Martin O'Donnell interview

18 months ago Martin O'Donnell was at Q School and fighting for his professional playing rights having just dropped off the tour.

Now though he has achieved a career high in the world rankings by getting into the top 64 and his career is firmly heading in a positive direction after an excellent 2018 that has seen him make the Shoot-Out semi-finals, two other ranking quarter-finals and he comes into the UK Championship in fine form having just made the last 16 in Belfast.

It is fair to say that the next thing on his list of targets would be a good run in York to continue climbing the rankings and really put his name out there.

"The UK Championship is always an exciting time. It's the first BBC event of the season and there's a lot of high profile and attention around the event", O'Donnell states.

The first hurdle for him to get over is a match against young Chinese player Xu Si. Xu has not had the best of seasons, failing to get beyond the last 64 in any ranking event, but his run to the semi-finals of last season's Indian Open shows that he is a big threat and will not provide an easy game for O'Donnell.

"I haven't seen loads of Xu before. From what I have seen he is a dangerous player on his day, but is vulnerable if things don't go his way. I'll just be trying to focus on myself. It's a game I can obviously lose but I'm feeling good at the moment".

As good as his current form may be, there is little getting away from his York record. Since the tournament became 128 at the venue in the flat structure, O'Donnell has failed to win a game, so he certainly has a duck to break at the Barbican this year.

"I don't think I've won at the UK Championships since it's moved to York - and that's nothing against York because it's a lovely city. As it's the second biggest event of the year I have probably tried too hard, wanting to win too much and adding pressure onto myself. I'm having a good season though and my tour card is looking safe (for next season) so there's not too much pressure on this year", O'Donnell believes.

The security of his tour place for next season has come courtesy of a fine run of form in this campaign. Two quarter-finals at the China Championship and International Championship as well as the last 16 run in Northern Ireland have seen him show some excellent play and pick up some big results, but O'Donnell does not feel that there is one overwhelming factor in this success.

"There's not one thing in particular that has caused my recent form, it's a combination of different factors. I have been trying hard to change my approach to the game. In the past I have been too cautious but I have been working hard with my coach Ian McCulloch to become more aggressive and that's been working so far. I've also moved clubs and I'm now just a few minutes from home. It's perfect - the conditions are good, they let me get on so there are no distractions and because of that I get a better quality of practice. My home life is good too. I had a baby a year ago and now I'm more relaxed at home and not thinking about the game too much".

It all kicked off with the quarter-final run at the China Championship, but none of the victories over Luca Brecel, Tom Ford or Liang Wenbo at the venue would have been possible without a turn around in fortunes at the interval in his last 128 qualifier.

"I had been struggling at the start of the season and it was in the qualifiers for the China Championship that I turned a corner. I was 3-1 down to Elliot Slessor and I sorted things out at the interval with my coach and I played well after the break and have done ever since. Me and Luca had a great game (in the last 64 in China). There were lots of breaks, almost a break in every frame and I think my safety made the difference in that one. Tom Ford played really well to get back into our match in the next round. I had gone ahead early but then had to play well from 4-3 down and ended up winning on the re-spotted black in the decider", O'Donnell explains

"Then against Liang Wenbo the first frame was massive. He was in first but broke down and I was able to get in and steal the frame on the black and then make make a big break in the next. In the space of 15 minutes or so I went from looking like going 1-0 down to leading 2-0 and I was able to dominate from there. I have started dominating games recently which is pleasing. I have realised that you have to dominate games to far in tournaments, because you don't want to use a lot of mental energy in the early rounds", the world number 59 added.

If the results in Guangzhou were impressive then the run he went on at the International Championship in Daqing was absolute brilliance. From 4-2 down in his last 64 match against Peter Lines, O'Donnell proceeded to win 16 of his next 17 frames to make it through to the quarter-finals.

"I was on a great run of form there really. I played great at the end against Peter winning three frames in one visit and having another 50 in there. To beat Ford 6-0 and David Gilbert 6-1 you've got to play well as they're both class players and Gilbert is high up on the one-year list so he's having a great season. All parts of my game are coming together. My scoring needed work but now I'm scoring when I'm getting in and playing great safety. It can turn around quickly and now this has happened I know this sort of form is in the locker".

The run ended at the last eight stage in heartbreaking fashion, losing out in a final-frame decider to Matthew Stevens, with some bad fortune of going into the reds from the blue and knocking a red into the corner. Without that it could have been a very different tale.

