Other than Ronnie winning his opening match, here is what happened yesterday as reported by WST:

Afternoon session:

BetVictor Scottish Open champion Luca Brecel continued his tremendous run of form as he beat Jordan Brown 4-1 with top runs of 100, 57, 88 and 105. The Belgian has now won 14 of his last 15 matches.

“Everything came easy to me today, even before the match I knew I was going to play well,” said Brecel, who will now face Jimmy Robertson, a 4-2 winner over Matthew Selt. “I felt relaxed and played freely with no pressure, I expected everything to go in. That shows how important confidence is.

“Earlier this season I tried to figure out what I needed to do to get better results, because I was going nowhere. I have been playing with more focus and intensity, which has helped me to stop missing easy balls. And I am taking a more professional approach to the game.”

Luca played very well indeed. He will play Jimmy Robertson who got the better of a rather out-of-sorts Matt Selt. Jimmy Robertson could be a top player if he manages to improve his safety game.

Evening session:

Ford Sinks Trump In Black-Ball Thriller

Defending champion Judd Trump suffered a second round exit at the Cazoo World Grand Prix as he missed two crucial balls a dramatic deciding frame and lost 4-3 to Tom Ford.

Trump won this tournament in 2015, 2019 and 2020 but the world number two surprisingly failed to take chances at the business end of tonight’s clash in Coventry, finishing 2021 on a low note. The Bristolian hasn’t won a ranking title since March, though he did lift the trophy at last month’s Cazoo Champion of Champions.

Ford knocked out John Higgins in round one and claimed another major scalp in booking a quarter-final Leicester derby against Mark Selby on Thursday evening.

From 2-0 down, world number 23 Ford made breaks of 133 and 65 to recover to 2-2. Trump regained the lead, but at the end of a scrappy sixth frame he missed a tough long pot on the final green, allowing Ford to level at 3-3.

In the decider, leading 36-0, Trump rattled the pink in the jaws of one top corner, and later at 51-9 he failed to pot the black to the other top pocket when he was just a few balls from victory. The frame came down to the last red, and Ford converted an excellent long pot to set up a cool clearance. The black was close to a side cushion but he nudged it free in potting the pink, then rolled the final ball into a centre pocket.

“You don’t usually get two chances in a whole match against Judd, so I was surprised to get two in the last frame,” admitted Ford. “We both felt nervy and I was lucky he let me off because I thought I was going home. On the last red, I could have played safe, but I knew I should have a go at it.

“I was useless for the first two frames, then something clicked and I got back into it, then I went back to being awful. It was a strange match. My game doesn’t feel good, but the balls are going in.”

Selby beat Mark Allen 4-2 with top breaks of 85 and 78. It has been a poor season so far for World Champion Selby, by his high standards, but he is now into the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the first time this term. A deep run will boost his position on the one-year ranking list, with only two more counting events to come before the cut-off for the 16-man Cazoo Players Championship.

Masters champion Yan Bingtao beat Martin Gould 4-0 with a top break of 57 and the Chinese ace now meets Neil Robertson, who saw off Anthony Hamilton 4-1 with top breaks of 108 and 74.

So the man who claims that Ronnie can’t buy a ranking title win to save his own life, can’t even buy a ranking semi-final himself it seems. He hasn’t got past the QF in any ranking event since early March when he won the “all-best-of-seven” 2021 Gibraltar Open.

Yan Bingtao didn’t score particularly heavily but played excellent solid snooker to whitewash Martin Gould.

Ronnie won his last 32 match at the World Grand Prix, beating Andy Hicks by 4-1 in an error-strewn match. To his own admission Ronnie endulged in a rather unorthodox, albeit delicious preparation for this match. 

Here are the scores:

And the report by WST:

O’Sullivan Is Cream Of The Crop

Ronnie O’Sullivan was scoffing scones just before his match with Cream of Devon Andy Hicks at the Cazoo World Grand Prix, but still enjoyed a sweet 4-1 victory as he tea-d up a second round meeting with Hossein Vafaei.

