Please note that this is NOT an official website. At this point in time Ronnie O’ Sullivan does not have an official website, nor does he wish to have one.
Yesterday in Belfast offered the fans some excellent entertaining snooker, and although, personally I would have preferred some of them going and ending differently, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the matches on offer..
Mark Williams once again demonstrated his extraordinary longevity with a proper demolition of Martin O’Donnell. What’s his secret? Probably the fact that he successfully manages not to put pressure on himself while staying highly competitive at the same time. It’s not an easy thing to do.
Sam Craigie beat Matthew Selt 4-2 at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open to reach the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the first time since a serious neck injury which could have ended his career.
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Craigie suffered a slipped disc in his upper spine in 2024 which required major surgery and left him unable to compete in tournaments for ten months. He admitted he feared he might have to quit snooker but fortunately was able to return to the pro tour and has now made a full recovery.
The 32-year-old Tynesider has since climbed back to 72nd in the world and hopes this week could be another breakthrough. A near-flawless display today in Belfast, highlighted by breaks of 108, 96, 100 and 79 earned him a fourth ranking quarter-final appearance. He’ll face Elliot Slessor on Friday in a North East derby and victory would put Craigie into the semi-finals for only the second time, and first since the 2024 German Masters.
“This week my performances have been very good,” he said. “I’ve played consistently well in every round. I’m playing with a new cue. I’ve had quite a few over the last two seasons, but with this one I haven’t played a bad match yet.
“I have to say thank you to Stuart Green at Green Baize because whenever I don’t feel right, I can just walk into the shop and try out cues, and usually I walk out with a new one. I think this might be the one. I’m also back working with Chris Henry, remembering what I was doing when I worked with him before my surgery.
“You can jump up the rankings with one good tournament and get into the Players Series, then you feel like a more established player. Hopefully this can be my week. The only difference with the top players is that they do it in almost every tournament, everyone else can play to a very high level on their day.“
World number 23 Slessor battled to a 4-1 win over Ricky Walden with a top break of 65, reaching his 12th ranking quarter-final and first since the 2025 English Open. “I am trying to find my game this week, I have had problems with my tip,” said Slessor. “It’s not performing how I want it to but I can’t change it now before the next game. I’m delighted to win today, you just have to stick in there because every day is different.“
Kyren Wilson, one of only two top-16 ranked players in the field alongside Mark Williams, may be considered favourite for the title after edging out Pang Junxu 4-3 in a high quality contest. If Wilson beats Anthony McGill tomorrow he will be into his first ranking semi-final since he won the Players Championship in March 2025.
A break of 70 gave him the opening frame today then Pang replied with a 108. The next two frames were shared before Wilson’s 92 made it 3-2. In frame six, China’s Pang was on course for a 147 until he missed a tricky 13th black on 97. Wilson, who won this title two years ago, then took the decider with an excellent 94.
McGill beat Mateusz Baranowski 4-1 to set up a repeat of his epic 2020 Crucible clash with Wilson. The Glaswegian top scored with 95 today as he earned a 28th ranking quarter-final and first since he reached the final of the British Open a year ago.
Scott Donaldson reached his first ranking event quarter-final in six years as he ended hopes of a home winner at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open by beating local favourite Jordan Brown 4-2.
Donaldson enjoyed the best spell of his career between 2017 and 2020 when he appeared in four ranking semi-finals as well as winning the invitational Championship League, but since then the 32-year-old has struggled to produce deep runs. However the Scot did knock Zhao Xintong out of the recent Shenzhen Open on his way to the last 16 and has carried that momentum into the tournament in Belfast this week.
Tonight’s tie with Antrim’s Brown was a tough battle with an average frame time of 31 minutes, but world number 64 Donaldson fought his way to the winning post, making a vital break of 47 in the sixth frame which was his highest of the match.
“I really like Jordan and it’s probably not nice to go out of a match like that, but I had a job to do and I managed to get over the line,” said the Perth cueman. “I don’t feel overly confident at the moment. My game is solid enough but I’ve still got too many errors in it, so I’m sort of fudging my way through matches right now. You just have to keep practising and hope it gets better. When I feel good, I’m really good, but when I’m bad, I’m all over the place.
“Since the pandemic, I haven’t really hit the heights I reached before Covid. There are various reasons for that which I’m not going to go into, but it’s a tough sport. There are so many good players nowadays and I’m not a real top player, so I need to play 110 per cent to have any chance of beating someone like Jordan. I just like playing snooker.
