Here is how we got there (report by WST)

Selby And Robertson Set For Showdown

Mark Selby and Neil Robertson secured last 16 victories to book a BetVictor Northern Ireland quarter-final meeting the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.

Leicester’s four-time World Champion Selby earned his progression with a hard fought 4-2 win over Welshman Michael White.

Former two-time ranking event winner White has enjoyed his best week since regaining his place on the professional circuit earlier this year. However, he quickly found himself 2-0 down this afternoon.

Despite his slow start, a break of 72 helped White on his way to two on the bounce to restore parity at 2-2. Selby emphatically responded a stunning contribution of 132 regained him the lead. He then claimed the sixth frame to emerge a 4-2 victor.

“I need to be on top of my game in the quarter-finals and if I am then I have a chance. Neil is a brilliant player and one of the all-time greats of the game,” said 39-year-old Selby. “Me and Neil have won a lot of tournaments and there aren’t that many that we haven’t. This tournament is one of them and I’ll be trying hard to put it on my CV.

“He has a good all round game. WST put on Twitter a question about who the best long potter in the game is and Mark Williams said Neil for certain. I’d agree with that. It gets him out of trouble a lot. He is a difficult player to face. I will give it my best and see what happens.”

Australia’s 2010 World Champion Neil Robertson eased to the last eight with a 4-0 whitewash win over China’s Li Hang.

Robertson fired in breaks of 102 and 60 on his way to booking tomorrow afternoon’s quarter-final encounter with Selby.

Selby and Robertson have met on all of the sport’s biggest stages, with each player scoring significant victories over the other. However, it is Melbourne cueman Robertson who has won their last five meetings and leads the head-to-head 15-8.

They are both hunting a maiden Northern Ireland Open title this weekend. This week is 23-time ranking event winner Robertson’s best ever performance in Belfast, while 20-time ranking event winner Selby made the semi-finals in 2018.

Defending champion Mark Allen will face three-time World Champion Mark Williams in the quarter-finals.

Allen booked his place in the last eight with a 4-0 win over Xiao Guodong, while Williams won a high quality clash with 2004 UK Champion Stephen Maguire 4-3.

Former Crucible semi-finalist David Gilbert earned his quarter-final spot with a hard fought 4-3 win over Tom Ford. Tamworth’s Gilbert top scored with a fine break of 132. He now faces Zhou Yuelong, who whitewashed Robert Milkins 4-0.

Anthony McGill and Lyu Haotian will meet in the other quarter-final. They scored respective 4-0 wins over Luca Brecel and Tian Pengfei.

It’s a bit strange that the report mainly focusses on Mark Selby when Mark Allen, the defending champion was also in action that afternoon. Maybe “punished” for bluntly stating that the table was awful and nearly unplayable? Selby is right to say that he will need to be on his game today. Neil has beaten him in 11 of the last 12 matches they played…

The evening session only got two short paragraphs in this report. It’s a shame. Lyu Haotian was impressive in whitewashing Luca Brecel. He played attacking, creative snooker. It reminded me of him, as a 14 years old kid, playing in Yixing in 2012. He was awesome. That was before a terrible first experience as a professional destroyed his confidence and almost drove him away from the sport. He’s not practicing at Vic’s academy and he’s starting to look like his former self again. I would be delighted for him if he could win a title soon, maybe even this Sunday? Who knows?

Here are WST reports on the last 64 and last 32 rounds in Belfast. It’s been a bit of a bloodbath for the top seeds

Last 64

18 October – afternoon

Higgins Edges Page In Belfast Thriller

John Higgins edged Jackson Page in a thriller at the Waterfront Hall, battling back from 3-2 down to win 4-3 and earn a place in the last 32 of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open.

The world number five finished runner-up in Belfast last year, suffering a 9-8 loss to Mark Allen in the final – one of five finals that Higgins lost last season. The Scot will be hoping to go one better this time around, having seen off Fergal O’Brien and now Page to advance to the next round.

Higgins struck early with a run of 91 to take the lead after Page left a red to the middle pocket when trying to play safe up the table. In frame two, Higgins made the same mistake when attempting to play safe down the table. The Welshman potted the red and made a 128 clearance to draw level. The high-quality contest continued with Higgins striking 84 to regain the lead before his opponent took the following two frames with breaks of 65 and 76 respectively to make it 3-2.