O’Sullivan, seeking his first title since the 2020 Betfred World Championship, is into the last 16 at the Coventry Building Society Arena and has a strategy in place for his pre-match warm-up.

“I only got to the venue about ten minutes before the game today,” said the 46-year-old. “If there is a Marks & Spencer around with a cafe I can never resist the scones with clotted cream and a cup of tea. I managed to arrive just in time. It was a nice crowd today and a great venue, it’s good to be here.”

World number three O’Sullivan is playing in his fifth tournament within the past six weeks and has plenty of matches under his belt having reached two semi-finals and two quarter-finals in the previous four events.

“When I started this run of tournaments, I just looked on it like a road trip,” he said. “I have really enjoyed it. I have just had two days in a spa, getting treatments and massages. I actually feel more tired for doing nothing, I am so relaxed it’s hard to get going. Hopefully after a day here I will liven up a bit.”

The Rocket was far from his best today, but when he made errors, Cazoo UK Championship quarter-finalist Hicks failed to punish him. At 2-1 down, Hicks had chances to square the match, but couldn’t take them, and O’Sullivan eventually won that frame with an excellent 39 clearance which included difficult pots on the last red and the yellow, along the baulk cushion. He then sealed the result in frame five with a break of 60, his highest of the match.

On Thursday afternoon  he will face Iran’s Vafaei, who scored an impressive 4-1 win over Gary Wilson, his top break 119.

And a slightly more detailed one by Phil Haigh:

Ronnie O’Sullivan enjoying spas and scones on snooker road trip to World Grand Prix

Phil Haigh Wednesday 15 Dec 2021 

Ronnie O’Sullivan said an over-relaxing spa and some pre-match scones could have been behind his below-par performance at the World Grand Prix on Wednesday, despite beating Andy Hicks 4-1.

It was not a match to remember in the first round of the Grand Prix, with neither man playing very well, until O’Sullivan finally clicked into gear in the final frame, knocking in a break of 60 to clinch the victory.

The Rocket initially joked that it was an excellent display from him, but then suggested he has been chilling out a little too much before the start of the event.

It has been a hectic time on the snooker calendar in recent weeks, with this being the fourth event with no break in between since the Champion of Champions began on 15 November.

O’Sullivan wanted to relax given the busy schedule, but might need to wake up again before his next game.

‘I thought it was a fabulous performance by me,’ O’Sullivan said with a grin on ITV4. ‘I was just trying to pot balls, that’s what you’ve got to do at this game and I managed to pot a few at the end and nick a few at the start, it was alright.

“Andy wasn’t as good as he has been so that was a bit lucky for me.

‘When I started four weeks ago, I just looked on it like a road trip, go away, have a bit of fun and that’s what I’ve done. I have really enjoyed it.

‘I’ve just had two days in Champneys spa getting treatments and facials and feet massages.

‘I feel even more tired for doing nothing, it’s weird, I feel so relaxed it’s hard to get going, so hopefully a day here will get me a bit more livened up a bit.’

Not only were facials and massages dulling the Rocket’s senses, but a cream tea just before picking up his cue can’t have helped matters either.

‘I literally only got to the venue about ten minutes before the match. I was over at Marks & Spencer’s having a nice scone and a cup of tea,’ he said.

‘If there is a Marks & Spencer around with a cafe I can never resist the scones with clotted cream and a cup of tea. I managed to get here just before. It was a nice crowd today and a great venue, it’s good to be here.

‘I’m not getting paid by Marks & Spencers by the way, I wish I was.’

O’Sullivan will have to be sharper when he returns to the table in Coventry against Hossein Vafaei in the second round on Thursday.

The Iranian impressed in a 4-1 win over Gary Wilson on Wednesday and has already walloped the Rocket 5-0 this season.

Indeed, if Ronnie doesn’t re-focus and improve significantly, another 5-0 walloping could be on the cards. That said there were good things in this match too. He could have won it 4-0, and may have done if frame three hadn’t been interrupted because a member of the audience was taken ill. Ronnie’s concentration truly had drifted away when they resumed. We shall see. Maybe the relaxing break will do him good.

