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.
Jackson Page remains determined to win a first title and he moved a step closer at the BetVictor Welsh Open with a 4-3 victory over in-form Chang Bingyu to reach the last 16.
Welshman Page, age 24 and rated among the best young British talent, admitted before this event that he is a long way from achieving his goals and wants to “be the best.” Last season he made significant progress, notably becoming the first player to make two 147s in the same match, but the current campaign has had fewer highlights.
Page whitewashed Luca Brecel 4-0 yesterday and followed up with an equally impressive win over Chang, who made four consecutive centuries in beating Shaun Murphy. From 3-2 down today, Page made a break of 101 to set up the decider. He missed a black to top corner early in the last frame, but China’s Chang then failed to pot an awkward red, bridging over other balls, and Page went on to make a crucial 48 to earn a tie with Jack Lisowski on Thursday in Llandudno.
“I played well, the missed black in the decider was probably my only real mistake in the whole match,” said Page, from Ebbw Vale. “I knew there was no way Chang could play as well as he did yesterday again. He is a hell of a player but I managed to get over the line today. I am putting a lot of work in. This season has been a bit frustrating, it hasn’t been great. I have had a kick up the bum recently from (manager) Simon to put an extra 10% in and hopefully that will pay off.“
Home favourite Mark Williams reached the last 16 of this event for the first time since a semi-final run in 2021 as he beat Martin O’Donnell 4-1 with top breaks of 60, 58 and 57. He now meets Barry Hawkins who enjoyed a 4-2 victory over Pang Junxu with a top run of 72.
Neil Robertson finished with back-to-back centuries, 100 and 118, as he beat Hossein Vafaei 4-1. Jak Jones, Crucible finalist in 2024, saw off Anthony McGill 4-2 with a top break of 63. He then headed for a birthday lunch with wife Inna and son Harri, who turns one today.
Jack Lisowski stayed in the race for the £150,000 BetVictor bonus – albeit still needing to reach the final to land that windfall – as he came from 3-1 down to beat Xiao Guodong 4-3 with a top break of 83. Rising star Wu Yize top scored with 82 in a 4-2 win over Joe O’Connor.
John Higgins edged a 4-3 win over Bulcsu Revesz in the last 32 of the BetVictor Welsh Open, before paying tribute to Jim Donnelly, the first Scottish player to compete at the Crucible, who sadly passed away this week.
Donnelly played at the Crucible in 1982 and achieved a highest ranking of 29th, before going on to become a coach. The Scot, who died at the age of 79, was also an influence on the early part of Higgins’ career.
“Jim was the part owner of the club in Wishaw, the Masters, when I first started playing,” four-time World Champion Higgins recalls. “My dad took me and my brother down. Jim ran coaching classes for 20 or 30 boys, he showed us how to hold a cue, how to play from the cushions, different little things like that. It’s a really sad loss and my thoughts go out to his family and friends.“
On the baize, Higgins has had a fine start to 2026, reaching the final of the Masters and the Players Championship, though he was denied the trophy both times. The 50-year-old is building towards another deep run this week and now meets Zhang Anda in the last 16 on Thursday evening.
From 2-1 down tonight, Higgins took the next two frames with breaks of 74 and 83. Promising Hungarian teenager Revesz won frame six with a fine run of 76, only for Higgins to dominate a scrappy decider.
“I was really impressed by Bulcsu, he played a good game,” Higgins added. “He has probably the best swagger there is in snooker and he is great for the game because we need more players from mainland Europe to follow Luca Brecel. Bulcsu is really improving and he’s certainly one to follow. I am trying to ride the bit of confidence I have for as long as I can.”
World number 2 Kyren Wilson is yet to reach a ranking event semi-final this season and that sequence continued as he lost 4-1 to China’s Zhou Yuelong. Wilson has won the invitational Masters and Shanghai Masters this term but remains outside the top 20 in the Sportsbet.io One Year Rankings. Zhou was runner-up in the BetVictor English Open earlier this season and if he can go all the way to the top prize this week he will also win the £150,000 series bonus.
Zhou now faces Sam Craigie, who reached the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time since the 2024 German Masters as he continued his recovery from a neck injury which could have ended his career. The former world number 33 was forced to miss the whole of last season after disc replacement surgery, but now hopes to work his way back up the rankings. After knocking out Elliot Slessor yesterday, he won another North East derby against Gary Wilson 4-1 with top breaks of 84, 72 and 111.
“Every win and all the ranking points are really important now,” said Craigie. “I am trying my best to get back to where I was. The injury is fine now, I only get aches and pains when I do too much practice. When I came back to playing, I was practising eight to ten hours a day and it was hurting. So I have to limit it now to three or four.
“I am grateful to have this chance. For the first six months after surgery there was no sign of being able to play snooker. I remember being in the kitchen, getting down over the bench with my cue and I just couldn’t do it. That was frustrating because I had expected the recovery to be quicker. By the end of next season I want to be in the top 32, because I was just about there before the injury. I feel that’s a realistic goal, but it is tough. I had a year off and the standard has gone up even in that time, it’s crazy.”