Page looked to be on the verge of victory in the sixth frame following a break of 64, but a missed red to the middle allowed Higgins back in. The Scot then made a clearance of 69 under pressure to force a decider. Page looked to be feeling the pressure in the final frame too, missing a tricky plant to the top left pocket. And Higgins picked the right time to land his first century stand of the match with a 124 clearance to black, securing a 4-3 victory.

“I was very impressed with Jackson!” said the four-time world champion. “He’s got great talent and he hits the ball really really well. It doesn’t take him a lot of effort to manoeuvre the white ball around the table. It’s incredibly difficult for the young guys because there are more top players now that stop them. But, he is a great talent.”

“Jackson was in about the balls to get over the line and win 4-2 but he was a little bit unlucky. He’s potted the blue and got a cannon on the brown which left him a horrible shot on the red. I managed to clear up which was great. He’s missed a plant in the last frame and again I managed to clear up.”

Barry Hawkins is also through to the last 32, defeating Louis Heathcote 4-0. Despite a break of 52 in the opening frame, Heathcote left a red over the green pocket. Hawkins was on 39 at the time and made no mistake in clearing up the colours needed to take a 1-0 lead. The Hawk doubled his advantage in the next frame before a run of 61, when trailing 64-17, made it 3-0. Having battled hard all match, Hawkins eventually found his rhythm in the fourth frame. A break of 106 secured the win and his place in the next round, where he will face Michael White.

Earlier in the morning, White defeated Ding Junhui 4-3 with three breaks of over 50. The two-time ranking event winner fell off the tour in 2020 but won his place back this season after qualifying for the World Championship.

“It was a quality match,” said the Welshman. “I’m just pleased that I performed out there on the match table. It’s been a while since I played to my potential on the TV table. That means a lot to me. To do it under that extreme pressure and to have a one-visit in the deciding frame is a massive confidence builder.

“There is an old saying, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. This game’s got a funny way of biting you back when you don’t give it the respect it deserves. I said to myself if I’m going back on tour, I’m going to give it 100% or not going to bother at all. So I’m working extremely hard on and off the table and I’ve got a great balance to my life now. I’m enjoying my snooker, I’m enjoying my practice. And I’m in a much better place than I was.”

Luca Brecel continued his quest to hold two Home Nations titles simultaneously after beating Jimmy White 4-0. The current BetVictor Scottish Open champion hit a century and two fifties on his way to securing a place in the last 32.

Tom Ford defeated Scott Donaldson by the same scoreline while Shaun Murphy and David Gilbert also booked their spot in the next round, beating Jamie Clarke and Noppon Saengkham 4-1 respectively.

18 October – evening

Hill On Cloud Nine After Beating Trump

Ireland’s world number 95 Aaron Hill scored a stunning upset 4-1 win over 23-time ranking event winner Judd Trump at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.

Hill is no stranger to defeating snooker’s biggest stars, having registered a 5-4 win over Ronnie O’Sullivan at the BetVictor European Masters during his rookie season as a professional back in 2020.

Unfortunately, the Cork cueman stalled after that significant early triumph and lost his place on the circuit at the conclusion of this year’s World Championship. However, he picked himself off the canvas and earned an immediate return to the circuit by successfully negotiating Q School, beating China’s Zhao Jianbo in the final round of event two.

Today’s win has seen former under-18 and under-21 European Champion Hill again showcase his considerable potential against the sport’s finest and he now progresses to the last 32, where he will face Tom Ford.

World number two Trump’s early exit is in stark contrast to his overall record in Belfast. The Ace in the Pack won the title on three consecutive occasions between 2018 and 2020, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan 9-7 in the final each time. There will be no fourth title for Trump, who now turns his attention to the defence of his Champion of Champions title at the end of this month.

A break of 54 gave Hill the opener this evening, before Trump emphatically replied with 109 to restore parity at 1-1. Hill regained his advantage by taking the third and then moved one from the win courtesy of a run of 87.

Trump was in first in the fifth frame, but an unexpected missed red on 25 allowed Hill back to the table. After a couple of visits he got himself over the line and booked his place in the last 32.

“It means the world to me,” said 20-year-old Hill. “When I had that big win against Ronnie two years ago I didn’t back it up, as I was inexperienced. When I started losing matches after that expectation started to build. I felt like I had a big monkey on my shoulders and I couldn’t get him off.

“When I dropped off the tour it gave me a different perspective. When I got through Q School it was the biggest relief ever. I had gone from being the biggest prospect to losing my professional place and I showed good character to get back on. Hopefully I won’t look back now.

“I don’t want to just be out there playing the likes of Judd and Ronnie. I want to beating them on a consistent level. I know I am good enough to be getting these kinds of results. It is just about getting a bit of consistency. I am really happy with how my game is right now so hopefully I can kick on.”

