After a professional journey which began 12 years ago, Martin O’Donnell finally reached a maiden ranking event final at last month’s BetVictor Welsh Open. The Londoner is determined not to wait so long for a second and to capture silverware for the first time.
O’Donnell enjoyed a landmark run in Llandudno, beating the likes of World Champion Luca Brecel and Marco Fu along the way to a semi-final showdown with Elliot Slessor. He held his nerve in a deciding frame to fire in a sublime 126 and win 6-5 to reach the title match.
There O’Donnell faced back-to-back Scottish Open champion Gary Wilson, who proved to be a bridge too far. Wilson prevailed 9-4 to pick up his second title of the season.
It was an experience which 37-year-old O’Donnell hopes to capitalise on. We caught up with him to reflect on his exploits in North Wales and look ahead to next month’s Cazoo World Championship…
Martin, first of all how much belief has making the final in Wales given you going forward?
“You always believe. You practise every day in order to go and try to have a crack at a trophy. However, until you actually do it, you can’t really know. Until you stand up and get over the line, I don’t care how much belief you’ve got. I’m pleased I’ve shown I can get to a final, now I have to show I can win an event. I’m level-headed and I know the tour is hard. First round and second round matches are tough. I want to kick on, but I also can’t expect myself to be getting to quarter-finals and semi-finals every tournament. You don’t know which week is going to be your week, but at least now I know I’m more than capable.
“I think a lot of people don’t win their first finals. It is a lot to deal with. I hope that I can get back to one soon so I can draw from that experience. If I have to wait five years for another final then it will just feel like the first time again. Hopefully I can kick on into next season, keep climbing the rankings and go in the right direction.”
How did you deal with the pressure of fighting to achieve the dream of lifting professional silverware?
“In the past I’ve probably got too nervous in quarter-finals, but I’m a bit more mature now. You have really tough games throughout the event, not just in the quarter-finals onwards. Until you get to the final, you can’t afford to think about shooting for the trophy. I wasn’t distracted about it being a dream and I was more focussed on giving a decent performance. I felt quite good going into the final, but Gary put me under pressure to be fair. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. I just have to learn from that and move on.
“On reflection it was a great week. If you’d offered me a final at the start of the week I’d have taken it. When you get to the quarters onwards you do know you’ve had a good run but you start thinking about the trophy and silverware. It is disappointing but a great experience. I hadn’t been in a final before. I think it all caught up with me a bit. It was disappointing how it ended but hopefully I can get back to another final soon.”
How proud were you of the clearance to beat Elliot Slessor in the decider and make the final?
“It was my first time in the semi-finals and I played alright. It was a real buzz winning the decider. When I went 5-3 up it was the first time either of us had any breathing space. He won two really quick frames and it was 5-5 in the blink of an eye. You just hope for a chance, I got one and I’m very proud of how I held myself together. To win the deciding frame with a total clearance, when it was my first experience of that sort of situation, is really encouraging. I’ll take a lot of belief from that.
“It was just about holding myself together really and keeping the cue ball tight. Thankfully I did hold it together and I played well all week. I scored well in all of my matches and for it to come out when it really mattered was so pleasing. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and to get a bit of reward for it was certainly pleasing.”
After dropping off the tour at the conclusion of the 21/22 season, how much does it mean to have come straight back on via Q Tour and now be and competing at the business end of major events again?
“Just before Covid I was kicking on and doing quite well. I got into the top 32 of the rankings and made three quarter-finals in a season. I thought I was starting to move forward in my career. Covid came along and I let it get on top of me then dropped off the tour. Looking back now that was a bit silly. Nobody is to drop off, but I managed to go on and dominate the amateur circuit. I told myself to stop messing about. I mean that in my head rather than not putting the work in. I’ve had times where I got in the way of myself. After getting back on the tour I promised myself I wouldn’t do that anymore and it is paying dividends.”
You’ve now got a month to prepare for Crucible qualifying, where you will be aiming to make the final stages for the first time. How are you feeling ahead of your trip to Sheffield?
“If you can’t get yourself up for the World Championship, then there is something wrong. It is an exciting time. Everybody wants to get to the Crucible and make an impact. It is an event where you can change your life. I can’t wait to get back out on the match table. It is important I manage my time. Don’t practise too much or burn myself out. There is a lot of time to prepare.
“I’ve made the last round of qualifying twice and I learned a lot from both experiences. I think I’ve put too much pressure on myself in the past to get there. Now I’ve had a breakthrough in another tournament and got to a final I think that will really help. I would love to qualify but it isn’t the be all and end all. I think you can get too obsessed with having to get to the Crucible and play there. I need to enjoy the event, embrace the drama of it and hope that the snooker Gods are with me.”