Ryan Day failed to capitalise on a series of match-winning chances, and suffered a cruel piece of misfortune in the deciding frame, as he lost 6-5 to Judd Trump in the opening round of the Cazoo Masters.
Day led 5-3 and had opportunities in each of the last three frames to take a major scalp, but couldn’t take advantage. In an exciting final frame, he was unlucky to knock a red in when splitting the pack, and later missed the brown with one red remaining. Defeat will be hard to take for the Welshman as he looked the stronger player for much of the afternoon but made crucial errors at the business end.
A relieved Trump edged through to a quarter-final with Barry Hawkins on Friday afternoon, a repeat of their 2022 semi-final which Hawkins won 6-5. World number four Trump has had a patchy season so far – his only final appearance came at the Cazoo Champion of Champions when he lost to Ronnie O’Sullivan. The 33-year-old was far from his best today, but perhaps will feel his luck has turned and this result could kick-start his campaign.
Trump led 63-12 in the opening frame when he overcut the black to a top corner, handing Day the chance to clear with 56 to take the lead. Frame two came down to the colours and Trump got the better of a safety battle before potting blue and pink for 1-1. Day regained the lead with a run of 59 before Trump’s 57 helped him level at 2-2. In frame five, Trump trailed 28-44 when he botched a safety shot on the last red, allowing his opponent to go ahead again. Bristol’s Trump responded with a 105, the highest break of the match, for 3-3.
Day won a scrappy seventh frame and got the better of a safety battle on the yellow in the eighth before potting the balls he needed for 5-3. Frame nine came down to a respotted black and Day missed a tough pot for the match to a baulk corner, allowing Trump to pot it and stay alive. World number 15 Day had another opportunity in the tenth but missed a tricky black off the last red when he led 49-36, and Trump punished him again for 5-5.
In the decider, Day was on 17 when he smashed the pack open from the black, only for a red to drop into a centre pocket. Trump made 58 to move to the brink of victory, but was then trapped in a tough snooker on the last red. Leading by 40 points, he missed his target and left a free ball, but Day couldn’t accept the gift, hitting the near jaw with an attempted brown to centre. Trump potted the red to force the handshake.
“Ryan was very unfortunate in the last frame because he potted a brilliant long red to get in, then the red dropped in when he opened them up,” said 2019 World Champion Trump. “Those kind of things haven’t been happening for me all season, it’s the bit of luck you need to kick on and do well. You always have to feel for your opponent, I have been in that position before and it’s not good. I am just over the moon to get through and I potted a couple of crucial shots when I really needed to under pressure which is very pleasing.
“This is a tournament right up there with the Crucible where you don’t want to be out in the first round. I can enjoy the next match because I am just happy to still be here and it’s a free shot. I should be on the way home now.”
Day said: “I had enough chances. It was a very bitty game, we both struggled with the conditions. In the end, one of us was going to fall over the line. I wasn’t feeling confident coming here, then when its game day you have to find an extra 10 or 15 per cent. It wasn’t to be today.”
To be honest I wasn’t “thrilled” at all watching this match; it was just horrible. Both players struggled badly with the conditions. Right from the start Dominic Dale, in commentary, noticed it and said that the table wasn’t playing well. It happens often at Alexandra Palace. The fitters once told me that the humidity level was hard to control when there was a “full house” in attendance at Ally Pally, and there are more seats available now than were then. That said, Judd Trump was far from his best, and Ryan was unlucky and unreliable under pressure.
But that was not the main reason why I was unable to enjoy the match. Philip Studd was in the commentary box and whenever he comments on a match involving Judd Trump he’s so heavily biased that it’s off-putting for the neutral. It almost felt to me as, in his view, there was only player worth our attention and support at the table, Judd Trump, and it would be a travesty if Ryan eventually won. Philip is not the only one guilty of lacking “neutrality” in commentary of course. Phil Yates certainly was seriously biased as well in the days when commentating on Stephen Hendry. We all have our favourites, but for some reason it really annoyed me yesterday. Big time.
With his best performance of the season so far, 2020 champion Stuart Bingham made three centuries in a 6-3 victory over Kyren Wilson to reach the quarter-finals of the Cazoo Masters.
“If I play like that, people will find it hard to stop me this year.” said Bingham, who completes the last eight line-up at Alexandra Place and will face Shaun Murphy on Friday at 7pm.
Quarter-finals Shaun Murphy v Stuart Bingham Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins Hossein Vafaei v Jack Lisowski Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Williams
It has been a disappointing season for Bingham so far as he has failed to progress beyond the last 16 of any ranking event, but he has time to turn it around in the second half of the campaign and on tonight’s evidence he is a strong contender for the title. He played the best snooker of the week so far in the first five frames, and despite a few late jitters as Wilson battled back, the 46-year-old Essex man did enough to secure a fourth Masters quarter-final.
World number 14 Bingham started in fine style with breaks of 102 and 109 to go 2-0 ahead. Wilson had a clear chance to pull one back but missed the blue to a centre pocket when he trailed 21-23 in frame three, and Bingham punished him to go 3-0 up. Runs of 85 and 127 extended his advantage to 5-0.
Wilson hit back with 90 and 81 to close to 5-2. Frame eight was resolved with a safety battle on the colours, Wilson converting excellent pots on yellow, green and brown to reduce his deficit. But the Kettering cueman’s recovery ended in the ninth as a loose safety handed Bingham the chance to knock in a long yellow, and he added the green to cross the winning post.
“My mum and dad always say that I try to give them heart attacks and it was no different tonight,” added Bingham, who beat Ali Carter in the final here three years ago. “At 5-0 I was cruising then Kyren showed his true grit and made a fight of it. In the end I was lucky to get through. You can’t help having doubts, especially as I have been struggling to get wins this season so the demons start coming out. This gives me a lot of confidence for the next match.
“When I got to the top of the stairs at the start of the match, I looked at the arena and thought ‘Oh wow, this is brilliant.’ If you can’t get up for these tournaments at these venues then you’re better off staying at home. The way I started the match off was a dream.”
Wilson said: “I still fancied it at 5-0. I didn’t feel as if I did too much wrong, apart from the third frame when I missed chances. I was proud of the way I came back, I just played a couple of bad safeties in the last frame.”
I have to confess that I gave up on that match at the MSI. Stuart was playing really well and I couldn’t see Kyren come back from that far behind. I expected this to end up 6-0 or 6-1 at best. I was wrong, I should have known better: Kyren isn’t nicknamed “the Warrior” for nothing. But the two hours time difference – Greece is in the Easter European Timezone – combined with the afternoon match frustrations got the better of me.
This afternoon, Ronnie will play Willo. Usually Mark Williams downplays his chances against Ronnie, but not this time: he is playing really well and feels confident. Ronnie will need to play better than he did in his first match if he is to win today. That said, he was glimpsed practicing in the background in a couple of ES player’s interview pieces, so there is hope for us ROS fans. 😉
Mark Allen has been the player of the season so far, but his miserable run of results at Alexandra Palace continued as he was whitewashed 6-0 by Barry Hawkins in the first round of the Cazoo Masters.
Allen won the Northern Ireland Open and the Cazoo UK Championship in the first half of the season, but was soundly beaten today and outmaneuvered in tactical exchanges. “Barry’s safety was phenomenal,” said Allen, who won the Masters in 2018 but has since suffered five consecutive first round defeats. “So many times I came to the table had no shot. I said to him at the end, it was probably one of the best safety displays I have come against as a pro. I lost to John Higgins at the Crucible in 2017 and his safety was incredible, but what Barry did today was right up there.”
