Ronnie will face Luca Brecel later today in the quarter-finals of the 2021 English Open, after winning two matches yesterday.

In the afternoon he beat Anthony Hamilton by 4-3 in the last 32 round.

Here are the scores:

And the report by WST:

Thursday 4 Nov 2021 06:21PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan held off an Anthony Hamilton fightback to win 4-3 and secure his spot in the last 16 of the BetVictor English Open in Milton Keynes.

The Rocket is aiming for a first title since the 2020 World Championship this week, having lost five finals last season. Next up he faces Welshman Jamie Clarke in the last 16 this evening. Clarke defeated Thai number one Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4-1 this afternoon.

O’Sullivan opened up with breaks of 62 and 61 to take a 2-0 lead over Hamilton. The Sheriff of Pottingham then got his first frame on the board, before O’Sullivan moved one from victory at 3-1.

Hamilton refused to wilt and battled back into contention with breaks of 75 and 71 to force a decider. He then appeared to play a good safety at the beginning of the final frame, before O’Sullivan deposited an audacious long range red. He made 119 from it and secured his progression.

It was a hard match, but played in great spirit. Ronnie and Anthony go back a long way, they were practice partners, they both rate the other very high and are on friendly terms. they had a long chat at the end of the match.

Ronnie make quite a few unexpected mistakes, an, later, complained about his tip that made a “horrendous souds” … At 3-3 though he showed his will to win. The commentators reflected on his temperament, that is often seen as rather bad by many. They diagreed, saying that he was actually very brave, and sticking by his “trying to win” attitude… which implies “taking risks”.

Here they have a joke about the shot that initiated Ronnie’s match winning break

Ronnie however wasn’t happy with his tip …

and taunting his opponent as well…

But he did manage to fix the tip because he looked a different player in his last 16 match against Jamie Clarke. Here are the scores:

WST only produced a very short report:

Ronnie O’Sullivan narrowly missed out on a maximum break in the final frame of his 4-0 win over Jamie Clarke.

O’Sullivan looked to be in position to go for the 147 when he fell out of position on the final yellow, breaking down on 120. The six-time World Champion also composed breaks of 123 and 54 on his way to victory. Next up he will face Belgium’s Luca Brecel, who defeated Fraser Patrick 4-2.

Eurosport though gave a more detailed report of that match:

ENGLISH OPEN 2021 – RONNIE O’SULLIVAN WINS ALL FOUR AGAINST JAMIE CLARKE TO REACH QUARTER-FINALS

Former world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan is still in contention for the English Open title after he played and won his second game of the day on Thursday. Up against Jamie Clarke he won all four sets of the night, and narrowly missed out on a maximum break with his second century break, finishing on 120.

Ronnie O’Sullivan reached the quarter-finals of the English Open with a 4-0 win over Jamie Clarke on Thursday night.

The former world number one hit 50 or more in each of his four frames, and had an average shot time of just under 16 seconds as he raced around the table.

A break of 59 gave him a 73-18 win in the first frame, and that was the most Clarke would score in any frame of the match.

O’Sullivan then hit 123, unanswered, in the second frame to double his lead, before 54 in the third frame gave him an 82-1 secoreline.

Needing just one more frame for victory, O’Sullivan looked on course for a potential 147 before stumbling at 120, leaving Clarke with no chance for a comeback.

Discussing the failure to hit a maximum, he told Eurosport: “I’ve got a figure in my mind that if it’s that, then I’ll get it, so I’ll just let it roll over to the next one and we’ll get it up to a nice prize and then we’ll go for it.”

However later in the studio Neal Foulds confirmed after O’Sullivan had left that the roll over process was no longer in effect after the pandemic.

O’Sullivan was quizzed over the state of his tip, which had troubled him earlier in the tournament, but he seemed happier, saying: “It’s improved. But who knows? Tomorrow’s another day.”

While the venue was far from full, O’Sullivan cut a relaxed figure.

“I’m pleased to be here, pleased to still be here. Nice to be here. It’s a good venue, it’s a nice venue. This is one of the better ones.”

O’Sullivan will return to action in the last eight on Friday, when he plays Luca Brecel or Fraser Patrick.