Anyway…

here is the frame winning clearance in to go 3-1 up

and here is the end of the match:

and finally

This is WST report on the second day at the 2021 World Grand Prix:

Relieved Robertson Back After Health Scare

Neil Robertson felt as if he was “walking on a bouncy castle” just days ago when he suffered from pulsatile tinnitus, but his health is much improved and his game remains in good shape as he proved with a 4-0 drubbing of Noppon Saengkham in the first round of the Cazoo World Grand Prix.

Pulsatile tinnitus is a rhythmic throbbing at the same rate as the heart beat, heard in both ears. Fortunately for Australia’s Robertson, he seems to be through the worst of this unpleasant condition.

“It has been a tough couple of weeks,” explained the 39-year-old. “I was building up for the defence of the UK Championship, then on the eve of it, this cropped up. Even if I had won my first match there I would have had to withdraw. For the next few days I felt as if I was walking on a bouncy castle, my balance was all over the place. They put me on steroids for a week and I had to pull out of the Scottish Open.

Robertson won this event in 2020

“I still have a a little bit of ringing in the ears in the morning, but nowhere near as bad as it was. And the pulsing has stopped, with my heart racing a million beats a minute for no reason. Hopefully it stays the way it is now.

“For the past week I have been able to practise. I tried to gradually extend my practice time, bit by bit during the week. I was a still a bit dizzy until the last five or six days when I was back to normal. I’m happy to be in this event because it’s a fantastic tournament to be involved in.”

There were few flaws in Robertson’s game on the table as the former World Champion knocked in breaks of 54, 65 and 100 in a comfortable win over Saengkham. His next opponent will be Anthony Hamilton.

Defending champion Judd Trump recovered from a slow start to beat Ben Woollaston 4-2. A break of 90 put Woollaston 2-1 ahead, before world number two Trump took three in a row with top breaks of 60 and 53.

Trump’s next opponent is Tom Ford, who scored a surprise 4-2 win over John Higgins. Over the past two months, Higgins has contested four finals but lost all four, most recently his BetVictor Scottish Open clash with Luca Brecel last Sunday.

And this time Scotland’s Higgins fell at the first hurdle, losing a high quality contest against Leicester’s Ford. A run of 75 gave Ford the opening frame, then Higgins won two of the next three with breaks of 66 and 81. Ford, a semi-finalist in this event in 2020, shut his opponent out from 2-2, making 71 and 130 to take the last two frames.

World Champion Mark Selby battled to a 4-1 success over Barry Hawkins. Selby is yet to reach the quarter-finals of any ranking event this season, but will make the last eight this time if he beats Mark Allen. Hawkins missed the final pink at the end of a 47-minute opening frame, allowing Selby to go 1-0 ahead. A break of 76 drew Hawkins level, but Selby dominated the remainder of the match, taking the last three frames with a top break of 51.

Stephen Maguire won a Glasgow derby against Anthony McGill by a 4-0 scoreline, though it was a fragmented match with only one break over 50: a 64 from Maguire in frame two. In the second round, Maguire will face Jack Lisowski.

Ali Carter top scored with 77 in a 4-1 win over David Gilbert, while Stuart Bingham edged out Ricky Walden 4-3 with best breaks of 96, 65, 93 and 124. Allen saw off Cao Yupeng 4-1 with a top break of 114.

Tinnitus is a very “uncomfortable” condition with the loss of balance and constant noise in the ears. It played a big part in former player Joe Swail’s game decline and ultimately it forced Joe to retire. I’m stating the obvious but it’s important that the cause of Neil’s tinnitus is found so that it can be treated. One possible cause is anemia. Neil is a vegan and has been for many years. He might need to look at his diet and make sure he gets all the nutrients and supplements he needs.

John Higgins didn’t play well at all yesterday. He looked tired and probably was tired. He made it to four finals in the last two months and lost them all, it’s bound to take its toll especially as John at 46 isn’t that young anymore in the context of professional sport. Tom ford took full advantage.