Hawkins enjoys the big occasion and reached the final in London last year, knocking out Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby and Judd Trump before losing 10-4 to Neil Robertson. The 43-year-old, who was also runner-up in 2016, will meet Trump again in the quarter-finals on Friday afternoon, if Trump can get the better of Ryan Day on Wednesday.
World number five Allen led 55-0 in the opening frame but couldn’t close it out, and eventually lost a safety battle on the brown, Hawkins slotting in a long pot and adding blue and pink to snatch it. Breaks of 76 and 114 saw the Londoner extend his advantage to 3-0.
In the fourth, Hawkins led 64-43 when he left the last red in the jaws of a top corner, playing with the long rest. But Allen’s chance to pull a frame back ended when he overcut the brown to a baulk pocket, leaving him 4-0 behind. World number 13 Hawkins dominated frame five with runs of 45 and 41 to stretch his lead.
Northern Ireland’s Allen had opportunities to gain a foothold in the match in a scrappy sixth frame, but missed a red with the rest on 45, and later made a safety error with two reds remaining. Hawkins cleared the table to reach his fifth Masters quarter-final.
“Every department has to be strong at this level,” said Hawkins. “My safety was the strongest part today and I didn’t make many unforced errors. I had a bit of luck as well and you have to take that when it comes along. The first frame was massive, to nick that really settled me down. Then the fourth was important as well because at 3-1 he would have been back in the match. When he missed that brown it must have been in his head.
“It’s all about how you settle and how you handle the occasion. I have been to big finals and won massive matches under pressure, but I have also folded in finals. Neil played fantastic stuff against me last year, I have played some of the best players who have ever picked up a cue in finals, as soon as you are off your game then they destroy you. But I feel I’m in a good place to handle that situation if I got there again.”
Allen said: “I could have won the first frame, then didn’t see a ball for the next two. Frame four was the one that got away, it was a bad miss on the brown. I’m disappointed to be out of the Masters, but I don’t really know how I played because I didn’t have many chances to get my hand on the table. I’ll get back to the practice table and get ready for the World Grand Prix.”
It was a masterclass in tactical play by Barry Hawkins. Mark Allen never got going, never settled because he just got no opportunity, no table time, nothing to go at. It was quite mesmerising.
The evening match threatened to go the same way when Mark Williams lead by 4-0 at the interval, although in Williams’s case the main factor during the first mini-session was outstanding potting accuracy. To David Gilbert’s credit he kept fighting and made a match, or at least a session, of it after the MSI.
Despite being attacked by a wasp in the closing frame, Mark Williams was thrilled to beat David Gilbert 6-2 at the Cazoo Masters, setting up a blockbuster quarter-final against Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Williams revelled in the Alexandra Palace atmosphere last year, particularly during a 6-5 win over John Higgins, and he can look forward to another ‘Class of 92’ clash with O’Sullivan on Thursday at 1pm. Both players are sure to receive a rousing reception from 2,000 fans in their first Masters meeting since 2016.
“I can never get a better reception than last year against Higgins, it was unbelievable,” said two-time champion Williams. “But it might be just as good against Ronnie. Obviously 99 per cent of the crowd will be on his side, I won’t worry about that because it will be a great occasion. I’m 48 in a couple of months so who would have thought I’d be playing Ronnie here in front of a full crowd.”
Williams showed some handy moves in the eighth frame to avoid the wasp, but his most impressive work was on the table as he made two tons and potted important balls at key moments. A quarter of a century after winning the famous respotted black final against Stephen Hendry, the Welshman is through to the quarter-finals for the 15th time.
Williams made a sizzling start as breaks of 126, 127 and 95 put him 3-0 up inside 40 minutes. In frame four, Gilbert led 49-40 when he missed the penultimate red to a baulk corner, playing with the rest. Williams’ clearance included an excellent pot on the last red along the side cushion, as he extended his lead to 4-0.
Gilbert got going after the interval with a break of 59 to reduce the deficit. In frame six, Williams led 42-0 when he missed a short range red to a top corner, and Gilbert punished him with a superb 80 clearance. The seventh came down to a safety exchange on the last red, and Williams laid a tough snooker then converted a mid range pot on the red and cleared for 5-2.
Frame eight was resolved on the colours, Gilbert missing two chances at the yellow when he led by 22 points, and Williams punished him by clearing for victory.
“I have been working with Lee Walker and playing some good stuff,” added three-time World Champion Williams. “It could have gone 4-3 at one stage but I made a couple of clearances and got over the line. Dave played well to come back and didn’t miss many balls.”
Gilbert said: “I felt great even when I was 4-0 down. The fight back was on when I got to 4-2 and in the end 6-2 probably flattered him a bit. Mark is far superior to me at safety, it was like man versus boy. I’ll miss this place and I hope I can back here again.”
The wasp incident was shared by WST on their YouTube channel
Marcel was, by far, the bravest man on the scene!
Today is the last day of the first round at Ally Pally. It is also the first day of the 2023 Welsh Open qualifiers. Following the latest suspensions, WST has updated the draw:
One player has been withdrawn from this event, and replaced with a straight swap in the draw with the next available player on the Q School 2022 Order of Merit who entered the Top Up Places event.
With David Gilbert (M58 v Marco Fu) and Hossein Vafaei (M39 v Lyu Haotian) now competing in the Cazoo Masters, their matches in the Welsh Qualifiers will be held over and played at the final stages in Llandudno next month.
It has also been agreed with the players concerned that M61 (Matthew Stevens v Fan Zhengyi) will now be played on Thursday 12 January at 7pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan looked in good form at the Masters on Monday (Picture: Getty Images)
Ronnie O’Sullivan has downplayed the ongoing match-fixing scandal in snooker, saying other sports have survived similar problems and adding: ‘In the grand scheme of things, it’s not really that important.’
10 players are currently suspended from World Snooker Tour events as the match-fixing investigation continues, with charges expected to be levied in the coming days before an independent tribunal assesses the cases.
The situation has been in focus this week at the Masters as Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao were both due to play but are among those suspended, so have been replaced in the draw by Hossein Vafaei and Dave Gilbert respectively.
It is undoubtedly a terrible situation for snooker, in terms of the integrity of the sport and how it looks to both the public and potential commercial partners.
However, the current world champion and world number one does not sounds too worried, saying similar has happened elsewhere and sports always survive.
‘I’m sure it has happened in football, tennis, golf and it hasn’t harmed them,’ said O’Sullivan after winning his opening Masters match 6-1 against Luca Brecel on Monday.
‘It hasn’t affected them. We have to talk about these things but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not really that important.
‘There is a lot of stuff going on in the world like famine, starvation, malnourishment. These are really important issues and to me they are very important. Sport is just a game.’
O’Sullivan also urged caution before blaming individuals involved as it is yet to become clear what situations led to any involvement in match-fixing.
While there can be no excuses for some levels of involvement, the Rocket feels some mitigating circumstances will need to be taken into account.
‘I can’t really say because I don’t know,’ O’Sullivan told The Sportsman. ‘But before you start criticising the guys involved you have to put yourself in other people’s shoes. It can only be one of two things, they either have an addiction and if that’s a case then they need help, or they are struggling to make ends meet.
‘Maybe they are forced into desperation and that’s not a good situation either. World Snooker could help support them rather than being hard on them and maybe change their structure and not put these players in that situation.