The last 64 round concluded yesterday. It didn’t yield many real upsets. Amongst those who fell at that stage, we have Stuart Bingham, who has really struggled so far this season, Ali Carter, Gary Wilson, Cao Yupeng, who looks a bit fatigued after a terrific start of the season, Ricky Walden and Hossein Vafaei.

Allan Taylor withdrew for personal reasons.

Gary Wilson was beaten by Ben Woollaston who finally shows signs of coming back to a bit of form after a long time “in wilderness”.

Hossein Vafaei seems to suffer from a prolongued “hang-over” effect after his whitewash win over Ronnie. I find this very upsetting when one of my favourites – in any sport – gets beaten by someone who performs well on the day but does nothing afterwards.

Ricky Walden fell to an excellent Sunny Akani. I’m really pleased to see Sunny playing well again, but not happy to see Ricky go out early. I like them both.

Amongst those who did well is Mark Davis who beat Graeme Dott by 4-3 from 3-0 down. That’s some feat. Steven Hallworth also confirmed his good form: he beat Xia Guodong by 4-2.

On the other hand, I wonder what happened to Scott Donaldson who looks completely out of sorts since the “restart” of the season.

And finally, we have Ross Muir and Peter Deaville, two amateurs, who, at the time of writing are already through to the last 16.

Ross fell off the tour after serious health issues affected his vision, effectively making it almost impossible for him to play properly. I’m very happy to see him play well again. He’s a lovely lad and too good a player to be off the tour. He beat Wu Yize in the last 64 here, and then went on to whitewash Anthony McGill in the last 32!

Paul Deaville is the current under-16 English Champion. He only very recently turned 17. He whitewashed Mark Lloyd – replacing Mark Williams – in the held-over last 128 match, then beat the talended Chang Bingyu by 4-3 in the last 64 round, and, yesterday, got the better of Zhao Xintong by the same score. Both his Chinese opponents were the “highest scorers” in those matches, but young Paul seems to be a very hard match player, a rarety amongst the young ones nowadays. I will watch his matches on the ES player … when I find the time for it. As I wrote a couple of days ago, life is seriously coming in the way of snooker at the moment!

Anyway … here are the reports by WST:

Tuesday evening (it’s nearly all about John Higgins)

I’m a Better Player Than Ever – Higgins

John Higgins stated that he is hitting the ball better than ever before after his 4-0 win over Oliver Lines at the BetVictor English Open in Milton Keynes.

Scotland’s four-time World Champion Higgins has been in superb form so far this season. He defeated the likes of Mark Williams, David Gilbert and Yan Bingtao on a run to the final of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open. Higgins faced home favourite Mark Allen in the title match, but was on the wrong side of a 9-8 scoreline in an epic encounter.

The 31-time ranking event winner has a busy month ahead, with both the Cazoo Champion of Champions and the Cazoo UK Championship to come. At the latter, Higgins will be seeking a first Triple Crown title since his victory at the 2011 World Championship.

Higgins was in supreme touch this evening, shutting out his opponent with a blitz of breaks. He fired in contributions of 88, 88, 84 and 70 on his way to the 4-0 whitewash. Afterwards his contentment with his current form was clear to see. Higgins will face Lu Ning in the next round.

Higgins said: “I don’t think I’ve hit the ball better than I’ve done just now. I think I’m a better player. I don’t look back on my wins and things in the past, but right now with the way I feel in my game I think I’m as good a player as I’ve ever been and maybe even better I would say.

“It could be my outlook on the game or my outlook on life. I’m not putting pressure on myself and just going out there and enjoying it. I’ve got a good life now, so why would I get down on myself? That’s maybe what I’d put my form down to.

“I loved it in Belfast. I loved playing in the final against Mark. It was an unbelievable atmosphere. I just didn’t stand up to the pressure right at the very end. I had a big black to go for at 8-7 in front. I knew that was the shot and I just missed it. Even in the last frame I had a few good wee chances and I just didn’t control it. Mark did and every credit to him. It just makes you want to get back into those situations again as soon as possible.”

Chris Wakelin produced a fine display to whitewash seven-time World Champion Stephen Hendry 4-0.

The result avenges a 3-2 loss at the hands of Hendry at the British Open. Wakelin made breaks of 135, 141 and 85 en route to an emphatic victory.

Fergal O’Brien scored a surprise 4-3 win against 2015 World Champion Stuart Bingham, while Sunny Akani defeated Ricky Walden 4-3.