Ben Woollaston missed the boat. He was on top of Judd Trump at 2-1, and first in the balls in the next. At that point Judd looked a bit rattled and anxious in his seat. Ben missed an absolute sitter early in frame four, allowing Judd to come back to the table and draw level. It completely changed the feel of the match and the mindset of both players. Judd hasn’t gone past the QF in any ranking event this season. He bowed out in the last 32 in York and in the last 16 in Llandudno. He will NOT be tired. His next opponent, Tom Ford, is an excellent player but his temperament under pressure isn’t the best …

Anthony McGill has admitted that he finds it hard to get motivated for the “lesser” events. It has shown in his results this season so far, with early exits in everything but the UK Championship and the Scottish Open. Neither he nor Maguire convinced me yesterday.

I didn’t watch the Ali Carter v David Gilbert game. I’ll just say this: I’m not particularly happy with the result … for many reasons. Ali being in this comp is a bit of a travesty. One third of his ranking points this season come from the “best of 4” ranking Championships League played last summer. Other than that his best result was a last 16 in the “best-of-5” British Open last August. He’s not even reached the last 32 in any thing else this season.

This is WST report on the first evening at the 2021 World Grand Prix:

Gould Knocks Out Top Seed Zhao

Zhao Xintong’s winning streak was brought to an end in the first round of the Cazoo World Grand Prix in Coventry as he was beaten 4-2 by the lowest seeded player in the event, Martin Gould.

Gould reached the last 16 of last week’s BetVictor Scottish Open to give himself a chance of qualifying for the first event of the Cazoo Series, and in the end he needed Ronnie O’Sullivan to beat Li Hang in the quarter-finals to keep him in the 32nd and last slot. O’Sullivan obliged with a 5-4 victory, which meant that Gould was sent to Coventry for the £380,000 tournament. And he took full advantage tonight as he came from 2-1 down to win the last three frames.

Zhao enjoyed being welcomed as new Cazoo UK Champion

China’s Zhao came into the event on a high having won his first pro title and £200,000 at the Cazoo UK Championship eight days ago, but this time he failed to live up to his top-seed billing.

A break of 101 put Zhao 2-1 ahead, but he potted just three balls in the rest of the match as Londoner Gould reeled off a trio of frames with breaks of 75, 52 and 79.

“The century he made in the third frame actually gave me the kick start I needed,” said former German Masters and Shoot Out champion Gould. “After that I decided to up the tempo and get a nice rhythm around the table going.

“I didn’t watch any of Ronnie’s game against Li Hang. I was on my way home while they were playing, then I got my washing on and made myself a couple of tea. A mate texted me and told me I was in. I’ll have to treat Ronnie to some dinner next time we have a game! I feel as if I am on a freeroll now.

“I have been playing with a new cue for the last couple of weeks, I feel very comfortable with it and I am enjoying the challenge of something new. I’d had the previous cue for 25 years, then it died on me just before the Scottish Open. I almost pulled out because I felt there was no way I could get used to a new one, but I’m glad now that I played. I’m just looking for that week where everything clicks – it could be this week, you never know.”

Gould’s opponent in the last 16 will be Masters champion Yan Bingtao, who beat Mark King 4-1 with a top break of 111.

Jack Lisowski, runner-up to Judd Trump in this event last year, beat Mark Williams 4-3 in a thrilling match which had six breaks over 50 and an average frame time of just 13 minutes.

From 2-1 down, Williams knocked in breaks of 117 and 77 (helped by a monster fluke) to lead 3-2, then Lisowski took frame six with a run of 74. In the decider, Williams made 35 before missing a tough red to a centre pocket, and Lisowski punished him with a superb 94 which included several difficult pots to keep the run going.

“When you get these opportunities to beat a top player in a deciding frame, you have to step up,” said Lisowski, who now meets Stephen Maguire or Anthony McGill. “It was a pretty sexy break in the last frame, they just kept going in.

