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.
The 2026 Players Championship started yesterday in Telford, without Ronnie. His withdrawal from the event has angered quite a few “fans” but me, I’m not angry, instead I’m puzzled, and even slightly worried, because this is an event that carries a lot of money and ranking points even for the first round losers. So, why pass on the opportunity unless you have serious reasons? Anyway…
John Higgins thrashed Australia’s Neil Robertson 6-1 to make the 155th ranking quarter-final of his career at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford.
Nobody has ever appeared in more quarter-finals than Higgins. This week marks the 456th ranking tournament in snooker history, meaning that Higgins has reached at least the quarter-finals in a more than a third of them.
The Wizard of Wishaw only just earned a place to compete this week, edging into the 16th seeding position after Ronnie O’Sullivan elected not to enter. It set up a blockbuster tie with Sportsbet.io One Year List leader Robertson.
Last year saw Scotland’s Higgins storm to glory by winning the Tour Championship, but with only the top 12 performers of the season earning a place, he has work to do in order to secure qualification.
An imperious showing from Higgins today saw him fire home breaks of 70, 84 and 133 en route to a comprehensive triumph. Next up this week the 50-year-old will play either Chris Wakelin or Xiao Guodong. Before that Higgins steps into the broadcasting world, working on 5’s coverage this week as a pundit and commentator.
“I’ll tell you tomorrow how I feel about the broadcasting. It is something to fill my days up. I’m at that stage of my life where I’m just looking at four walls when I’m at a tournament. It will be something to try and if I like it great. Nothing ventured and nothing gained,” said 33-time ranking event winner Higgins.
“It will probably be more nerve wracking. When I’m commentating on a game people back home might be saying what is he talking about! We will wait and see tomorrow.
“It would be good to qualify for the Tour Championship, but if I do qualify and do well there I could be adding 70 to 80 frames into the tank going into the World Championship. Someone like myself, maybe doesn’t have the energy for that. If I don’t qualify then who knows, it could end up helping me be a bit fresher.“
On the other table, two-time Players Champion Mark Allen scored a fine 6-3 win over China’s in-form Wu Yize.
The Northern Irishman most recently lifted the title here in Telford back in 2024, when he scored a marathon 10-8 win over Zhang Anda in the final.
Breaks of 51, 78, 73 and 93 helped him to victory this afternoon. He awaits the winner between Mark Selby and Jack Lisowski in the last eight.
Mark Selby scored a 6-3 victory against Jack Lisowski to book a quarter-final showdown with Mark Allen at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford.
The Leicester cueman is in tremendous form having defended his Championship League title last week. He also claimed a momentous third UK Championship crown before Christmas, beating world number one Judd Trump in the final. Selby is hoping to use that form as a platform to capture a first ever Players Championship title this week.
Selby and Lisowski have historically had a tight head-to-head record, with the latter having won their previous two meetings. Victory for Selby moves him 8-7 up in meetings between the pair.
A tight opening two frames this evening both went the way of four-time World Champion Selby, before a break of 84 moved him 3-0 in front. Lisowski responded in the fourth with a run of 63 to head into the mid-session 3-1 behind.
Selby edged further in front when play resumed, but breaks of 56 and 70 from Lisowski helped keep him in contention at 4-3. A stunning total clearance of 136 stopped the rot for Selby in the eighth and he took the ninth to get over the line and book his meeting with Allen.
“It is tough playing Jack as you know he is going to be very attacking. If you leave a red sticking out he is going to go for it. Depending on what kind of mood he is in, he can pot anything on the table and blow you away. Luckily for me he wasn’t in that frame of mind,” said 42-year-old Selby.
“To be consistent I don’t think you can have that kind of game. I think you need an all-round game. To play that way you need to be playing well and nobody does that every single day. I feel you need a back up game as well but at the same time if you tell Jack to tighten up he wouldn’t be as dangerous. I wish I had the guts to go for some of the balls he does.
“I feel like my game is in good shape. I’m really happy with my season so far, I played well in York and won the Champion of Champions as well. I’ve been consistent since then. I can’t complain with how things are going.”
On the other table, Scottish Open champion Chris Wakelin scored a fine 6-2 win over current back-to-back Wuhan Open champion Xiao Guodong.