Wednesday morning/afternoon

this one is mainly about Ronnie except this small part

Shaun Murphy bounced back from 2-0 down to beat Joe O’Connor 4-2. The Magician fired in breaks of 89 and 138 to turn the tie around. He now faces Fraser Patrick in the last 32.

David Gilbert made breaks of 101, 109 and 53 on his way to a 4-1 win over Martin O’Donnell. Next up is an intriguing clash with Yan Bingtao.

Yan defeated Nigel Bond 4-1, while his Chinese compatriot Ding Junhui beat fellow countryman Tian Pengfei 4-1.

About Ronnie … you’ll find it here

Now about what’s coming in the next couple of days …

Judd Trump is set to face Ross Muir, an amateur, in his next match today (L16), and should he win, he”ll face either Mark King, ranked 59th and not a particularly heavy scorer, or Paul Deaville a 17 years old amateur in the QFs. It’s fair to say that he’s got an easy draw up to the SFs, where he could play Neil Robertson or his “good friend” Kyren Wilson.

The players in the other half of the draw will play two matches today, and that half is loaded: Mark Selby, John Higgins, Ding Junhui, David Gilbert, Yan Bingtao, Shaun Murphy … plus Luca Brecel who looks in great form.

After a “rushed” start of the match, and losing the first error-strewn frame, Ronnie ran to an easy victory yesterday afternoon. Here are the scores:

And here is the report by WST:

Rocket Shut Out Seals Win

Ronnie O’Sullivan produced an unanswered blitz of 461 points to storm to a 4-1 win over Michael Georgiou at the BetVictor English Open in Milton Keynes.

O’Sullivan arrived at the venue with just seven minutes to go before this afternoon’s match and didn’t click straight into gear, with Georgiou edging a shaky first frame.

However, from there six-time World Champion O’Sullivan prevented his opponent from registering a single point for the remainder of the tie. Breaks of 82, 127, 129 and 108 saw him storm over the line.

The run of 461 points without reply falls short of his own record of 556, set against Ricky Walden at the 2014 Masters.

Next up 45-year-old O’Sullivan faces former practice partner Anthony Hamilton in the last 32.

O’Sullivan said: “I played with Anthony on the amateur circuit and now on the pro circuit. I used to pick balls out for him on the practice table. He was phenomenal and still is. It is good for you to play with someone like that, because it rubs off on you. He was a great practice partner. He’s won the German Masters and had a very good career. It is a compliment that he should really have won more. He is a heavy scorer.

“I felt nervous at the start today. I was over having something to eat and the game before was 4-2 all of a sudden. I had to rush over and had seven minutes to get ready. I kept trying to settle, as it was just a matter of time to go from chilling out and relaxing to really being focused. I feel like I’m cueing alright, so there is some good snooker in there.

“I’m loving my running at the moment. That is the one thing I’ll do until I die. I want to be buried in my running trainers and my leggings. That’s what I want, because I love it. I’m addicted to the gym and training at the moment. I must be spending four or five hours a day in the gym, having a spa, training and running.”

Ronnie has the uttermost respect for Anthony Hamilton and will certainly not do anything silly whilst playing him this afternoon. Should he win, he’s due to face the winner of Tepchaiya Un-nooh v Jamie Clarke in the last session this evening. It might be a long day…

Regarding Ronnie’s “rush” to the venue, Phil Haigh reports this… 

Ronnie O’Sullivan ‘would rather be docked a frame than let snooker disturb his kebab’

Phil Haigh Wednesday 3 Nov 2021 

Ronnie O’Sullivan says he was enjoying a kebab lunch until shortly before his English Open match on Wednesday, and he would rather be docked a frame than let snooker disturb his day in future.

The Rocket lost the first frame of his second round match with Michael Georgiou, looking very ropy in the process, but then quickly found his form and surged to victory in style.

Breaks of 82, 127, 129 and 108 were vintage O’Sullivan as he soared to a 4-1 win and set up a last 32 meeting with Anthony Hamilton.

The six-time world champion put his erratic performance in the first frame down to an extremely enjoyable lunch across the road, one he was in no rush to leave.

O’Sullivan did make it to the table in time, but says he would happily start the match 1-0 down having had a good lunch, than be rushed to start the match at 0-0.

