stunning upset of Mark Selby at the UK Championship at the end of 2018.
And after conquering O’Sullivan, the 23-year-old told BBC Two: “I’m here to win the tournament.
I don’t have to prove anything now. I’ve got my two-year card, I’ve just beaten Ronnie – the world number one – and I’m going to give it my all in my next game and see what happens.
James Cahill
“I play every tournament to win otherwise I wouldn’t play. You can’t come to a tournament thinking you’re going to get beat… or what’s the point in playing?
“I’ve proved that I can play. I made the most centuries out of all the professionals in the qualifiers so the amateur thing doesn’t mean anything.
“I don’t have to prove anything now. I’ve got my two-year card, I’ve just beaten Ronnie – the world No 1 – and I’m going to give it my all in my next game and see what happens.
“You’ve got to believe you can beat anyone. I’ve got so much respect for Ronnie, he’s such a great player and my idol really, but if you have too much respect for them I probably wouldn’t have cleared up at the end there. I thought I was going to fall over at one point.”
It’s just life, it’s not the end of the world. I tried to give it my best, I tried my hardest and it wasn’t good enough.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
O’Sullivan has struggled with illness and insomnia ahead of the tournament and said: “My limbs are feeling very heavy. I have no energy.
“It’s just life, it’s not the end of the world. I tried to give it my best, I tried my hardest and it wasn’t good enough.”
For those on the move, we will have the World Snooker Championship covered via our website skysports.com/more-sports, our app for mobile devices and iPad or our Twitter account @skysportspool for latest news and reports.
