We will have a repat of this year’s Masters final in Wolverhampton: indeed Barry Hawkins and Neil Robertson both prevailed in their semi-finals matches.

Neither semi-final was close which was a bit disappointing.

Here are the reports by WST:

Barry Hawkins 6-2 Ricky Walden

Hawk Flies Through To Final

Barry Hawkins is through to the eighth ranking final of his career after a comfortable 6-2 defeat of Ricky Walden at the Cazoo Players Championship in Wolverhampton.

The Hawk is enjoying a stellar season in the big events, having made the semi-finals of the Cazoo UK Championship, the final of the Cazoo Masters and now another title match this week.

Hawkins’ run to the Masters final included a stunning 6-5 defeat of 2019 World Champion Judd Trump in the semis, before being denied the title by Neil Robertson. He could face a rematch in this week’s showpiece, with the Australian taking on Jimmy Robertson in the other semi-final.

Londoner Hawkins is aiming for a first piece of ranking silverware in five years. He won the last of his three ranking crowns thus far at the 2017 World Grand Prix, where he defeated Ryan Day in the final. The 2013 Crucible finalist will be hoping this weekend sees him up his conversion ratio, having now appeared in 28 ranking event semi-finals.

Walden’s quest for a first title since the 2014 International Championship goes on. However, the Chester cueman leaves Wolverhampton in the knowledge that he is displaying his best form in several years. Walden has also appeared in semi-finals at the Northern Ireland Open and the German Masters this season.

It was Walden who claimed the opener this evening, thanks to a break of 69. He had looked like doubling his advantage when he fired in a contribution of 60 in the second, but Hawkins countered and produced a clearance of 42 to steal on the black. He then added the third and fourth frames to lead 3-1 at the mid-session.

Walden remained in touch after the resumption, a run of 54 saw him over the line in the fifth frame. However, that would be his final frame of the evening. Breaks of 115, 61 and 75 saw Hawkins claim three on the bounce and run out a 6-2 victor.

“It’s a bit of a dream come true really. If somebody said at the turn of the year I’d reach two finals, I would never have believed them. To be in another big final is really pleasing,” said 42-year-old Hawkins.

“It would mean a hell of a lot to win on Sunday. Even just getting to the final is amazing, but if I can get out there and play like I did towards the end of the match this evening then I’ve got a chance. I’m under no illusions that I’ve got to go out there and produce the goods though.

“I lost a few semi-finals last year, including one I maybe let get away from me against Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Tour Championship. They are tough ones to take because these opportunities don’t come around that often. When you get these chances to win you have to step up and take them. It will be tough, but hopefully I can do it on Sunday.”

It was another typically solid display from the Hawk. Knowing Ricky, he will be bitterly disappointed because he always is whenever he loses. He may see the positives maybe after a couple of days but on the moment he’s one of the worst losers on the tour, he really gets angry and down on himself.

Neil Robertson 6-1 Jimmy Robertson

Neil Wins Battle Of The Robertsons

Neil Robertson set up a repeat of the Cazoo Masters final with Barry Hawkins, by beating Jimmy Robertson 6-1 to clinch a place in the title match at the Cazoo Players Championship in Wolverhampton.

The pair met at Alexandra Palace last month, having both negotiated epic semi finals. Robertson defeated Mark Williams 6-5, while Hawkins edged past Judd Trump by the same scoreline. However, Robertson surged to victory in the final, winning 10-4 to pick up the Paul Hunter trophy.

The Australian is sure to head into the encounter in confident mood, having won the last five meetings between the pair. He also leads the head-to-head record by an 11-4 margin. Tomorrow’s match will be 21-time ranking event winner Robertson’s 35^th appearance in a ranking final.

Hawkins will be hoping for a tighter contest than last month’s Alexandra Palace showdown. They will again meet over the best of 19 frames, over two sessions, for a £125,000 top prize.

Today’s win for Robertson leaves him in a strong position to qualify for the Cazoo Tour Championship, which he won last season. Only the top eight in the one-year list can claim a place in the prestigious event. The Melbourne cueman came into this week in sixth position, but is now provisionally up to fourth in the standings.

Jimmy Robertson leaves Wolverhampton with the consolation of £30,000 after reaching his second semi-final of an extremely impressive campaign. He also made the last four at the British Open and was a quarter-finalist at the Cazoo World Grand Prix.

The Bexhill cueman was just a single frame from tour relegation at the end of last season, beating Zhao Jianbo 6-5 at World Championship qualifying to rescue his professional status.

It was Neil who took the first three frames today, including a run of 86 in the opener, to establish a stranglehold on proceedings. However, Jimmy did give himself hope heading into the mid-session by taking the fourth on a respotted black to reduce his arrears to 3-1.

When play resumed Neil surged to the finish line. He composed breaks of 55 and 53 on his way to a further three consecutive frames which saw out the 6-1 victory.

Robertson said: “Barry is going to be really motivated to win. It is fantastic to see him back in another final. He is a great player and our matches are always played in a good spirit. Even after the Masters final we had a great time at the party afterwards. When you are against someone like Barry you play the match, whoever the best wins and there is no problem with that.

“Jimmy is a great guy. It would have been terrible to see him drop off the tour. It was only a few years ago he won the European Masters. He is someone you are used to seeing in the latter stages of tournaments against the top guys.

“To get to the final is a massive bonus. It puts me in a much better position to be in the Tour Championship and actually defend my title. I’m in a good place to do that now and that was my goal at the start of the week.”

Jimmy Robertson will be disappointed because it’s not as if he was actually outplayed. He did have opportunities, he was first in in several frames, he just didn’t score enough when in. You can’t do that against someone like Neil who is probably the best player in the world at the moment. Of course it’s not easy to do when, like Jimmy, you are not that used to get to the very latter stages of tournaments, on the main table, in front of a big crowd.

The quarter-finals at the 2022 Players Championship threw some unexpected results as all members of the class of 92 exited the tournament.

One result that definitely isn’t a shock is Ronnie’s 6-3 defeat to Neil Robertson. Neil is currently World number 4, Ronnie is World number 2. It’s the third time they meet in the last 3 months only, Ronnie won the 2021 World Grand Prix beating Neil in the Final, Neil beat him in the QFs at the 2022 Masters and in this event. More about that match is available here.

Ricky Walden beat Mark Williams in the first QF (WST report)

Walden Fightback Stuns Williams

Ricky Walden came back from the brink, as he rallied from 5-2 down to beat Mark Williams 6-5, in a thrilling quarter-final at the Cazoo Players Championship in Wolverhampton.

The epic turnaround sees Walden through to his third semi-final of the season, having also made the last four at the Northern Ireland Open and the recent German Masters.

The Englishman has enjoyed a significant resurgence during this campaign. He suffered back problems between 2016 and 2017 and has admitted he feared his career was under threat.

