STEPHEN Hendry believes Ronnie O'Sullivan can overtake his record of seven 888.com World Championship titles after claiming he had been on the receiving end of "snooker perfection".
The "Rocket" marched into his third Crucible final last night aft
er destroying Hendry 17-6 with a session to spare.
O'Sullivan trailed 4-1 at one stage but reeled off 12 frames on the trot and scored 448 points without reply at one juncture to set up a meeting with either Ali Carter or Joe Perry.
On this evidence, it is difficult to see Carter or Perry denying a fully focused O'Sullivan a third world crown.
Hendry said: "Today, Ronnie was outstanding. I should have won the second and third frames this afternoon but, apart from that, his all-round game was the best I've ever played against.
"I said to him afterwards 'that's the best safety I've ever seen'. Every time he played safe, I had no shot. He kept it places where I couldn't do anything and, whenever I missed, he just cleared up.
"It was outstanding snooker. I thought he played fantastic. It was the best I've ever played against. It was snooker perfection. He is the best player in the world now by a country mile.
"In the afternoon session, I couldn't remember him missing a ball, going out of position on a ball. It was awesome.
"I feel gutted. Don't get me wrong – but sometimes you've got to hold you hand up and say the other guy was too good. There was nothing I could do today. Have Carter or Perry any chance? If Ronnie plays like that, no."
Asked if O'Sullivan could threaten his record, Hendry replied: "Absolutely. Ronnie is a different animal to Steve Davis and myself. I don't think snooker is the be all and end all.
"In the 90s, that's all I was interested in, winning titles and world championships and creating records. Look, if Ronnie plays like that and wants it, he can win as many world titles as he wants."
O'Sullivan was visibly moved by Hendry's glowing tribute. "It means more to me a compliment than anyone could give me. I remember when I was 14 and playing in exhibitions and he has just won the world title and he was God," said O'Sullivan.
"Stephen still is to all us snooker players because he has been a perfect role model, the best player I've ever seen, the best player there has ever been without a doubt. For someone of Stephen's class to say that about the way I played, my dad would certainly be chuffed to bits and it means a lot."
O'Sullivan added: "I am very pleased to win the match, pleased to have got through as I did. There were times in that game where I felt really good out there. I felt I was in control of everything I did perfectly. It is a great feeling when you are out there and everything is going well.
"The first session was a result for me. There were periods when I was thinking I could be 7-1 down and I thought losing 6-2 would be okay. At 7-1, I would have struggled to make inroads into that position. It was damage limitation and I was delighted to get out of the session at 4-4. It felt like I had won the session 7-1. There were spells during the game where I felt really good and everything I was doing was coming off perfectly well and I was scoring, playing good safety, potting a few long balls. It was a good feeling."
Carter dominated the second session of the other semi-final with Perry to open up a 9-7 lead. The 28-year-old recovered from a 5-3 overnight deficit by triumphing in six of the eight frames as Perry struggled to find his touch for lengthy periods.
But both players will have to up their game considerably if they are to prove a match for O'Sullivan.
Carter, who had trailed 5-2 at one stage, reeled off six frames on the trot at one juncture as the confidence drained out of his opponent. He had breaks of 106 and 128 plus four other 50-plus runs before Perry finally found his touch with a 127 clearance in the penultimate frame.