World Champion Zhao Xintong remained on course for three consecutive ranking titles – having already won the World Grand Prix and Players Championship this month – as he beat Stan Moody 4-2 with top breaks of 83 and 122. Stuart Bingham beat David Gilbert 4-2 and has now won all 13 meetings between the pair. Zhang Anda earned a 4-2 success against Liam Pullen.
Before I comment on anything else, there is this, that really, really annoys1 me: why can’t World Snooker have some basic courtesy, and make the effort to spell the non British players’ names correctly, at least for those in languages that use the latin alphabet. It’s BulcsúRévész not Bulcsu Revesz. Is it really that hard?
I have known for a long time that Bulcsú is a special talent. I saw him play in exhibitions in Budapest first as a young kid2, later a a teenager. Even as a kid, he had that swagger about him. He wasn’t intimidated at all, he relished being “on stage”.
He was beaten yesterday, only just, by John Higgins who, as you read, was full of praise. John also said that the sport needs more players from mainland Europe. He’s right, but for that to happen, snooker has to move away from its deeply UK centric structure/organisation. There has to be no more than 3 events in the UK, and the “World” championship has to “travel” around the World … Most global sports have their flagship event traveling, why can’t snooker do the same? One aspect that prevents snooker to develop as a global sport is its culture of “nostalgia”. This HAS to change. Nostalgia keeps you from evolving, and growing. The history of the sport is important, but its evolution is even more important, the future depends on it. And preserving history isn’t the same thing as cultivating nostalgia, the first is important as I said, the second leads to slow death.
Chang Bingyu became the ninth player in snooker history to make four consecutive century breaks during a 4-0 thrashing of Shaun Murphy in round one of the BetVictor Welsh Open.
Chang had a 100% pot success rate and conceded just a single point in an extraordinary display, described by Reanne Evans on BBC Wales as “the best performance ever on a snooker table”.
It’s the 11th occasion that a player has made four tons in a row in a professional match; only Neil Robertson and Mark Allen have done so twice. And only Robertson and Allen had previously achieved this feat in a best-of-seven frame contest.
Four in a row
Players to make four consecutive centuries
John Higgins, 2005 Grand Prix Shaun Murphy, 2007 Welsh Open Neil Robertson, 2013 Ruhr Open Gary Wilson, 2019 UK Championship Stephen Maguire, 2020 Tour Championship Mark Allen, 2020 European Masters Lu Ning, 2020 UK Championship Neil Robertson, 2022 European Masters Jack Lisowski, 2022 UK Championship Mark Allen, 2023 English Open Chang Bingyu, 2026 Welsh Open
China’s 23-year-old Chang, who was runner-up to Chris Wakelin at the BetVictor Scottish Open in December, opened with total clearances of 130 and 136 to lead 2-0. Former World Champion Murphy potted his solitary red in frame three, but Chang’s 119 made it 3-0. And the talented potter continued the barrage in frame four with another 130 total clearance. He will now face Jackson Page or Luca Brecel in the last 32 in Llandudno.
Chang said: “I honestly didn’t expect to play that well today. Before the match, my mindset was more about learning from him. After finishing the match, I felt really happy. It was probably the first time I’ve played at this level in a best-of-seven. Earlier this season I had quite a few matches where I played well and made some good breaks, but making four centuries in a best-of-seven is definitely a first for me.
“Since finishing runner-up (in Scotland) earlier in the season, I’ve become a bit more relaxed when I play against the top players now. Before, I sometimes felt like I couldn’t beat them, but that feeling isn’t as strong anymore. It’s never easy, of course. But I’ve always wanted to play attacking snooker and bring my scoring game to its best level. I don’t know how far I can go this week. I just want to focus on playing well in each match.”
Murphy said: “That’s the best performance in a best-of-seven match I’ve ever seen. If that were Ronnie O’Sullivan or Judd Trump it would be on the news.”
Feeling “more excited and more confident”, Zhao Xintong kept alive his chances of winning three consecutive ranking events by beating Fan Zhengyi 4-3 in the first round of the BetVictor Welsh Open.
February has been a marvellous month for Crucible king Zhao as he has won the World Grand Prix and Players Championship back-to-back, earning £330,000 and climbing to a career-high fifth place in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. Shrugging off any fatigue, the 28-year-old from China is determined to ride the wave and has the opportunity to become the sixth player to win three consecutive ranking titles, after Ray Reardon, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Ding Junhui and Judd Trump.
Zhao took a 3-1 lead today with top breaks of 65, 132 and 111, bringing his tally of centuries for the season to 61. Fan battled back to 3-3 with a top run of 115 and had first chance in the decider but could only make 19, and Zhao took advantage with a winning 71, earning a last-32 tie with Jimmy Robertson or Stan Moody. So far this season Zhao has played 22 deciding frames and won 16.
He said: “Fan and I both played very well today. After I went 3-1 up, there was one frame I probably should have taken, but I made one or two small mistakes in shot selection and he punished me. In the next two frames I didn’t really get many chances, so it went to a decider. I believed that as long as I got one chance, I could take it and win the match.
“After winning the title in Telford, I went back to Sheffield that same night. The next day I had a lie-in, packed my bags, had a nice Chinese meal, and then travelled here in the afternoon. So there wasn’t much rest, maybe half a day. But for me, playing more matches is a great experience. While I’m still young, winning more matches will be very beneficial for my future.
