Ronnie survived a very difficult last 64 match against young Zhao Xintong, a first year professional form China. Zhao was twice an Amateur World Championship finalist before entering the main tour. He is for sure one to watch for the future. Ronnie compared him to Stephen Hendry after the match, and said that he’s a really beautiful player.

Truth to be said, he totally outscored Ronnie for the best past odf the match and it’s only experience and iron will to win that got “the Rocket” through.

Match report by Worldsnooker:

Thursday 13 Oct 2016 12:11AM

Ronnie O’Sullivan edged a 4-3 victory against hugely talented Chinese teenager Zhao Xintong on Wednesday night to reach the last 32 of the Coral English Open.

Tipped as a potential world beater, 19-year-old Zhao showed his scoring power with two centuries and the tour rookie had chances to win from 3-2 up. But eventually it was crowd favourite O’Sullivan who came through to set up a third round match with Chris Wakelin on Thursday at 12pm (tickets still available, click here for details).

O’Sullivan narrowly missed out on a 29th career ranking title at last week’s European Masters in Romania, losing 9-8 to Judd Trump in the final, and looks to be building momentum again this week in Manchester.

Zhao made a blistering start with a 130 total clearance in the first frame. O’Sullivan levelled by clearing from yellow to pink then a run of 85 put him 2-1 up. Zhao responded with a 107 to win the fourth frame and came from 50-0 down in the fifth to take it with a superb 80 clearance. In frame six, Zhao had a match-winning opportunity but could only make 28 before running out of position. O’Sullivan later cleared from the last red to make it 3-3.

A break of 62 put O’Sullivan in charge of the decider, and Zhao’s attempted counter-attack ended when he missed a red to a top corner on 18, allowing his opponent to wrap up the result.

“Zhao is an amazing talent, he has fantastic technique,” said five-time World Champion o’Sullivan. “He reminds me of Stephen Hendry when he first came on the scene – very compact, a good scorer and fearless. If he gains a bit of experience he will be an unbelievable player. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, if my form gets stronger I might fancy it a bit more. At the moment I’m just digging in and trying to scrape a few results.”

Here is the match if you wish to watch it (again):

MissingClip 2016 English Open: Ronnie O’Sullivan waits to start his match – Zhao Xintong.

2016 English Open: Ronnie O’Sullivan – Zhao Xintong.

MissingClip 2016 English Open: review of the Ronnie O’Sullivan – Zhao Xintong match

Ronnie praised his young opponent during his post match interview with Worldsnooker and compares him to Stephen Hendry.

And in the context of his work with Eurosport Ronnie gave Andy Goldstein (and us) a crash course in break building … and why he breaks lefthanded

MissongClip 2016 English Open: Ronnie O’Sullivan: break-building & why he breaks lefthanded .

Today will see the completion of two rounds: the last 32 and the last 16. Ronnie will face Chris  Wakelin at 12 pm (midday) in the last 32.

Worldsnooker has today announced the (provisional) draw and format for the Champion of Champions 2016.

Ronnie, who withdrew from the EverGrande in Guangzhou, will kick the event off against Robin Hull. He plays in Group 3, a relatively easy group all things considered.

Wednesday 12 Oct 2016 03:53PM

The group stage fixtures for snooker’s prestigious Champion of Champions have been announced, with two-time tournament champion Ronnie O’Sullivan set to get things underway at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena.

Commencing on Monday, November 7 each of the first four days sees two group semi-finals in the afternoon session before the group final over 11 frames in the evening. The four group winners proceed to the best of 11 semi-finals, played on Friday, November 11. A 19-frame final will be played over two sessions on Saturday, November 12.

Each group will feature one seeded player. The seeded players are defending champion Neil Robertson and the winners of snooker’s triple crown events – World Champion Mark Selby, Masters winner O’Sullivan and UK Championship winner Robertson. As Robertson is seeded twice, the highest qualified player on the World Snooker Rankings as of October 12th will take the final seeded position, meaning Shaun Murphy completes the seeds.

