Mika

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has paid tribute to former World Nineball Pool champion Mika Immonen.

Immonen passed away at the age of 52 on Sunday after a long battle with cancer.

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Tributes poured in for the Iceman, who became a legend on the pool circuit.

O’Sullivan has now opened up about his bond with Immonen, who would stay at his house during his time in the UK.

The Rocket took to Instagram to say: “So sad to hear of the passing of my friend Mika, someone I did not see enough of but thought a great deal of.

“Stayed at my house on times in UK and enjoyed our runs in the forest, one of the greatest pool players of the generation, an honour to share a pool table with him but also the personal times together I will never forget.

“Sadly missed, devastated today.”

Immonen became the only Finnish star to win the World Nineball Championship in 2001.

He also won back-to-back US Open Pool Championship titles in 2008 and 2009.

The Iceman established himself as a pool icon with his appearances at the Mosconi Cup over the years.

He represented Team Europe on 15 occasions – the second-most of any European.

Immonen was named MVP for his performance in the 2008 competition.

Annabel Croft, who won junior Wimbledon at the age of 17, has some reservations about players moving on too quickly.

“When I was playing juniors, I was exactly like Hannah,” Croft said.

“The year that I won the juniors [Australian Open and Wimbledon titles] I was playing in the seniors at the same time. I was playing my idol Chris Evert out on Court One at Wimbledon in the third round and I wasn’t focused on the juniors whatsoever.

“I was way more excited about the prospects of playing senior Wimbledon and going up against the best in the world.

“But in hindsight, it’s one of my proudest moments and I realise I am going to be in that trophy cabinet forevermore.

“I think that no matter what happens she [Klugman] has got plenty of time to be putting herself up against the seniors but the one thing you can say about juniors is that you will never ever get that time again.

“So I totally get it but I just hope she doesn’t regret it.”

The WTA’s age eligibility rules limit 16-year-olds to 12 professional tournaments each year, although anyone who finishes the year in the top five of the junior rankings can play an extra four.

And so next year the professional tour can expect to see much more of the pair, who have been playing each other since their under-10 days.

Stojsavljevic, who names Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic as her idols, is a clean and powerful ball striker while Klugman can serve and volley and – in her own words – “does not play like a usual woman”.

“I’ve got slice, I like to change the rhythm up, mess the player up a little bit – and I’ve got a big serve,” she said at Wimbledon this year.

“I used to love Ash Barty and I also really like Emma Navarro as well.”