“I probably have the worst concentration of any player. I have been talking to Peter Ebdon on the phone and in the last frame I was thinking of the things he has told me. He is the strongest player mentally ever. If he told me to do star jumps during the game I would do it, I don’t need to know why. When I went behind it was time to put what he has told me into practice. I stood up to it when the question was asked, and that’s what the top players do. There’s no better feeling.”

I wasn’t surprised at Zhao’s poor performance. He has to adjust to his new top player status as well as to the pressure and expectations that come with it. It may take a bit of time. He has good people around him at Victoria’s academy, so he should have the support he needs.

Martin Gould on a “freeroll” is bad news for everyone but himself and the neutral fans. He’s a tremendous potter and very dangerous when on form and playing with freedom.

Mark Williams wasn’t happy to have to play in late evening. He is still feeling exhausted because of covid and hinted that he was at risk to fall asleep again if not “helped” by lucozade. He certainly didn’t lack energy when playing the “monster fluke”.

Now, seriously, Mark still looks ill and very tired.

As for Mark’s conqueror, Jack, I hope that he takes Peter Ebdon’s advice only on snooker…

The “Sheriff”, Anthony Hamilton beat Kyren Wilson by 4-3 at ungodly (Greek) hours. That is a mini upset, only mini because there are no big upsets when only the top 32 in-form players are competing in an event. There is no mention of this in the above report probably because whoever writes those pieces was alreasy tucked in bed when they finished…

WST has now published the draw and format for thw World Grand Prix… starting this evening.

Cazoo World Grand Prix Draw And Format

The match schedule for the Cazoo World Grand Prix in Coventry is now confirmed.

The tournament at the Coventry Building Society Arena runs from Monday December 13 until Sunday December 19.

The schedule is below, and scroll to the bottom of the page to see the draw.

Monday December 13
7pm
Zhao Xintong v Martin Gould
Yan Bingtao v Mark King
followed by
Mark Williams v Jack Lisowski
Kyren Wilson v Anthony Hamilton

Tuesday December 14
1pm
Mark Selby v Barry Hawkins
Ricky Walden v Stuart Bingham
followed by
John Higgins v Tom Ford
David Gilbert v Ali Carter

7pm
Judd Trump v Ben Woollaston
Anthony McGill v Stephen Maguire
followed by
Neil Robertson v Noppon Saengkham
Mark Allen v Cao Yupeng

Wednesday December 15
1pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Andy Hicks
Gary Wilson v Hossein Vafaei
followed by
Luca Brecel v Jordan Brown
Jimmy Robertson v Matthew Selt

7pm
Top half of draw – second round

Thursday December 16
1pm
Bottom half of draw – second round

7pm
Top half of draw – quarter-finals

Friday December 17
1pm
Bottom half of draw – quarter-finals

7pm
Semi-final 1

Saturday December 18
7pm
Semi-final 2

Sunday December 19
1pm and 7pm
Final

…

Draw:

Zhao Xintong (1) v Martin Gould (32)

Mark King (17) v Yan Bingtao (16)

Kyren Wilson (9) v Anthony Hamilton (24)

Noppon Saengkham (25) v Neil Robertson (8)

—————————————-

Cao Yupeng (28) v Mark Allen (5)

Mark Selby (21) v Barry Hawkins (12)

Judd Trump (13) v Ben Woollaston (20)

John Higgins (4) v Tom Ford (29)

—————————————-

Mark Williams (3) v Jack Lisowski (30)

Anthony McGill (14) v Stephen Maguire (19)

Stuart Bingham (22) v Ricky Walden (11)

David Gilbert (6) v Ali Carter (27)

—————————————-

Ronnie O’Sullivan (7) v Andy Hicks (26)

Hossein Vafaei (23) v Gary Wilson (10)

Matt Selt (18) v Jimmy Robertson (15)

Jordan Brown (31) v Luca Brecel (2)

As I’,m sharing this, the info isn’t yet on WST “live scores” page though…

Luca Brecel was playing in his second final in two weeks yesterday evening, and won his second ranking title by beating John Higgins quite convincingly by 9-5.

Congratulations Luca!