‘I’m not one for being hard on them because I know it’s not easy for the bottom ranked players. I’m sure it’s happened in football and it hasn’t harmed football. I’m sure it’s happened in tennis and it hasn’t done tennis any harm.
‘I’m sure some golfer down the line has done something, it doesn’t seem to have effected that sport. I think it will get sorted and get done.’
Some thoughts about this interview:
Ronnie is rights that in the grand scheme of things, sport is not that important. It has however often been used by the ones in power to distract the people from what’s really important. “Panem and Circensus” in ancient Rome… translates into – mainly – football, cricket and basket (depending on where you live) nowadays.
Of course snooker will survive. Ken Doherty said the same. It is however important for its sponsoring to keep a clean image.
To the Ronnie’s quotes about lower ranked players struggling to make ends meet, WPBSA/WST reacted, saying that the 20000 pounds now guaranteed, frees lower ranked players from that concern. It is true, but it is recent. As this moment in time we do not know when the matches currently investigated happened. Also once a player is caught in that “net” it’s easy to coerce them to continue.
I find it interesting that Ronnie cites addictions. It was of course a factor in Stephen Lee’s case. It may be the case for some players involved in this too. I’m NOT looking to excuse anyone, but, and I have already touched this before, Liang Wenbo’s extreme volatility and anger issues, weren’t there, or at least certainly not this extreme, when I first met him some 10 years ago. Maybe there is more to it than meets the eye. If this was the case, for him and or others involved, they still need punishment, but they need help as well.
Jack Lisowski had won just four frames in three previous appearances at Alexandra Palace, but broke his Cazoo Masters duck with an excellent 6-3 victory over John Higgins.
In the past, Lisowski has struggled to handle the atmosphere at the 2,000-seater London venue; he lost 6-1 to Ding Junhui on his 2019 debut, then went down 6-2 to Kyren Wilson the following year and was thumped 6-1 by Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2022. But at the age of 31, the gifted Gloucestershire cueman has finally got through to the quarter-finals for the first time.
The left-hander will meet Hossein Vafaei on Thursday evening, with both players stepping into unchartered territory. Lisowski showed impressive form at the Cazoo UK Championship in November when he came within a frame of the final, losing 6-5 to Mark Allen in the semis, and having made a century and three more breaks over 60 tonight, the world number 12 will be confident of another deep run.
Higgins has a mixed record in this event as he lifted the trophy in 1999 and 2006 but has now lost his opening match 14 times in his 29 appearances. He admitted making “criminal” errors tonight as his disappointing run of form continued.
The opening frame was tied 40-40 when Higgins missed a difficult pot on the last red with the rest, handing his opponent the chance to go 1-0 ahead. Lisowski doubled his lead with a run of 68, before Higgins responded with a 142 total clearance, the new target for the £15,000 high break prize. A run of 88 put Lisowski 3-1 ahead, then Higgins hit back after the interval with a 79 to halve the deficit. Lisowski’s highest break of the match, 100, made it 4-2.
Higgins had several chance in frame seven, crucially missing a short range red to a centre pocket at 55-0. The frame came down to the last red and Lisowski got the better of a safety exchange then cleared to go three up with four to play. In the eighth, Higgins was on for a 147 until he overcut the black on 65, and Lisowski had a chance to clear but missed the last red, and his lead was soon cut to 5-3. There would be no fight back for Scotland’s Higgins as Lisowski wrapped up the match with a run of 93, delighting the crowd with a series of exhibition shots.
“It’s massive to win my first match here, such a special feeling,” said Lisowski. “I thought I was clinical tonight, to beat someone as good as John is a dream. I made a few decent breaks when it really mattered and stopped him from building momentum. The break in the last frame, that was such a good feeling and it’s why we play snooker.
“I worked very hard for this tournament and that showed on the table. It’s the best crowd, anywhere in the world. They have so much energy and they are so enthusiastic, it’s the perfect place to play. I try to entertain people, I want them to enjoy it. It’s high tariff stuff but when it comes off, it’s lovely.
“Hossein is a great lad and a very good friend of mine. He’s a future top 16 player and he’ll stay there for many years to come. He plays the game the right way. But it will be business on the table, I’ll try to take him out.”
Higgins said: “In the last couple of years I have missed balls which are unforgivable. In the seventh frame I decelerated on the red to a middle pocket, that was criminal. I have been trying something with my technique recently and it feels ok, but then when you get put out into the bear pit, I couldn’t concentrate, I was all over the place. Then I started to enjoy it and I felt better, but a couple of lapses in concentration, and Jack punished me. I thought he hit the ball really well and his style of play is superb for the crowd. He reminds me a bit of Michael Smith the darts player, he has lost in a few finals, but when his game clicks then the sky is the limit.”
Higgins admitted before Christmas that he is considering seeing a sports psychologist for the first time. “I haven’t got any further with that,” said the 47-year-old tonight. “I’m not in the next few events so it’s something I might look at. It’s a singular sport and you want to do your own thing, but so many of the boys now have someone in their corner rooting for them. And it gets more difficult as you get older.”
I’m not a fan of Ebdon for a number of reasons, not all related to snooker, but there is no doubt that working with him has helped Jack massively.
We are half-way through the first round at the 2023 Masters, and 3 out of 4 of the top seeds are out. I don’t expect that trend to continue today. Gilbert has not been at his best, on and off the table. I would be very surprised if he was to beat Willo tonight. Mark Allen has been the form man of the season so far whilst Barry Hawkins has been very quiet.
Yesterday also saw the conclusion of the 6-reds 2023 World Championship Qualifiers.
Jimmy Robertson, Ali Carter, Zhang Anda and Chris Wakelin all made it through the qualifying rounds of the Six Red World Championship to earn places in the final stages in Thailand in March.
This is the first time that the invitation event has a qualifying process, with the four winners to join the field for the main tournament which runs from March 6-11 in Bangkok.
Robertson beat Aaron Hill 6-3 in the final qualifying round, making breaks of 69, 73, 63 and 73. Wakelin saw off Ben Mertens 6-2 while Zhang beat Robbie Williams 6-3 with a top run of 68. Carter fired runs of 74, 73 and 50 in a 6-1 success against Zhou Yuelong.
The field of 32 players is:
Stephen Maguire Ronnie O’Sullivan Judd Trump Mark Selby John Higgins Mark Williams Kyren Wilson Shaun Murphy Jack Lisowski Barry Hawkins Luca Brecel Stuart Bingham Mark Allen Anthony McGill Hossein Vafaei Ricky Walden Ding Junhui Noppon Saengkham Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Jimmy White Mink Nutcharut Andreas Petrov Dechawat Poomjaeng Ken Doherty Mahmoud El Hareedy James Wattana Sunny Akani Poramin Danjirakul Jimmy Robertson Ali Carter Zhang Anda Chris Wakelin
Other than Zhao and Yan, notable absentees from the top 16 are Neil Robertson and Ryan Day. Maybe the biggest surprise in that list is the presence of Andres Petrov.
A player who deserves a mention here is the 18 years old rookie from Belgium, Ben Mertens. Ben reached the last stage of the qualifiers where he lost to Chris Wakelin. En route he had got the better of Jenson Kendrick, Jordan Brown, Mark Davis and Jamie Jones. That’s two top 32 players’ scalps and “Dark Mavis” who has won the 6-reds World Championship three times (2009, 2012, 2013), more than anyone else. Needless to say that Mark knows how to play this format! Well done Ben!