‘I literally turned up, I had seven minutes to go and I still had my jeans and trainers on, I just quickly put my gear on,’ said the Rocket. ‘I was all over the gaff to be honest. I was like, “what am I doing?” I should have been meditating 20 minutes ago, I knew I was going to be a rabbit in the headlights.”

‘I’d rather be docked a frame and enjoy my day and be late than sit around thinking I might be on at 2pm but end up going on at 4.30pm. I’m not going to be in a good frame of mind, I’d rather be 1-0 down and have a really good day, then say, “let’s play.” I fancy my chances more when I’m in a good frame of mind.

‘I don’t care. I’m not going to be sitting around for maybe 2pm, maybe 3pm, maybe 4pm, getting the hump, ruining my day, it’s just not worth it.

‘I was just over the kebab shop with my friends having a good time, putting the world to rights. I thought I better go now because he [Shaun Murphy]’s just won. I’d rather do that or be late for the match, miss the first frame, I’d rather be 1-0 down and in a good place than 0-0 and want to smash my cue into a hundred pieces.

‘I got to finish my kebab, my baklava, I got to do a lot of stuff, it was a long lunch.’

O’Sullivan returns to the baize on Thursday afternoon against Anthony Hamilton in the last 32.

As much as Ronnie loves his food, and believe me he does, I don’t really buy it… because the fact is that he did rush to be there in time. But, ok, this was likely a bit of steaming out after the match and it made for a good story 😉

Phil Haigh also reported on Ronnie’s stance regarding (not) playing in qualifiers:

Ronnie O’Sullivan rules out playing in qualifiers again unless promoters ‘pay for that privilege’

Phil Haigh Tuesday 2 Nov 2021 

Ronnie O’Sullivan does not intend to play in qualifiers for tournaments anymore, unless promoters are willing to ‘pay for the privilege’ of him doing so.

The Rocket caused a stir in the German Masters qualifiers last month when he was beaten 5-0 by Hossein Vafaei, smashing the pack of reds from his break-off in the last frame.

Clearly not engaged in the match, at least by that point, the six-time world champion says he has had enough of going to play separate, behind-closed-doors matches away from the main venue.

The 45-year-old sees the ‘hassle’ of going to separate qualifiers that are not part of the main tournament as just too much for him to go through at this stage of his career and he has put an end to it.

‘I won’t do that again, because it’s a lot of hassle to pack your bags and go just to play one or two games,’ he said. ‘I won’t do that unless a promoter wants to put a sizeable cheque in the bank account and then I’ll take two days out of my life.

‘It’s actually a day travelling, a day travelling back, a day playing and I just haven’t got those days to waste just to go and play one or two games.

‘In future, if that’s the set-up, if a promoter wants me to be in the tournament then he would have to pay for that privilege because I’m not prepared to do that again because time’s too valuable.

‘I haven’t played one of those qualifying matches for five or six years, I can’t remember the last time I played one. It was just because it was the pandemic so I thought, “sod it I might as well enter everything because there’s no China tournaments on.” But no I wouldn’t do that again, no.’

O’Sullivan says his decision is made now and it would take another pandemic for him to change his mind.

‘It’s nothing to do with the venue,’ he said at the English Open. ‘It’s just all the hassle. Pack your bag, get on the train, get someone to meet you the other end, get in the hotel, unpack, play one or two games.

‘I just can’t justify the effort for the reward, it’s just not worth it. Unless a tournament is played from start to finish…like I said I’m on holidays, I’m here all week whether I win or not. If I lose I’m on Eurosport, I’ve got my running sorted, got some nice food, I’m going to have a fantastic week.

‘Whereas the qualifiers, you can’t really get into it, rushing about, I felt like a scene out of Planes, Trains and Automobiles the other day. Felt like Steve Martin at the checkout, “Where’s my car?!?”

‘I can’t do this, mate. Life’s too good to put myself through that sort of stuff.

‘You make the odd mistake. Took me five years to make that mistake again it’ll probably take me 10 years to make that mistake again. It might take me 10 years to slip back into a bad decision.’

That’s nothing really new. Ronnie never did well in qualifiers in recent years. He just can’t commit to them. He earned his ticket out of the qualifiers in 1993 by winning the UK Championship, beating the then all-dominant Stephen Hendry in the final. Ronnie was only 17. For many years, until Hearn came into power, he never had to play any qualifiers, he was always seeded at the venue.  Now in his 30th year as a pro, about to turn 46 and still ranked third in the World, he probably feels that he shouldn’t have to play in an uninspiring environment in front of no one. But I’m convinced that he will still do it, if necessary, for the big Chinese events when/if they return.