The shocks continued with world number 108 David Lilley whitewashing 2015 World Champion Stuart Bingham 4-0. Lilley made breaks of 60 and 73 on his way to the win. He now faces David Gilbert in the last 32.

Kyren Wilson avoided a surprise exit, battling from 3-2 down to beat Sean O’Sullivan 4-3. That sets up an intriguing last 32 encounter with Stephen Maguire.

Welsh amateur Daniel Wells beat Welsh Open champion Joe Perry 4-0, while Scotland’s Anthony McGill defeated Belgian rookie Julian Leclercq 4-1.

19 October – afternoon

Amazing Grace Halts Rocket

World number 49 David Grace scored a shock 4-3 win over World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan to reach the last 32 of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.

Grace is a former Northern Ireland Open semi-finalist, having made the last four back in 2020 when the event was staged in Milton Keynes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite his successes that week and in reaching the semi-finals of the 2015 UK Championship, this result undoubtedly remains one of the best in Grace’s career so far.

The Yorkshireman’s only previous meeting with O’Sullivan yielded a very different result. On that occasion, at the 2018 Welsh Open, O’Sullivan emerged a 4-0 victor and allowed Grace to register just 13 points.

Although Grace exceeded his previous points tally in the the opening frame this afternoon, O’Sullivan still imposed himself on proceedings with a break of 62 to take the first. The 39-time ranking event winner then took the second to secure an ominous 2-0 advantage. However Grace responded in impressive fashion by crafting breaks of 57, 94 and 64 in consecutive frames to take three on the bounce and lead 3-2.

He had his chance to get over the line in the sixth, but missed a black off the spot and allowed O’Sullivan to force a decider. He made up for his mistake and took the final frame to emerge with a famous victory. Next up Grace faces Tian Pengfei.

“I think it’s got to be the biggest win of my career. It is such a big occasion playing Ronnie and everybody is watching on. It is a special one,” said 37-year-old Grace.

“It was going really badly at 2-0 down and I am proud that I managed to find the cue ball control to give myself a foothold in the match. When you play the legends they get better when they go in front. They don’t normally give you a chance to get in the game.

“I am in the club every day working hard. I’m trying to prove that I can do it on the biggest stage. That is what everyone down the rankings is trying to do. When you get a chance to prove it like that you have to take it.”

Neil Robertson continued his quest for a first Northern Ireland Open crown with a 4-1 defeat of John Astley. The Australian has won all of the other three Home Nations events and victory this week would see him become the first to complete the series slam. Next up he faces a tough test against China’s Li Hang, who beat home favourite Jordan Brown 4-0.

Welsh three-time World Champion Mark Williams beat former European Masters winner Jimmy Robertson 4-2, while Xiao Guodong defeated Iranian Hossein Vafaei 4-3.

And the trend continued in the last 32 round

19 October – evening

Selby and Allen Through As Top Seeds Fall

Mark Selby and Mark Allen have secured their places in the last 16 of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open, as top seeds fell around them on day four at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Kyren Wilson are out, joining Judd Trump who exited the competition last night. Selby will be hoping he can better his run to the semi-finals at the Waterfront in 2018. He beat Hammad Miah 4-2.

Prior to the BetVictor European Masters in August, Miah had been practising with Selby. But, following a break of 54, flawed attempts at leaving both the blue and pink balls safe, allowed his new training partner to steal the opening frame. Leading 59-31 in the second, Miah failed to make contact with the green after being left snookered behind the brown. The Jester from Leicester made no mistake in clearing the green and remaining colours to double his lead.

Mistakes became contagious with the third frame following a similar pattern to the first two. Selby missed a black off the spot when leading 50-16. Miah then cleared to blue before losing control of the cue ball and with it the frame. He fought back to win the following two frames and looked to be causing his opponent some concern. But, Selby held his nerve in the sixth with a run of 59 to seal a 4-2 win.

“Hammad’s a great lad,” said the four-time world champion, who will play Michael White in the next round. “He came to practise with me just before the European. I’ve got to know him a little bit and he’s a great kid. In practice he was screwing long balls back and potting ridiculous balls. He’s probably one of those players that thrives on confidence. If it goes 3-3, it’s a spin of a coin.

“My concentration from start to finish was non-existent, I felt flat out there. I could have lost all three of the opening frames. So to be 3-0 up I was over the moon. But, I just couldn’t even see the shots out there. I’m watching everything else that’s going on but my table. We both gave each other so many chances so even when you went back to your chair you felt like it would be a matter of time before you were coming back again.”