Bizarrely, the 2009 6-reds World Championship isn’t mentioned in the main wikipedia article about the 6-reds World Championships. I was puzzled because I knew for sure it happened … I was there. It has its own page though.
Ronnie had a relaxing time with his family over Christmas, and had not been talking to the press ahead of today’s match so I didn’t know what to expect.
It wasn’t too bad …
It was actually quite an eventful match, at least before the MSI. Ronnie could have easily been 3-1 down instead of being 3-1 up. All sorts happened on this table … for both of them: kicks, flukes, unwanted kisses… After the MSI, Ronnie looked very focussed and played much better. He was watched by Damien Hirst sat in the arena.
After the match, he was interviewed by Rob Walker on the floor. Clearly he doesn’t want to put pressure on himself, but he enjoyed the match and he enjoys competing. That was very positive and nice to hear.
Ronnie O’Sullivan revealed his hunger for a record eighth Masters title after sweeping aside Luca Brecel 6-1 to reach the last eight at Alexandra Palace.
The 47-year-old summoned back-to-back centuries as he pounced on his opponent’s evident nerves to stay on course for a title he may have made his own, but has not won since 2017.
Despite frequent hints at retirement and having fallen out of love with the game, O’Sullivan said he felt refreshed and focused and fired a warning to the rivals who want to take his crown.
O’Sullivan told the BBC: “I feel like I’ve got life in perspective – I spent enough years getting disappointed by the game, and I thought let’s try not to get disappointed, and it’s freed me up a bit.
“I’m still competitive. If I take up anything I want to be better, it’s just natural and I’ll never lose that, so the players can expect me to keep coming for more.”
The ruthless nature of O’Sullivan’s triumph over the Belgian former UK finalist underscored the extent to which he is eager to extend his dominance of this prestigious event.
After O’Sullivan opened with a break of 97, Brecel missed golden opportunities to win each of the next two, running out of position on the brown in the second then going in-off the blue in the next having potted an astounding green off the side cushion with the rest.
O’Sullivan swept up to go 3-0 in front and although Brecel responded with a century before the mid-session interval, a lack of concentration cost him in the fifth frame when a poor break-off shot let in O’Sullivan for a clearance to black of 134.
A missed red to the middle in the next let in O’Sullivan for a 104 before he completed a win which will have sent a clear message to his title rivals.
“You sense someone is a bit nervous and you just pounce on it,” added O’Sullivan. “Whoever you are in any sport, when you play the top players they will sniff it out.
“You don’t have to say you’re under pressure, I smell it, and if I smell it I’m going to be on you like a rash.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan punished a collection of big mistakes from Luca Brecel to race into the 2023 Masters quarter-finals with a 6-1 win at Alexandra Palace.
The Rocket, chasing a record-extending eighth title at the Triple Crown event, was gifted the second and third frames after Brecel unravelled in the decisive moments. From that point on, the result rarely looked in doubt as O’Sullivan cruised into a meeting with either Mark Williams or David Gilbert.
O’Sullivan talked up Brecel as the “most talented player on the circuit” prior to the clash, tipping the Belgian to win multiple world titles, but it was the world No. 1 who looked a cut above as he delivered a statement display on the green baize.
The 47-year-old earned an immediate opening in the first frame after a smart snooker left Brecel missing twice, then connecting much too firmly with the red he was trying to skim. O’Sullivan took full advantage, showing off his fabled cue ball control as he made a 97 contribution for a 1-0 lead.
One criticism of O’Sullivan is that he often takes time to warm into matches, but there was no doubting he was tuned in from the off against Brecel when he fired home a marvellous long red to kick off the second. But after making 42, luck went against him when he charged into the pack and was left without an option.
Brecel, also battling his troublesome tie from poking out during his cue action, soon built a winning opportunity when he brilliantly cannoned the brown into play off a cushion. But two shots later, he inexplicably ran out of position after potting the brown, allowing O’Sullivan to return to the table and, after a safety battle on the blue, clean up for a 2-0 lead.
O’Sullivan missed the simplest of reds early in the third frame – with replays later showing he suffered a horrendous kick – as Brecel was handed a reprieve. The frame came down to the colours with O’Sullivan getting the opening with a brilliant safety on the yellow, only for him to contrive to pot the cue ball soon after.
That left Brecel with a golden chance to halve the deficit. It was one he had to take; it was one he did not take. Although Brecel produced an outrageous shot on the green with the rest, screwing back up the table for the brown, he threw it away, again, this time going in-off from the blue. O’Sullivan gobbled up the remaining three balls and, somehow, led 3-0 when he could – and probably should – have been behind.
Brecel ensured there would be no more colours drama in the fourth frame as he produced a steadying 100 without reply for the first century of the match to head into the interval with something to work with.
But if he was hoping for O’Sullivan’s level to drop upon the resumption, he was in for a nasty surprise. The 27-year-old was afforded just one shot, the break-off, in the fifth frame as O’Sullivan danced around the table en route to a 134 total clearance to move two from victory.
Brecel was back on the scoreboard in the next, albeit only after a monster fluke, before he soon broke down again. O’Sullivan returned with another century, this time a 104, as the match headed for a brisk conclusion.
And the rout was completed soon after as O’Sullivan knocked in a smart 53 to leave Brecel requiring snookers, with the deflated Belgian conceding soon after as his miserable Masters record continued. Brecel has won just once in four matches at the event and has much work to do if he is to fulfil O’Sullivan’s prophecy as a future world champion.
Here are some videos shared by Eurosport on their YouTube channel:
Aiming to win the Cazoo Masters for the first time in six years, Ronnie O’Sullivan started in fine style at Alexandra Palace with a 6-1 thrashing of Luca Brecel.
Crowd favourite O’Sullivan lifted the trophy in 1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016 and 2017 and is looking to become the first player to win a Triple Crown event on eight occasions. The reigning World Champion meets Mark Williams or David Gilbert in the quarter-finals in London on Thursday at 1pm, and if he wins that match O’Sullivan will take his career earnings from this tournament past the £2 million mark.
“I gave everything 100 per cent today, played my game and hoped to get a result,” said 47-year-old O’Sullivan, who has already won the Hong Kong Masters and Cazoo Champion of Champions this season. “It is never guaranteed but it went my way today. I have to manage my emotions and the adrenaline that goes through my body. I have to go out there and do a job so I can’t get too excited. The crowd come and pay their money and they want to see a good match so I feel a responsibility sometimes. But I can’t play with that kind of mindset, I just have to try my best.
“It’s an amazing feeling to have 2,000 people expecting you to play well. At my age I just try to enjoy every moment and I think I have a really good perspective on life and the game. I don’t want to be defined by snooker or disappointed if I don’t do well. I have enjoyed the last ten or 12 years of snooker more than I did before.”
A break of 97 gave O’Sullivan the opening frame, then Brecel could have levelled in the second but ran out of position in potting the brown, then missed a difficult long blue, leading 57-42. O’Sullivan got the better of a safety exchange and cleared for 2-0. The third also came down to the colours, and Brecel converted a fantastic pot on the green with the rest, added the brown but then went in-off when potting the blue, trying to gain position on the pink. Again his opponent punished him for 3-0.
The standard moved up a notch as Brecel pulled one back with a break of 100, before O’Sullivan fired runs of 134 and 104 to open a 5-1 advantage. And a run of 53 in frame seven helped him book a 24th Masters quarter-final.
