Ronnie O'Sullivan reportedly using new cue made by professional snooker tour rival

O’Sullivan ousted Barry Hawkins 6-5 in the round of 16 but his bid for a record-extending sixth Shanghai crown was dashed by world number two Kyren Wilson who defeated him 6-3 in Thursday’s quarter-final. That appearance was only O’Sullivan’s third tournament engagement of the calendar year, so far.

The Englishman’s 2025 on the green baize started in early January when he took part in the Championship League Invitational. O’Sullivan’s main objective at the behind-closed-doors event was probably to prepare for the upcoming Masters where he was due to defend the title.

However, the trip to Leicester proved to be an infamous and ill-fated one. After losing to Robert Milkins, O’Sullivan deliberately snapped his snooker cue in rage and departed the Mattioli Arena venue despite still having one more fixture to complete.

The outburst led to O’Sullivan withdrawing from the prestigious Masters at the Alexandra Palace in London, and with his trusty John Parris cue that he has used for many years in pieces, it sparked a chain reaction of competition withdrawals for the 49-year-old over subsequent weeks.

It wasn’t until over three months later when O’Sullivan played competitively again, making his return on the grandest stage of all at the Crucible Theatre for the World Championship.

Equipped with a new cue for Sheffield - reportedly a Ton Praram model from Thailand - O’Sullivan showed glimpses of top form as he made it through to the semi-finals without being put under too much pressure from his three opponents.

But whilst still getting to grips with the cue - along with the layoff from the tournament scene - O’Sullivan was defeated by eventual champion Zhao Xintong with a session to spare. In between sessions during the match, O’Sullivan took the dramatic and highly unusual action of changing his ferrule.

Fast forward nearly another three months and it is understood that O’Sullivan was using another new cue for the Shanghai Masters - made and modified by fellow professional player Sunny Akani.

Away from the table, the current world number 70 Akani is a cue-maker and quickly establishing a reputation amongst fellow players for supplying them with equipment.

In a Facebook post he uploaded on to his personal account a few days ago, Thailand’s Akani explained that he recently made a new cue for his “idol” and “legend of snooker” O’Sullivan, and thanked him for the chance to make a cue for him.

That post has since been deleted, but a post from the On Cue World Facebook page - an online and in-person cuesports shop that stocks Akani’s cues - has commented that O’Sullivan did use a cue that Akani modified for action at the Shanghai Masters.

On Cue World also posted in the comments that Akani has also made a spare cue for the record 41-time ranking event champion.

O’Sullivan and Akani appeared to strike a friendship following their memorable last 16 meeting at the 2017 UK Championship where Ronnie came through a deciding frame en route to winning the title in York.

Next up on the World Snooker Tour for both O’Sullivan and Akani is the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters which takes place between August 8-16 in Jeddah.