Allen came from 2-0 down to defeat Andy Lee, who is ranked world number 105, to continue his quest for back-to-back titles at the Waterfront Hall. The Northern Irishman will also be hoping to put last month’s disappointment behind him and claim his first trophy of the season, having lost 10-7 to Ryan Day in the final of the Cazoo British Open.

But, it was Lee who won the opening frame of this match. Allen looked to be in charge of the second frame, leading 44-23. But after leaving a red to the top left pocket, his opponent took advantage and made it 2-0. With it looking like his title defence could be slipping away, Allen mounted a comeback. He won the next three frames to move within one of the next round. Lee, who regained his place on tour in the spring at Q School, made a break of 91 to draw level at 3-3. And in the decider, it was Allen who got over the line. Lee rattled a black in the jaws of the top left pocket, leaving enough points on the table for the home favourite to secure the win. Allen will face Xiao Guodong for a place in the quarter-finals.

Michael White has also booked his place in the last 16 after beating Barry Hawkins 4-2. The Hawk flew out of the traps, striking a century break in the opening frame. But, White drew level before breaks of 65 and 44 in the third game him the lead. The Welshman looked in good touch and won two of the next three frames to secure the win.

Aaron Hill couldn’t replicate last night’s fireworks against Judd Trump, suffering a 4-1 defeat to Tom Ford. Losing 3-0, the Irishman looked to kickstart a fightback with a break of 85, but any chances were soon extinguished as Ford made a run of 67 adding to his breaks of 56 and 66 in frames two and three.

David Gilbert hit two centuries on his way to beating David Lilley 4-1, backing up his win over British Open semi-finalist Noppon Saengkham in the previous round. Steven Maguire defeated world number six Kyren Wilson by the same scoreline. The Scot closed the match out with a break of 92 adding to the century stand he made in the fourth frame.

The report about what happened earlier today isn’t available yet but Yan Bingtao, Barry Hawkins and John Higgins all lost.

This leaves us with only 5 of the top 16 still in the competition in the last 16 round. Four of them – Mark Allen, Mark Selby, Mark Williams and Neil Robertson are in the top half of the draw, with only Luca Brecel from the top 16 still alive in the bottom half. At the time of writing, Neil Robertson has booked his place in the QFs. The other matches are either underway or to be played tonight.

My feeling is that the very slow and disjoint start of the season hasn’t done anyone any good. Most of the top players have barely played at all, and amongst those who have played recently in Hong Kong most will probably still feel a bit tired because of the time difference, especially the older ones. As for the lower ranked players, it’s been start/stop and those who where on form and qualified in August may not be on form right now.

The calendar this season is a shambolic. It may and will create surprises and shocks, and that may suit some people’s agenda but it’s not doing the sport or its fans any favour.

As we would say in Brussels’ idiom … “That’s my opinion and I agree with it!”

Ronnie was beaten by David Grace in the last 64 round of the 2022 Northern Ireland Open. He lost 4-3 having been 2-0 up.

Here are the scores:

Ronnie didn’t play well even in the first two frames. He was OK in the balls but his long potting was poor and his safeties not as accurate as they should have been. David, after looking nervous in the first two frames, found his game and made very few mistakes when in the balls, his long potting was good too and that made a huge difference. In frame five, David benefitted from an outrageous fluke and took full advantage. Ronnie only scored 11 points in those three frames. In frame six, David’s nerves appeared to return and Ronnie was able to force a decider. David though dominated the last frame.

In the second half of the match, Ronnie played very aggressively, a bit like he did against Mark Selby in the 2020 Crucible semi-final but it didn’t work for him this time. And, to be fair, he didn’t have the best of luck either.

here is the end of the match, shared by Eurosport on their snooker YouTube channel:

Alan McManus and Jimmy White, in the studio, said that Ronnie was “in control” when he went v2-0 up. It never felt that way to me. He wasn’t getting the long ones and was fidgeting a lot with his tip and that’s never a good sign.

As a Ronnie fan I’m disappointed of course, but I’m also happy for David who is one of the kindest, nicest guys on tour, and a sensitive and talented artist. I hope that he has a deep run in Belfast now.

Ronnie said after his first match that he hadn’t practiced at all since returning from Hong Kong. It showed, and it also tells us that even the best players need to put the work in and, if they don’t, they get found out.