“I’m looking forward to playing Jak Jones. He’s been playing really well and I congratulated him on winning the British Open when I saw him in the practice room. He’s become a real top player now, so I’ll need to play my very best to have any chance of getting a result.”
Jones is just three wins away from a third ranking title of the season having landed the Championship League and British Open. He got the better of a Welsh derby against Daniel Wells tonight by a 4-2 scoreline. World number 24 Jones took a 60-minute opening frame and added the next two for 3-0, before Wells battled back to 3-2 with a top break of 63. Frame six came down to the last red and Jones converted a mid-range pot to a baulk corner to set up the winning chance.
Mark Williams reached the 124th ranking quarter-final of his career by beating Martin O’Donnell 4-0 with a top break of 127. The highest ranked player in the field at eighth in the world, Williams is just three matches away from extending his own record as the oldest winner of a ranking title, set a year ago when he landed the Xi’an Grand Prix at the age of 50 years and 206 days.
Reflecting on tonight’s result the Welshman said: “There were a couple of close frames, especially the first one as Martin could have nicked it. I played OK, missed a few and potted some good ones, that’s what I do. I just try to enjoy it especially with a fantastic crowd like that.“
Williams now meets David Gilbert, who ended the run of giant-killer Ka Wai Cheung with a 4-2 victory. Hong Kong’s Cheung, ranked 110th, had knocked out Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stuart Bingham but could not keep his career-best week going. Gilbert, who compiled runs of 85 and 56, continues his strong start to the season as he was runner-up in the Championship League and reached the quarter-finals of the China Open.
Hong Kong China’s Onyee Ng has defeated Mink Nutcharut 4-3 following an absorbing final to win the Australian Women’s Open for a record third time at Mounties in Sydney, Australia.
Previously a winner of the event in 2018 and 2023, Ng was in impressive form throughout this year’s event and produced her best snooker when it mattered to earn consecutive deciding frame victories on the final day to claim her 25th ranking event title.
The victory sees her move to within one of Karen Corr on the all-time standings and with her 16th century break of 103, into third position on the all-time leaderboard behind only Reanne Evans and Bai Yulu.
Having progressed from the group stages without the loss of a frame, Ng earned victories against Agnes Kimura and Jessica Woods to reach the last four. She then recovered from 1-3 down against Evans – with a stunning clearance of 103 in the deciding frame – to reach her fifth Sydney final.
There she would await fellow two-time Australian Open champion Mink Nutcharut, who overcame debutant Jazmin Brown, Narucha Phoemphul and Anupama Ramachandran – who made her highest WWS break to date of 98 during the previous round – to reach her first world ranking event final since February.
It was Ng who would make the early running as she moved halfway to victory with breaks of 58, 54 and 40, before a further contribution of 50 in the third frame looked set to see her claim a 3-0 lead.
A missed red, however, would open the door for Thailand’s Mink who produced a steely clearance of 41 to establish a foothold in the match. She followed with a break of 45 in the next frame to draw level, before she again snatched the fifth frame on the colours to move to within a frame of her first ranking title since January 2025.
But there was to be a final twist, as Ng produced a match high break of 81 to force her second deciding frame of the day, which she would largely dominate courtesy of a well-crafted break of 57.
Speaking after the trophy presentations, Ng revealed that as she trailed Evans 1-3 in the quarter-finals, she took inspiration from her Hong Kong China teammate Ka Wai Cheung, who earlier in the day had similarly recovered from the same deficit to defeat Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.
“I am happy to be back in Australia,” explained Ng. “I missed playing at the event in 2025 as I was drawn to play Judd Trump at the Xian Grand Prix on the same dates and was unable to play the event.”
“Both the semi-final and final today were tight and it will only get tighter as the bar keeps raising.
“Kudos to my fellow teammate Ka Wai Cheung for his comeback against Ronnie O’Sullivan from 1-3 down. In fact, there was really a flashback for me when I was 1-3 down against Reanne today!”
The highest break of the week was a run of 114 compiled by Evans to establish her 3-1 lead against Ng in the semi-final.
Whitten, Phoemphul Claim Titles
There was a first WWS title for Theresa Whitten as the Australian player defeated Agnes Kimura 3-0 to lift the Seniors title on Monday evening.
A semi-finalist a year ago, Whitten defeated Monica Brettle, last year’s champion Carlie Tait and finally Kimura to become the 30th individual winner of a Seniors title on the Tour.