O’Sullivan will take on Shoot Out champ Robin Hull in the tournament’s opening match on Monday, November 7, with German Masters winner Martin Gould up against World Seniors Champion Mark Davis in the second group 3 semi-final.

Tuesday 8th sees Group 1 take centre stage, with Robertson pitted against the winner of the forthcoming International Championship, and Shanghai Masters champion Ding Junhui up against World Open winner Ali Carter in the afternoon session.

Wednesday 9th features action from Group 2 as Selby takes on the winner of this week’s English Open, and Players Championship winner Mark Allen faces Gibraltar Open champ Marco Fu.

The concluding day of group action is Thursday 10th when Group 4 plays out with Murphy, winner of the World Grand Prix taking on the China Championship winner followed by China Open and European Masters victor Judd Trump against Indian Open champion Anthony McGill.

Should the winner of any of the remaining three events on the qualifying list – the English Open, International Championship and China Championship – have already qualified for the Champion of Champions that spot shall be filled by the highest player on the one-year ranking list at the conclusion of the tournament in question.

Promoted by Matchroom Sport, snooker’s new showpiece event, the Champion of Champions, returns to the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, November 7-12, and will bring together many of the best snooker players on the planet and fans can watch it all live thanks to the extensive coverage provided by ITV4.

With a top prize of £100,000 and current champions of snooker’s major tournaments, including the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy, all eligible to compete, the Champion of Champions is set to build on its position as one of the biggest event of the snooker season.

The tournament will start with a quartet of four-man groups, with the winner of each group to progress to the semi-finals. The final on Saturday, November 12 will be over 19 frames.

Tickets are on sale now at http://www.championofchampionssnooker.co.uk with Premium and VIP packages available.

Champion of Champions 2016 – Fixtures

Monday, November 7 – Group 3

Afternoon session

Ronnie O’Sullivan vs. Robin Hull

Martin Gould vs. Mark Davis

(both best of 7 frames)

Evening session

Group final (best of 11 frames)

Tuesday, November 8 – Group 1

Afternoon session

Neil Robertson vs. International Championship Winner

Ding Junhui vs. Ali Carter

(both best of 7 frames)

Evening session

Group final (best of 11 frames)

Wednesday, November 9 – Group 2

Afternoon session

Mark Selby vs. English Open winner

Mark Allen vs. Marco Fu

(both best of 7 frames)

Evening session

Group final (best of 11 frames)

Thursday, November 10 – Group 4

Afternoon session

Shaun Murphy vs. China Championship winner

Judd Trump vs. Anthony McGill

(both best of 7 frames)

Evening session

Group final (best of 11 frames)

Friday, November 11

Afternoon session

Winner Group 1 vs. Winner Group 4

(best of 11 frames)

Evening session

Winner Group 2 vs. Winner Group 3

(best of 11 frames)

Saturday, November 12

Afternoon session:

Final (best of 19 frames)

Evening session:

Final (best of 19 frames)

No time to rest for the top players! Less than 24 hours after the final of the European Masters 2016  Bucharest, the next tournament, the English Open 2016 was already underway in Manchester. So Ronnie was back in action yesterday evening, playing Jimmy Robertson in the last 128 round.

Ronnie will also work as a pundit for Eurosport this week, along with Jimmy White and Matt Smith.

Although he wasn’t at his best, Ronnie wrapped up the match in less than 45 minutes, beating Jimmy Robertson by 4-0 with breaks of 97, 55, 63 and 66.

He will play his last 64 match tonight, at 7pm (UK time) against young and very talented Zhao Xintong.

The teaser:

MissingClip 2016 English Open: Ronnie O’Sullivan opening teaser.

Ronnie’s interview by Jimmy White on Eurosport before the match:

MissingClip 2016 English Open: Ronnie O’Sullivan interview

The match itself:

2016 English Open: Ronnie O’Sullivan – Jimmy Robertson.

Ronnie’s post-match interview on Eurosport, with Jimmy White and Matt Smith

MissingClip

Enjoy!

