O'Sullivan brushes aside Brecel to seal inaugural World Masters title
Held during Riyadh Season, the World Masters is the first-ever professional snooker tournament to take place in Saudi Arabia, offering a huge cash sum of £250,000 to the winner.
O'Sullivan's victory means he breaks the record for most money won in a single season, with a potential half a million still on the cards ahead of the World Snooker Championship in April.
When quizzed on whether he would return to the Middle East, he said: “Hopefully. These are the tournaments you want to play in. Great tournament, great crowd, one table, music going during games. It was like going 25 years back when I was young.
“It all feels like a really nice festival. It's Riyadh season, you know, you've got the boxing on Friday night, Formula 1 (this weekend) - everyone wants to get to Saudi.
“Saudi is like a powerhouse, so if anyone can inject anything into snooker it’s the people who put this tournament on. Should be a 10-year contract tomorrow.”
The Englishman made a rapid start to the contest, looking in far better form than he did in his semi-final as he claimed the opening frame with a superb break of 95.
However, Brecel bounced back in emphatic style, continuing where he left off after his scintillating afternoon performance. The world champion pounced on a few sloppy shots from 'The Rocket', winning back-to-back frames with aggressive and ruthless potting.
Brecel looked on course to go 3-1 up, but O'Sullivan punished an error to rack up another big break of 94 to make it 2-2.
O'Sullivan then came out from the mid-session interval all guns firing, taking the lead after a breathtaking 121 break - his fifth century break of the tournament.
Brecel was barely able to get back on the table, as the seven-time world champion soared to a 5-2 win with breaks of 69 and 124. It is his 79th professional crown and fifth of the season, which includes major triumphs at the UK Championship and the Masters.
Despite the loss, it has been a positive few days for the Belgian, as he prepares to defend his World Championship title in a few months.