In the Under-21 tournament there was a repeat victory for top ranked Narucha Phoemphul, who defeated New Zealander Jazmin Brown 3-0 to claim her ninth junior title.
The Challenge Cup, for players who did not qualify for the final stages, was won by Dianne Spring, following a 2-1 success against Krystal Aw decided on the final black.
Following a hugely successful four days of snooker which saw the tournament achieve its highest-ever entry to date, WWS would like to thank the Australian Billiards and Snooker Association for its smooth running of the event, as well as Jason Hastings and The Snooker Shop for their continued support.
The WWS Tour continues this Saturday with the staging of the Niche Cues Women’s Snooker Open, from 24-27 October in Malaysia.
Congratulations to all winners!
A bit off topic but I need to say this: I find it absolutely baffling that the women tour, with little financial means, features events around the world, whilst “WORLD snooker” remains largely UK based, notably because all qualifying events – that shouldn’t exist IMO – are played in the UK in rather soulless environments.
And, one last thing. Hats off to “Mounties”. They are a fantastic club and do a great work to promote the events played at their club, with matches shown live on Youtube, making all the players always feel very welcome.
The massacre continued at the Waterfront! We are only midway into the event and only two of the top 16 seeds are still “alive” in the tournament: Mark Williams and Kyren Wilson .
Here is what happened yesterday as reported by WST:
Jak Jones’ phenomenal season got even better as he beat legend John Higgins 4-2 to reach the last 16 of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.
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Welshman Jones, age 33, had never won a professional tournament before this season, but he has been the outstanding player of 2026/27 so far having landed ranking titles at the Championship League and the British Open. And he’ll have no doubts that he can capture another trophy this week at the Waterfront Hall having beaten four-time World Champion Higgins – especially with so many of the top seeds out of the running. Defeat for Higgins means that only two of the world’s top 16 – Mark Williams and Kyren Wilson – remain in the draw.
The first three frames today were scrappy affairs, Higgins taking two of them. World number 24 Jones then stepped up a gear and dominated, making breaks of 121, 133 and 49 as he earned a third round fixture with Daniel Wells, who beat Ryan Day 4-3 in a Welsh derby.
“I was a bit edgy at the beginning, then I made a good break to go 2-2 and that settled me down,” said Jones. “This season has changed my life, I feel like a tournament winner with a lot more belief. I had always thought I could win them but actually doing it makes all the difference.”
Williams enjoyed a 4-2 win over Zhang Anda, taking the last two frames with breaks of 78 and 58 to set up a tie with Luca Brecel or Martin O’Donnell. Last year, Williams became the oldest ever winner of a ranking title when he landed the Xi’an Grand Prix and the 51-year-old could extend that record this week.
“I made two good breaks from 2-2,” said the Welshman. “It’s in there somewhere, it just doesn’t come out as often as it used to.” Asked for his view on why so many of the top 16 have been knocked out, Williams said: “The top 16 can’t get easy draws any more. Everyone you play has won a few matches and they are really good players.“
Ka Wai Cheung followed up his tremendous 4-3 win over Ronnie O’Sullivan with an equally impressive 4-0 whitewash of Stuart Bingham. Breaks of 56, 54 and 111 helped Hong Kong’s 27-year-old Cheung reach the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time in his career.
“Compared to the game against Ronnie, I got more chances but didn’t manage to win the frames in one visit, some of them went scrappy and I was lucky to get another chance,” said world number 110 Cheung, who now meets David Gilbert or Gao Yang. “I don’t have that much experience playing in the main venues so I am very happy to win two matches here. The fans always applaud when you play a good shot, it’s a great experience for me.”
China’s Pang Junxu edged out in-form Liam Davies 4-3 in a dramatic finish. The first six frames were shared, Davies making breaks of 69 and 103 while Pang made 112 and 73. In the decider, Welshman Davies was on 60 when he missed a difficult red to a top corner, and Pang capitalised with a superb 81 clearance. He now faces Kyren Wilson.
Sam Craigie took a 3-0 lead over Xu Si with a top break of 103, then saw his opponent come back to 3-3, but won the decider with a run of 75. He now meets Matthew Selt.
David Gilbert came through a dramatic final frame to beat Gao Yang 4-3 on the last black and reach the last 16 of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open.
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Gilbert admitted he was lucky to still be in the hunt for the Alex Higgins Trophy but he’s through to a third round clash with world number 110 Ka Wai Cheung and could be just four wins away from what would be the biggest title of his career. The Englishman started the season strongly with runs to the final of the Championship League and the quarter-finals of the China Open and hopes for another deep run in Belfast.