"I was a bit gutted about that match. I went into my shell halfway through and let Matthew dominate. He had some bad luck potting a red and going in-off in the middle before I had my bad luck in the decider. It was disappointing to do it because I'd woken up in those last couple of frames and could've won it from there. I'd had my fair share of luck getting to the quarter-final though and perhaps a lack of experience on the TV table cost me as well in that match".

The combined £41,500 the 32-year-old has made from getting to those two quarter-finals has helped him get to a tally of £51,500 for the season which currently has him in 20th position on the provisional World Grand Prix list and £17,900 clear of 33rd place with just three events to go before the cut-off.

"It's quite funny really because that was my target at the start of the season. I know I'd never been near qualifying for the Grand Prix before but if you don't set these targets you never know what you can achieve. I won't look too far ahead. I need to beat Xu Si in York or I could look less comfortable on the list. I would be delighted to qualify".

While natural instinct may tell him to look over his shoulder, O'Donnell could put himself in the frame for Player Championship qualification, with the gap between him and 16th standing at just £3,725 if his fine recent spell continues, but O'Donnell does not want to get ahead of himself.

"That'd be an unbelievable achievement. It's obviously the next target if I qualify for the World Grand Prix. I've never been in the top 64 before so just getting into the top 32 on the one-year list would be massive. I'm trying not to let it distract me. I've played well for a good period and I don't want to add pressure on myself and just carry on enjoying my snooker. These are all bonus events and I'm just focused on the main ranking events".

Whether people believe it should be a ranking event or not, the facts will show that O'Donnell is a ranking event semi-finalist and the run he had earlier this year on home turf at the Shoot-Out was an enjoyable experience despite the nerves that come with it.

"You need a bit of luck in the event but there's no pressure like it. Being in Watford it was a local tournament for me and I had a lot of friends and family there supporting me, we had a laugh and a good time. It's so enjoyable but anything can happen. You're just thinking 'Do. Not. Miss' when you're in because you won't have time to make up for it. You need a bit of bottle too, to stay calm. Even 24 is a big lead in that format".

It's a format that has caused much debate since it came on to the calendar and particularly since it gained ranking status in 2017, but O'Donnell gives a very honest explanation of why this tournament should have it's place and what it provides for the players.

"Most players are in agreement that it shouldn't be ranking because of the different rules to normal events and it could cost someone their tour card at the end of the season. There is a place for it on the calendar though. There's so much pressure on tour and most of the tour are worried about something so this is a chance to go out and enjoy it and remember that snooker's a great game. Tournaments should be enjoyable to play in and you can see the players get a big buzz at the shoot-out. I see a lot of guys on tour under pressure and not looking like they're enjoying events and wins are hard to come by".

The pressure of the Shoot-Out is more of an enjoyable pressure for the players. The pressure O'Donnell was under in May 2017 when he was fighting for his career and then left to rely on the results of others on the final day of Q School to gain a tour card via the Order of Merit is the exact opposite.

"That Saturday was one of the worst days of my life. I was looking at the final round matches and needed two out of three games to go my way. I had a slice of toast in the morning but other than that I was too nervous to eat anything until it was all over. I needed Paul Davison to win against James Cahill and Paul had already qualified (via the order of merit). He deserves a lot of credit for still trying in that match, especially after going 2-0 down in a race to four. I still owe Paul Davison a drink for winning his game. It was a sliding doors moment because I probably would've got a job otherwise. Q School is a horrible place to be and I wouldn't wish it on any player and afterwards I said to myself 'You are not putting yourself in this position again for a long time'".

So far, O'Donnell is making good on the promise he made to himself, having climbed into the top 64 on the ranking list after just 18 months of his guaranteed two-year tour card. Nothing he has achieved would have been possible without the fortune he had on May 20 2017, but now is not the time to sit back, as the left-hander now wants to kick on further.

"My first target is to win a match in York!! I'd love to get back to Berlin for the German Masters. I qualified in my first year on tour but haven't done since and it's a great event. Getting to the Crucible is another big goal. It sounds silly but I also just want to finish as high as possible in the rankings. To get in the top 48 would be a nice target. It's not easy to win matches but I'm confident and my game is in great shape. I'd love to get to a semi-final or final now having had the two quarter-finals but I also might not reach another quarter-final all season. My main goal is to keep improving. It takes a lot of hard work but it's worth it".

His top 48 target is already looking good, as he currently lies 40th on the provisional end-of-season ranking list. Now he has found his groove on tour though there could be plenty more to come from Martin O'Donnell and I would like to wish him all the best as he starts his UK Championship campaign against Xu Si on Tuesday 27 November at 2.30pm.