Here is the report by WST:

Brilliant Brecel Claims Second Ranking Crown

Belgium’s Luca Brecel summoned one of the best performances of his career to beat John Higgins 9-5 and win the BetVictor Scottish Open at Venue Cymru.

It’s the second ranking title of 26-year-old Brecel’s career. He became the first Belgian to lift ranking silverware with victory at the China Championship in 2017. On that occasion he brushed Shaun Murphy aside 10-5.

Tonight’s win comes as no surprise, with Brecel in red hot form. He reached his first Triple Crown final last week at the UK Championship, beating the likes of Stephen Maguire, Anthony McGill and Kyren Wilson on his way to the title match. However, he was denied the trophy by an inspired Zhao Xintong.

Brecel earns £70,000 for tonight’s win, along with the Stephen Hendry Trophy, whilst Scotland’s Higgins has to settle for the £30,000 runner-up prize.

Defeat will be a bitter pill to swallow for four-time World Champion Higgins. Who has now lost in all three of this season’s Home Nations finals. He was beaten 9-8 in both the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open and BetVictor English Open by Mark Allen and Neil Robertson respectively. Higgins was also runner-up to Judd Trump at the Champion of Champions, meaning he has now lost his last four major finals.

Brecel established a stranglehold on proceedings in the afternoon by emerging from the opening session with a 6-2 advantage.

When play resumed Brecel wasted little time in hammering home his advantage. Breaks of 79 and 64 saw him take the opening two frames and move just one from victory at 8-2.

Higgins kept himself in the contest by winning the 11^th, before a run of 73 sent him into the mid-session four behind at 8-4.

Upon the resumption 31-time ranking event winner Higgins cranked up the heat by pulling a further frame back. However, Brecel stood up to his illustrious counterpart by hammering home a sublime total clearance of 127 to win the title.

“It is absolutely crazy. I’ve been dreaming of this for so long. Seeing Neil Robertson and Judd Trump winning all of those tournaments, I just wanted to be there as well. To be here now is crazy and to beat John quite easily is unbelievable for my game and for my confidence. It is very special,” said an elated Brecel.

“I felt so bad at the interval when it was 8-4. I had to call someone at home to just relax a little bit. I felt sick. I have never felt like this before, because I wanted to win so badly. You don’t want it to go 8-6 or 8-7, because you just know it isn’t going to happen then. I was really happy in that last frame to get a good chance and clear up.

“I was thinking about my game in the off season and I changed a couple of things like my mindset and some tactical stuff. I also have a new management team and we have been looking at other things like sleeping patterns and eating. We have been trying to get all the details as good as possible. It is paying off. To get to a final and win one is amazing. It has been a great season.”

Higgins said: “He was just too good all day. I didn’t get off to the greatest start and he just punished me. He was fantastic. I tried my best but it just wasn’t good enough. I thoroughly enjoyed being in the final again but I just came up short. It is brilliant for snooker having someone like Luca coming through. Playing in the manner he does is great for the game.”

Luca was outstanding and his achievements over the recent weeks are indeed very good for snooker: he’s young and he’s not British/Irish. If snooker is to have a future, it needs young winners and if it has true ambition to become global it needs winners form outside Great Britain and Ireland. The last two tournaments have brought just that and it’s brilliant.

Luca is now ranked 15th in the World but he will not play in the Masters come January. It’s a shame and it’s not right.

Ronnie was in the ES studio yesterday afternoon and was calling for a “reserve” wildcard at the Masters.

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN FEELS LUCA BRECEL DESERVES MASTERS PLACE: ‘A CASE THAT THEY SHOULD LEAVE A WILDCARD OPEN’

“I think Luca deserves to be in the Masters from his last two tournaments,” O’Sullivan said on Eurosport. “I think there is maybe a case that they should leave a wildcard open to see who has a brilliant end and if there is a player that should be in the Masters but is not, and if they think he is good for the tournament then there could be an argument for that.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan believes World Snooker should give themselves the option of a wildcard entrant for the Masters to ensure form players such as Luca Brecel can be handed a place in the event.