I can’t help but wonder if Ronnie really has the required motivation for the smaller events right now. His game is there, we saw that in Hong Kong and he battled from 4-1 down to beat Neil Robertson by 6-5 in the semi-finals. Today however, I couldn’t sense at all the kind of intensity he was oozing in that match and throughout that tournament.

This may be an issue if he wishes to play in the “Cazoo Series”. These are tournaments he usually loves playing but he needs to be in the top 32 in the one year list. At the time of writing he’s provisionally 73d on that list. I expect Ronnie to find some motivation and form ahead the UK Championship … I hope he does.

Addendum…

BBC just published this which confirms that Ronnie state of mind isn’t great…

Ronnie O’Sullivan: Seven-time world champion lacks ‘passion and desire’ for snooker

29 minutes ago

By Richard PetrieBBC Sport NI at the Waterfront Hall

Snooker

Ronnie O’Sullivan says snooker has “become like an emotionless-type job” after his second-round defeat by David Grace at the Northern Ireland Open.

The seven-time world champion suffered a shock 4-3 loss to the world number 62 after building a 2-0 lead.

“I don’t really have the passion and desire for it [snooker]. I give it what I feel like it deserves,” O’Sullivan told the BBC in Belfast on Wednesday.

“If I had to choose to do this I wouldn’t. I don’t care any more.”

He added: “The job ain’t worth the stress and the hassle. Sometimes a loss is a blessing in disguise, it just allows me to do other stuff.”

• Trump crashes out as Hill secures shock win

O’Sullivan lost to lower-ranked Swiss player Alex Ursenbacher in the first round of the British Open in September, before going on to beat Marco Fu in the final of the Hong Kong Masters.

The 46-year-old lost to Judd Trump 9-7 in three consecutive Northern Ireland Open finals between 2018 and 2020. 

Trump also exited this year’s tournament at the second-round stage, going down 4-1 to Cork’s Aaron Hill on Tuesday.

O’Sullivan raced into a 2-0 lead against his fellow Englishman but Grace fought his way back into the match with breaks of 57, 94 and 64, and although O’Sullivan took a scrappy sixth frame to level, his opponent held his nerve to win the decider.

“I’ve got a rule, I don’t really talk about any of my matches, I leave it out there, it is what it is,” said reigning world champion O’Sullivan.

“I let others analyse and criticise while I move on and have a bit of lunch.

“If I can play one good tournament a year that will do for me, cut the mediocre ones. That’s enough really.

“I quit mentally about eight years ago and I just take what I can from the sport. It’s a good platform for me, allows me to do other stuff and gives me a lot of freedom.

“As far as winning goes or cementing my name in the game there isn’t enough good stuff in the game to get excited about.

“One day I’ll wake up and get excited and play a good tournament, but if I don’t I don’t really care any more.

“I’ll pot a few balls, get paid, it’s just become like an emotionless-type job. I just make it work for me.“

O’Sullivan is also working as a television pundit in Belfast, and despite his indifference about his own performance he describes the Waterfront as “a great venue”, the crowd as “unbelievable” and the event “brilliant”.

“I wouldn’t even play in the tournament if I wasn’t working for Eurosport. I wouldn’t play, wouldn’t do it at all,” he said.

“The game doesn’t interest me, the events don’t interest me, the calendar doesn’t interest me, just making a business out of it kind of interests me.

“I’ve earned that right, really. I can do what I like when I like, and if I never win another match I think I’ve earned the right to do it my way.“

😟 …

And this, more positive from Eurosport:

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN SAYS SNOOKER ‘NOT MAIN PRIORITY’ AS HE REVEALS HE IS WRITING NEW BOOK AFTER SHOCK LOSS

Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan says he is writing a new book after his shock defeat to David Grace in the second round of the Northern Ireland Open. O’Sullivan was set to take a relatively simple win when 2-0 up, but lost the match on a decider. He praised his opponent, but also added snooker is “not the main priority” for him at the moment.

By Nigel Chu

Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed he is writing a new book and that snooker is “not the main priority” for him right now following his shock defeat to David Grace at the Northern Ireland Open.

O’Sullivan was 2-0 up on Grace in their second-round match, but was beaten in a decider in Belfast after some erratic shots.

The Rocket has been doing some punditry in the Eurosport studio this week and will provide more analysis for the rest of the tournament in Belfast.

“I don’t really analyse my matches any more,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport. “I got beat so I can do a bit of punditry work now.

“I can concentrate on writing a few chapters in my book, I can try and get a bit of practice.