Belgium’s Brecel said: “I just didn’t play well. I enjoyed the walk-in, the crowd was really good, even if they just support Ronnie, which is normal! I enjoyed the experience, I wish I had played a bit better. When you play Ronnie, you have to be on top form to have a chance to win. I need to practise more and be sharper for the next tournament. I had my chances today and didn’t take them. Ronnie didn’t make a lot of mistakes – that’s why he’s the GOAT.”
Shaun Murphy believes that success at the highest level is “just around the corner” and his 6-4 victory over Neil Robertson at the Cazoo Masters suggested that the Magician is getting back to his best.
Robertson’s title defence failed to go beyond the opening match at Alexandra Palace, though he was barely able to prepare for the contest having suffered from the effects of a bout of flu over the Christmas break. After falling 5-1 behind he rallied to 5-4, but eventually Murphy crossed the winning line to set up a quarter-final with Kyren Wilson or Stuart Bingham.
Murphy has struggled with neck pain and a loss of form over the past two years and hasn’t reached a final since the 2021 World Championship. Last summer he had gastric sleeve surgery to lose weight, and in recent weeks he has shown more regular glimpses of the game which won him the 2005 World Championship and 2015 Masters. He was a quarter-finalist at the Cazoo UK Championship and came within a few balls of beating Mark Selby in the last 16 of the English Open.
“I haven’t forgotten how to do it, I’m just not as used to doing that as some of the top guys,” said 40-year-old Murphy. “If I can get on a run, as Mark Allen has done this season, I could take some stopping. Something good is coming for me, my game is trending the right way. I have been practising very hard and something is around the corner.”
Robertson started brightly as a 73 clearance gave him the opening frame, but Murphy responded with breaks of 98 and 53 to go ahead, and he also got the better of a scrappy fourth frame to lead 3-1. In the fifth, Murphy missed a straight-forward green when he led 61-42, and Robertson had a chance to clear, but his attempt to roll the final pink into a top corner stayed in the jaws. Murphy potted the pink to snatch it, then compiled a run of 100 in the next to lead 5-1.
The Englishman might have settled the tie in frame seven, but again missed the green to a baulk corner, trailing 39-60. Robertson took advantage to close to 5-2, and that sparked his fight back. A run of 84 gave him frame eight, and in the next he potted 13 reds with blacks before missing a tough long red on 104.
And Robertson had first clear chance in frame ten, but overcut the blue to a centre pocket at 35-0. Murphy replied with 54 before missing the penultimate red, but he was let off the hook as Robertson potted the red then failed on the blue. This time world number 11 Murphy took the chance to finish the tie.
“I’m delighted,” he added. “It looked like we are going to a decider. The break I made in the last frame, I’m very proud of that to be able to stand up under pressure. It’s up there with my best wins in the last couple of seasons. To beat the defending champion, centre stage, in the first match of the tournament, is very pleasing.
“You have to enjoy the performance element. I love walking out there in front of a live crowd and the fans are unbelievable here. It was a privilege to play for them. The World Championship will always be top dog but this is a very close second.”
Robertson, who beat Barry Hawkins in the final last year, said: “I was proud of myself to get four frames. I made a real push to try to make a 147 at 5-3, that would have been amazing. I was physically absolutely exhausted, destroyed. I was ill over the Christmas and New Year period and haven’t recovered. It’s really disappointing because at the UK Championship I had a really bad cold, so that’s two big events which have been heavily impacted. There’s nothing I can do about it because my daughter brings home viruses from nursery. I was only able to practise for 45 minutes for a couple of days before today.”
It was obvious from the start that Neil Robertson wasn’t well. He wasn’t well during the 2022 UK Championship either. His explanation is that his daughter brings viruses back from the nursery. I have been there, it’s true that kids do bring viruses home but is it explanation enough for him to be affected that badly? I’m not sure. It seems to me that his immune system isn’t responding as strongly as it should. This is one of the adverse effects of unduly long periods of lockdown IMO. Our bodies only build immunity by being exposed to “the enemy”. Lockdowns and masks were needed at the start of the pandemics to “contain” a very dangerous virus until it was better “understood” and treatments and vaccines became available, but not after that stage was reached.
Hossein Vafaei’s Cazoo Masters debut turned out to be one of the best nights of his career as he scored two centuries in a tremendous 6-2 victory over Mark Selby.
A week ago, Vafaei was not expecting to play in snooker’s biggest invitation event, but when Zhao Xintong was suspended he was next in line, and got the call up to join the field at Alexandra Palace. The first Iranian to play in the tournament, he grasped the opportunity with a superb performance to comfortably beat one of the all-time greats.
The past year has seen world number 19 Vafaei make giant leaps forward in his career; he won the Shoot Out in January, made his Crucible debut in April and has now won a match in front of nearly 2,000 fans at this famous venue. Next, the 28-year-old will face either John Higgins or Jack Lisowski in the quarter-finals on Thursday evening.
Selby won the English Open before Christmas but this is a blow to his return to form and a result which extends his poor recent record at the Masters – the three-time champion has not reached the semi-finals since 2014. The world number two has lost his last his three meetings against Vafaei, including defeats at the UK Championship in 2021 and 2022.
The opening four frames tonight were shared, Vafaei making the bigger breaks with 52 and 107. In frame five, Vafaei came to a tough table with seven of the 12 reds close to cushions, but fashioned a magnificent 99, one of the best breaks of the season so far.
The sixth came down to the last two reds and Vafaei, leading 58-31, got the better of a tactical exchange and added the points he needed to lead 4-2. Selby looked set to pulled one back until he ran out of position at 48-8 in the seventh, and he then made a safety error which handed Vafaei the chance to make an excellent 65 clearance.
A missed long red from Selby early in frame eight proved his last opportunity as Vafaei closed out the contest with a 104.
“When I got to Alexandra Palace yesterday I was buzzing,” said Vafaei. “I had dreamed about playing here many times. There is so much history behind this event and if you want to be a good player you have to show yourself in front of the London fans. It was amazing, when I play at a venue like this, my best comes out. If you get involved with the fans, they will love you. I was sitting in my chair and people were asking me in between frames to take a picture with me! I got lots of positive energy from them so I had to give something back.
“If I didn’t believe I could win this tournament, I wouldn’t be here. I think I belong here, the way I played and I felt comfortable. I don’t want the tournament to finish in the next round, I want to stay as long as I can.
“I tried my best to make my people proud. This is what I can do for them, I just want to be with my people.”
Selby said: “Up until 2-2 I felt I was the better player. At 3-2 down I missed a red, and after that little things went against me. A couple of times I went into the pack and didn’t land on anything. When Hossein got his chances he took them well.”
This didn’t come as a surprise to me at all. In my preview, I had mentioned that Hossein had beaten Mark the last two times they had played, both times in big events – the 2021 and 2022 UK Championships – and both times in “best of eleven” matches. Make that three now. Hossein is clearly a “big occasion player” and Mark is not back to his best either.
WPBSA Chairman, Jason Ferguson, was interviewed by the ES team, ahead of the event. Of course it was about the “elephant in the room”, the match fixing ongoing investigation. ES shared the interview on their YouTube channel:
Obviously, Jason can’t reveal too much until the inquiry is over. Maybe the most interesting part of this interview is his statement about the “timing”: we should know much more by the end of this month.
Yesterday also saw the conclusion of the sixth and last Q-Tour event of the season. Martin O’Donnell beat Ross Muir in the final yesterday evening, and, as a result, earned the 2 years tour card, starting next season.
