Stephen Maguire ‘playing from memory’ as he eyes second laser surgery

The Scot faces Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship on Tuesday.

Stephen Maguire ‘playing from memory’ as he eyes second round of laser surgery SNS Group

Bad eyesight and a borrowed cue will not stop Stephen Maguire fancying his chances when he goes head-to-head with Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship on Tuesday.

The 41-year-old has already guaranteed £50,000 by reaching the last eight and plans to spend a slice of his winnings on improving his vision and reimbursing the friend whose cue he borrowed after a below-par first-round win over Shaun Murphy.

Maguire, who revealed he had swapped cues after brushing aside Zhao Xintong in the last 16, said: “I need to get my eyes tested after the tournament – at the moment I feel like I’m playing from memory.

“I had laser eye surgery when I was 30 and the girl told me it would last 10 years, so hopefully I will be able to see a wee bit of difference if it’s possible to get it changed.”

Maguire is a two-time Crucible semi-finalist but has not reached the one-table set-up since 2012, when he was surprisingly beaten by 13th seed Ali Carter, a result the Scot considers to be one of his greatest regrets.

“I’d love to play in the one-table set-up again,” added Maguire. “I didn’t do myself justice the last time. It annoys me to this day that I went in and I don’t know who I thought I was to give Ali Carter no respect, and I paid for it.”

Maguire has lost all three of his previous Crucible clashes against O’Sullivan, who swept into the last eight with a 13-4 win over Mark Allen.

And he admitted their first-round clash in 2005, which he led throughout before losing in a final-frame decider, was another of those classic Crucible matches that gave him plenty of cause to wonder what might have been.

“The one that stands out is that first-round match the second time I was here,” admitted Maguire.

“I should have won that match. I was strangling him and in the end I just said, ‘on you go’. That still haunts me. Who knows what would have happened if I had managed to win that match?

“I have never beaten Ronnie here but I fancy beating anybody. I know how good I can play and how bad I can play. On the good days I’m good, and on the bad days I’m atrocious.

“We’ll see which version turns up on Tuesday.”

STV News is now on WhatsApp

Get all the latest news from around the country

Follow STV News
Follow STV News on WhatsApp

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country

WhatsApp channel QR Code