“At first, I did feel some mental and physical fatigue after those two tournaments. But coming here this time, I actually feel more excited and more confident than before. I really want to win more matches.“
Earlier in the day, Chang Bingyu’s astonishing display of break-building earned him a 4-0 win over Shaun Murphy.
Gary Wilson, who won this title two years ago, almost matched Chang’s performance as he saw off Amir Sarkhosh 4-0 with 93, 135, 118 and 119.
Welshman Jackson Page was in superb form in a 4-0 thrashing of 2023 World Champion Luca Brecel, knocking in breaks of 86 and 64, while Stan Moody was another 4-0 winner, beating Jimmy Robertson with a top run of 107.
Jack Lisowski and Zhou Yuelong both stayed in hunt for the £150,000 BetVictor bonus, the former beating Louis Heathcote 4-2 while the latter saw off Alexander Ursenbacher 4-0. Hungary’s Bulcsu Revesz scored one of his best wins as a pro as he edged out Ryan Day 4-3.
Kyren Wilson hopes he is building towards a strong finish to the season as he cruised into the last 32 of the BetVictor Welsh Open with 4-1 win over Liu Hongyu in Llandudno.
It has been a season of highs and lows for Wilson as he has won two huge invitation events, the Shanghai Masters and the Masters, but has struggled for results in ranking events and failed to qualify for last week’s Players Championship, where he would have been defending champion. He needs a giant leap up the one-year list, from 22nd into the top 12, to earn a place in the Tour Championship next month. Tonight the Kettering cueman fired breaks of 65, 65, 100 and 75 as he set up a tie with Zhou Yuelong on Wednesday evening.
“I was really disappointed not to be in Telford last week,” said Wilson. “But it has been well documented that I have had issues to deal with away from the table this season and I think I have done well to win two tournaments. And this is another opportunity this week. I would love to qualify for the Tour Championship although if I miss out that does give me the chance to take a break before the Crucible.“
John Higgins narrowly missed out on the Players Championship title, losing 10-7 in the final to Zhao Xintong, and the veteran Scot was straight back on the winning trail with a 4-1 defeat of Liu Wenwei. Higgins has captured the Welsh Open crown a record five times and this time he’ll meet Hungary’s Bulcsu Revesz in the last 32 on Wednesday night. In a scrappy encounter against Liu, Higgins managed top breaks of 56, 51 and 59.
Liam Pullen, who beat Higgins earlier in the season at the Xi’an Grand Prix, took another top-16 scalp by knocking out Chris Wakelin. York’s 20-year-old Pullen made breaks of 100 and 107 in taking a 3-2 lead before Wakelin recovered to 3-3.
In a tense decider, Pullen led by 37 points with one red left when he missed a routine black, and his opponent got the snooker he needed then potted the final red, only to miss a tough brown to a centre pocket. A relieved Pullen added the points he needed to set up a tie with Zhang Anda.
“I played some really nice stuff in parts,” said Pullen. “I have lost quite a few deciders this season but I know I just have to keep at it and play better snooker. I am learning a lot about myself and improving a lot.”
The result ends Wakelin’s hopes of landing the £150,000 BetVictor bonus, with Mark Allen the front runner-up for that prize and only Jack Lisowski, Zhou Yuelong and Chang Bingyu in the chasing pack.
Sam Craigie top scored with 99 and 110 as he got the better of a North-East derby against Elliot Slessor by a 4-3 scoreline, and he now meets another Tynesider, Gary Wilson.
Somehow having the Welsh Open in Llandudno still feels strange. For me, and probably others who have followed the sport for many years as well, the Welsh Open was synonym with “Newport Centre” . That place had a special, distinctive atmosphere, notably because how the seating was “organised”. But it was deemed “unsafe” and demolished in 2023. Anyway … here are the reports on day 1 in Llandudno, the new home of the event:
BetVictor Welsh Open 2026 Day One Afternoon
Mark Williams was the last home winner of the BetVictor Welsh Open, albeit in a different century, and the three-time World Champion was off to a strong start in Llandudno this year with a 4-2 defeat of Michael Holt.
It was 1999 when a Welsh player last lifted this trophy, Williams beating Stephen Hendry 9-8 in the final on that occasion. The Cwm cueman, who turns 51 next month, can’t explain the lack of success for the host nation since then, but he hopes he can go all the way this week and already has a title under his belt this season having won the Xi’an Grand Prix.
Breaks of 58, 56 and 64 helped world number four Williams to victory today and he now meets Tom Ford or Martin O’Donnell in the last 32.
“I played solid all the way through, until a few twitches towards the end,” said Williams. “Then I potted a really good pink to win the match. I am still not practising between tournaments but at the venues I probably practise more than any other player, three or four hours a day, and that seems to work for me. I am not going to get better at my age, it’s just a case of ticking over.“
Williams was runner-up at the World Championship last season to Zhao Xintong, who is the man in form having won the last two ranking events. Asked whether Zhao is the favourite at the Crucible this year, Williams said: “He’s definitely one of them. He’s probably got the best chance of anyone who has won it before to retain it at the first attempt. But it is tough. I have always known he was going to be something special and he is looking unbelievable now.”