China’s Gao, looking to reach the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time, scored heavily with breaks of 131 and 86 in taking a 3-2 lead, before Gilbert got the better of frame six. In the decider, Gao was on 57 and just two pots from victory when his attempt at the penultimate red to a baulk corner rattled in the jaws. It came down to the colours and Gilbert converted an excellent long pot on the brown then went on to clear the table.
“I was impressed with Gao, he’s very tidy,” said two-time Crucible semi-finalist Gilbert. “We both made a mess of the last but I potted a great brown in the end. I’m very lucky to still be in and very grateful. I was playing great at the start of the season then knocked it on the head for a month. But in the last week I have been hitting balls again. I should be out of the tournament – who knows this could be my week. I imagine everyone feels it’s an opportunity. But the likes of Kyren Wilson and Mark Williams are definitely still favourites.”
Jordan Brown raised a massive cheer for his home fans at the Waterfront Hall as he edged out Michael Holt 4-3. Antrim’s Brown is clearly inspired by this venue as he reached the quarter-finals here last year and knocked out Mark Allen yesterday. He made breaks of 113 and 101 today as well as a crucial 66 in the decider.
“To make those breaks in a best-of-seven, it makes you hard to beat,” said former Welsh Open champion Brown, whose next opponent is Scott Donaldson, a 4-1 winner over Noppon Saengkham. “Michael played really well too, it was a close game. I got a touch fortunate to get the chance I needed in the last frame. It’s always special playing in front of a crowd like that in this arena.“
I haven’t much to add to these reports.
It’s good for the event that Jordan Brown progressed further and it may also be good for Mark Allen who he beat earlier this week. Mark Allen wasn’t outplayed by Jordan Brown, and if Jordan gets deep in the tournament it may help Mark regain some confidence in his own abilities. He certainly needs it as he’s been extremely unwell mentally as he revealed in this interview:
Mark Allen reveals he made snooker return after 10-week stay in mental health clinic
Former world number one vows to show ‘fighting qualities’
Mark Allen lost to fellow Northern Irishman Jordan Brown at the Northern Ireland Open on Tuesday. Photograph: George Wood/Getty Images
Mark Allen has revealed he spent 10 weeks in a mental health clinic before discharging himself to play in this week’s Northern Ireland Open.
In a statement posted on X, the 40-year-old said he was “not OK” but vowed to show his renowned “fighting qualities” as he continues his recovery.
Allen’s 4-2 defeat against his friend and compatriot Jordan Brown on Tuesday was his first match since he lost the World Championship semi-final to Wu Yize in April, when he missed a black off its spot that would have given him the win.
After losing to Brown, Allen conducted an emotional interview with TNT Sports in which he said he was “really overwhelmed”, and suggested his career could be over. He wrote on Wednesday: “Everything I said in that interview was true. However, rest assured I’m doing my best to turn things round.
“I have been in a mental health clinic for the last 10 weeks, finally discharging so I could attempt to play in Belfast. I owed that to my family, in particular my daughter to see me play for what could be the last time … I also owed it to the fans who have supported me throughout my 21 years on tour.
“I also owed that to World Snooker who have been amazing from day one in all this, in particular [chief executive] Simon Brownell and [WPBSA Players chief operating officer] Neil Tomkins who have remained in touch regularly, even Simon paying me a visit in the clinic itself.
“I’m not OK, but I’m OK in that itself. I’ve been much worse in the last few months than you saw yesterday. I literally didn’t see a future in anything. My daughter kept me going, the therapists, staff and all the other patients were amazing and helped me through some really dark days.
“I see the light now that I couldn’t see before but I do now. I also know it won’t happen overnight. I’m a work in progress. My fight and determination on the table has always been there for ones to see. I need to show those same fighting qualities off it now for a while.
“Please don’t detract anything from Jordan yesterday, he’s been aware of my struggles and that can’t have been easy to play in but he handled it with grace and skill as I knew he would. I’m proud to call him a friend.
“I hope the rest of the event is a success and I will continue my treatments going forward and then see what’s ahead.”
Since his defeat against Wu, Allen has stayed away from the tour for unspecified personal reasons that are understood not to relate to any repercussions from the manner of his defeat at the Crucible.
Allen has won both UK and Masters titles in 12 ranking tournament wins, and has reached the world championship semi-finals three times. He was ranked world number one for four months in 2024.