“I suppose the practice tables are a bit emptier now so I’ll just enjoy the next few days of this tournament and have a bit of relaxation time.”

Asked if another autobiography was coming, O’Sullivan answered: “I can’t say what it is because they want to announce what it is. I’m just busy at the moment, so snooker isn’t the main priority.

“It’s just finding time to fit everything in so if one thing doesn’t go well you’ve got something else to fall back on.

“I just enjoy my life. In some ways a loss is good for me because it allows me to do my punditry. If I were to choose between punditry and playing at this stage in my career, it would be that [punditry].

“It allows me to do stuff I really like to do. I can do some stuff with my book tonight which is time consuming, it’s enjoyable. But it’s just different things at this stage in my life you just want a bit of variety in your life.

“Too much snooker makes you not too happy I suppose.”

…

O’Sullivan says his opponent, who will play Tian Pengfei in the third round, was a worthy winner.

“He deserved his win, [he] played fantastically well,” said O’Sullivan.

“The snooker gods made the right result today.”

🙂

The difference of tone between those two reports on what Ronnie said is striking. It’s obvious that the two journalists have very different agendas here. I doubt that Ronnie went to talk in two separate post-matches interviews. Also it’s rarely mentioned if a quote was something said spontaneously or in answer to a question. Quotes reported out of context can create a very misleading impression.

As usual now in the Home Nations, the top 16 got their last 128 match held-over to the venue. They are, of course, expected to win those but there are always upsets. This time, we got three unexpected outcomes as Zhao Xintong, Ricky Walden and Jack Lisowski lost their opening match.

The biggest surprise probably was Lyu Haotian’s 4-1 win over Zhao Xintong, especially as Zhao had won the first frame with a big break. Zhao has not been consistent since his big UK Championship triumph and it’s easy to forget how good Lyu was as a junior. It’s good to see Lyu playing well again.

Ricky was beaten by 4-1 by Xiao Guodong. Xiao is a very, very good player when on form and he seems to be on form this week. As for Jack Lisowski … I’ll abstain to say anything, he’s just too frustrating.

Here are the reports by WST:

Day 1 – October 16, 2022

Trump Channelling Higgins In Belfast

Judd Trump claimed that emulating Alex Higgins has helped him to woo the Belfast crowds, after securing a 4-1 defeat of Rod Lawler in the opening round of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open.

Trump is the most successful player in the event’s short history. The Ace in the Pack lifted the trophy, which is named after Higgins, on three consecutive occasions between 2018 and 2020. Remarkably, all three of those finals saw Trump beat Ronnie O’Sullivan by a 9-7 scoreline.

The opening frame wasn’t played on Trump’s terms this afternoon, with Lawler taking it after 35-minutes to lead 1-0. From that point, 2019 World Champion Trump sprang into gear. A break of 114 gave him the second and he stole the third on the black to lead 2-1.

Trump then doubled his advantage, before a break of 88 saw him take his fourth on the bounce to run out a 4-1 victor. Next up Trump will take on Ireland’s Aaron Hill in the last 64.

“I’ve won this event a few times now. It is up there with my favourites. The greats of the game have won events five, six or seven times. I want to try to to that at this tournament,” said 23-time ranking event winner Trump.

“Every time I’ve come here I’ve always had amazing support. I don’t know what it is, it might be something to do with the fact my style of play is like Alex Higgins. They get behind that and can see that I am trying my best, playing all these different shots for the fans out there.”

Shaun Murphy kept his hopes of qualifying for the Champion of Champions alive with a 4-0 whitewash win against China’s Xu Si.

This week is Murphy’s last opportunity to qualify for the prestigious invitation event. The 2005 Crucible king fired in contributions of 51, 79 and 62 on his way to the win. He plays Jamie Clarke next.

“I’ve come here with the clear goal of trying to win to get in the Champion of Champions. That is one down and six to go,” said 40-year-old Murphy.

“I’ve had the same opportunities as everyone else. This is the last chance saloon. I’ve not taken the chances and I am going to give it everything to get in.”

Neil Robertson needed just over an hour to brush aside Fraser Patrick 4-0. The Australian made breaks of 85, 120 and 55 on his way to victory. Robertson is now up against former European Masters winner Fan Zhengyi in the last 64.

Mark Selby was made to work for a 4-2 win over 12-time women’s World Champion Reanne Evans. He is also still to secure his place at the Champion of Champions. The four-time Crucible winner progresses to face Sam Craigie here in Belfast.

The match between Mark Selby and Reanne Evans could have been really close had Reanne got off to a better start. But she played really badly for the first two frames, before finally finding some form. But it was far too late.