Defending champion Mark Selby suffered a surprise 4-3 defeat against world number 81 Jiang Jun. Alongside Zhao, Selby is the only player to win three titles this season, but the four-time Crucible king squandered a 3-1 lead today as China’s Jiang hit back to take the last three frames.
Jiang said: “I was 3-1 behind in no time. At that point I honestly didn’t think about making a comeback, but I didn’t give up either. When it got to the decider, I started to believe I had a chance. The pressure became very strong and my heart was racing. I could really feel it beating fast. Maybe it’s because the opponent was Mark Selby. I’ve watched him play since I was a kid, I used to see him as an idol. I even took photos with him when I was young. I never imagined that one day I’d compete against him on the same stage, let alone beat him.
“For the next two years, my goal is to get into the top 64 first. Then step by step, try to move into the top 32 and eventually the top 16. But first, top 64 — that’s my main target.“
It was a good start to the event for Welsh players as Jak Jones continued his return to form with a 4-1 win over Liam Highfield, his top break 92. Jones broke his right hand in December when he punched the table in frustration during a practice session, but has thankfully has recovered from that set-back. Dylan Emery edged out Lei Peifan 4-3.
Yuan Sijun came from 2-0 down to beat Julian Leclercq 4-3 with a top break of 102 while Barry Hawkins overcame a bad back to beat David Lilley 4-3
Welsh Open 2026 Day One Evening
Neil Robertson beat a player younger than his own son as he eased into the last 32 of the Welsh Open with a 4-1 victory over 15-year-old prodigy Michal Szubarczyk.
Poland’s Szubarczyk looks a strong contender for the Rookie of the Year award having already won ten matches during his debut season on tour, and the teenager drew high praise from Robertson after their clash in Llandudno. But it was world number three Robertson who progressed to the next round to face Hossein Vafaei.
On his first visit to the table in the opening frame, European Junior Champion Szubarczyk slotted in a long red to initiate a break of 90. However Australia’s Robertson hit back to take the next four frames with top runs of 81, 67 and 70.
Asked by TNT Sports about playing an opponent younger than his 15-year-old son Alexander, Robertson replied: “The longer I keep playing the game, I guess that will happen more. The way Michal dropped in the long red in the first frame and made a break was really impressive. I hadn’t seen him play much before but I know some of the other players think he has huge potential and he showed that tonight.
“There were a few things he can improve with experience. He has great poise around the table, he acquitted himself well given he hasn’t played much on a TV table before. And you can see he is putting a lot of work in. It’s great to see the younger European players coming through from countries like Poland, Belgium and Latvia, we have a really good mix.”
Mark Allen’s hopes of winning the £150,000 BetVictor Home Nations Series bonus suffered a blow as he lost 4-2 to David Grace.
World number 96 Grace came from 2-1 down to win the last three frames with breaks of 59, 55 and 67. He said: “I haven’t had many wins over top 16 players so it has to be one of my best ever. When you drop off the tour and go to Q School you start having doubts about whether this is what you want to be doing. But then in the heat of battle you realise you still want it more than anything. I have had deep runs before and it would be nice to experience something like that again.“
Martin O’Donnell, runner-up to Gary Wilson in this event two years ago, impressed in a 4-2 win over Tom Ford, while Wu Yize whitewashed Ben Mertens 4-0 with breaks of 79, 120 and 128. Last year’s beaten finalist Stephen Maguire came from 3-1 down to edge out Ricky Walden 4-3.
I didn’t watch much of the action, actually I only watched Julien Leclercq’s match against Yuan Sijun and it was hugely disappointing because Julien was 2-0 and 3-1 up, and made the highest break of the match, a 104, but none of that matters in the end, only the final score does. Julien should probably have won 4-2, he made a 50 break in frame 6 … but it wasn’t enough and his opponent nicked that frame. Credits to Yuan for the way he fought.
It was a bad day for the Belgians, as Ben Mertens also lost … by 4-0 to Wu Yize, who, of course is now a top 16 player. The first frame was close, Wu won it by 62-50. After that it was one way traffic… Ben scored only 5 points in the next three frames whilst his opponent scores breaks of 79, 120 and 128.
Ronnie’s snooker schedule this season has been “light” and many probably wonder what the future will bring for him and his fans. Well, there have been a couple of announcements.
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry among snooker legends to play John Virgo Trophy
by Phil Haigh
A stellar line-up featuring Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry will contest the John Virgo Trophy in April, in honour of the late great snooker star.
Virgo sadly passed away at the age of 79 last week, with the snooker world mourning the iconic player, commentator and entertainer.
In honour of JV, four of the greatest players of all time will compete in a tournament in his honour.
The John Virgo Trophy will be held at the popular Goffs in Kildare, Ireland, the former home of the Irish Masters.
It will feature the two seven-time world champions O’Sullivan and Hendry playing each other, while fellow legendary cuemen John Higgins and Mark Williams will face off in the other semi-final, before the winners meet in the final.