It’s also good to read that Simon Brownell and Neil Tomkins from WPBSA have been in touch and shown their support actively. It’s reassuring for all players as well because it shows that although WPBSA is not actually the players’ employer, the people at the helm don’t share the cold and strictly “money driven” mindset that Barry Hearn so often showed and promoted.
The first round in Belfast has proven to be carnage with 10 of the top 16 seeds losing their opening match, and that’s not counting Wu Yize who withdrew before the start of the event. Also, yesterday, the defending champion left as well as he lost early in the second round.
I’ not sure if that happened since I’m following snooker but I can’t remember an other occurrence.
Maybe this event is turning into a great opportunity for some lower ranked players and young players.
Mark Allen hinted at retirement after losing 4-2 to Jordan Brown in an emotional return to action at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.
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This was Allen’s first appearance in a tournament this season as he deals with personal issues and the occasion seemed overwhelming for the 40-year-old Antrim player as he faced his close friend Brown at his home venue. Interviewed by TNT Sports after the match, the 12-time ranking event winner said: “If I hadn’t been playing Jordan I wouldn’t have come back. I felt if I was going to play one last time, playing here at the Waterfront where it all started in 2005, against one of my best mates, I thought that was a better way to sign out.
“I have been flooded with support but the problems are within. I just don’t see a future in snooker if I’m honest. It’s sad to say because it’s all I have loved to do since I was 12. The last few months have been really difficult and it has sort of put snooker into perspective for me. At the moment I am just trying to survive.“
The match was also a huge occasion for Brown as he needs a rankings boost to reduce the threat of tour relegation at the end of the season. The world number 65 compiled breaks of 53 and 80 as he set up a last-32 meeting with Michael Holt.
“I did well to hold myself together,” said Brown, who reached the quarter-finals at the Waterfront last year. “First and foremost it’s great to see Mark back playing, he is obviously going through a tough time and I’m with him every step of the way, as everyone is. I take no pleasure in winning that match because there are a lot bigger things going on. As difficult as that was, I have my own battles with tour survival. I lost my mum recently and then lost motivation to play. So it’s great to be out there again playing some decent stuff.
“I’m always inspired here, it’s one of the best venues on tour. Hopefully I can go even further this year. Today was the hardest match I have ever had to play, without doubt. Now I can concentrate on the rest of the tournament. Mark wished me all best for the rest of the week and that sums up the guy. We are all behind him, I miss him and I love him. We all want to see him back healthy and well and playing the game he loves.“
Wuhan Open champion Chang Bingyu lost 4-3 in a see-saw match against Ryan Day. Breaks of 108 and 82 helped Day race into a 3-0 lead, but he later missed a short-range pink when on the verge of winning 4-1. Chang pinched that frame then made a 91 for 3-3, before taking a 55-0 lead in the decider, only for Day to make a brilliant 63 clearance.
World number one Zhao Xintong became the latest seed to go tumbling, losing 4-2 to Gao Yang in a Chinese derby. Zhao started strongly with breaks of 129 and 64 to go 2-0 ahead, but Gao then took control with runs of 71, 112 and 71. Defeats for Allen and Zhao mean that 11 of the world’s top 16 have lost in the opening round.
Mark Williams, winner of this event in 2017, top-scored with 72 in a 4-2 win over Robbie Williams, while Michael Holt impressed in a 4-1 defeat of Zhou Yuelong.
Jack Lisowski’s reign as BetVictor Northern Ireland Open champion is over as he was beaten 4-1 by Anthony McGill, who has regained his enthusiasm for competing at the top level.
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Lisowski beat Judd Trump in a memorable final a year ago to land his first ranking title, but his defence lasted only until the last 32 stage as he became the latest in a string of top seeds to tumble out of the draw at the Waterfront Hall. Glasgow’s McGill goes into the last 16 and will face Poland’s Mateusz Baranowski on Thursday.
A break of 74 gave McGill the opening frame before Lisowski levelled. Two-time ranking event winner McGill then dominated the last three frames with top runs of 61 and 73 as he beat Lisowski for the sixth time in seven meetings.
“I loved it out there,” said world number 38 McGill. “I feel I am getting a buzz back for competing, I want to be out there fighting which I have not had for a while. Win or lose I am enjoying it. There are peaks and troughs and I have not been into it for a long time. I am enjoying practising which is the key thing.”
McGill had to pull out of the recent Shenzhen Open as he went down with a severe illness after arriving in China. He added: “I was in hospital for eight days. I feel fine now and really appreciate my health because I didn’t feel good for a while. The nurses were amazing and the hospital was so good.”