Former Shoot Out winner Wakelin’s victory at the Scottish Open in Edinburgh was a significant one, his first ever triumph in a full format event. In what was a fragmented encounter today, Wakelin showed his top form to get over the line.
With the 33-year-old leading 4-2, he crafted two brilliant breaks of 104 and 101 to get over the line and book a quarter-final meeting with four-time World Champion John Higgins.
John Higgins played well, Neil Robertson was disappointingly poor … basically that summarises that match. As a result, John stays in Telford and will be commentating. It should be interesting… provided you understand what he is saying 🙄. I suppose that most Brits are able to cope with John’s heavy Scottish accent but for non-native English speakers, like me, it’s a serious challenge1. I didn’t watch the other table, but there too the outcome disappointed me.
In the evening came more disappointment for me, but no surprises, Jack Lisowski being … Jack Lisowski.
Both Chinese players involved lost and I can’t help to wonder if, maybe, the fact that yesterday was the Chinese New Year was a factor. Indeed we entered the year of the Fire Horse. It’s an important celebration for them.
Nobody would organise a ranking tournament on Christmas day, or New Years day would they? Of course WST can’t take into account all the celebrations that may be important to some individual player given how many different nationalities are represented, but there are so many Chinese players on the tour nowadays that I feel that, really, this is something they should take into consideration at least when as important as this one.
There was a Q-Tour event in my native country, Belgium, this week-end, but, of course, living in Greece now, I missed it. Ashley Carty won it. His victory brought back memories… I have known Ashley since he was around 15, playing in the PTCs. There was a rather huge and lively group of young Brits at those events. Many of them turned pro at some point over the last decade, with various fortunes on the tour. There was a lot of teasing each other and banter, but when one of them was a the table they had unconditional support from the group. They were very different characters but one thing united them: their love for the sport. I’m happy for Ashley. I’m sure he worked hard for this opportunity to compete in the play-offs for a new Tour card.
Victory for the 30-year-old Englishman saw him become the fifth different title winner during the campaign and secure a guaranteed place at next month’s Q Tour Global Play-Offs in Spain, where a trio of two-year World Snooker Tour (WST) tour cards will be on offer.
The penultimate event of the Q Tour Europe series saw the race for the top spot in the ranking list, which guarantees a two-year WST tour card, heading towards an exciting conclusion.
Jamie Clarke arrived in Mons knowing that the title could potentially confirm his return to the professional ranks, but a last 32 defeat to Germany’s Umut Dikme denied the Welshman – while nearest chasers Peter Lines, Hammad Miah and Stuart Carrington each also failed to reach the concluding day of action in Mons.
Carty, meanwhile, had failed to make it beyond the last 16 stage of a Q Tour event during the campaign but secured the title by winning through a field of 78 players from 20 countries at the Delta Moon Snooker Club.
The 30-year-old kicked off the event in style by round off a 4-1 win against France’s Yannick Tarillon with a break of 125 – his highest of the competition.
A deciding frame victory over Oliver Briffett-Payne, from 2-0 behind, was then followed by a 4-1 defeat of Dikme to earn a place in the quarter-finals.
The last eight line-up was made up entirely of Englishmen and Carty downed George Pragnell (4-1) and Oliver Sykes (4-2) to set up a title match meeting with Steadman.
The 43-year-old former professional was appearing in his second Q Tour Europe final of the season, following a loss to double-champion Clarke at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds last November, and had reached the same stage once more in Mons by last beating Ashley Hugill 4-2.
A break of 85 gave Carty the opener but Steadman quickly hit back with a half-century of his own to restore parity.
It was a high-scoring battle in the early stages and Carty restored his one-frame advantage with a contribution of 116, before taking the next on the colours to move within one frame of glory at 3-1.
A confident display in the fifth secured Carty the crown in Mons and following his victory he said: “I feel great. I’ve hit some good form over the last few months and won quite a few tournaments in England – my confidence has gone through the roof.”
“I am over the moon to secure my place in the Q Tour Global Play-Offs, that was one of my objectives at the start of the season so I’m thrilled. It was heartbreaking to drop off the Tour but you’ve got to get your head around it and get on with it. It would mean everything to get back on the Tour – I won the Play-Offs a few years ago and so hopefully I can that again!” he added.
Ding Junhui’s 5-2 defeat against Marco Fu in the qualifying round of the World Open means that his next action will be in the World Championship in April – and he risks missing out on the Crucible.