Day 2 – 17 October 2022 – early sessions

Memories Flood Back For Allen On Winning Return To Belfast

Mark Allen made a strong start to his defence of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open, claiming a 4-1 opening round victory over Chang Bingyu in front of a raucous crowd in Belfast.

Allen defeated John Higgins 9-8 at the Waterfront Hall last season to secure his first professional title on home soil in what he later described as his best ever professional win. The 36-year-old, who reached the final of the Cazoo British Open earlier this month, will be hoping to add a seventh-ranking title to his tally this week.

But, it was Chang Bingyu who started the better of the two in this match, taking the opening frame. The Pistol then found his rhythm and drew level with a clearance of 123. Allen took the second frame before runs of 56 and 70 moved him 3-1 ahead. The Belfast crowd were then treated to a century break in what would prove to be the final frame of the evening – Allen scoring 108 to seal a 4-1 win and a place in the last 64.

“I walked in from practice and I actually thought in my head, ‘this is the first time I’ve been in here since I won that final frame last year’, so those sort of feelings came flooding back,” said Allen, who plays Chen Zifan in the next round. “But you’re trying to block all of those out and just focus on your job which is quite hard to do. When I first walked out into the arena, all of a sudden I felt really edgy. I felt really calm all day and then suddenly it hit me. But I was happy to put that to bed in the second frame with a century and I played well after that.

“I always felt like I had something to prove to the people of Northern Ireland. But now that I won last year, I don’t feel like I’ve got that to prove to them (home crowd). I feel like winning it before should help me, it should ease the pressure a little bit. I’ve done it before, so why not do it again.

“The Belfast crowd always support their own really well. It’s probably the most supported Home Nations event and I think it has the best identity of the lot. People in Northern Ireland just love sporting events so it was great to be involved in tonight. I wasn’t feeling that when I missed a few in that first frame but after that it was pretty flawless.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan is also through. He made light work of Lukas Kleckers in a 4-0 whitewash. O’Sullivan took the lead in the match with a break of 66 before edging the second frame 78-46. The German struggled to get going in the contest and the Rocket soon made it 3-0 with a break of 77. Kleckers hopes of securing his opening frame of the match were extinguished following a safety exchange on the brown. Trailing 56-53, he left the object ball over the top right pocket, allowing O’Sullivan to clear up the final four colours and see out a comfortable 4-0 win.

“He (Kleckers) wasn’t at the races and I just had to pot a few balls. I didn’t do anything special,” said O’Sullivan.

“I haven’t even picked up my cue since the Hong Kong Masters! I came home and had a nice weekend with the dogs. They’re the best thing. They’ve restored my faith in life and they give me so much love.”

Two former world champions Mark Williams and Stuart Bingham came from behind to win their qualifying matches against Peter Lines and Allan Taylor respectively. The Welshman took the opening frame of the match before Lines drew level. The current UK Seniors champion then moved in front with a break of 53. Williams responded, winning the following three frames with contributions of 128 and 69 to see him through.

Meanwhile, Bingham won four frames on the bounce after going behind to book his spot in the last 64, with breaks of 110 and 61. World number 11 Luca Brecel eased past Joe O’Connor 4-0, knocking in three fifties in the process, to earn a place in the next round.

You can read more about Ronnie’s match here .

Day 2 – 17 October 2022 – later sessions

Robertson Aiming For Home Nations Slam

Neil Robertson revealed that completing the Home Nations set is acting as extra motivation to lift the Alex Higgins Trophy for the first time this week. He booked his place in the last 32 of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open this afternoon with a 4-2 defeat of Fan Zhengyi.

Robertson is a two-time winner of the Welsh Open and was victorious at the Scottish Open in 2017 and the English Open in 2021. However, his record in this event is a poor one by comparison. The Australian has never been beyond the last 32 in Belfast.

The 2010 World Champion took the first two frames this afternoon to move 2-0 ahead, before 2021 European Masters winner Fan pulled back within a frame thanks to a fine break of 91.

A run of 48 helped Robertson to restore his two-frame cushion. However, Fan refused to wilt and showed his class with a 108 break to make it 3-2. It was to no avail as Robertson got himself over the line in the sixth to emerge a 4-2 victor.

“There extra incentive and motivation having won the other three Home Nations tournaments. Nobody has ever won all four. In the last couple of seasons, myself, Judd, Ronnie and Selby have won two or three. It would be nice to be the first person to do it,” said 23-time ranking event winner Robertson.