It will be the first competitive meeting between the Rocket and Hendry for nearly 15 years, last playing each other in a 2011 PTC in Gloucester.
The two-day event will be played on April 11-12 and be shown live on Pluto TV, featuring some other attractions outside of the four headliners.
The event organisers state: ‘In what promises to be the biggest snooker event in Ireland for 20 years, the event will also showcase some of Ireland’s top Juniors, some of Ireland’s former legends and a trick shot cabaret from 1985 World Champion Dennis Taylor.’
Snooker 900 Creator Jason Francis said: ‘The line-up speaks for itself, all four probably sit within the top five or six of the greatest ever to play this game, but this is not an exhibition, they are playing for prize money and competing hard, just the way our great friend John Virgo would have wanted.
‘It will be a wonderful tribute to him and a great treat for our fans in Ireland.
‘With this event being just a week before the World Professional Championship I expect the players to be very sharp.’
John Virgo Trophy Schedule
Saturday April 11 (UK times)
12pm–1pm: Irish Legends Doubles
2pm-5pm: The John Virgo Trophy Semi Final 1 – Mark Williams v John Higgins (Best of 11 Snooker 900 Frames)
7pm-11pm: The John Virgo Trophy Cup Semi Final 2 – Ronnie O’Sullivan v Stephen Hendry (Best of 11 Snooker 900 Frames)
Sunday April 12
12pm–1pm: Irish Junior Snooker 900 Championship
2pm-2.30pm: Trick Shot Cabaret with 1985 World Champion Dennis Taylor
2.30pm-5pm: The John Virgo Trophy 3rd v 4th place play-off (Best of 9 Snooker 900 Frames)
7pm-11pm: The John Virgo Trophy Final (Best of 11 Snooker 900 Frames)
Irish Legends Doubles
Four of Irelands most well-known former professionals will play 3 frames of doubles. Already confirmed are Fergal O’Brien, Michael Judge and Joe Delaney.
Irish Junior Snooker 900 Championship
Four of Irelands best under-16 players will compete in two semi-finals and a final one frame shootout.
Snooker 900 is short-format 15-minute frames (900 seconds), with a 20-second shot clock, ball-in-hand for fouls, and a sudden-death blue-ball shootout for ties.
The John Virgo Trophy will see the four former world champions play while the World Championship qualifiers are being contested in Sheffield.
The main stages of the World Championship begin on April 18 at the Crucible, where O’Sullivan, Higgins and Williams will be involved.
Virgo will be remembered as one of snooker’s great voices (Picture: Getty Images)
Hendry spoke movingly about the passing of his colleague in the commentary box and great friend last week.
‘It’s utterly devastating,’ Hendry told WST. ‘Ken (Doherty) phoned me the other day and I am in China. Unfortunately, I’ll be traveling home the day of his funeral. I’m devastated about that as well.
‘At the moment, I’m not even looking forward to the World Championship because I know he’s not going to be there.
‘It’s going to be horrible. A huge, huge gap he’s going to leave in snooker.’
The Scot added: ‘No one could sort of translate the excitement of a match into the commentary box as well as John. He could make dull matches seem exciting because he had that enthusiasm.
‘He just loved the game and he could sort of make you almost enjoy a match that you weren’t enjoying.
‘He was my favourite to be in the box with. As I’m sure that’s the same for a lot of commentators and his knowledge of the game.
‘A lot of the young players sort of criticise old school commentators, saying that they don’t have a clue what’s going on. But he knew the game as well as being an unbelievable character.’
Ronnie O’Sullivan Set for World Seniors Snooker Championship Debut
Ronnie O’Sullivan will make his long-awaited World Seniors Snooker Championship debut at the Crucible Theatre in May.
Widely regarded as the sport’s greatest ever player, ‘The Rocket’ will headline the strongest ever field assembled for an event on the World Seniors Snooker (WSS) Tour.
He joins an outstanding line-up that includes fellow former world champions Mark Williams, Stuart Bingham, Ken Doherty and Reanne Evans.
The tournament, which will be broadcast on Channel 5 in the UK, will also feature established WSS Tour stars including Jimmy White, Matthew Stevens, Tony Drago, Robert Milkins, Peter Lines, Anthony Hamilton, Dominic Dale and reigning British Seniors Open champion Joe Perry – as well as Alfie Burden who returns as defending champion.
WSS Chairman Jason Francis said: “The most commercially valuable player the sport has ever seen will make his World Seniors debut at the Crucible Theatre in May in an attempt to add another world title to his CV — wow! We’ve already sold more tickets than we did for the entire event last year, and Ronnie O’Sullivan’s participation is set to drive even greater demand.”
.Those announcements, I’m sure, will not please everyone. They are probably an indication that the professional tour is no more Ronnie’s top priority. But then, he’s 50, he’s won everything, he has nothing to prove and, maybe, he doesn’t want anymore the constant pressure of expectations that comes with his status in the professional sport. … something he had/has to cope with for the best part of 34 years now.
World Champion Zhao Xintong made it back-to-back tournament victories with a 10-7 defeat of four-time Crucible king John Higgins in the Sportsbet.io Players Championship final.