Ding has not qualified for the Sportsbet.io Players Championship or Sportsbet.io Tour Championship and did not enter the BetVictor Welsh Open, and China’s most successful player now misses out on the final stages of the World Open in Yushan, a tournament he won in 2017.
He is currently 16th in the Race to the Crucible but can’t add to his tally over the next four counting events, so if he is overtaken by any player in the coming weeks then he will have to head to the qualifying rounds in Sheffield to fight for a place at the Theatre of Dreams.
Hong Kong’s Fu fired breaks of 86, 91 and 116 as he earned a place in Yushan in March.
Mark Selby was pushed all the way by Haydon Pinhey before battling to a 5-4 victory, while Jack Lisowski scored only his second win in a ranking event match since early November, beating Gong Chenzhi 5-2 with a top break of 115.
Stan Moody came from 4-3 down to edge out Jiang Jun 5-4, taking the deciding frame on the final black. Zhao Hanyang scored a surprise 5-3 win over Si Jiahui while Wu Yize top scored with 131 in a 5-2 defeat of Liam Pullen.
As usual, this report only covers a fraction of what happened in the last days … but Stan Moody is in it 😉
Ding having to qualify for the Crucible and possibly not making it is a bit of a shock because he has been a fixture in the top 16 for a very long time. But recently he’s not got good results, he’s not been playing well. At 38 he’s not that old . BUT, he’s been around for a long time, he’s been the flag bearer of snooker in China, he’s had to cope with huge expectations from a very young age. Maybe the hunger isn’t there anymore. Maybe other things in life are more important to him nowadays … He has a young family. Maybe he wants more time with them, maybe he wants to be there for his children as they grow up? That would only be normal and, if that’s what he wants and has enough money to support them, why wouldn’t he give them priority over his sport? He has nothing to prove.
Mark Selby has won the 2026 Championship League Snooker invitational yesterday evening. He beat Wu Yize in the Final. It’s the third consecutive year that Mark wins this event which is truly remarkable.
Mark Selby won the BetVictor Championship League invitation event for the third consecutive year, beating Wu Yize 3-1 in the final in his home city of Leicester.
Selby has dominated this event in recent years, beating Joe O’Connor in the 2024 final and Kyren Wilson in the 2025 final before completing the hat-trick tonight.
And world number six Selby becomes the only player so far this season to win three titles, having captured the Champion of Champions and UK Championship before Christmas.
In the group phase across Tuesday and Wednesday, Elliot Slessor finished top of the table with five wins out six, with Selby second on four wins. China’s Wu finished fourth and then came from 2-1 down to beat Slessor 3-2 in the semi-finals with breaks of 80 and 101 in the last two frames. Selby saw off Si Jiahui 3-0 with runs of 94, 101 and 104.
In the final, Selby took the opening frame then added the second with a break of 128. Rising star Wu, who made the top break of the group with a 146 during the round robin stage, pulled one back only for Selby to seal victory with a run of 92 in frame four.
Following the conclusion of the 2026 World Grand Prix, the draw for the 2026 Players Championship is now set. Here is the announcement by WST:
Sportsbet.io Players Championship Draw Confirmed
The draw for this month Sportsbet.io Players Championship is now confirmed, with the top 16 entered players in the Sportsbet.io One Year Rankings heading to the Telford International Centre for the event which runs from February 17-22.
…
The format will be confirmed soon. The draw is:
Neil Robertson (1) v John Higgins (16)
Chris Wakelin (8) v Xiao Guodong (9)
Judd Trump (5) v Zhou Yuelong (12)
Mark Williams (4) v Barry Hawkins (13)
——–
Shaun Murphy (3) v Zhang Anda (14)
Zhao Xintong (6) v Elliot Slessor (11)
Wu Yize (7) v Mark Allen (10)
Mark Selby (2) v Jack Lisowski (15)
Note that Ronnie is actually 8th on the one year list and, therefore, had qualified for the event. He did however decide not to enter. John Higgins is the one who benefits from Ronnie’s decision. Had Ronnie entered the event, he would have been set to play Chris Wakelin in the first round (last 16).
With little more than two months before he defends his Crucible crown, Zhao Xintong produced the perfect reminder of his wonderful talent as he made five century breaks in a 10-6 victory over Zhang Anda in the final of the World Grand Prix.