All detailed results are on Cuetracker as always.

Judd Trump beat Ronnie by 9-8 yesterday evening in Bucharest, making 3 centuries in the process.

Judd looked the better player all evening although the frame score didn’t always reflect that, he outscored Ronnie in points. In fact, he was first in most frames: his long potting was scarily good whilst Ronnie’s long game let him down (his long pot success was around 30% …) and this was key to the outcome of the match. It’s hard when you can’t create occasions for yourself and must rely on your opponent’s mistakes. What Ronnie did though was battle, and punish Judd’s rare mistakes; Ronnie was very reliable in the balls and very patient. That’s how he came out 5-3 up at the intersession and went 8-6 up after Judd won three frames on the trot to lead 6-5 after the resumption. With his back against the wall though, Judd produced a faultless three frames to win the match. All credits to him, and congratulations, he deserves the win. Ronnie was clearly disappointed but gracious in defeat.

This is Worldsnooker match report:

Sunday 9 Oct 2016 09:36PM

Judd Trump claimed his sixth ranking title in the most dramatic of finals, defeating Ronnie O’Sullivan to capture the European Masters title.

It was the pair’s sixth meeting in a professional final and Trump trailed for much of the match, before snatching the crown in the final frame and securing a 9-8 victory.

Both players produced dominant performances yesterday, in a star studded semi-final line up. Trump defeated World Champion Mark Selby 6-2. O’Sullivan put on a snooker masterclass, as he demolished Neil Robertson 6-0 in just under an hour and a quarter.

In the final it was O’Sullivan who was first to trouble the scorers. Trump made a break of 34 at the start of the frame, however he relinquished control of the table and the Rocket stole it on the black.

The five-time World Champion O’Sullivan made breaks of 53 and 62, as he moved into a 3-1 lead. Trump hit back by producing runs of 120 and 82 to take two of the next three. O’Sullivan won the final frame of the session and held a 5-3 lead going into the evening.

The 2011 UK Champion Trump immediately eliminated the deficit in the final session.  A superb century break of 105 saw him draw level and a contribution of 67 in the eleventh frame put him ahead for the first time at 6-5.

However, the Rocket turned on the after burners and cruised to the verge of victory. Runs of 93, 72 and 42 saw him win three on the bounce and go 8-6 up. Trump just wasn’t going away and he forced a decider, making another century of 109 in the process.

In the final frame the Juddernaught produced a gutsy run of 74 to clinch the trophy.

“I’m a little bit in disbelief,” said Trump. “To go 8-6 down was a little bit disheartening. I was faced with a difficult blue in the next frame and I just thought that I have to go for it. After that, I didn’t miss in the next three frames. To produce that under pressure against Ronnie will stand me in good stead for the rest of the season.

“It’s nice to win this tournament and get my confidence back. I’m using a new cue and probably should have beaten Michael White in China. I was a little bit disheartened. I said to my manager that I want to change my cue again, but he told me to stick with it. Luckily I did.”

Trump beats O’Sullivan to WIN European Masters

It was only O’Sullivan’s second defeat in a ranking final since 2010 and the Rocket was in reflective mood afterwards.

O’Sullivan remarked: “He deserved his victory and played the better snooker all day really. He’s too good a player to not be winning tournaments. You just have to hold your hands up and say well done. I didn’t do a lot wrong really. From 5-3 up to 6-5 down I had a couple of chances, but he just dominated the table.

“I’ve battled it out, I played five or six matches this week and that’s exactly what I needed.”

Those pictures were shared by Worldsnooker on Facebook:

Here is the match, if you wish to watch it (again):

2016 European Masters: Ronnie O’Sullivan – Judd Trump 1st session.

2016 European Masters: Ronnie O’Sullivan – Judd Trump 2nd session.

All detailed results are on Cuetracker as usual.

Once again, a big thank you to the sponsors for giving me the opportunity to be there and watch every match live. 