Most matches played yesterday were “last 128” qualifying matches held-over  to the venue. All of the top 16 had their matches held-over and three of them were beaten: Stephen Maguire, Jack Lisoski and Mark Allen.

Here are the reports by WST:

Morning and afternoon sessions

Trump Off To Winning Start

Defending champion Judd Trump secured a comfortable 4-1 win over Matthew Selt in the opening round of the BetVictor English Open in Milton Keynes.

The Ace in the Pack lifted the title here 12 months ago to a very different backdrop. Due to the pandemic, there were no fans on site to witness Trump win a thrilling final with Neil Robertson 9-8. Last year’s victory was the first of five titles for Trump at a behind closed doors Marshall Arena. Today’s action has seen the World Snooker Tour welcome spectators in Milton Keynes for the first time.

Trump has shown incredible consistency in the during the five year history of the Home Nations Series. He has now played 71 best of seven matches in the series and won 65 of them. Trump holds the record for most Home Nations titles on four.

The 2019 World Champion asserted his authority in the early stages this afternoon, composing breaks of 90, 53 and 73 to establish a 3-0 advantage. Selt kept himself in the running by taking the fourth with a run of 89. However, a century break of 109 from Trump wrapped up the tie. He now faces Jimmy Robertson up next.

Trump said: “It felt unrecognisable out there. It is the same driving up and staying in the hotel, but out in the arena just feels completely different. It felt a lot more like a really big event. Even though it is the same tournament as last year, it is so special having the crowd there and that is something that I really missed.

“I was really proud of what I achieved last season, but I wasn’t taking a lot of enjoyment out of the events. I just became a robot that was used to winning. It became a habit. I’d drive home, my brother would greet me for ten minutes and I’d go to bed. That was it. There was no special feeling. I wasn’t ungrateful, but it didn’t mean that much to me. Now having crowds back and seeing how much it meant to Mark Allen winning in Northern Ireland has really got me up for this season. I’d love to be able to get out there winning again.”

World Champion Mark Selby got his campaign underway with a 4-2 defeat of Sanderson Lam.

Selby is guaranteed to overhaul Trump and become world number one at the end of this event, regardless of the outcome. That is because Trump’s prize money for winning the 2019 World Open and 2019 Northern Ireland Open will fall off his ranking.

Selby made breaks of 90, 119 and 73 on his way to victory today. He faces teenager Jamie Wilson in the second round.

Stuart Bingham defeated three-time women’s World Champion Ng On Yee 4-1, while Shaun Murphy edged out Duane Jones 4-3.

Kyren Wilson scored a whitewash 4-0 win against Noppon Saengkham and Mark Joyce defeated Jack Lisowski 4-3.

What Judd Trump says about the crowd and how it’s a huge factor in his motivation is quite interesting, in particular regarding the way it affected his mood even when not in tournament situation.

Evening sessions

Rocket Off To A Flyer

Ronnie O’Sullivan eased to a 4-1 win over amateur David Lilley to earn his place in the second round of the BetVictor English Open in Milton Keynes.

The six-time World Champion is aiming for a first title in over a year this week, his last silverware came at the 2020 World Championship. O’Sullivan did reach five finals last season, but was defeated in each of them.

He came to Milton Keynes off the back of a out of sorts showing at the recent BetVictor German Masters qualifying in Cannock. The 37-time ranking event winner succumbed to a 5-0 whitewash defeat against Iranian number one Hossein Vafaei.

Lilley started fastest this evening and a runs of 55 and 34 gave him a surprise early lead. However, 45-year-old O’Sullivan racked up four frames on the bounce, including runs of 65, 58, 80 and 100, to storm over the line a 4-1 victor. Next up he faces Cypriot Michael Georgiou.

Afterwards the Rocket praised Milton Keynes and the Marshall Arena for hosting the circuit during the pandemic.

O’Sullivan told Eurosport: “I like Milton Keynes. It was good to us last year. To have the crowds in here, the table was playing well and they got excited. I suppose it must have been frustrating for the local people to have snooker here all year and not be able to come. It is nice to be able to bring a tournament back here. We were here so much last year and the fans didn’t get to come and see it, at least the locals have been able to support the tournament.