Since fully recovering it has taken the three-time ranking event winner time to rebuild his form and is only now showing signs of a return to the upper echelons of the professional game. Walden is currently ranked 18^th in the world and is sure to have one eye on breaking back into the top 16.

Williams has produced some superb snooker since the turn of the year, but has endured some gut wrenching defeats in the process. The 24-time ranking event winner was pipped 6-5 in the semi-finals at the Cazoo Masters by Neil Robertson, the Australian required two snookers in the decider. Williams was also runner-up to Hossein Vafaei at the Shoot Out and today’s loss once again came in a cruel manner.

It had looked as if Williams was set to make light work of the tie this evening. At 2-1 up, the Welshman fired in back-to-back centuries of 107 and 102 to move 4-1 in front. Walden immediately responded with a superb run of 123 to reduce his arrears, but it was Williams who won the seventh to pull a frame from the win at 5-2.

Former International Champion Walden then forced his way back into contention with breaks of 65 and 80 to get within a frame at 5-4. Williams then spurned an opportunity to clinch his place in the last four when he missed the final brown with a chance to clear. Walden potted it and that was enough to ensure a final frame.

A break of 58 put Walden in charge of the decider, but he was left fearing the worst when Williams cracked in a thunderous long pot on the second last red to set up a potential match winning opportunity. However, he missed the final red along the black cushion and handed Walden the tie. The Chester cueman now faces either Yan Bingtao or Barry Hawkins in the last four.

“It was just relief after that last frame. I was hanging by a thread all game to be honest. I felt sick when he potted that last red and thought it was going to be a tough one to take. Thankfully he missed the red down the rail and a bit of luck went my way,” said 39-year-old Walden.

“Those matches just toughen you up. If I had lost there, it would have been another experience and I would have gone again. You just need to keep trying and keep working. I was on the right side of that one and it does toughen both your mind and your emotions.

“Barry and Yan are obviously both great players, everyone in this tournament is a brilliant player. Yan is a Masters champion and Barry plays awesome all of the time. It will be a tough game for me.”

Williams was visibly gutted to lose that match, having led by 4-1 and 5-2. Ricky Walden, on form, is a top player and I’m very happy to see him back to the latter stages of tournaments. He deseserved this win, he battled hard. Still, I couldn’t help wondering if Willo is still suffering from the aftermaths of covid. He has been very ill and only recently admitted that fatigue was still an issue when he had to play in the evening.

Barry Hawkins beat Yan Bingtao by 6-5 (WST report)

Hawk Swoops To Snatch Epic

Barry Hawkins defeated Yan Bingtao 6-5 in an encounter which seven-time World Champion Stephen Hendry described in commentary as “one of the best 11 frame matches I have ever seen”, to reach the semi-finals of the Cazoo Players Championship.

Both players produced a scintillating standard this afternoon in Wolverhampton, each finishing the match with a 95% pot success rate. Between them they fired in ten breaks over 50, including four centuries.

Hawkins qualified for this week’s elite event by the skin of his teeth. Only the top 16 players on this season’s one-year list have qualified and the Hawk pushed World Champion Mark Selby out into 17^th position to claim the final spot.

The Londoner has taken full advantage of his qualification and now faces a last four showdown with Ricky Walden, who he defeated 17-14 in the semi-finals of the 2013 World Championship.

Both Hawkins and Walden are attempting to halt a silverware drought this week. Hawkins last picked up a ranking crown at the 2017 World Grand Prix, while Walden’s last ranking win came at the 2014 International Championship.

Defeat for Yan leaves his hopes of qualifying for the eight-player Cazoo Tour Championship hanging in the balance. He currently sits in ninth place on the live one-year list just behind Walden.

Yan, who was runner-up at the recent German Masters, seized the early initiative this afternoon. The Tiger fired in back-to-back century runs of 139 and 103 to move 2-0 ahead.

However, three-time ranking event winner Hawkins was unfazed and breaks of 86 and 77 saw the pair head into the mid-session locked level at 2-2.

The relentless break building continued when play resumed. Former Players Champion Hawkins hit the front for the first time with a run of 95 to make it 3-2. From there they traded frames all the way to the finish line.

Yan composed breaks of 54, 98 and 132 on his way to moving 5-4 ahead, before Hawkins crafted a run of 126 to force a decider. A misfired long red from Yan allowed Hawkins a straightforward starter over the right middle and he pounced with a nerveless 73 to wrap up victory.

“We both played really well, we both scored heavily and didn’t make many mistakes. I don’t think I’ve played in many best of 11 matches as good as that,” said 42-year-old Hawkins.

“He butchered one long red in the whole match and that was in the final frame. He is such a strong all round player, he has a great temperament and is a great scorer and long potter. He is still so young and has so many years ahead of him. Both Yan and Zhao Xintong are fantastic players. The game is in good hands.

“It will be a massive opportunity for both of us in the semi-finals. I’ve grown up with Ricky since the junior days. We’ve been on the tour together for what feels like forever. It is a big opportunity for him as he is back in form and he has been looking for a result like this to push him up the rankings. It is going to be a really tough game.”

This indeed was one of the best matches I ever watched. It was vey high quality from both. It was enjoyable and the table seemed to play well. Unfortunately that didn’t last as we saw during the evening session … Barry Hawkins is badly underrated by most fans. He’s not a genius but he’s a formidable all-rounder and very strong under-pressure. He proved that again during this match.

Jimmy Robertson beat John Higgins by 6-4

Robertson Stages Stunning Higgins Upset

Just under a year ago Jimmy Robertson was a frame off relegation from the professional ranks, but today he sealed a stunning 6-4 win over four-time World Champion John Higgins to reach the semi-finals of the elite 16-player Cazoo Players Championship in Wolverhampton.

Robertson’s career was on the line at 2021 World Championship qualifying. He needed to win his first round match against China’s Zhao Jianbo to remain on the circuit. Having trailed 3-0, he showed his steel to secure a critical 6-5 victory.

The Bexhill cueman’s significant mental fortitude from last season has been transferred into the current campaign. Robertson has capitalised on winning his tour survival battle, by reaching the semis at the British Open and the quarters at the Cazoo World Grand Prix.

Part of the credit for Robertson’s enhanced mental toughness must be given to mind coach AP O’Neill, who he started working with at the back end of last season and has helped him to regain his confidence.

Robertson already has a ranking title to his name, having beaten Joe Perry 9-6 in the final of the 2018 European Masters. The subsequent years saw him slide down the rankings with his form deteriorating, before his recent resurgence.

Scotland’s Higgins will leave Wolverhampton disappointed not to have come closer to securing his first ranking silverware of the season. The 31-time ranking event winner agonisingly lost finals at the Northern Ireland Open and English Open 9-8 at the hands of Mark Allen and Neil Robertson respectively.