It was quarter finals day in Bucharest, and here is what happened:

Judd Trump 4-0 John Higgins

Mark Selby 4-0 Alfie Burden

Report by Worldsnooker

Friday 7 Oct 2016 03:16PM

In form potters Judd Trump and Mark Selby will go head to head in the semi-finals of the European Masters in Romania.

Both recorded superb 4-0 wins today to set up a clash on Saturday afternoon, with first to six frames to go through to Sunday’s final to contest the 75,000 Euro top prize at the new world ranking event.

Trump whitewashed John Higgins to reach his first semi-final of the season. A 42 clearance gave the Bristol cueman the opening frame and a run of 74 made it 2-0. He won a scrappy third frame on the colours then finished emphatically with a break of 105 in the fourth.

“I didn’t play as well as I did yesterday, I was a bit twitchy when I went 2-0 up,” said 27-year-old Trump. “I made a nice break in the last frame, and any time you beat John 4-0 you’re doing something right. I’ve scored heavily this week and not missed much. Mark Selby will be tough, he’s always there in the later stages of tournaments. I’ll have to play my best to beat him.”

World Champion Selby saw off Alfie Burden with top runs of 84, 136 and 102.

“I can’t play much better than that,” said the Leicester player. “The main thing was to win the game. Judd seems to be back to his best so I’m looking forward to playing him. It would be great to get to another final.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-1 Mark Davis

Neil Robertson 4-2 Anthony Mc Gill

Report by Worldsnooker

Friday 7 Oct 2016 10:25PM

Snooker’s big guns continued to thrive at the European Masters in Romania as Ronnie O’Sullivan and Neil Robertson set up a semi-final meeting.

Judd Trump and Mark Selby will contest the other semi in what promises to be a fascinating concluding weekend at the new world ranking event in Bucharest.

O’Sullivan scored a 4-1 win over Mark Davis to extend his best run since he won the Welsh open in February. Breaks of 33 and 54 gave him the opening frame then he nicked a scrappy second by clearing from last red to pink.

Davis pulled one back with a run of 124, but O’Sullivan soon made it 3-1 then finished superbly with a 129, his first century of the season.

“Mark is a really tough and consistent player so I had to be on my game to win,” said O’Sullivan. “I started off well then he came back at me and played some good safety, I got a bit lucky as the balls didn’t fall kindly for him and I had to take advantage. I was pleased with my mental performance. These are the type of matches I need to test myself.”

Robertson saw off Anthony McGill 4-2 in a gruelling battle which lasted two hours and 51 minutes. Australia’s Robertson took the opening frame with a break of 61 before Scotland’s McGill levelled in a 44-minute second.

A colours clearance in the third saw Robertson regain the lead then McGill made runs of 56 and 37 for 2-2. Robertson potted brown, blue and pink to win the fifth, and took the next on the colours as well to boost his hopes of a second ranking title of the season having won the Riga Masters.

“The table played tough, there has been a lot of rain today so conditions weren’t easy,” said Robertson. “Anthony played a lot of good safety so it was just a match to get through. The tables will have a new cloth tomorrow so hopefully it will be a better standard. It will be a different match against Ronnie anyway. If I take my chances I can beat him.”

Anthony McGill was suggested to speed up, not officially warned, by referee Marcel Eckaert for taking too long over his shot selection and this triggered a big discussion on twitter, with lots of pros thinking Marcel was out of order. Personally, I thought he was right actually. It is true that the conditions were heavy and the table very messy, so obviously caution and thinking time were needed, especially with a spot in the semi finals at stake. But still … at a point Anthony – who is not a slow player and certainly wasn’t doing this out of gamemanship – was taking really long over every shot and my feeling was that this was dragging both himself and Neil down. People were leaving the arena (even mid frame), my neighbour was playing some game on his phone and the one just in front of me was watching a video … And when he started playing a bit faster, Anthony’s game improved actually.

All detailed results are on Cuetracker as always.

Thanks to the sponsors once again for giving me the opportunity to watch every match.