“I’ve gone back to the John Higgins cue action. I know it might not look the same, but if you can replicate in your head what he is doing. I have a bit more touch and feel and it is a bit more compact. He plays the snooker I’d like to play. I’ve always believed your technique dictates how you hit the ball.”

Luca Brecel produced a fine display to defeat recent BetVictor Northern Ireland Open winner Mark Allen 4-1.

Belgium’s Brecel composed breaks of 64, 73 and 68 on his way to victory. He faces Stuart Carrington in round two.

Scotland’s four-time World Champion John Higgins earned a comfortable 4-1 win over Zhao Jianbo.

Higgins, who was runner-up to Allen at the Northern Ireland Open, top scored with a run of 135 in this evening’s win and will play Oliver Lines up next.

Neil Robertson whitewashed Andy Hicks 4-0, while Tom Ford defeated Alexander Ursenbacher 4-0.

More on Ronnie’s first round win here.

There was, of course a bit of controversy, there always is… 

Kyren Wilson threatens to play naked after being snubbed by snooker bosses

Kyren Wilson has been left angry that his exploits haven’t managed to get him onto the main TV table – with Ding Junhui’s match preferred to his victory over Noppon Saengkham at the English Open

Kyren Wilson has angrily claimed snooker bosses are black-balling him from the main TV table – despite his lofty world No5 ranking.

The Warrior whitewashed Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham 4-0 at the English Open in Milton Keynes.

But Wilson, 29, was seething about being shunted on to table two at the expense of world No10 Ding Junhui from China.

The morning start meant the match involving Asian superstar would be shown at primetime in his home country – but Wilson says he is regularly overlooked and banished “to the sticks”.

Wilson fumed: “You have seen it there today, I am the higher-ranked player and I am on table two. I don’t know what’s going on there but it would be nice to have my fair share.

“It’s getting boring seeing the same faces every single session, and I might have to play naked to get on the main table!

“At some point these guys are going to retire, they won’t be where they are now.

“So maybe they should be giving me and others a bit of help to get our faces out there more and get new characters in the game. You won’t get that this way. So that’s a bit of a gripe.

“It feels like right now being world No5 stands for nothing. You are in the top bracket of the game but what does that mean if you’re out in the sticks all the time and not on the showbiz table.

“I am looking to be back at the big Triple Crown tournaments again, and being back on table one.

“I seem to be spending all of my time on table two and table three and on the graveyard shifts.

“And I want to be back on table one where I feel like a world No5 should do. It does give you a huge advantage, as that table plays differently to all the other tables.

“So to keep getting put on table two it’s hard to keep going from one thing to another and adapting. I think the more I can get on there, the stronger I’ll be.

“It is one of the reasons that your top legends and the same faces are always doing well, because they are so used to it and so comfortable with it.”

World Snooker Tour confirmed that a player’s ranking does have a big bearing on which table they are put on for any given session.

However the governing body also stressed other factors can come into play – including commercial considerations.

Ding status in China, and his role in the development of snooker in his country are of course important commercial considerations. I remember one occasion at the Masters where the afternoon and evening matches were swapped last minute so that Ding could play at “evening time” in China rather than in the middle of the night. I’m not sure the ticket holders were all that happy but there you have it…

Anyway … here goes and there were studio reactions from Judd and Ronnie

After his poor display in the 2022 German Masters qualifiers, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Ronnie, but I’m pleased with what I saw yesterday.

Ronnie beat David Lilley by 4-1 to book his place in the last 64 of the 2021 English Open, where he will face Michael Georgiou. That match is scheduled to be played tomorrow afternoon.

Here are the scores of yesterday’s match

David Lilley is a solid player, he’s the current World Seniors Champion. As an amateur, he has won the English Amateur Championship three times andhas been EBSA European Champion. He’s dangerous and Ronnie looked vulnerable in the first frame.

After that however, Ronnie played well. He looked focused and didn’t rush anything. His long potting was excellent (100%), his pot succcess was above 95% and his safety was good as well. There was only one weaker point, the break-off … as ever.

Here is the report by WST:

Rocket Off To A Flyer

Ronnie O’Sullivan eased to a 4-1 win over amateur David Lilley to earn his place in the second round of the BetVictor English Open in Milton Keynes.