February has proven to be a trophy-laden month for the Chinese superstar. Zhao arrived in Telford off the back of beating compatriot Zhang Anda 10-6 in the final of the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong. He is the 14th player to win consecutive ranking events on the World Snooker Tour.
Zhao will head to Manchester for next month’s Sportsbet.io Tour Championship with the opportunity to become the first person to secure a clean sweep of all three Players Series tournaments in a single season.
This was Zhao’s fifth ranking event win and marks the continuation of a perfect conversion rate in finals. He is only the fourth player in snooker history to win his first five finals, following in the footsteps of Steve Davis, Mark Williams and Neil Robertson.
50-year-old Higgins misses out on the opportunity to be snooker’s oldest ever ranking event winner. He does become the second oldest ranking finalist, behind Rex Williams who was 53 in the 1986 Grand Prix title match, which he lost to Jimmy White.
Zhao began this week placed seventh in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings and the £150,000 top prize moves him to fifth. Despite picking up the £70,000 runner-up cheque, Higgins drops a place to sixth.
One positive for Higgins is he moves from 17th to 11th in the Sportsbet.io One Year list. With the BetVictor Welsh Open and the World Open to go he is currently in position to have a shot at defending his Tour Championship title, only the top 12 performers of the season qualify.
After a free-flowing afternoon of snooker, the pair came into this evening locked level at 4-4. In contrast, tonight’s play kicked off with a fragmented 47-minute frame which went the way of Higgins.
Zhao responded with breaks of 88 and 83 to take two of the next three frames and leave the match poised at 6-6 heading into the last interval of the tournament.
When play resumed, Zhao missed a long-range frame ball red which gave Higgins his chance. The Glaswegian slotted in a long ball and made 43 to steal on the black and move 7-6 in front.
Zhao responded by taking the 14th and then crafted the first century of the final, a run of 104, to move 8-7 ahead. He followed up with another big break of 126 to go one frame from the win at 9-7. Zhao crossed the line at the first chance of asking with a ruthless 92 to take the title.
“I’m over the moon. Honestly, I didn’t expect to adjust my form so quickly after coming back from Hong Kong. In fact, I was still dealing with jet lag for the first couple of days. I didn’t expect that my mindset would settle down so well afterwards. That gave me a lot of confidence in the later matches. Even though my opponents were very strong, I felt I could beat them. This result is something really special for me,” said 28-year-old Zhao.
“To hear players like Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan speak so highly of me — there’s really nothing that makes me happier than that. Of course I’ll keep working hard. There are still many tournaments ahead and I’ll try my best to win more titles.”
“In both finals, in Hong Kong and here in Telford, I personally didn’t think too much about the occasion. I think that’s one of the better aspects of how I’ve adapted my mentality. As long as I can play my own game, winning or losing isn’t the most important thing. I just focus on every single shot at the table. In that respect, I think I’ve done quite well recently.
“I haven’t thought too much about the World Championship. Even after winning this title, I still see it as simply the one of the upcoming tournaments. I’ll continue doing what I’ve been doing, stick to my routine, and look forward to the next event.”
Higgins paid tribute to Zhao’s brilliance: “I couldn’t pot a long ball all day and Zhao doesn’t really miss any long balls. The last three frames there were absolutely poetry in motion. I’m lucky to have my kids here and I can remember my dad saying he was lucky to see footballers like George Best and Jimmy Johnstone. My kids are lucky to see someone like Xintong. He is an absolute genius.“
There is nothing to add regarding the match. It was, as John Higgins put it, poetry in motion. The kind of match that doesn’t need commentary, that you may watch again on a quite late evening with music as a background. Extraordinary skills were on display – from both – and yet they made it look easy, naturally fluid.
Class from John Higgins in the post match interview. No bitterness whatsoever, instead saying that his kids were lucky to witness Zhao playing the way he did was classy and proof that, even after all these years in the job, he still loves his sport for the sheer beauty it can produce when played to near perfection.
One last thing though … I’m not very active on twitter anymore, but when I was more present on it, I had some disagreement with a guy who was obsessed with Chinese snooker players cheating and who regularly insisted that Zhao Xintong persistent cough was a tactic to disturb his opponents. Yesterday, Zhao was coughing a lot … including when himself was at the table. Surely he wasn’t trying to “disturb himself” out there? That would make no sense, would it? Actually, there are a few medical conditions that can trigger persistent cough, including a form of asthma. We have no right to know about players possible health conditions, it’s for them, and them only, to share such information IF they wish to share it. But we should refrain from judging without knowing all the facts.
Both semi-finals were played yesterday inTelford and today only two players remain on course for the title and the trophy: John Higgins and Zhao Xintong. Both semi-finals went to a deciding frame.
Scotland’s John Higgins came out on top 6-5 in a rollercoaster semi-final with world number one Judd Trump to make the 60th ranking event final of his career at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford.
It was the latest chapter in a pulsating rivalry between the two snooker greats, who have contested two world finals.Although 36-year-old Trump has had the upper hand in recent years, their last meeting was another epic 6-5 semi-final win for Higgins at the Masters last month. Despite those results, it is still Trump who leads the head-to-head 21-15.