Brecel is one of the game’s most in-form players, beating John Higgins to win the Scottish Open, a week on from reaching the final of the UK Championship where he was beaten by Zhao Xintong.

Despite his fine run, Brecel will not be at the Masters in January after missing out on a place in the top 16 prior to the cut-off point of the UK Championship.

The result of the Scottish Open and next week’s World Grand Prix have no impact on who secures a spot in the Masters – which is fought out between the top 16 in the world at the Alexandra Palace in January.

O’Sullivan can understand the need for a cut-off point, but believes having 15 players and a wildcard would be the better strategy.

“I think Luca deserves to be in the Masters from his last two tournaments,” O’Sullivan said on Eurosport. “I think there is maybe a case that they should leave a wildcard open to see who has a brilliant end to the year and if there is a player that should be in the Masters but is not, and if they think he is good for the tournament then there could be an argument for that.

THE RULES ARE THE RULES, EVERYONE KNOWS COME THE UK CHAMPIONSHIP THAT IS THE CUT-OFF.

“But I think Luca can feel a bit gutted that he can’t take this form into such a major tournament like the Masters.
“He’d be a massive asset to the tournament, the way he plays. The London crowd would love him.

“If World Snooker could pick someone and throw him in they would like to, so maybe if they could leave themselves that option if someone does something fantastic to use a wildcard.”

Although Brecel will be disappointed to not be in the Masters, O’Sullivan feels things are looking good for the 26-year-old from Belgium.

“He’s in a good place,” O’Sullivan said. “Got to the final of the UK, he has his girlfriend with him at tournaments and he’s a happy guy.

“You can’t get too greedy, he’ll hopefully be in the Masters next year, he’s young and has time on his side.

“But that tournament would be better with him in it, he’s that special kind of player.”

John Higgins also said the Luca should be in the Masters, and, really he should but I don’t think that a wildcard is the right answer.

I do understand the need for a cut-off point, preferably sometime ahead of the start of the tournament to allow the press to do their “build-up” thing, to allow the venue to promote their event properly and to allow the players to plan/book their travels and accomodations. The draw/schedule mess we had last week with the 2021 World Grand Prix line-up and schedule doesn’t do anyone any favour. Mind you, the tournament starts today and the draw and schedule aren’t even available on WST website! It’s preposterous.

Instead of having a wildcard – that will always be controversial – scheduling the cut-off point for the Masters after the last ranking event of the year is what is needed. That leaves plenty enough time for the Masters build-up and promotion and I can’t see any reason why it is’nt that way other than the BBC insisting to have the Masters draw done on the final day of the UK Championship. I know that they are important broadcasters and sponsors for snooker but they act as if the only relevant events in the calendar are the three – out of twenty – they support.

John Higgins has now lost all four finals he has played this season. This is reminiscent of what happened to Ronnie last season when he reached five finals and lost them all. Both John and Ronnie can still play at a very high standard and they are very consistent. Both of them, and Mark Williams, are still in the top 16 AND in the top 8 of the one year list. But as Mark (not Williams) pointed out in his recent comment, John and Ronnie have lost 11 out of 12 of their most recent finals.

What happens there? I’m afraid that the answer is simple: age. They are 46. Ronnie has hinted a few times that recovering physically and mentally from a difficult or lengthy match was harder than it used to be, that he needed more time than in the past. It’s normal. It isn’t however a very uplifting prospect for their fans.

We have seen it this past week: Ronnie wasn’t at his best but fought very hard to reach the semi-finals, winning three matches in a decider; he had nothing left in the tank against his old foe John Higgins and the fact that he’s in awe of John and has lost their most recent encounters didn’t help his confidence. He struggled badly. John always gives it his all when he plays Ronnie. He had reached three finals already this season, losing them all. He might have been a bit tired and probably wasn’t very high in confidence either coming into his match yesterday. He struggled badly, finding himself 8-2 down at one point.

Ronnie recently said that he has to accept that he isn’t the player he was anymore. I’m afraid that we, as fans, have to accept that too, try to enjoy the good performances and hope that it all clicks together at some point. I still believe it will.