It’s a first ranking title of the season for Zhao and a huge boost in confidence for the 28-year-old Chinese ace with his return to Sheffield on the horizon. It’s his fourth ranking title, bringing him level with Barry Hawkins, Luca Brecel and Ryan Day on the all-time list, and he has now won all four of his ranking finals having landed the 2021 UK Championship, 2022 German Masters and 2025 World Championship. He receives the World Grand Prix trophy for the first time and a cheque for £180,000, climbing one place to seventh in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings.
Though he captured the invitational Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in November, it has been a patchy season in ranking events for Zhao before this week as he had failed to reach a final and stood outside the top 16 of the Sportsbet.io One-Year list. However as the superb Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong he has more than made amends and now climbs to sixth on that list, cementing a place in the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford this month and almost certainly the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship in Manchester.
On a week when history was made by the performances of Chinese players, with a record nine reaching the last 16, six making the quarter-finals and then a unique all-Chinese semi-final line-up, Zhao again proved himself the best of the generation which is flying in the slipstream of Ding Junhui’s earlier success.
Zhang, age 34, matched his opponent in the first session which finished 4-4, but could do little in the concluding stages as Zhao pulled away. Banking £80,000, Zhang moves up three places to 20th on the official list and has also secured a spot in Telford having jumped to 15th on the one-year list. He misses out on a second ranking title and first since the 2023 International Championship, and has now lost three of his four finals.
Breaks of 85 and 75 gave Zhao the first two frames of the evening session and a 6-4 lead. Zhang pulled one back with a run of 53 before Zhao’s 111 made it 7-5 at the interval. Frame 13 went to Zhang with a break of 73, but he scored just 25 points in the remainder of the match as Zhao rattled through the last three frames with 134, 65 and 131. Over his five matches the Cyclone swept in a total of nine centuries and 17 more breaks over 50.
“We both played very well today, our scoring was at a high level throughout the match,” said Zhao, who grew up in Shenzhen close to Hong Kong. “Perhaps later on I managed to take a few more chances. My mindset settled down nicely and my rhythm improved, which allowed me to play better and better. I was waiting for that one chance in every frame, then my aim was to push on and put pressure on him by getting well ahead. In the second half of the match, I was able to do that consistently, which made me very happy with my performance.
“There’s no real secret to winning finals. I think it’s just about being patient with yourself and making the most of every single opportunity. In the first two rounds of the tournament, I was actually very close to being knocked out, especially being 4-1 down against Mark Selby. Fortunately, I managed to fight my way back and give myself another chance to go deep in the event and compete for the title.
“I don’t feel that I’ve completely lifted the pressure of playing as World Champion yet. Mentally I still feel there is room to learn from the very top players. This season so far, although I’ve had some good results, I feel that my overall consistency hasn’t been as strong as the very best. That’s an area I know I still need to improve.
“I really want to thank all the fans here for their support. They gave me a huge amount of motivation. Playing in Hong Kong is very special for me, and being able to win the title here makes it even more meaningful. I’m truly very grateful to everyone in the arena for their support.”
This was a match of the highest quality. Other than the opening one, every frame featured a break over 50. As mentioned by WST, Zhao made five centuries en route to victory, including a 145 in frame 7.
I hope that nobody will begrudge Zhao his triumph. Yes, he made mistakes, but he has served his ban and has obviously worked very hard to redeem himself since his return to competition.
The arena didn’t look full but then it’s a really huge arena. Also, I wonder about the tickets pricing policy. The average Chinese fan’s earnings are far lower than the average European fan’s earnings. I remember chatting about that in Shanghai with one fan who said that he was better off than the vast majority of his compatriots and still, buying decent seats for himself and his wife had cost him half of his monthly salary. Of course, that was several years back but I’m not sure the situation is much different today. Maybe Lewis can tell us more?
Zhang Anda overcame compatriot Zhou Yuelong 6-5 on the final black to earn his place in the final of the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.
There’s a historic all-Chinese lineup this weekend at the Kai Tak Arena, with World Champion Zhao Xintong and back-to-back Wuhan Open winner Xiao Guodong contesting the other last four tie. The only two countries to have achieved this previously are England and Scotland.