Baranowski reached the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time in his career by beating Wang Xinbo 4-3. The 29-year-old Pole led 3-1 with a top break of 100 then China’s Wang took frame five and might have made a 147 in the sixth had he not missed a mid-range final red on 112. The decider came down to the colours and Baranowski trapped his opponent in a snooker on the yellow which set up the chance for victory.
“There were some scrappy frames and I was happy to play safety because I knew I had more experience than Wang,” said the Baron. “I need to learn how to deal with this pressure. I played better in my other matches and felt comfortable, but today I was in really big trouble in my mind. I’m happy to win and have the chance to play better in my next match. For sure, I would have lost that match last season. Playing in a venue like this is a new experience for me. This is an important step forward and big ranking points.“
Kyren Wilson was one of only three top-16 ranked players in the second round and he remained in the hunt for the Alex Higgins Trophy with a 4-2 success against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, making breaks of 92, 139, 84 and 103 in one of the best performances of the tournament so far. The 2024 World Champion, who won this event two years ago, now meets Pang Junxu or Liam Davies.
Matthew Selt reached the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time this season by beating Louis Heathcote 4-2 with top breaks of 72, 66 and 59. He now faces Sam Craigie or Xu Si.
BetVictor Northern Ireland Open 2026 Day Two Evening
Shock results continued at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open as Martin O’Donnell, recovering from a neck injury, edged out Judd Trump 4-3 to reach the last 32.
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World number three Trump joins Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Barry Hawkins, Chris Wakelin, Xiao Guodong and Ali Carter as the top-16 ranked players already knocked out in the opening round at the Waterfront Hall. A record four-time winner of this event since 2018 – and runner-up in each of the last two seasons – Trump falls early this time and remains without a ranking title since the German Masters in February.
O’Donnell had lost all eight of his previous meetings with Trump but the former Welsh Open finalist took one of the biggest scalps of his career as he set up a clash with Luca Brecel.
World number 56 O’Donnell won the opening frame with a break of 64 before Trump levelled with a 91. The next two were shared then O’Donnell regained the lead with a 52 before Trump’s 94 made it 3-3. The decider was a fragmented affair but it was controlled by O’Donnell, winning it 87-5.
“I was really looking forward to the game tonight,” said the 40-year-old. “We play behind closed doors at qualifiers a lot so it was exciting to play in a great occasion like this against Judd, who I believe is the best player in the world. It was a great opportunity to test my game against his and thankfully I finally got one over on him. It’s up to me to put myself in these situations more often, getting the job done in the qualifiers and then I can enjoy it at the venues.
“Over the last ten days I felt I was starting to hit the ball really well and I’m delighted that showed tonight. When you beat Judd you feel you can have a deep run, but the results over the last two days show the strength in depth on the tour – everyone is tough.“
O’Donnell was recently diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in his neck and has battled through pain in several matches this season. “It’s not great – I don’t know if it will ever go back to normal without an operation,” he said. “I am doing everything I can, I have had physiotherapy, acupuncture and injections.
“I am managing it and not practising as much – just doing enough to feel competitive. I love this game and when it gets taken away from you for a while it’s tough. It might be a good thing for me at my age. Maybe six hours a day for six days a week is not going to be right for me going forward.”
Jak Jones top scored with 103 in a 4-1 victory over Tom Ford, boosting his hopes of a third ranking title this season having already landed the Championship League and British Open.
Stuart Bingham registered the 1,000th professional match win of his career, only the sixth player to reach that tally, as he beat Yao Pengcheng 4-2 with a top run of 68. Zhang Anda scored breaks of 64, 110 and 72 in a 4-2 defeat of Liam Pullen.
WST is at it again with the “shock results” expression. The truth is that there are nearly no shock results anymore. The general level in snooker is now really high. Lower ranked players are no more overwhelmed playing top players at venues in front of fans because they do it all the time. The qualifiers played in cubicles with no one watching are a thing of the past. And, of course, the “class of 92” generation are now in or approaching their fifties, and are still dangerous. That kind longevity was not even conceivable 20 years ago. We should (try to) ejoy them while they are still playing, without entertaining unrealistic expectations.
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s frustrating run of results continued as he lost 4-3 to world number 110 Ka Wai Cheung in the opening round of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.
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Playing in a UK tournament for the first time this season, O’Sullivan looked short of confidence as he let slip a 3-1 lead. The seven-time World Champion has played in four events in China this term and reached the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open, but then suffered a first round defeat against Jiang Jun at the Shenzhen Open.