The Glaswegian now becomes the second oldest ranking finalist in snooker history, following Rex Williams who was 53 at the 1986 Grand Prix. He will now go up against either Mark Allen or Zhao Xintong in tomorrow’s title match. They will battle it out over 19 frames for the £150,000 top prize.
In a match laden with tension, it was four-time World Champion Higgins who made the early running. Breaks of 71, 57 and 76 helped him on his way to a commanding 4-1 advantage.
The next two frames went the way of Trump, before Higgins claimed the eighth to move one from the final at 5-3. Trump left Higgins needing two snookers, but a foul handed the Scot a free ball and a route back into the frame. That free ball was spurned and Trump made it 5-4.
Higgins had another opportunity for victory in the tenth, but missed a routine match ball pink to the middle and his English counterpart eventually stole on the black to set up a decider.
It was Higgins who had the first opportunity in the last, but inadvertently potted a red when going into the pack off the blue and Trump had the balls at his mercy. He missed a red with tricky bridging and rapped the table with disgust. That was to be his last chance with Higgins making 65 and getting himself over the line for another famous win.
“That was incredible how it transpired at the end. When I missed the pink to win 6-4 I would have had a lot worse things in my mind in previous matches. I just sat out in the arena and concentrated. I wanted to stay positive and stay in the moment. I potted the red when going into the pack and it was the snooker gods punishing me. I can’t believe he then missed and gave me a chance to clear up,” said 33-time ranking event winner Higgins.
“You just get into that zone in these moments. I was thinking clearly and I couldn’t hear the crowd. I was thinking really well and it was a great moment for me to clear up in that final frame.
“I always seem to have games like that against Judd. I have to say he was nowhere near his best but his application never waned. He kept on giving it 100 percent and the only anger he showed was at the end. It was such a tough examination playing him.
“It gives you that little bit of confidence and your mind telling you that you can do it under the utmost pressure. You shouldn’t really be doing it at this age. The pressure should be too much but there are a few of us still up there playing and producing an unbelievable level. I’m drained now. I need to go and relax tonight then get ready for tomorrow.“
World Champion Zhao Xintong was never ahead until the final frame in a pulsating 6-5 semi-final win over Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford.
Zhao has made a habit of producing showstopping fightbacks of late. He beat Mark Selby 6-5 from 5-2 down on his way to winning the recent World Grand Prix and was also 5-2 behind during a 6-5 defeat of Elliot Slessor in the opening round here.
Victory sets up the mouth watering prospect of a title match with four-time Crucible king John Higgins, who defeated world number one Judd Trump in a 6-5 thriller this afternoon. They will do battle over the best of 19 frames tomorrow, with a top prize of £150,000 on the line. The most recent meeting between the pair saw Zhao triumph 5-3 en route to glory at the World Grand Prix.
Allen must now turn his attention to next week’s BetVictor Welsh Open in Llandudno. It could be a lucrative week for the Pistol, who leads the Betvictor Home Nations Bonus standings. Whoever tops the list at the conclusion of the Welsh Open pockets a bumper £150,000 payout.
This evening’s match was the first meeting between Zhao and Allen at a ranking event since the 2017 International Championship, when Allen won 6-4. It had looked to be going the way of the Pistol in the early stages tonight, with breaks of 107 and 55 helping him to a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.
However, 28-year-old Zhao sprung into life when play resumed with a stunning 140 break to pull within a frame at 3-2. Although Allen restored his two frame cushion, contributions of 103 and 58 from Zhao restored parity at 4-4.
A break of 90 saw Allen move one from victory, before Zhao took the match to a decider and made it 5-5. The Chinese cueman relentlessly continued to go for his shots, but couldn’t find a way to kill the match in a single visit. Eventually Allen left a red over the middle pocket when playing safe and Zhao made a match winning 56 to get into the final.
“I don’t think either Mark or I played at our very best today, but I’m very happy that I managed to get the win,” said four-time ranking event winner Zhao.
“In the deciding frame there were two key attacking pots that I managed to make, which were very important. I actually had quite a few chances, especially in the last two frames when Mark made some costly mistakes that gave me opportunities. My positional play wasn’t smooth and I needed several visits to finally get over the line. I’m still very pleased to have won the match “John is a very nice person. I remember when we used to practise together, he especially liked Zhou Yuelong. He would often ask Zhou to play a few frames, and I would be there as a practice partner watching. But whether it was in the past or now, he has always been one of the very top players. Maybe he’s not at the absolute peak of his career like before, but he is still capable of beating anyone in the world. I’ll need to produce my very best if I want to compete with him — otherwise, he could take the match away from me very easily.”
Those reports are comprehensive enough, there is no need for me to add anything about the action itself. Zhao looks very determined to fully redeem himself. He’s making the most of his return to the main tour. Could he possibly break the “Crucible curse” come May? It’s a big ask but I wouldn’t write it off entirely.
On a totally different topic … I’d like to ask the readers of this blog their opinion about the “referee camera”.
Personally, I don’t feel like it adds anything to the coverage. Actually, at times, when the referee is moving swiftly, I find it unpleasant, it makes me feel slightly queasy, it’s triggering a bit of “motion sickness”.