It was Higgins who gained the early advantage this afternoon, taking the first two frames to lead 2-0. However, runs of 58 and 57 helped Robertson to claw his way back into proceedings and make it 2-2 at the mid-session.

The pair traded frames when play resumed, before a decisive burst from Robertson moved him to the verge of victory. Breaks of 102 and 57 saw him claim two on the bounce to make it 5-3. Higgins kept his hopes alive by firing in a contribution of 80 to claim the ninth frame, before a dramatic tenth.

Robertson had appeared to have done enough when he left Higgins requiring two snookers. The gritty Glaswegian got the required penalty points to bring the frame back into the balance. Eventually he left Robertson an opportunity on the brown, which he deposited to get over the line. Next up he faces Cazoo Masters champion Neil Robertson in the semi-finals.

“That win means everything. It was a massive match and a massive occasion. Beating him in an ITV event on the one table setup is huge for me and hopefully it can give me a lot of confidence,” said 35-year-old Robertson.

“I’ve struggled over the years with certain things going on in my head. I don’t always show it on the table, but there’s all sorts happening mentally. It was time to start working with somebody and it is really doing me good at the moment.

“Snooker is the toughest sport in my opinion because you are out there on your own. You can be sat in your chair at times without getting a shot. It is so difficult and you need to get your mind in the right place for when you do get a chance. Over the years I’ve struggled a bit with nerves.

“These guys are the best in the world, but you have to go out there and show you aren’t scared of them. That is the main thing I’ve shied away from over the years. To have a chance of beating them you need to take the game to them and attack them.”

This certainly wasn’t expected, especially when John Higgins was about to go 3-0 ahead. That said Jimmy Robertson always had a loads of ability but has not really done his talent justice so far. I remember being introduced to him by Janie Watkins at the start of 2009 EBSA Championship in Duffel, in Belgium. This was actually the first tournament I “covered” as a photographer. Janie, who was a player herself, thought very highly of Jimmy and I remember being impressed by his fluency around the table. He lost in the QFs that time, to Mario Fernandez, brother of Leo and former practice partner of Jimmy White. Mario went on to reach the final. The event was won by David Hogan. Also competing in that event, in the main draw, was a very young Luca Brecel; he was only 14 and reached the last 16.

It was a disappointing performance by Ronnie yesterday after the wonderful win against Judd Trump. He was beaten by 6-3 by Neil Robertson who was far from his best himself.

Here are the scores and stats

Here is the report by WST:

Thunder Strikes Down The Rocket

Neil Robertson secured his second quarter-final defeat of Ronnie O’Sullivan within the space of a month, after scoring a 6-3 win at the Cazoo Players Championship in Wolverhampton.

The Thunder from Down Under also beat O’Sullivan 6-4 on his way to winning the Cazoo Masters in January and has now beaten the Rocket in four of their last five meetings. However, O’Sullivan still leads the head-to-head 18-11.

Robertson has quickly recaptured his red hot form from winning the Masters. The Australian succumbed to an opening round defeat against Ricky Walden in Berlin at the recent German Masters and subsequently tested positive for Covid-19 upon his return home.

Now out of isolation, the 21-time ranking event winner appears to have maintained his high standards. He sealed an impressive 6-4 defeat of Kyren Wilson in the first round this week and his win over O’Sullivan books a semi-final meeting with either John Higgins or Jimmy Robertson.

Melbourne cueman Robertson has already lifted ranking silverware this season by beating Higgins 9-8 in the English Open final back in November. He’ll be hoping to add a second ranking crown this weekend.

Robertson’s performances in Wolverhampton have put him on the verge of a ensuring a place at next month’s Cazoo Tour Championship, an event which he won last season. Only the top eight on this season’s one-year list can earn a spot in the elite tournament. He currently sits in sixth position.

It was 2010 World Champion Robertson who controlled the opening stages of this evening’s encounter. Breaks of 79, 52, 82 and 80 saw him establish a hefty 4-1 advantage over six-time Crucible king O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan responded with a break of 92 to keep himself in contention, before claiming the seventh to draw within a frame at 4-3. However, from there the match became more fragmented with both players missing numerous opportunities. It was Robertson who held himself together best, taking two on the bounce to wrap up the 6-3 victory.

“In the past I remember having little leads against him and I started to be more cautious and defensive, waiting for him to make mistakes. You can’t do that, you need to maintain a positive frame of mind and be the aggressor. That is the way I want to always play the game and I think that was what kept the pressure applied to him,” said Robertson, who celebrates his 40^th birthday on Friday.

“You have to deal with the crowd when you play Ronnie. If you aren’t able to deal with it then you aren’t going to be successful and winning tournaments every season. The likelihood is that you are going to need to beat Ronnie along the way at some point. It can be really tough for some players and even me. You definitely notice it when you make a mistake and the crowd cheer him. He has earned that over the years and you just have to respect that.

“Jimmy will be the underdog in the semi-finals if he gets through, but he will be feeling really good and thinking anything is a bonus. I am very experienced playing against underdogs though. I am also used to the scenario of playing someone like John, where it is 50/50 and down to who plays best on the day.”

There is also a post-match report by Eurosport:

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN ‘DIDN’T TURN UP’ IN PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP LOSS TO NEIL ROBERTSON, SAYS STEPHEN HENDRY

Neil Robertson proved too good for Ronnie O’Sullivan as he booked his place in the semi-finals of the 2022 Players Championship. Robertson made four half-century breaks in the win and will next face Jimmy Robertson or John Higgins. Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry gave his verdict on O’Sullivan’s performance.

Stephen Hendry said Ronnie O’Sullivan “didn’t turn up” after he was beaten 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Players Championship by Neil Robertson.

O’Sullivan was unable to reproduce the impressive performance that saw him past Judd Trump in the previous round.

The Rocket missed several balls as he fell 4-1 behind against Robertson, who looked in good touch from the start.

“The first frame was quite slow and he doesn’t like that side of the game.”
O’Sullivan was also beaten by Robertson in the quarter-finals of the Masters last month.

“He was good,” admitted O’Sullivan.

“I dragged him down to my level a bit and he missed a few and allowed me to get back into it. He was much the better player and I just tried to hang in there and see what happened. When you start snatching at shots it’s hard.

“If you don’t cue the ball smoothly it becomes a difficult game. Neil is an incredible cueist and gets through the ball so well.

“You have to cue well and play well to stay with that. I was bits and pieces. I suppose that’s what happens later in your career, you get a few more matches that are not really good enough.”

Robertson, who made four half-century breaks, will await the winner of the last quarter-final between Jimmy Robertson and John Higgins.

The winner of that match will face either Ricky Walden or Barry Hawkins in the final.

Reflecting on his performance and having most of the crowd against him, Robertson said: “Any little mistake I was making or any sign of giving him any encouragement the crowd were taking the opportunity. A lot of players struggle in that environment but I’ve played him enough now to expect that.