O’Sullivan has spoken of his poor form as a “disease” for which he is yet to find a cure. Though he scored heavily today when he had chances, the 50-year-old also made unexpected errors which allowed his underdog opponent to pull off the best result of his career.
Hong Kong’s Cheung, age 27, was relegated from the tour at the end of last season but regained his card via Q School and now hopes to prove his ability on the big stage. He is through to the last 32 of a ranking event for the second time and will meet Stuart Bingham or Yao Pengcheng next.
Cheung got the better of a scrappy opening frame before O’Sullivan compiled breaks of 56, 138 and 72 to go 3-1 ahead. He had a scoring chance in frame five but made just 16 before missing a red to a top corner and Cheung took advantage with a run of 88, then made a 77 in the next for 3-3. In the decider, O’Sullivan was on 6 when he overcut a short range blue to a centre pocket, and Cheung kept his cool in an excellent break of 60 which proved enough.
“It’s the best moment for me on the snooker tour,” said Cheung. “I played here last year, this arena is amazing, so to beat Ronnie here, I’m very happy. In the last frame I was nervous but for the whole match my safety and long game were not as good as Ronnie’s, but sometimes he was unlucky not to get on a colour, and then I had chances.
“To be honest I am a little bit scared of playing him because he has a lot of fans in the arena. My coach David (Roe) said no matter if I win or lose, I should just get the best experience. David has a lot of experience and always helps me on the table and on the mental side. My goal is to get into the top 64. I just look forward to playing every game and enjoying every moment.”
Some images
Here are the scores for that match:
And videos shared on youtube:
I’m disappointed, of course I am, and what worries me is that he started well, scored heavily, he built 3-1 and then couldn’t kill the match. But I like Cheung Ka Wai as well and I’m pleased for him. I hope he goes deep in the tournament. To be fair Cheung played really well. Neal Foulds in commentary was full of praise, both for the ability he showed but also, and maybe even more, for his positive shots selection during the whole match.
What worries me most is that Ronnie doesn’t look well. He doesn’t look fit nor physically nor mentally. When you age, it gets harder to stay slim and fit, especially if you have been overweight as a young person, as Ronnie was. But it’s not great to say the least.
That said, at no point during the match did Ronnie look disinterested and that’s important. I watched Trump’s match too and repeatedly Ronnie was visible sitting in his chair, and applauding Cheung’s good shots. He was following what happened at the table closely.
The first day at the 2026 Northern Ireland Open brought quite a few surprising results. I don’t want to use the word “shock” because the general level on tour is much better than it was a few years back and these are short matches. Here are the reports shared by WST:
BetVictor Northern Ireland Open 2026 Day One Afternoon
Playing as defending champion for the first time in his career, Jack Lisowski battled to a 4-1 win over Huang Jiahao in the opening round of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.
Lisowski enjoyed his greatest moment on the baize a year ago when he beat Judd Trump 9-8 in a dramatic final at the Waterfront Hall, landing his first ranking title, and he admitted last week that returning to the scene would bring back emotional memories. He looked nervous at times against Huang, but did enough to reach the last 32 where he will meet Anthony McGill, a 4-1 winner in a Glasgow derby against Stephen Maguire. World number 18 Lisowski has reached just one quarter-final so far this season but hopes the Belfast atmosphere can inspire him again.
A break of 63 gave Lisowski the opening frame, then he took the second on the colours before adding the third with runs of 36 and 40. China’s Huang pulled one back with a break of 66 and had chances in the scrappy fifth frame, but eventually missed a tough blue to a top corner. Lisowski pulled off the shot of the match with a tremendous long blue, screwing back to pot the pink to a centre pocket before converting a tricky black.
“I have never been defending champion before so there was some expectation there, it was new to me,” said England’s 35-year-old Lisowski. “I wanted to keep the run here going. It’s nice to win that one and get into the tournament. It was really cool to be back out there, the Belfast crowd are so good and it’s an incredible arena, I just want to do as well as I can this week.”
Asked about the Alex Higgins-esque blue in the last frame, Lisowski added: “I caught it sweet, the white came back perfectly for the pink. it was a good combination of balls in the end to win. But I need to improve on that performance. The way I play, I am patchy and streaky. It can just click, but it can also be pretty bad for a while as it has been for the last few months. I practised with a lot of players last week trying to get my game sharp and ready to defend this title. Hopefully it’s going to be good enough, I’ll give it my best shot.“
Louis Heathcote made it two wins from two meetings against four-time World Champion Mark Selby with a 4-2 victory. World number 67 Heathcote beat the same opponent two years ago at the same venue on his way to the quarter-finals.