Martin O’Donnell has defeated Ross Muir 5-1 to win the sixth and final event of the 2022/23 WPBSA Q Tour. The victory means that O’Donnell will finish top of this season’s Q Tour Rankings and will return to the World Snooker Tour from the start of next season.
A professional from 2012-2014 and 2015-2022, O’Donnell has enjoyed an impressive campaign on the WPBSA Q Tour, highlighted by victory at Event 2 in Brighton which helped him to sixth position in the rankings prior to the final event.
In the final he faced Scotland’s Ross Muir – top of the rankings since his victory at the very first event back in September – who was also competing in his second final this term and was looking to regain his professional status for the first time since 2019.
It was O’Donnell who made the perfect start with a total clearance of 142, followed by breaks of 54 and 50 on his way to a 4-0 lead at the mid-session interval. Muir claimed the first upon the resumption of play to keep his hopes alive, but it was ultimately England’s O’Donnell who would claim a tense sixth following a safety battle on the final red to ensure that his absence from the main tour would be limited to only a single season.
“It is really nice,” said O’Donnell shortly after the final. “It has been a lot of hard work since I dropped off the tour and it’s nice that it has paid off so quickly and I have finished at the top of the Q Tour this season.
“The standard [on Q Tour] is really high, that surprised me actually. I dropped off and I came to these and there are a lot of good players. A lot of good players that I hadn’t seen before and it’s hard. With the best of fives, it’s granite on the Saturday and you can lose at any moment, so you can’t get carried away.
“I took a bit of time out after I dropped off and wasn’t really sure what I was going to do. I didn’t want to give up. I ended up changing my cue which has given me a new lease of life and I have also got my head down and tried to think a lot more positively and not really worry about consequences – which I did when I was on tour.
“I got caught up and worried about stuff, but you drop off tour and life goes on. You don’t realise it sometimes when you are on tour, I’ve got two kids, beautiful fiancé, good people around me and they pick you up and reassure you that you can do it. We all believe that I should be playing snooker and luckily now I have got my tour card back and hopefully I can kick on.
“I need to improve myself every day, keep a good routine and keep doing the right things and just enjoy it. When you do all the right things you go to tournaments and you do enjoy it because you know that you are so prepared so it takes away a lot of the anxiety.”
The manner of O’Donnell’s triumph was all the more impressive as the former Shoot Out semi-finalist had previously missed out on competing in the penultimate event of the season due to illness, which saw him lose ground to some of the players around him. He revealed after the final, however, that this gave him added motivation heading into the decisive competition in Leeds this weekend.
“I missed the last one through sickness,” added the 36-year-old. ” It was the first competition that I have ever missed through being sick, but once I got better and then I checked what happened in that event, to be honest I was quite delighted that it was still in my own hands. I knew that if I could meet Ross [Muir] in the final and beat him, that I could still qualify, so I just thought ‘get my head down, come here and give every ball 200%’ and see where it would take me.
“I am super proud with the way that I have dealt with my emotions this week. In the past, missing that last tournament from being in a good position would have affected me. But I used it this time to motivate me and just say ‘it’s in my hands, go there and leave it all on the table and if it doesn’t happen there is still the playoff’ and thankfully it has paid dividends.”
O’Donnell was one of 13 players who came into the final event in contention to claim the automatic tour card, but there were just three remaining on the final day with Billy Castle also still in range of top spot.
The trio each won their quarter-finals to progress to the last four, but it would be Muir who would account for Castle following a dramatic deciding-frame in their semi-final, while O’Donnell edged fellow former professional Steve Hallworth 4-2 to reach the title match.
The highest ranked 16 players who did not qualify, will at least have the consolation of having earned a place at the Q Tour Playoffs later this season, with a chance to earn the second World Snooker Tour card available through the Q Tour. Simon Bedford entered the final day needing to win the tournament to oust 17th placed Peter Devlin, but he too would fall to O’Donnell at the quarter-final stage.
The 2023 WPBSA Q Tour Playoffs will be held from 4-5 March 2023 at the Q House Snooker Academy in Darlington and the draw will be published in due course.
Congratulations Martin O’Donnell
Commiserations to Ross Muir who had been the best over the series.
The 2023 Masters starts today. As usual the build-up has been rather big.
Hereafter you will find some pieces that I found worth reading or watching.
Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty share memories of the past Masters and give their predictions. It’s worth noting that this video was made before Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong were suspended.
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN ‘NEEDS TO WIN BIG TOURNAMENT LIKE THE MASTERS GOING INTO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP’ – JIMMY WHITE
Jimmy White and Neal Foulds have given Eurosport their predictions ahead of the Masters in January as Ronnie O’Sullivan leads an entry list packed full of the biggest names in the sport. White believes that the onus is very much on his good friend and fellow Eurosport expert O’Sullivan, with the event acting as the perfect preparation for his attempt at an eighth World Championship title.
DAN QUARRELL
Eurosport expert Jimmy White has said that winning the Masters will be very important for Ronnie O’Sullivan ahead of the World Championship.
O’Sullivan will be eyeing a record eighth crown at The Crucible in January as he attempts to pull away from fellow legend Stephen Hendry’s tally of seven in Sheffield.
The Rocket has always regarded the Triple Crown as very important in his annual schedule.
For White, it is important that O’Sullivan works hard on his game in the lead-up to the Masters to ensure he finds his very top level at the start of the action, particularly because that could aid his preparations for the World Championship.
With the star-studded field set to take to the tables at the Masters, White is confident that it will be an enthralling event with Judd Trump and Mark Allen among those set to compete with O’Sullivan for an important title in the snooker calendar.
“Every match is like a final,” White told Eurosport about the Masters. “You have got the best players in the world playing.
“It’s the Triple Crown with big prize money and big crowds. I am looking forward to seeing Ronnie O’Sullivan.
“Hopefully, he gets himself in tip-top condition, practises hard over Christmas and gets ready for it because, for me, he needs to win a big tournament, like the Masters, going into the World Championship.
“Judd Trump is really struggling for form. He is practising hard, he is just not getting any results. He is putting in all the work, but he just seems to be getting beaten in the latter stages of tournaments. He is getting to around the quarter-finals, but not the semis or finals.
“Mark Allen has been the player of the season. He has won so many tournaments and been so consistent.
“You would always fancy now that he would be there or thereabouts.”
…
Asked for a predicted winner, White added: “When Ronnie lost in the UK [Championship] to Ding 6-0 I think he had had enough snooker after winning tournaments.
“He will get his nut down and practise really hard. I expect him to be in tip-top condition for this Masters so I am going to go with O’Sullivan.“
Neal Foulds said: “I have to be predictable and say I think Ronnie. We have seen him not fully geared up, but the Masters is on his hit list so I am going to play it safe and say Ronnie can win it for the eighth time.“
Jimmy mentions that Judd Trump has been struggling for form. Maybe, but if what we have seen this week in the 2023 traditional CLS is anything to go by he’s put the work in over Christmas. He was impressive in winning Group 4. That said, there is little pressure in the CLS. Alexandra Palace will offer a completely different challenge.
Mark Selby and John Higgins looked sharp as well. Opening up about his mental struggles seems to have liberated Selby. Higgins, on the other hand, is clearly going through a confidence crisis. He has changed his cue action, his bridge being now very, very short. Such action usually helps with accuracy, but is very limiting when it comes to cue power and it’s also very easy to cue down low on the ball as the cue is inevitably a bit “elevated” with the bridge so short.