“A good way to silence them a bit is a really good start and that’s what I got off to, going 4-1 in front playing really well, unlucky not to get 5-1 maybe. Couple of disjointed frames, I finished it off quite well in the end.

“It is important to get off to a good start because the way he plays the game he is never going to slow things up and make the frames scrappy. He will keep going for shots. I don’t think it matters what tactics or gameplan you have against Ronnie, you have to score, if you don’t score he will beat you no matter what.”
Robertson also said he felt conditions changed as the match wore on and the table started to slow down drastically.

“The table in the second half of the match was really tough to play on, it was so slow, it was incredible,” he said.

“I could feel the ripples in the cloth. It was really tough to move the white around and Ronnie is probably the best player I’ve seen at adapting to conditions and he maybe started to handle it a bit better than me, fortunately for me he missed a few tough balls into the middle.”

I find that quote by Neil Foulds a bit weird. It’s only recently that Ronnie won a major tournament. It is true that he hasn’t been very consistent this season, but the same is true for a lot of players I feel and you have to wonder why; maybe the calendar structure plays a part here. There’s a lot of “gaps” followed by “packed” 3-4 weeks.

That said, it was obvious from the start that Ronnie had none of the “intensity” he showed against Judd.

There is no mention of Neil’s quotes about the table in the WST report. “Feeling the ripples in the cloth” has to be really bad! Actually both players were visibly frustrated and they probably had no trust in the table whatsoever. Snooker is hard enough when conditions are OK, this really isn’t right and WST should seriously look into it. I don’t blame the fitters, I have seen them work close up. They really do their best. But often they are overworked and, of course the athmospheric conditions at the venue play their part. The table looked OK in the afternoon, but the crowd was nowhere as big as it was in the evening. That’s bound to change the level of humidity as well as the room temperature.

There was also a “as it happened” report by Eurosport:

…
NEIL ROBERTSON BEATS RONNIE O’SULLIVAN 6-3!

They get nervy at the end but it was no less enjoyable for that, Neil’s earlier brilliance getting him over the line. 4-1 was too big a deficit for Ronnie to surmount. Neil meets Barry Hawkins next.

O’SULLIVAN 3-5 ROBERTSON (38-43)

With one red left, Ronnie foul-misses trying to kiss it – it’s on the top cushion- but hits beautfully next go and Neil taps the table. “I do love the century breaks but when the frames are close like this…” says Ken like he’s never said that before.Neil then gets down to attack it along the top rail, misses … and Ronnie misses with a fiendishly tight and difficult cut. That might be curtains.

O’SULLIVAN 3-5 ROBERTSON (38-34)

Yeah, Neil wants away, an unbelievable top-spinning cue-ball sending the blue home and bringing him back for the next red – “He’s hit it too well,” muses Ken, and shonuff the cut-back red to right corner is missed. A reprieve for Ronnie!

O’SULLIVAN 3-5 ROBERTSON (38-15)

But screwing off pink and into pack, he sends the pot against the near middle knuckle! Goodness me, that was an oversight. And it may be Ronnie’s last contribution to this tournament.

O’SULLIVAN 3-5 ROBERTSON (38-1)

Neil drills home another trademark long red … and finishes on nowt yet again. To compound his woe, he leaves one to left corner that Ronnie bags, but on 18 he misses one left-handed to right corner, undercut. No matter: he soon lances a long one to right corner and off we go again.

O’SULLIVAN 3-5 ROBERTSON

Of the 19 frames I’ve seen today, that was the scrappiest and by far. But Neil won’t care because he’s one away from the next round.

O’SULLIVAN 3-4 ROBERTSON (25-65)

WHAAAT! A bit straight on a black, Neil hammers it … and it leaps out of the laws and onto the carpet! But Ronnie can’t capitalise, then Neil misses a simple red! The tension! This game! But Ronnie then finds a great pot to the yellow pocket … only to miss one to middle after a poor positional shot off the black. This is not something you see often … but this is something you see very often, Neil taking a long red. Ronnie returns to the table needing two snookers.

O’SULLIVAN 3-4 ROBERTSON (1-50)

No! Neil misses a red to left corner with the rest, leaves it over the pocket, and he’ll be fearing sanctions. But Ronnie doesn’t get great position on a colour so opts to play safe … and now he’s regretting it because there’s a ball cuttable to left corner! Surel;y Neil won’t spurn this opportunity?

O’SULLIVAN 3-4 ROBERTSON (0-18)

The quality hasn’t been as consistent as in the Hawkins-Bingtao match earlier – that was a classic – but it’s getting warm, and there’s time for plenty more. Again, we begin with some safety, which I guess tells us the break-offs have been good. But what’s this?! Looking to clip a red, Ronnie clunks the pink that’s partially hiding it, ceding not just six points but the table in its entirety. That may well cost the frame.

O’SULLIVAN 3-4 ROBERTSON

Ronnie clears up, and yeah, we got ourselves a ball-game.

O’SULLIVAN 2-4 ROBERTSON (70-33)

The top-cushion red wids up on the side and in baulk; trying to clip it, Ronnie’s side means he kisses the yellow en route! But this is getting dicey now, and Neil jawses a pot down the rail, then misses one to the green pocket, and by a distance. He’s not now where he’s been all night, and when Ronnie sends a red long to bottom right, it feels meaningful.

O’SULLIVAN 2-4 ROBERTSON (50-33)

Ahahahaha! “Very few reds in play”. Indeed. Ronnie quickly eases into the pack, builds a lead, and will now go for the last two reds, on top and and side cusion respectively. He misses the former, but it stays on the rail, so this frame is punkt in the balance.

O’SULLIVAN 2-4 ROBERTSON (5-33)

More luck for Ronnie! Sending the blue to the green pocket, Neil gets a bad contact, so here comes Ronnie – but with very few reds in play.

O’SULLIVAN 2-4 ROBERTSON (0-25)

Neil sends the white almost the full length of the tale to clip home an opener but, yet again, he’s unlucky to wind up on nowt. As I type that, though, he gets in again – you can’t be leaving a red sticking out while inviting him to apply hand to table. There’s work to be done, but even if Neil can’t complete it – and there’s a strong chance he can – he seems certain to rack up a useful lead.

O’SULLIVAN 2-4 ROBERTSON

That was so Ronnie. You don’t see him apologising when he benefits from good fortune, which I guess makes sense, else he’d be forever apologising for being as good as he is.

O’SULLIVAN 1-4 ROBERTSON (71-19)

Very quickly, Ronnie secures the frame, and is back in the match, a terrific red to right corner putting it beyond doubt. Might that fluke be a turning point?