Victory for 2023 International Champion Zhang sees him through to his fourth ranking event final, with the chance to capture a second title. A best of 19 frame encounter tomorrow stands between him and the £180,000 top prize.
Today’s win books Zhang a place in the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford, where only the top 16 peformers this season secure a spot. It means that he temporarily dislodges Crucible king Zhao, who needs to win his semi-final later.
Defeat acts as a bitter pill to swallow for 28-year-old Zhou, who is still hunting an elusive maiden ranking crown. He’s now lost in five semi-finals and four finals, including at this season’s English Open.
It was a fiercely contested semi-final this afternoon, which was just shy of four and a half hours playing time. There was never more than a solitary frame between the pair and the match concluded with a thrilling final three frames.
With the score locked at 4-4, it was 34-year-old Zhang who made the first move for the finish line. A superb break of 121 moved him one away at 5-4. However, Zhou refused to back down and made 82 in the next to force a decider.
The final frame was in the balance when Zhang missed the final red with the rest and gifted his opponent an opportunity. He got down to the blue, but failed to find position on what would have been match ball. A safety battle ensued, before Zhou eventually lost the white into the right hand middle pocket. Zhang stepped up and potted the remaining three balls to earn his place in the final.
“I was nervous in the last frame and I’m still nervous here. My hands are shaking. It is very exciting. I just hope tomorrow is a great final,” said world number 23 Zhang.
“I don’t know why I’m playing so well this week. Maybe just because my family are here. They give me more confidence and I love Hong Kong. I can speak Cantonese here so it is like a second home.
“I am very proud to be one of four Chinese semi-finalists. I believe in the future there will be more young Chinese players and it will only get better.“
World Champion Zhao Xintong overcame compatriot Xiao Guodong 6-3 to earn his place in the World Grand Prix final at the Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong.
Victory means Zhao, who narrowly beat Chris Wakelin 5-4 in the quarter-finals, will now progress to face Zhang Anda in tomorrow’s title match. They will battle it out over the best of 19 frames with a £180,000 top prize on the line.
Zhao will be aiming for the fourth ranking crown of his career. He’s previously picked up silverware at the 2021 UK Championship, 2022 German Masters, as well as last year’s World Championship.
Zhang earned his place with a thrilling 6-5 win over Zhou Yuelong on the final black earlier. The all-Chinese semi-final lineup this weekend is a first in the country’s history. The only countries to have achieved this previously are England and Scotland.
Today’s win for Zhao secures his place at the upcoming Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford. Only the top 16 peformers this season earn their spot in the next stage of the Players Series. Zhang leapt into a qualifying slot with his win earlier and victory for Zhao means Gary Wilson is denied a spot.
The opening frame saw Zhao lead 56-0, before current back-to-back Wuhan Open winner Xiao produced a fine break of 65 to steal on the black. Contributions of 55 and 69 then allowed 28-year-old Zhao to take the lead for the first time at 2-1, but Xiao claimed the last before the mid-session and restored parity at 2-2.
When play resumed, a burst of three consecutive frames took Zhao to the brink of victory at 5-2, but a steely 63 in the eighth kept Xiao in contention and extended the match. It was a short lived reprieve, with Zhao hammering home a superb 121 break to score a 6-3 victory.
“I played much better today than yesterday. I made some good adjustments in all aspects. I was able to stay within my own rhythm. As a result, my overall performance was quite good,” said world number eight Zhao.
“The final frame went very smoothly. What I showed today was my normal level, because previously I gave my opponent too many chances. Whenever I had an opportunity, I was basically able to finish it in one visit, so I really did play well today.
“Competing in a relatively big tournament like this and facing Xiao Guodong in the semi-finals was a different feeling. Although we are very good friends, once it comes to competition, we both want to win. We both brought out 100 percent of our level.
“I hope the fans will continue to support me. Especially yesterday, I could really feel the atmosphere and support from the audience and that was a huge help to me. As for the final, a win is a win and a loss is a loss—there isn’t any specific goal. Zhang Anda and I train together every day and we know each other very well. I lost to him not long ago, so tomorrow I will definitely give it my best.”
Of the two finalists, Zhao is probably the most gifted and the easiest on the eye but it would be a big mistake to underestimate Zhang Anda’s determination and will to win. Also, as mentioned by Zhao himself, Zhang has beaten him recently. I can’t see this final being one-sided.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 