Yesterday was the last day of the quarter-finals round in Telford. The Players Championship is for the 16 best players of the season and always delivers quality matches. Here are the reports by WST on what we got to enjoy yesterday:
World Champion Zhao Xintong produced a superb display to beat Shaun Murphy 6-3 and progress to a maiden Sportsbet.io Players Championship semi-final in Telford.
Zhao arrived in form after winning the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong — his first ranking title since becoming World Champion. He triumphed in what was a historic all-Chinese semi-final lineup to take home the top prize. He is now two wins away from completing the second of three steps in a Players Series clean sweep.
Victory sets up a last four showdown with either Mark Selby or Mark Allen, who contest this evening’s last remaining quarter-final. Defeat for Murphy means he will have to wait for a third chance to get his hands on the Players Championship crystal.
The first frame this afternoon went the way of Zhao, but breaks of 66 and 77 saw Murphy move 2-1 in front. A crucial moment in the tie saw Murphy spurn a red in the fourth, allowing Zhao to make 66 restored parity at 2-2.
That switched the momentum and Zhao then claimed three on the bounce, including a tournament high 142 and a 95, to move 5-2 ahead. Murphy did pull one back, but it was to no avail after Zhao fired in a sublime 118 in the ninth to book his place in the semis.
“I’m really happy with my performance. I know Shaun is a very good long potter and that if I gave him a chance I would be in trouble,” said 28-year-old Zhao.
“I’m happy to be in the semi-finals. I’m keeping really good form, both physically and mentally. The pressure is not as much as it used to be so I’m able to enjoy the event a lot more.
“The World Grand Prix in Hong Kong has boosted my confidence a lot. It was my first ranking event win after winning the World Championship, so it was a significant moment.”
Murphy said: “Nobody likes losing. Who likes losing? I’m very frustrated. Again, someone has played out of their skin against me. That is not the Zhao Xintong that was here a couple of days ago against Elliot Slessor. There is nothing I can do about that. It keeps happening week after week and all I can do is my best. I don’t think I did a great deal wrong. I thought Zhao Xintong was, in the middle of the match especially, unplayable.”
Mark Allen summoned both his break building power and tactical nous to beat Mark Selby 6-2 and reach the semi-finals of the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford.
It’s a third consecutive victory over UK Champion Selby for the Northern Irishman and he clinched it in steely style, winning a 55-minute tactical frame against one of the sport’s greatest ever strategists. The head-to-head standings now sees Allen lead 12-9.
The win strengthens Allen’s push for Sportsbet.io Tour Championship qualification, where only the top 12 of the season make the field. He now moves up to 10th place provisionally on the Sportsbet.io One Year List. For the time being he will be hoping to add a third Players crown to his CV, having won the event in 2016 and 2024.
Defeat for Selby means he will now turn his attention to next week’s BetVictor Welsh Open in Llandudno, where he is defending champion. That will also be an important week for Allen, who currently leads the BetVictor Home Nations Bonus standings. Whoever tops the list at the conclusion of the Welsh Open pockets a bumper £150,000 payout.
Former UK and Masters champion Allen appeared to be surging to a whitewash win this evening when breaks of 70, 67, 53, 74 and 130 put him into a 5-0 lead.
Selby typically refused to wilt and composed contributions of 127 and 91 to remain in contention at 5-2. A drawn out eighth came down to tactical exchange on the yellow akin to two chess grandmasters pitting their wits against each other.
Eventually it was Selby who flinched, leaving a free ball which Allen gratefully deposited before running out the winner. He now faces World Champion Zhao Xintong in tomorrow’s second semi-final.
“It was a fun challenge (the final frame). There is more to the game than scoring and winning in one visit. The traditionalists and the purists enjoy that side of the game too. Even though I got the better of that one tonight, there is no doubt in my mind that Mark is the best there has ever been at that. He is so clever and sets you into traps. I felt I held my own tonight,” said 39-year-old Allen.
“Even though he was 5-0 down he suddenly put me under it. There was only a shot or two from it being 5-3. I can take a lot of positives from winning a scrappy one to get over the line. That was nearly an hour long frame and not many people win those against Selby.
“There is a long way to go this season. I want to win this weekend, but there are bigger events on the horizon. The Welsh Open carries some weight for me with the BetVictor Bonus and trying to become the first to win all four Home Nations events. After that we have Yushan, hopefully the Tour Championship and then Sheffield. Even though it is a big weekend, it is a big two months coming up as well.”
Zhao Xintong played really well and he’s someone I like to watch. He’s smooth, clever, aggressive and doesn’t waist time. When things don’t go his way, he just gets on with it. Shaun Murphy is very similar1. With those two, a long, drawn out, boring match is highly unlikely. I enjoyed watching them and I’m happy with the outcome as well.
The evening match was not that different, albeit slower. It was maybe not what you would have expected from those two as they sometimes become very “tactical”. Mark Allen was dominant for the first five frames, then Mark Selby responded in style winning the next two with big breaks. He didn’t enter in that “mood” where he puts every ball on cushions 😉… It’s only the last frame that became scrappy. There was a break over 50 in every frame other than the last one.
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Maybe a bit more classical, less imaginative when things get awkward though. ↩︎