O’SULLIVAN 1-4 ROBERTSON (31-19)

Ronnie leaves a red close to right corner and doesn’t cover it, but Neil can’t risk playing position so just makes sure of the pot, winding up on nowt. Then, finding it hard to work out a telling safety, Ronnie clatters a pot, misses to right corner … but hits to right centre! That’s his second wild fluke since the break, and he really needs to make this count; the crowd know it too, cheering a brilliant pot to left middle.

O’SULLIVAN 1-4 ROBERTSON (14-18)

Not for long! Ronnie leaves a mid-distance starter, and it’s despatched into right corner with unerring certainty. But playing off the blue and onto the side, aiming to separate two reds, he sticks to one and ends up in the only possible spot that prevents him continuing the run. This game.

O’SULLIVAN 1-4 ROBERTSON (14-12)

It’s going to cost him minimals! Neil overruns the white and can’t get through to the black, so we’re back playing safety.

O’SULLIVAN 1-4 ROBERTSON (14-11)

Eeesh, Neil clips home a decent starter but an unfelicitious kiss takes him into the pack, whre he nestles unable to see any colour – and with a red loose in baulk restricting his options. So he goes sie, top, side, seeking the black … and misses, so back he goes … to miss again. And this time, he leaves a starter into the middle, which Ronnie misses, overcutting into the near knuckle … then before going in-off! That is a colossal oversight, and it’s going to cost him.

O’SULLIVAN 1-4 ROBERTSON

Still no ton, but an 80 is ample, and Neil is just two frames from victory.

O’SULLIVAN 1-3 ROBERTSON (5-60)

Neil has been magnificent in the balls so far tonight, easing his way around the table with perfect control and rarely having to play a rescue-shot. Ronnie’s only missed that red to right corner in frame three, yet he’s staring down the barrel of 1-4.

O’SULLIVAN 1-3 ROBERTSON (5-9)

Eventually, Ronnie leaves a red to right corner and Neil creams it against the leather, then delicately strokes in a black, and he’s away.

O’SULLIVAN 1-3 ROBERTSON (0-0)

Ahahahaha, and as I type that he flukes a red, off the yellow and into the yellow pocket. But on nothing, he goes in behind the brown and forces Neil to play gently onto the topmost red, taking us into another safety exchange.

O’SULLIVAN 1-3 ROBERTSON (0-0)

Both men know this is a key frame. If Neil wins it, it’s almost over, but if Ronnie wins it it’s game on. We begin, again, with a safety exchange; so far, it’s been Ronnie losing patience first.

WE GO AGAIN

O’SULLIVAN 1-3 ROBERTSON

On 82, Neil misses a cut-back red to right corner, so another ton goes a-begging, but he wont mind, 3-1 up at the mid-sesh and in just 53 minutes. See you in 15 for more fun and frolics.

O’SULLIVAN 1-2 ROBERTSON

Oh my days, what a shot from Neil, potting the pink and sliding the white horizontally through a gap between two reds not much wider than a ball. Shortly afterwards, he sends another red to right centre, and this frame is near enogh over.

O’SULLIVAN 1-2 ROBERTSON (0-26)

Superb from Neil, sliding a red to right centre diagonally across the nap, and you fear for Ronnie because this is a man feeling himself on the final day of his 30s.

O’SULLIVAN 1-2 ROBERTSON

Yup, a run of 52, swiftly compiled, and suddenly it’s Ronnie not Neil cursing his carelessness. This game!
O’SULLIVAN 1-1 ROBERTSON (39-43)

Ronnie gets a cannon potting the black so is low on the next red … and he undercuts it! There’s work for Neil to do, but all the remaining balls are in decent positions, so you’d back him.

O’SULLIVAN 1-1 ROBERTSON (13-29)

WHAAAAAAT! Neil misses a cut-back black off its spot – was there a heavy contact? Well, the ball left the bed, and the glare Neil gives it suggests misbehaviour. For all that it matters, because Ronnie is at the table accumulating.

O’SULLIVAN 1-1 ROBERTSON (0-28)

Ronnie ettempts to end a safety exchange with a speculative red to the green pocket, but misses it and now sits watching as Neil takes advantage. There are a few loose reds, but they’re above the blue spot, so he’ll be into the pack soon enough … and there it is. The table looks nice now, and this looks a lot like 1-2.

O’SULLIVAN 1-1 ROBERTSON (0-8)

Ronnie misses a red to right middle and Neil takes one look at one down the top rail and sinks it beautifully. The black, though, causes him greater aggravation, caught thick and wobbled in; consequently, the cut to right corner that follows is harder, and he jawses it … but leaves nowt.

O’SULLIVAN 1-1 ROBERTSON

On 98, Ronnie misses a red to left corner, but just as Neil did in frame one, he pounces on a minor error and takes it away.
O’SULLIVAN 0-1 ROBERTSON (68-0)

It happens so quickly hen Ronnie’s at the table; one second it looks awkward, the next it’s eating out of his hand. I actually wonder if he’s got the edge in this matchup, because although he no longer has long-potting as devastating as Neil’s, he might have the edge inf the safety game and in the balls.
O’SULLIVAN 0-1 ROBERTSON (27-0)

This time it’s Ronnie who wins the safety exchange, Neil giving him a peek at a cut to left corner, sent down with prejudice. If Ronnie plays tonight at he played against Judd on Tuesday, he’ll be hard to stop, but he doesn’t string performances together quite like he once did, so who knows how this’ll shake out. But in the meantime, he’s done the difficult bit of this break, the table now at his mercy.

O’SULLIVAN 0-1 ROBERTSON

But he misses the next ball. No matter, a great start for the Thunder.

O’SULLIVAN 0-0 ROBERTSON (0-79)

Neil loves a ton, and on 79, he sinks a great pink to keep it going.

O’SULLIVAN 0-0 ROBERTSON (0-41)

Neil removes balls from baulk, amassing a small lead, then works his way up the table, the chance looking like a frame-winner. He’s nicely grooved – well we knew he was because he got by Kyren Wilson in round one, though he didn’t play that well. I think he made a ton at the start of that one too, but there’s a different look about him tonight.

O’SULLIVAN 0-0 ROBERTSON (0-8)

Neil misses a red to right corner but leaves nothing, and very quickly four reds find themselves in baulk. It’s pretty tense out there, and Ronnie contemplates having a hack at one poked to middle, white close to black cush. But he eschews, only to allow Neil a starter.

THE BAIZE IS BOYZED

Here they come, with a gorgeous rolled R on Ronnie from or compere.
…

The first round, last 16, of this season Players Championship concluded yesterday afternoon.

Here are all the reports by WST as well as my (short) take on what I watched.

Day 1 – evening

Winning Start For Robertson And Williams

Neil Robertson came through a tough battle with Kyren Wilson by a 6-4 scoreline on day one of the Cazoo Players Championship in Wolverhampton, while Mark Williams beat Gary Wilson 6-3.

