Teenage sensation Stan Moody is the hot topic in snooker right now – and even the legendary Ronnie O’Sullivan has sung his praises, predicting tournament glory for the teen.
The 18-year-old recently made it to the last 32 of the World Open in Yushan, China, after knocking out ex-world champion Graeme Dott. He was then knocked out at the hands of world No40 Xu Si but continues to make serious ripples in his sophomore season on the World Snooker Tour.
It was in March 2023 when O’Sullivan triumphed over a then-16 year old Moody at the Six Red World Championship, their sole clash on the baize to date. And O’Sullivan lavished the youngster with compliments following the 5-2 result in Thailand.
“Stan is going to be good. He has composure and that’s always a sign,” he told reporters (via the Daily Express) at the time. “If they look a little bit vulnerable out there, then you think, can they handle the pressure?
“But he certainly looked really comfortable out there. He just needs some experience.” O’Sullivan also crucially added: “He will win tournaments, I’d imagine, for sure.”
O’Sullivan knows a thing or two about early fame in snooker, having been younger than Moody when he started competing. ‘The Rocket’ also appeared on TV at a tender age after his dad, Ronnie Sr, pushed him to become the best of all time.
‘The Action’ is showing promising signs of following in the footsteps of his predecessors after a heroic start at the World Open. The young player managed to qualify for the tournament by defeating world No10 Zhang Anda, and then celebrated a break of 123 in his 5-2 victory over Dott.
O’Sullivan had high praise for the youngster last year, when he said: “To see him so young, coming here and enjoying his snooker, you can see he really just loves the game and has an amazing temperament for it. You can imagine if he did find it hard he’d still find enjoyment in the game, you just get that impression.”
Moody has previously expressed his ambition to join the WST ahead of the regular schedule. His success at such a young age may come as a surprise to many, but for the young Yorkshireman, he’s simply fulfilling the goal he always set for himself.
“When it first happened [securing his Tour card], I couldn’t believe it,” he said with confidence in 2023. “But now it’s sunk in, it’s something I’d always planned to do. Back when I was 11 or 12, I always planned to get on this early.
“I wouldn’t like to get on at 20, 21 because the best years of your career are gone then. The experience I’ll gain from getting on so young will be priceless.”
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