Mark Allen reveals how Ronnie O’Sullivan helped him through divorce
Allen’s snooker career is back on track after a turbulent few years in his personal life and he credits close friend O’Sullivan with helping him
Mark Allen has opened up about Ronnie O’Sullivan helping him get through his divorce (Image: Tai Chengzhe/Visual China Group via Getty Images)
Snooker star Mark Allen believes he is now a “different animal” after experiencing a difficult couple of years.
Allen split from his wife Kyla McGuigan in 2020 after seven years together and declared himself bankrupt the following year despite having banked around £3.5m in career winnings.
The 36-year-old said he had “overspent in every aspect of life” and struggled with the legal costs of his divorce.
However, he credits a chat with seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan for helping him through his divorce and getting his life back on track.
Allen lost five stone over the summer and he has since enjoyed an impressive season, winning the Northern Ireland Open and the UK Championship.
“I know I’ve had a few run ins with Ronnie over the years on the table, but away from the cameras and one on one he has always been really good to me,” Allen told World Snooker Tour.
“Any time I’ve asked for something, he’s given me his time.
“When I left my marriage, he was one of the first players to message me and say to ring if I needed him. That speaks more to me about who he is as a person than how he behaves when the cameras are on.
“I think sometimes he plays up, to get people talking. I wasn’t surprised that the conversation happened. We sat in his room talking for 45 minutes to an hour discussing all kinds of different things.
“It wasn’t all snooker related, there was lots about life in general. It was great for him to give me time, especially as he was pushing for the seventh world title.
“He was doing his documentary as well and none of those cameras were there, which meant we were able to properly chat. He is a good guy off the table.“
He added: “I always felt like I was pretty strong mentally but I think everything that has happened over the last two years has made me even stronger. I am working with [sports psychologist] Paul Gaffney as well and I feel like I am a different animal.“
Mark Allen is certainly a contender for the title but he’s not in the easiest part of the draw. I would be very surprised if Ryan Day was to beat him, but he’s likely to face Judd Trump next. Their head to head is pretty “close, Allen leading by 16-14 but Judd beat him by 6-5 in the Masters last year. I think that match is very hard to predict. And Neil Robertson is in that half of the draw as well.
David Gilbert got an unexpected chance to play in the Masters this year. Nobody really fancy him to win it, including himself. Going by this interview, he’s really been to dark places in recent years:
‘I don’t want to be that idiot walking out of matches’ – Dave Gilbert returns to the Masters after a bad year
Dave Gilbert has reached the Masters semi-finals on both his appearances in the event (Picture: Getty Images)
Dave Gilbert is getting an unexpected crack at the Masters at the start of 2023 as he looks to put months of struggling behind him by getting back on course on one of snooker’s biggest stages.
The 41-year-old has benefited from Yan Bingtao’s suspension due to the ongoing match-fixing investigation in the sport, taking his spot at Alexandra Palace as he was next in line in the rankings.
It is a third time at the prestigious event having reached the semi-finals on both his previous visits in 2020 and ’21.
After a tricky year or so that has seen the Farmer struggle for results and deal with distractions off the table, it is a shot at putting a spark back into his career, and his life in general, after some low points in recent months.
‘Obviously last year, 2022, was a poor year on the table and a lot going on off it,’ Gilbert told Metro.co.uk. ‘I bought the snooker club [Potters in Swadlincote] and chucked all my time into getting this place up and running. A lot of late nights in here, through the night, trying to get it painted, decorated and sorted. I didn’t expect to have so much interest in it, but it took over life.
‘I was playing quite well, won a tournament, then things changed, my priorities changed, I’ve had things going on off the table, like everybody else, we all have life struggles at times. I’d like to have done things differently but I’m just trying to get my head back down from now.
‘I’m just trying to sort myself out, everyone goes through problems, people don’t see that, they think you just pick a cue up and turn up and you’re in a good frame of mind. I haven’t been in a good frame of mind for a long time.
‘I’m actually getting a bit of help, through World Snooker, that’s been good to talk to somebody. The club’s all up and running now so I’ve taken a step back with that, it’s doing really well, so that’s another thing off my mind. If I want to be a good snooker player, because I do take pride in how I play, I know the effort levels it takes and I need to put a hell of a lot more into that, I need to have less distractions.
‘But I have really missed being able to play snooker. I’m sick of being crap, I am, it’s quite boring now. Since I got the email to say I was in the Masters, I’ve probably played more in the last five days than I have in the last five months.’
Things were obviously not right with Gilbert on more than one occasion this season, delivering a couple of notably downbeat interviews at tournaments, but most obviously when he walked out of a match mid-game.
Gilbert missed a ball at 3-2 down to Andy Hicks in German Masters qualifying and shook his opponent’s hand despite it being a race to five frames.
He is yet to discover his punishment for the early concession, with World Snooker Tour moving to help him out with any ongoing issues, but he is left embarrassed by what happened.
‘That isn’t a normal thing to do. I’m embarrassed about it. I took pride in becoming a better pro and I’ve spunked it all away the last 12 months,’ he said. ‘People are looking at me funny, I’ve been doing quite a few daft things that are out of character, just by being in a bad frame of mind. World Snooker got in touch with me, asked how I was, they suggested ringing this number, Sporting Chance and I’ve been speaking to someone locally. It’s been nice to get a few things off my chest and clear myself out.
‘I’ve said to her it disappoints me how I’ve behaved and acted lately. I don’t want to be that idiot that’s walking out of matches or falling out with players, getting the hump all the time and acting like a brat. I don’t want to be that person. Snooker’s done some crazy things to me over the years, it’s a real love-hate relationship, it makes me someone I’m not. I had loads of good advice when I was a kid and didn’t take any. There’s a lot of good people out there who can help you think better. I wish I’d done it a lot sooner.
Gilbert memorably made the semi-finals of the 2019 World Championship and suffered an emotional deciding-frame defeat to John Higgins (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I’ve felt like walking out a lot. There’ve been times before I’ve felt like I’ve had enough and it ain’t for me today. I shouldn’t have turned up that day, I was very agitated in myself, hadn’t slept well. It was as early as the first frame, I missed a pink in the middle, it drifted uphill and I could have walked then.
‘I’m in Andy Hicks’ pocket, I can’t beat the guy, he must laugh every time he draws me. It’s nothing personal to Andy and I apologise to him, World Snooker, the people who support me. I don’t want to behave like that, but for reasons I don’t really want to talk about, I didn’t want to be there that day.’
Off-table issues make snooker a near-impossible task at times, but on top of that Gilbert is a character prone to slumps in mood, which is far from helpful on the baize, especially when it has never really been addressed.
‘I’m just a very up and down guy,’ he said. ‘I’m either all in or nothing at all. It’s well renowned that I haven’t got the best attitude at times, I know that and it’s something I’ve worked very hard on to improve.
‘I was playing really well because I thought better. That certainly helps, when you think clearly. It’s a spiral because I take pride in how I play and when I’m not playing how I can I get very frustrated, disappointed in myself. I’ve not been very kind to myself for quite some time, I need to sort that out.
‘It’s obvious to everyone I haven’t been in a great headspace for a while. I think I’ve probably always been someone who suffers from something, I don’t know what that something is, I’ve always been a self-sabotager.
‘I don’t know. It’s thoughts I’ve probably had forever because I’m like a f***ing yo-yo.