Robertson’s preparations for this week have been far from ideal, having tested positive for Covid-19 after travelling back from Berlin following the recent German Masters. He then underwent a period of isolation.

Despite still feeling under par, the Australian remains full of confidence having scored a landmark second Masters victory at Alexandra Palace last month. He defeated Barry Hawkins 10-4 in the final to capture the Paul Hunter Trophy.

Wilson came into today’s encounter having enjoyed a good record against Robertson of late. The Kettering cueman had won four of their previous five meetings, but it was 21-time ranking event Robertson who cranked up the heat early on this evening.

Breaks of 114 and 60 helped Robertson into a 2-1 lead. He then doubled his advantage heading into the mid-session, after claiming the fourth on the black to lead 3-1.

The Warrior battled his way back into the tie when play resumed, taking two on the bounce to restore parity at 3-3. Robertson responded with 94 to take the seventh, before Wilson fired in a tournament high run of 141 to make it 4-4.

A break of exactly 100 moved Robertson a frame from the win. He then unlocked the path to victory in the 10^th frame with a superb shot on the green to develop the brown. From there the Melbourne cueist completed a clearance to the black with a break of 47 to win 6-4.

World number four Robertson now faces the mouth watering prospect of a quarter-final clash with either Judd Trump or Ronnie O’Sullivan.

“I thought I played really well. I had a couple of missed balls, but I felt overall the standard from myself was decent,” said 39-year-old Robertson.

“It was lucky that this tournament was a few days after I came out from isolation. The form is still there from the Masters, I feel great and confidence is high. You can clearly see I’m hitting the ball well. I got a few days practising and that put me in the form I needed to put in a decent performance.

“Even if I am still showing signs of any kind of tiredness, playing Ronnie or Judd is the perfect match. The frames will be over so quickly and I will get good chances with it being against attacking players. It is going to be a good crowd so there won’t be many flat moments in the match and that will also suit me. I am free rolling a little bit at the moment.”

Williams rallied from 2-0 down to secure his 6-3 defeat of Wilson and earn a quarter-final spot.

The Welshman has been in superb form so far this season. Today’s win was a repeat of the British Open final earlier in the campaign, where he defeated Wilson 6-4 to claim the 24^th ranking crown of his career.

Williams was edged out 6-5 by Robertson in a thrilling Masters semi-final last month and followed that up with a run to the Shoot Out final, where he was beaten by Hossein Vafaei.

The three-time World Champion wasn’t at his fluent best this evening, failing to compose a break over 50, but three frames on the bounce from 3-3 were enough to seal the victory.

Next up Williams faces either Mark Allen or Ricky Walden in the quarter-finals.

The main talking point on day 1 was about the conditions. Mark Williams, who played on table 2, was extremely unhappy with the table, claiming it was like playing through mud and that the cushions were “spongy”.

Table 1 appeared to play slightly better … but only slightly. Neil Robertson saying that he had to constantly “overhit” the balls and confirming the state of the cushions.

I watched the Robertson v Wilson match and, TBH, I don’t remember much of it other than both players struggling. Neil Robertson had a few good breaks despite not being at his best at all, Kyren Wilson never looked at ease and missed a lot, including with the rest which it totally uncharacteristic.

Day 2 – afternoon

Hawk Flies Through Against The Cyclone

Barry Hawkins only narrowly earned a place in this year’s Cazoo Players Championship, qualifying in 16th position, but he scored a superb 6-3 defeat of top seed Zhao Xintong to reach the quarter-finals in Wolverhampton.

Hawkins failed to qualify for last month’s German Masters, meaning he was left to sweat on matches going his way, with only the top 16 players on this season’s one-year list earning a place this week.

A string of favourable results, including an early exit for world number one Mark Selby, saw Hawkins edge through. He finished just £1,500 in front of 17^thplaced Selby.

The Hawk is aiming for a first ranking crown since the 2017 World Grand Prix. However, the three-time ranking event winner has been in great form so far this season.

Hawkins made the last four of the Cazoo UK Championship in December, where he was beaten by Zhao. The Londoner also went on a superb run to the Cazoo Masters final at Alexandra Palace. He won an epic semi-final with Judd Trump 6-5, before falling short against Neil Robertson in the title match.

China’s 24-year-old Zhao posed a stern test for Hawkins this afternoon. He has been the form player of recent months. Zhao landed a maiden Triple Crown title in December, after turning his semi-final win over Hawkins at the UK Championship into silverware, with a defeat of Luca Brecel in the final. He also beat compatriot Yan Bingtao 9-0 in the final of the recent German Masters.

Former Crucible finalist Hawkins stamped his authority early on this afternoon. Breaks of 63 and 91 saw him establish a 2-0 advantage. Zhao reduced his arrears, but a further contribution of 91 earned Hawkins a 3-1 lead at the mid-session.

When play resumed Zhao surged back into contention. Runs of 90 and 62 helped him to two of the next three to make it 4-3. From there Hawkins showed his class, by claiming the following two frames with breaks of 71 and 50 to run out a 6-3 victor.

“I knew it was going to be a really tough game. He is the man in form and must be super confident. He already beat me quite convincingly at the UK Championship in the semi-finals, so it was nice to play well and get a win over him,” said 42-year-old Hawkins.

“He is a top player now. We have all known about him for a while, but he has now proven what he is capable of. He is going to be at the top of the game for a long time now as he will be dedicated. He is very talented and makes it look effortless.

“I feel like I’ve been in good form over the last couple of seasons. To get to the final of the Masters was huge. I took a bit of confidence from that. If I can keep playing well and putting myself in these positions, then hopefully one day the door will open. It is such a difficult game and it is so hard to win any tournament.”

Hawkins now faces a quarter-final contest with Yan Bingtao, who held off a David Gilbert fightback to win an enthralling match 6-4 this afternoon.

Yan showed no signs of a hangover following his comprehensive 9-0 loss at the German Masters. The world number 13 summoned a break building barrage to blitz 5-1 ahead. Runs of 100, 80, 66, 135 and 123 moved him a solitary frame from the win.

Gilbert rallied to take three on the bounce and heap the pressure on a 5-4. Yan stood up to it and fired in a match winning break of 59 to reach the quarters.

Yan Bingtao played really well at the start of the match. He adapted well to the still difficult conditions. At 5-1 down Gilbert probably relaxed and started to play much better as well. It was overall an good match to watch. The way Yan bounced back from his crushing defeat at the German Masters is a testimony of his excellent temperament.

Zhao had no answer to Hawkins’s game. Ronnie, in his last interview with Hector Nunns, said that Zhao’s game is still “incomplete” and it showed against the solid and very astute all-rounder that is Hawkins.