The six-time World Champion is aiming for a first title in over a year this week, his last silverware came at the 2020 World Championship. O’Sullivan did reach five finals last season, but was defeated in each of them.

He came to Milton Keynes off the back of a out of sorts showing at the recent BetVictor German Masters qualifying in Cannock. The 37-time ranking event winner succumbed to a 5-0 whitewash defeat against Iranian number one Hossein Vafaei.

Lilley started fastest this evening and a runs of 55 and 34 gave him a surprise early lead. However, 45-year-old O’Sullivan racked up four frames on the bounce, including runs of 65, 58, 80 and 100, to storm over the line a 4-1 victor. Next up he faces Cypriot Michael Georgiou.

Afterwards the Rocket praised Milton Keynes and the Marshall Arena for hosting the circuit during the pandemic.

O’Sullivan told Eurosport: “I like Milton Keynes. It was good to us last year. To have the crowds in here, the table was playing well and they got excited. I suppose it must have been frustrating for the local people to have snooker here all year and not be able to come. It is nice to be able to bring a tournament back here. We were here so much last year and the fans didn’t get to come and see it, at least the locals have been able to support the tournament.

“I’ve gone back to the John Higgins cue action. I know it might not look the same, but if you can replicate in your head what he is doing. I have a bit more touch and feel and it is a bit more compact. He plays the snooker I’d like to play. I’ve always believed your technique dictates how you hit the ball.”

The quotes about Milton Keynes definitely suggest that Ronnie is in a better frame of mind. Hopefully it lasts. The part about John Higgins cue action is interesting as well. You can’t improvise a change of cue action. Ronnie has put some work in ahead of this tournament and it showed.

Phil Haigh though reports on Ronnie’s retirement plans … but it’s not going to happen tomorrow

Ronnie O’Sullivan reveals retirement plan and idea for ‘swansong around the world’

Phil Haigh Monday 1 Nov 2021 

Ronnie O’Sullivan has set out his plan for retirement, saying he intends to play in three more World Championships and then head out on a global tour playing for his fans.

The Rocket made relatively short work of David Lilley in the first round of the English Open on Monday, setting up a second round clash with Michael Georgiou on Wednesday.

His thoughts were not really on the tournament after the win, though, looking years ahead rather than days as he contemplated hanging up his cue.

The six-time world champion feels detached from the sport, a decision he consciously made around seven years ago, but one that means he feels he is now nearing the end of his playing days.

‘Once you’re detached you’re detached,’ O’Sullivan told Metro.co.uk. ‘If you’re in it then every tournament’s a big tournament, I wanted to win everything years ago but now I’m totally detached.

‘I’m not interested in that, I just go out there and play. Treat it like a good holiday and enjoy myself everywhere I go.’

Asked whether he could reattach himself to the game at which he is considered the greatest of all time, O’Sullivan believes there is a way, but it is very unlikely and instead he has set out his path to retirement.

‘If the game took off in China and it got exciting and every tournament was a very, very good tournament then I’d be prepared to invest my time for the year and focus on being a very good snooker player,’ he said. ‘But I don’t see that happening.

‘So if I get another three World Championships, I’ve got a goal to keep me playing for at least another three World Championships.

‘Once that comes it might be a good time, I’ll be 49 then, it might be a good time to focus on other things I’ve got going on and just focus on them.

‘While I’m able to just mess about with the game and get a few results then it’s alright. Listen, if I wasn’t getting any results I probably wouldn’t even play at all because I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself or get to the point I was that bad that people say, “what’s he doing still playing?”’

The 45-year-old is not just thinking about the last few years of his competitive snooker, but intends to put on a show beyond that, plotting a global extravaganza, lasting at least two years.

‘At the end of the day, once I do finish playing I’ll probably do a two or three year swansong going round the world,’ he explained. ‘Just playing snooker for the fans as a testimonial, I’d enjoy that.

‘I do enjoy playing it’s just when you’re at a tournament you’ve got to be prepared to hurt out there and I don’t want to hurt, I’m not invested in it enough to want to go through that. I’m in a good place, that’s important as well.’

O’Sullivan’s believes that his desire to genuinely compete with the other top players in the world has ebbed away, and while he can still play to an exceptional standard, he will not be expelling any pints of blood over it.