‘I’m old school, farmer’s background, you just get on with life. My old man lost his arm when I was three and he was back at work within two weeks. Me just not wanting to play snooker for a day isn’t really a thing. But things haven’t been right between the ears, and speaking to the people that World Snooker have put me onto has been good.’
Gilbert takes on Mark Williams in the first round at the Masters this year (Picture: Getty Images)
There is intense frustration with the situation because after years of being something of a journeyman, Gilbert appeared to have unleashed his vast potential, reaching three ranking finals and a World Championship semi-final from 2018-19.
Working with coach Steve Feeney, sticking to routines in practice and his home life and generally being an entirely dedicated professional got him to the elite of the game. It is no incredible secret, but as it began to unravel, he has not been able to stop the slide.
‘I was doing everything, everything I could,’ he said. ‘Happy home life. Pure focus on trying to be a better snooker player and person. Fit as a fiddle. Ate well, slept well. Regimented with my practice, I put everything into it.
‘Them two or three years, 2018-Covid. That was the start of my downfall, Covid. I felt very bitter, lost a lot of money I’d worked hard for. Lost a sponsorship deal, hated being locked up, that was the start of my issues and problems, I went off the rails for a little bit and started doing things out of character.
‘I’d love to piece it together again. Waking up one morning and getting back into that routine again. I’m in the Masters and I’m in the Grand Prix because of what’s gone on. I don’t just want to turn up and hit balls, I want to turn up and play properly, give myself a chance, because I can play the game a little bit. I’ve proven that to myself, that’s what I always wanted to do. I’d love to get my old routine back.’
There is obvious frustration within Gilbert and a fair amount of frustration for those who want him to do well as there seem to be clear answers to the problems, but mentally it is proving tough for the Farmer to get the tractor back on the tracks.
‘I don’t know if I can get back to where I was,’ he said. ‘I hate being rubbish, I hate not feeling confident in myself, it’s horrible. It weren’t that long ago I used to walk into places and be thinking this could be my week.
‘It’s not fun being a number. Nicking one or two matches and thinking it’s great. That’s boring, it’s not for me. Feeling like you can contend is a real nice feeling to have. When I was 10 or 12 in the world or whatever, I felt I can play well enough here to win this event.
‘Can I get back to it? You can’t guarantee anything. I know what effort I used to put in, I don’t even know I’m prepared to put that in. I might be what I am now.
‘I think my life would be better if I did though. I loved being fit and healthy, I felt fantastic in myself. I loved the gym, I need to get back to that, cleared my mind of other stuff. Obviously he’s a fantastic player anyway, but it’s no coincidence Mark Allen has lost all this weight, cleared his mind a bit and he’s winning everything. It’s what I need to do.
‘It’s pretty easy really. I know the answers to me own problems, I’ve just not put them into place.’
The Masters could be the start of that process, an unexpected boost and the first of a few milestones to aim at between now and the end of the season which might just focus the mind and bring a bit of cheer to what has been a miserable time for a very popular player.
‘I feel lucky to be in the Masters, it’s a huge opportunity. I want to practice again, I need to practice,’ said Gilbert. ‘I might not be able to compete anyway, but I want to give it a go. I want to end this year at the Crucible, I want my top 16 spot back properly.’
Clearly, Gilbert is far from his best, mentally, physically and as a player. It’s good though that WPBSA has taken action to help him, and that he’s accepted that help. It’s good that the stigma about men’s depression is not has strong as it once was. It’s still hard for most guys to speak about it, Mark Selby recently admitted that it felt as the “bravest thing” he’s done. I remember, when Ronnie spoke out, over 15 years ago, the general reaction was scorn: “He’s never done a real work for a day in his life, he should be sent down the mine to learn what “hard” means. What is he complaining about? He’s got plenty of money. Everyone has their problems, take it on the chin.”. Fortunately things are changing, and Ronnie has played his part in raising awareness and helping others who struggle too.
A lot of pundits are expecting Ronnie to do very well then. His form hasn’t been great this season, except in the big invitational events that have inspired him. Also, he has a very good record at the Masters. Me, personally, I’m not sure of anything. I’m also not sure that “playing in his backyard” helps him. I have heard from him many times that it came with a lot of hassle because every one “around” him was asking for free tickets and favours and he’s not wanting to go that route. Jimmy White said the same about the hassle for tickets in his bios, only he actually tried to please everyone. We shall see.
The 2023 Masters starts tomorrow, but there is plenty of snooker played today also …
The sixth and last of the 2022/23 Q-Tour is well underway. There is no streaming but you can follow the scores here and on snooker.org. The player on top of the Q-Tour order of merit at the end of this event will get a 2 years tour card starting next season.
The qualifiers for the 2023 6-reds World Championship are also underway. There have been a lot of withdrawals and the draw has been updated accordingly.
Six Red World Championship Qualifiers – Updated Draw
The following players have withdrawn from the upcoming Six Red World Championship qualifiers and their respective opponents have received byes:
David Gilbert * Lewis Ullah Chen Zifan Zhang Jiankang Stephen Hendry Alfie Burden Andy Hicks Brian Ochoiski
As a result of a withdrawal from the 16 players already invited to the final stages in Thailand, Ricky Walden* as now earned an invite due to his ranking at the end of last season’s World Championship. Walden has been withdrawn from the qualifying event.
Northern Ireland’s Allen had opportunities to gain a foothold in the match in a scrappy sixth frame, but missed a red with the rest on 45, and later made a safety error with two reds remaining. Hawkins cleared the table to reach his fifth Masters quarter-final.
The left-hander will meet Hossein Vafaei on Thursday evening, with both players stepping into unchartered territory. Lisowski showed impressive form at the Cazoo UK Championship in November when he came within a frame of the final, losing 6-5 to Mark Allen in the semis, and having made a century and three more breaks over 60 tonight, the world number 12 will be confident of another deep run.
“It’s massive to win my first match here, such a special feeling,” said Lisowski. “I thought I was clinical tonight, to beat someone as good as John is a dream. I made a few decent breaks when it really mattered and stopped him from building momentum. The break in the last frame, that was such a good feeling and it’s why we play snooker.
A break of 97 gave O’Sullivan the opening frame, then Brecel could have levelled in the second but ran out of position in potting the brown, then missed a difficult long blue, leading 57-42. O’Sullivan got the better of a safety exchange and cleared for 2-0. The third also came down to the colours, and Brecel converted a fantastic pot on the green with the rest, added the brown but then went in-off when potting the blue, trying to gain position on the pink. Again his opponent punished him for 3-0.
Murphy has struggled with neck pain and a loss of form over the past two years and hasn’t reached a final since the 2021 World Championship. Last summer he had gastric sleeve surgery to lose weight, and in recent weeks he has shown more regular glimpses of the game which won him the 2005 World Championship and 2015 Masters. He was a quarter-finalist at the Cazoo UK Championship and came within a few balls of beating Mark Selby in the last 16 of the English Open.
And Robertson had first clear chance in frame ten, but overcut the blue to a centre pocket at 35-0. Murphy replied with 54 before missing the penultimate red, but he was let off the hook as Robertson potted the red then failed on the blue. This time world number 11 Murphy took the chance to finish the tie.
The past year has seen world number 19 Vafaei make giant leaps forward in his career; he won the Shoot Out in January, made his Crucible debut in April and has now won a match in front of nearly 2,000 fans at this famous venue. Next, the 28-year-old will face either John Higgins or Jack Lisowski in the quarter-finals on Thursday evening.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 