Day 2 – evening

Lift Off For The Rocket

Ronnie O’Sullivan scored his first win over Judd Trump in almost three years with a 6-3 victory in front of a capacity crowd at the Cazoo Players Championship in Wolverhampton.

The Rocket last defeated Trump at the 2019 Tour Championship, when he edged an epic semi-final 10-9. Since then he had succumbed to three consecutive losses at the hands of the Ace in the Pack. There wasn’t a spare seat in the house this evening as O’Sullivan put on a supreme showing to stop the rot.

Despite tonight’s victory, six-time World Champion O’Sullivan still trails 2019 Crucible king Trump in the head-to-head standings. His arrears have now been reduced to just one at 13-12.

O’Sullivan currently leads this season’s Cazoo Series, having defeated Neil Robertson in the final of the Cazoo World Grand Prix before Christmas. He now faces Robertson again in this week’s quarter-finals.

Trump’s search for a first ranking title of the season goes on. The Bristolian racked up 11 wins in ranking events over the previous two campaigns, but is yet to go beyond the quarter-finals in one this term. Although, Trump did win the invitational Champion of Champions back in November.

The pair shared the opening two frames this evening, with O’Sullivan crafting a contribution of 90 to take the first, before Trump restored parity to make it 1-1.

Trump had the first opportunity in the third, but his run broke down on 53. O’Sullivan ruthlessly pounced with 83 to hit the front once more. He then added a further break of 99 to head into the mid-session 3-1 ahead.

When play resumed Trump pulled back within a frame. However, from there O’Sullivan charged for the line. Breaks of 62, 127 and 52 helped him to three of the next four, which saw him emerge with the 6-3 win.

O’Sullivan said: “I’m just pleased to get through. This is a good tournament to play in and you don’t want to be out in the first round of these tournaments. I’m happy to be in the event and I’ve got a nice and easy match with Neil Robertson in the next round now!

“There were still a few mistakes in there. I suppose that just happens when you get older, you have lapses in concentration that don’t happen when you are younger. I try to make up for it with other areas of my game and that kind of offsets those lapses that tend to happen.

“It was a good atmosphere and a packed audience. They came out expecting some good stuff so we tried to put on a good match for them.”

Ricky Walden is through to the quarter-finals after a fine 6-2 defeat of former Masters champion Mark Allen.

Chester’s Walden is enjoying an impressive season so far as he continues his quest for a first piece of silverware since the 2014 International Championship.

Walden’s strong form has seen him reach two semi-finals so far this term, having made the last four at the Northern Ireland Open and the recent German Masters.

Standing in the way of the three-time ranking event winner reaching a third semi-final of the season is Mark Williams. The pair face off in the first quarter-final tie tomorrow evening.

More about Ronnie’s match is available here.

I saw nothing of the other match… however, afterwards, on twitter, Mark Allen vowed to get his own table ready for the “right conditions” by watering it and putting a layer of sponges on the cushions…

Day 3 – afternoon

Higgins Surge Downs Vafaei

John Higgins fired in three centuries after the mid-session interval to beat Hossein Vafaei 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals of the Cazoo Players Championship in Wolverhampton.

Higgins arrived in Wolverhampton as defending champion, following an astonishing showing which saw him win the elite 16-player event last year.

The Scot beat Jordan Brown 6-0, Mark Selby 6-0, Kyren Wilson 6-1 and Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-3 to capture the title. Afterwards he admitted it was one of the best overall tournament displays of his career.

Higgins, a winner of 31 career ranking crowns, has brought that form into the current campaign. The four-time World Champion has reached four major finals thus far, but is yet to convert that into silverware. However, he is currently full of confidence after winning the Championship League last week.

Vafaei will leave Wolverhampton disappointed to fall at the first hurdle, but he has plenty to be pleased about heading into the final stages of the season. The Iranian captured a breakthrough ranking event win last month at the Shoot Out, defeating Mark Williams in the final.

It was Vafaei who made the best start this afternoon, taking a fragmented first two frames to lead 2-0. However, Higgins hit back and took the won the following two to head into the mid-session locked level at 2-2.

The Glaswegian sprung into life upon the resumption. Century breaks of 134, 101 and 108 helped him into a 5-3 lead and moved him a frame from victory. After gaining control in the ninth, he fired in a match winning run of 49 to reach the quarters.

“It was good to come back. At 2-0 behind it could have been looking dodgy. Hossein was looking really good. It was a bonus being 2-2 because of the way he’s been playing,” said 46-year-old Higgins.

“Everybody was delighted for him winning the Shoot Out. It was brilliant for Iranian snooker and brilliant to have another overseas winner. We all know how special he is as a player. He hits the ball so well. This was obviously a big tournament for him. I was just thinking that he might be feeling the pressure a bit. A little bit of experience maybe helped me today.

“I’ll look back fondly on this tournament forever with how well I played last year. As I said at the time, I’ve never played as well as that. They are good memories and I’m trying to bring those here and replicate it somehow.”

Next up for Higgins is a quarter-final clash with former European Masters winner Jimmy Robertson, who secured an impressive 6-1 win over Scottish Open champion Luca Brecel.

Robertson narrowly avoided relegation from the professional circuit last season. The Bexhill cueman survived a final frame decider with Zhao Jianbo at 2021 World Championship qualifying to win 6-5 and maintain his tour card.

However, this season he has shown signs of a return to his best form. That can be exemplified by runs to the semi-finals of the British Open and the quarter-finals of the Cazoo World Grand Prix.

Robertson lost the opener this afternoon, but went on to capture six consecutive frames to set up his quarter-final showdown with Higgins.

Robertson said: “He’s the number two seed and just beating him in general is a big win for me. This is a massive tournament. I’ve been pretty consistent so far this season, but that was a big result.”

The Higgins v Vafaei match basically turned on one shot. Hossein was dominating the match in the early stages and was on the verge to go 3-0 up when he missed a tricky red  in a top corner. John Higgins made it 2-1 and then took the fragmented next as well. When they resumed after the MSI, John Higgins had found his scoring boots and Vafaei disintegrated as the match went on.

I saw nothing from the other match. However the score suggests that Luca, once again, has a dip of form after a couple of verygood performances. It’s been the story of him still young career so far.

Ronnie put up an excellent performance to beat Judd Trump by 6-3 in the last 16 round of the 2022 Players Championship.

Here are the scores and the stats:

It was overall a very good match to watch.

Here is the report by WST:

Lift Off For The Rocket

Ronnie O’Sullivan scored his first win over Judd Trump in almost three years with a 6-3 victory in front of a capacity crowd at the Cazoo Players Championship in Wolverhampton.

The Rocket last defeated Trump at the 2019 Tour Championship, when he edged an epic semi-final 10-9. Since then he had succumbed to three consecutive losses at the hands of the Ace in the Pack. There wasn’t a spare seat in the house this evening as O’Sullivan put on a supreme showing to stop the rot.