“We get beautiful replica trophies made of crystal. I’ve got all three sat in my man cave with my other trophies. It would be really cool to have all four. That is the kind of motivation in my career now. I am trying to complete little sets. That is a nice position to be in.

“I’ve not done too well in this tournament in previous years. It would be nice to go deep in this event. The venue is set up really well for good crowds later on in the week. I remember what the atmosphere was like with Mark Allen and John Higgins in last year’s final. It would be awesome to be a part of that.”

World number four Mark Selby came out a 4-2 victor in a clash with Sam Cragie, a player he had previously sponsored.

Selby is still chasing a place in the upcoming invitational Champion of Champions and faces either Hammad Miah or Lu Ning next in his quest to win this week’s event.

The four-time Crucible king revealed after the match that he used to sponsor Craigie while he was initially trying to make it as a professional. Although he lauded the talent of world number 47 Craigie, he fears he may not fulfil his potential.

“I sponsored him for a little while when he was trying to get on the tour, but he wasn’t really putting the work in,” said 39-year-old Selby.

“He didn’t really have much money. I was with Mukesh (former manager) at the time and we said we would pay for him to travel to events and we put him up in a hotel around the corner from a club. He wasn’t turning up until four o’clock in the afternoon to practice. We said we are willing to help you, but don’t want to waste money either.

“He has everything. He has a good technique and scores well. You watch him in some matches and he blows people away. It is frustrating when you see players like that not fulfilling their talent.”

Last year’s runner-up John Higgins battled past Fergal O’Brien 4-2 to book a last 64 meeting with Jackson Page. Glasgow’s Higgins took two frames on the black en route to victory this morning.

Jack Lisowski succumbed to a 4-2 loss against Li Hang, while Xiao Guodong beat Mink Nutcharut 4-0.

Ronnie beat Lukas Kleckers by 4-0 in the first round of the 2022 Northern Ireland Open.

These are the scores:

Ronnie didn’t play particularly well but Lukas wasn’t able to take his chances. In the balls, Ronnie was reliable and throughout the match his attitude was good. He didn’t go for anything outlandish. His long potting though was pretty awful.

Here is WST report about this match:

Ronnie O’Sullivan is also through. He made light work of Lukas Kleckers in a 4-0 whitewash. O’Sullivan took the lead in the match with a break of 66 before edging the second frame 78-46. The German struggled to get going in the contest and the Rocket soon made it 3-0 with a break of 77. Kleckers hopes of securing his opening frame of the match were extinguished following a safety exchange on the brown. Trailing 56-53, he left the object ball over the top right pocket, allowing O’Sullivan to clear up the final four colours and see out a comfortable 4-0 win.

“He (Kleckers) wasn’t at the races and I just had to pot a few balls. I didn’t do anything special,” said O’Sullivan.

“I haven’t even picked up my cue since the Hong Kong Masters! I came home and had a nice weekend with the dogs. They’re the best thing. They’ve restored my faith in life and they give me so much love.”

And two images they shared on twitter:

And more quotes reported by RTÉ

“I don’t have a schedule, I just enter everything,” he tells RTÉ Sport.

“The trick is to lose… if you don’t want to be somewhere, then you’re better off getting beat, getting home and having a few days off, and waiting to see how you feel the next week.

“Before I used to pick and choose, and I was playing better then, and I was able to do that and get away with it. Now I just enter everything, and then at some point I’ll feel good and might win it.

“If I don’t feel good, at least play a couple of matches, get out of the house for a few days, and then get back home.

“Nothing really matters – wins, losses – eventually something will happen. That’s the law of averages.“

O’Sullivan adds that he’s looking forward to spending some time in Belfast, where he plans to run, and continue to do work with Eurosport even while he’s still involved in the tournament.

“It’s the most important thing I do [jogging] – that and the dog,” the 46-year-old says.

“I want my life to be as easy and comfortable as it can possibly be, and snooker is probably the hardest thing that I have to do. I have to get my head around it and be professional.

“You’ve got to switch on the mind. Everything else I want it to come easy, and it does. So I don’t mind having to put a bit of effort in for something, so the snooker is tough.

“Any bit of table time I get at the moment is good. I haven’t played much for five months. I played for two or three weeks before Hong Kong, but I’m still quite rusty.

“I don’t feel like I know my way around the table just yet, but that will come over a bit of time. I’ve a lot of projects on at the moment; I can’t do everything so snooker is having to take a bit of a backseat.

“I’m just trying to fit it all in without driving myself crazy.“