‘My heart’s gone out of it,’ he said. ‘Even me turning up and slinging me cue at  a few balls, I’m still good enough to be a top eight player.

‘That’s me just playing outrageous exhibition snooker. I’m not prepared to do a [Mark] Selby and grind it out. I don’t care that much. There isn’t a player in the world that I’d want to be, for all the effort they put in for what they get out, I just think, “you can keep that one mate.”’

Such has his passion been drained, that the 37-time ranking event winner is treating snooker more like a job than he ever has, motivated as much to rustle up commercial deals as he is to win more silverware.

‘I’m really not that bothered,’ he said. ‘I just go out there and treat it like an exhibition match, hit a few balls and it serves a purpose, it’s okay, it’s alright.

‘My agent said to me it’s a lot easier to do commercial deals for me while I’m playing snooker so I’ve got to show up and play, but I’m very, very detached from it.

‘As long as I play alright now and again and for an old bloke put in a few decent performances and do myself half justice, that’s all I need to do.

‘There’s nothing left to prove and there’s nothing left in snooker that excites me. The hunger and desire has gone. Seven or eight years ago I decided that snooker wasn’t something I wanted to fully embrace but I had to at least try and work for me and treat it like a job.

‘I don’t get upset if I lose, I don’t get too excited if I win either. I’m not prepared to break my balls. If it’s going well great, if it’s not then an early bath is not too bad either.’

Given the hour of publication (around 9:30 pm) , I can only suppose that this interview was done before yesterday’s math. That Ronnie’s intensity isn’t  anymore what it once was , we all know it, the signs are there for all to see, but he certainly didn’t play like someone who is totally detached yesterday. My guess is that, although that’s how he sees it when away from the table, once he is at the table, more often than not the competitive beast within wakes up. It never goes away. I’ve seen it countless times in Seniors events. It doesn’t matter how far from their best they are, once at the table, the great champions of the past are still competitive, the desire to win is still there.

I have put one bit in bold. Seven or eight years ago, bring us back around the time of the 2014 defeat to Mark Selby at the Crucible. That one hurt badly, really badly, and I can imagine that it is a natural thing for the human mind to try to protect itself from further huge pain. I guess that winning the world in 2020, beating Mark Selby in the semi-final, and the way he beat him happened, provided Ronnie a kind of “closure”, but at the same time left him a bit “empty” if that makes sense.

That said… three World Championships… that’s minimum two and a half seasons. Knowing Ronnie he’ll change his mind at least 30 times until we get there! 😂😉 for better or worse, time will tell …

Here is (part of) the actual interview …

The European Masters qualifiers concluded yesterday. Of the 12 members of the top 16 who needed to qualify, three failed to do so: Mark Allen, Stephen Maguire and Stuart Bingham.

Mark Allen though didn’t play badly at all: he was beaten by an inspired Sunny Akani in a match that featured 8 breaks over 50 – 4 each – and two centuries, a 136 by Allen and a 135 by Akani. Mark was full of praise for his younger opponent. He was impressed both by Sunny’s game, and Sunny’s endearing personality.

John Higgins was made to work very hard to overcome Chris Wakelin. It’s a shame for Chris that he had to face John Higgins, because he’s playing his best snooker for a long time.

Anthony McGill, Ricky Walden and Andrew Higginson all “confirmed” their recent return to form as well.

Wu Yize had an excellent win against Michael Holt: their match also featured 8 breaks over 50 in the 9 frames. Wu’s win quite incredibly attracted scorn on twitter from someone who, on the other hand, regularly praises some British young prostects. Allegedly Wu – and all the young Chinese (sic)- are “one dimensional” and only “good potters”. The bare facts are that Wu, who only just turned 18 two weeks ago, is in his first year as a pro and has won 5 of the 8 matches he’s played. One of the young Brits getting regular praise in his second year as a pro and has only won 2 matches in 28 he’s played…  Don’t get me wrong, being a pro is not easy, and there may be circumstances that we don’t know about, that prevent the young man to deliver his full potential for the time being. I wish him well. What really annoys me is the total lack of objectivity shown by some British fans – you know who you are – who always downplay the Asian players’ successes and never give them the recognition they deserve.

Other than than, the English Open is underway, with mainly the held-over matches today.

Ahead of the event, Ronnie has answered some fans’ questions