Despite tonight’s victory, six-time World Champion O’Sullivan still trails 2019 Crucible king Trump in the head-to-head standings. His arrears have now been reduced to just one at 13-12.

O’Sullivan currently leads this season’s Cazoo Series, having defeated Neil Robertson in the final of the Cazoo World Grand Prix before Christmas. He now faces Robertson again in this week’s quarter-finals.

Trump’s search for a first ranking title of the season goes on. The Bristolian racked up 11 wins in ranking events over the previous two campaigns, but is yet to go beyond the quarter-finals in one this term. Although, Trump did win the invitational Champion of Champions back in November.

The pair shared the opening two frames this evening, with O’Sullivan crafting a contribution of 90 to take the first, before Trump restored parity to make it 1-1.

Trump had the first opportunity in the third, but his run broke down on 53. O’Sullivan ruthlessly pounced with 83 to hit the front once more. He then added a further break of 99 to head into the mid-session 3-1 ahead.

When play resumed Trump pulled back within a frame. However, from there O’Sullivan charged for the line. Breaks of 62, 127 and 52 helped him to three of the next four, which saw him emerge with the 6-3 win.

O’Sullivan said: “I’m just pleased to get through. This is a good tournament to play in and you don’t want to be out in the first round of these tournaments. I’m happy to be in the event and I’ve got a nice and easy match with Neil Robertson in the next round now!

“There were still a few mistakes in there. I suppose that just happens when you get older, you have lapses in concentration that don’t happen when you are younger. I try to make up for it with other areas of my game and that kind of offsets those lapses that tend to happen.

“It was a good atmosphere and a packed audience. They came out expecting some good stuff so we tried to put on a good match for them.”

The conditions continue to be tricky and I had the feeling that Ronnie was hitting the white a bit harder than usual. Alan McManus spotted changes in the way he feathers and adresses the ball.

There were more details about how the match unfolded on Eurosport website:

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP SNOOOKER 2022 – DAZZLING RONNIE O’SULLIVAN CRUSHES JUDD TRUMP TO REACH LAST EIGHT

The one-year ranking system threw Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump together in the first round of the Players Championship. The pair are normally seen contesting finals, and the play on show at the Aldersley Village in Wolverhampton on Tuesday evening was worthy of a final. Trump played well but was no match for O’Sullivan.

…

Ronnie O’Sullivan produced arguably his best performance of the season to beat Judd Trump 6-3 and book his place in the last eight of the Players Championship.

O’Sullivan had the incentive of knowing a win this week would propel him back to the top of the world rankings, and he was fully focused in Wolverhampton.

Trump did not play badly, but he had no answer as O’Sullivan seized on any semblance of a mistake to power into the quarter-finals where he will meet Neil Robertson.

It was a surprise that a contest featuring two of the heaviest scorers in the game kicked off with a six-minute safety exchange.

An error from Trump handed a chance to O’Sullivan, and he deftly knocked a red into right middle before falling perfectly on the blue.

O’Sullivan was seen working hard in the practice room on Monday, suggesting he was well focused. And a glorious break of 90 reinforced that view.

…

Trump had to watch O’Sullivan race through the opener from his chair, but he showed his cueing arm was in good order with an excellent red at the start of the second. A break of 53 did not kill off the frame at the first time of asking, but he got in again a short while later to level.

The potting clinic continued in the third, as Trump got in with a long red and rolled a superb pot to left middle. He ran out of position on 52, and headed for cover in the baulk area. His safety offered O’Sullivan a shot at a plant, which he executed to perfection to set up a frame-winning counter of 83.

O’Sullivan has been active on social media talking positively about recent exhibition events; the fourth frame had some shots that are normally confined to exhibitions. A stunning red into the yellow pocket got him in, and he had the cue ball zipping around the table as he raced through a break of 99 to move ahead at the interval.

Trump did little wrong before the interval, and reinforced the view that he too was in good form as a break of 73 was enough to secure the fifth frame.

There were collector’s items in the sixth: missed pots. Both passed up chances, but Trump’s proved the most costly as a couple of contributions off the back of errors enabled O’Sullivan to move 4-2 to the good.

Trump hit back to take the seventh, but was fortunate to do so. He broke down on 55, missing a red on the stretch when he would have been wiser taking his time and using the long rest. O’Sullivan countered, but saw the final red wriggle in the jaws of the bottom right and go along the rail and settle over bottom left to allow Trump to clear.

Throughouth the contest, O’Sullivan was seen prowling round the table like a tiger hunting prey. When he came to the table after a Trump miss in the eighth, it looked a tricky puzzle to solve but he picked it apart in supreme style for the 1,134th century of his career.

It was appropriate that a brilliant long red set O’Sullivan on the way to the chequered flag. He came to the table with a lot to do, but calmly picked off a break of 52 before running for cover.

The potting was excellent, but his match play was water-tight as he refused to give Trump a way back in and closed out the match a short while later.

…

Ronnie discussed this after the match as reported by Eurosport:

…
Ronnie O’Sullivan has admitted to tweaking his cue action, and suggested the time has come to change his moniker.

Alan McManus spotted in commentary during his win over Judd Trump at the Players Championship that O’Sullivan was addressing the ball slightly differently.

It was not obvious to the untrained eye – as O’Sullivan quipped “Angles [McManus] does not miss a trick.”

But it was a minor tweak and something O’Sullivan admitted would likely be adapted again at some stage.

“I am always tinkering,” O’Sullivan told ITV Sport. “They should change my name from the Rocket to the Tinkerer.

“I can’t help it, I just have to.

“It’s not like I’m changing my cue action, I’m just fiddling about with it.”

…

O’Sullivan says he is motivated to change as he does not possess the natural technique of some of his peers.

“I am not blessed with a great technique, like Neil Robertson, John Higgins, Trump, Ding Junhui – all these great cueists,” O’Sullivan said. “I have to search for it a bit and do what you have to do.”

Judd Trump was gracious in defeat (report by Eurosport):

…

Speaking to ITV after the match, Trump was magnanimous in defeat. “I didn’t really do that much wrong to be honest, Ronnie played brilliantly,” he said.

“When he plays well, you have to play your absolute best. I didn’t really play too badly, I didn’t make that many mistakes, he was just too good.”

Trump went on to suggest that, when O’Sullivan is on top form, he and Higgins are in a different bracket to everyone else.

“It was just one of them games where, when someone as good as Ronnie plays well, you’re going to struggle,” said Trump. “You just have to go away and come back for another time.

“It’s tough. Him and John Higgins are, for me, in their own little world when they play well. I’ve beaten [O’Sullivan] the last three times and I always know there’s going to be a backlash at some point [when I’m playing] against him.

“But, to be honest, it is always enjoyable playing him and I’m not disappointed. I practised hard, he was just too good on the day.”

…

Me… very happy!