From 2-0 down today, Heathcote won four frames in a row with top breaks of 64 and 59 to win the Leicester derby and set up a fixture with Matthew Selt. “I’m delighted, it feels like a better win than the one two years ago because I really had to dig in from 2-0 down,” said 29-year-old Heathcote. “I played well and felt really comfortable. You get a chance at the main venue but then you’re up against a four time World Champion and you’re not used to the conditions, so I’m extremely proud of how I played. My safety, long game and scoring were all good.“
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh top scored with 101 in a 4-2 victory over Ireland’s Aaron Hill. Sam Craigie made a break of 82 in the deciding frame to beat Xiao Guodong 4-3, while exciting tour rookie Wang Xinbo enjoyed a 4-2 success against Si Jiahui. Selt came from 3-1 down to beat Hossein Vafaei 4-3, making breaks of 61 and 90 in the last two frames.
BetVictor Northern Ireland Open 2026 Day One Evening
Ricky Walden may be at risk of tour relegation this season but the three-time ranking event winner looked close to his best as he beat Neil Robertson 4-1 in the first round of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open.
It was a day of surprise results in Belfast as five of the world’s top 16 were eliminated: Robertson along with Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby, Ali Carter and Xiao Guodong.
Walden hasn’t reached the quarter-finals of a ranking event since this tournament in Belfast three years ago, and currently lies 56th on the projected end-of-season list, in danger of dropping out of the top 64. However he showed improved form with a run to the last 16 of the recent Shenzhen Open and took another step forward tonight with a fine display against Robertson, scoring his fourth consecutive win against the former World Champion.
He started the opening frame with a break of 45, then enjoyed a slice of good fortune when Robertson potted a red but inadvertently knocked the green in. Walden added 36 for 1-0 and went on to compile runs of 75 and 76 for 3-0. World number four Robertson pulled one back with a break of 80, but a scrappy fifth frame went Walden’s way.
“It’s a big win, playing on the TV table and against someone as good as Neil,” said Walden, a former Shanghai Masters, Wuxi Classic and International Championship winner. “I cued really nicely and had a bit of rub of the green early on when Neil knocked the green in. That was a turning point early on. I’m working hard in practice as always and everything is feeling good. I am working on a few different things to try to evolve my game, and just waiting for my run to come.”
Asked about his position in the rankings, he added: “I have made peace with that. You can look at the rankings, but if you are not playing well enough then you deserve to be where you are. I am just trying to enjoy each game, I am pretty chilled about it. I know what I can still do, other people maybe don’t see that because it’s tough when you are only in qualifying. I actually feel more relaxed playing on the TV table.“
Walden now meets Joe O’Connor, who compiled runs of 106 and 124 in an impressive 4-1 defeat of Matthew Stevens.
Murphy was beaten 4-2 by Liam Davies, who continued his fantastic start to the season with his 20th win of the campaign so far. The 20-year-old Welshman knocked in breaks of 62, 81, 90 and 104 to set up a match with Pang Junxu or Alfie Burden.
“I am delighted because I have been shattered all day, I only got back from China two days ago,” said Davies. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen tonight, I was either going to miss everything or pot everything. Last year I think I would have crumbled under that pressure, but the more you get out there in front of the TV cameras the more you feel relaxed and then you can focus more.“
Carter’s perfect start to the BetVictor Home Nations Series ended as he was whitewashed 4-0 by China’s Xu Si. Carter won the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood last month, becoming the early front-runner for the series £150,000 bonus, but it’s an early departure this time for the Captain as Xu fired top runs of 56 and 70 in a one-sided victory.
Wu Yize and He Guoqiang have both withdrawn from the event, for medical reasons. As a result both Elliot Slessor and Scott Donaldson received a bye to the next round.
I don’t have much to add as the matches I watched are reported on by WST and also because as a snooker.org team member I have been on duty – at ungodly early hours – for the Women snooker events currently under way in Australia. As a result … I fell asleep in the sofa very early in the evening! 😁 Old people he! But I did see a bit of Ricky Walden in action. When at his best he’s a very top player but his career has been “plagued” with long episodes of disabling back pain. Ricky is extremely tall and as a result his stance at the table is a bit unusual and it puts some additional strain on his back.
