There were no surprises in the semi-finals yesterday in Llandudno and the Final today will be contested between Robert Milkins and Shaun Murphy.

Hereafter you will find the reports by WST on the semi-finals

Robert Milkins 6-3 Tian Pengfei

Bonus And Title On The Line For Milkins

Robert Milkins will play the biggest match of his life on Sunday at the BetVictor Welsh Open, having beaten Tian Pengfei 6-2 in the semi-finals to keep alive his hopes of winning the title and a colossal £150,000 bonus.

Milkins is into his second ranking final and will be looking to double his tally of titles having captured the BetVictor Gibraltar Open last season. Victory against either Shaun Murphy or Pang Junxu tomorrow would not only give him the Ray Reardon Trophy and top prize of £80,000, but he would also finish top of the BetVictor Series ranking list which has run across eight events since last July. That would bring his total earnings for the week to a mammoth £230,000. The most he has previously earned in an entire season is £139,000.

If he loses the final, then Ali Carter will bank the £150,000. For the second consecutive season, the race to win the bonus has gone to the last day of the final event.

Milkins’ reversal of fortunes over the past year has been extraordinary given that he went to Gibraltar last March in danger of tour relegation. He ended that week with his first title, 27 years after turning pro, and has carried that impetus into the current campaign, reaching the semi-finals of the recent BetVictor German Masters and now going one step further. The 46-year-old from Gloucester is up to 12th on the one-year ranking list and could go as high as fourth with victory tomorrow.

China’s Tian beat the likes of Carter, John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan to reach his first ranking semi-final but couldn’t reproduce that form today. He suffered a cruel slice of misfortune in the opener as he led 67-0 when he potted frame-ball red, only for the cue ball to go in-off. Milkins got the better of a safety battle then made an excellent 61 clearance. A run of 109 doubled his lead before Tian made a 58 to pulled one back. Frame four came down to the last red, and Milkins knocked a cracking pot into a baulk corner and cleared for 3-1.

The fifth went Tian’s way before world number 27 Milkins made an 89 for 4-2. In frame seven, the Englishman led 43-10 when he fluked a red while playing safe, and he added the points needed to go three up with four to play. And Milkins needed just one chance to seal the result, making an 82 in frame eight.

“It’s massive tomorrow, the biggest game of my life,” said Milkins. “I don’t know how I’m going to cope. It would be enough just playing for the title, let alone everything that goes with it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stand up. But I might rise to the occasion, sometimes when there is that much pressure on, you play well, other times you can’t do anything right.

“I made a good clearance today in the first frame and then went 2-0 ahead. I lost my way after that for a few frames but from 4-2 I played well to get over the line. I back myself against most players in the scrappy frames. And I made a few good breaks today, which I couldn’t do against Mark Allen yesterday.

“I didn’t sleep well last night so hopefully tonight I’ll get some food, chill out and have ten hours sleep to catch up.”

Tian said: “Robert played well and I lost one or two important frames. I tried to enjoy it but it was difficult. I can still take some confidence from this week.”

Shaun Murphy 6-3 Pang Junxu

Murphy Sets Up Milkins Final

Shaun Murphy remained on target for his first ranking title in three years as he beat Pang Junxu 6-3 to reach the final of the BetVictor Welsh Open in Llandudno.

From 2-2, Murphy pulled away to win four of the last five frames of a tough battle, to set up a meeting with Robert Milkins on Sunday. First to nine frames will take the £80,000 top prize and the Ray Reardon Trophy, while Milkins has the extra challenge of trying to win the BetVictor Series bonus.

Victory would give Murphy his first silverware since the 2020 Welsh Open and earn him a tenth career ranking title, which would bring him level with Jimmy White and make him the 11th player in snooker history to get into double figures.

The 40-year-old Englishman has gone through tough spells in recent years, with dips in form and challenges away from snooker, but has enjoyed a resurgence this season, partly as a result of weight loss following gastric sleeve surgery last summer. Runs to the quarter-finals of the UK Championship and the semis of the World Grand Prix have seen him build momentum, and the purity of Murphy’s ball-striking was obvious when he made back to back breaks of 145 and 147 earlier this week.

He is through to his 23rd ranking final and first since the 2021 World Championship when he was beaten by Mark Selby.

China’s Pang, playing in his first ranking semi-final, got the better of the opening frame and had a chance to go 2-0 ahead but missed a tough pot to a centre pocket on the final black, handing Murphy the chance to slot in an excellent pot to a baulk corner for 1-1. Frame three also came down to the colours and a cracking long green from Murphy set him up to go ahead. He might have added the fourth but missed a tough final blue to a baulk pocket and Pang punished him for 2-2.

After the interval, Murphy regained the lead, then compiled a run of 58 in frame six as he went 4-2 ahead, before Pang halved the gap with a break of 62. In frame eight, Murphy led 44-24 when he converted a superb long red, initiating a run of 29 for 5-3. And the Magician finished the match in the ninth with a run of 83.

“It wasn’t a great performance, neither of us played well,” admitted world number 11 Murphy. “The importance of the occasion got to us. I let him dictate the style of play and if it hadn’t been for the words of my assistant Robert Murphy during the interval, I wouldn’t have won that game.

“I have been on a bleak run in the last couple of seasons so I am over the moon to be back in another final. We spend a lot of time away from our kids and families but we never give up and I have been working very hard on my game. This has been coming all season, I have been playing well. In the club I have been grafting, working on my weaknesses and watching my matches back to see where things have gone wrong. I feel I may have turned a corner.”

On the onefourseven podcast, Murphy pledged earlier in the season that if he got to a ranking final he would moonwalk to the table, and he intends to honour that promise. He added: “I am a man of my word and I will be trying to moonwalk to my chair tomorrow.”

Unplanned circumstances prevented me to see much of the action yesterday. From what little I saw, Robert Milkins will have to cut out the “unexpected” errors if he is to beat Shaun Murphy whose long potting looked deadly. Pang is still learning but he’s quite good tactically and very patient.

The final today will be refereed by John Pellew (source WST).

Pellew Set To Referee Welsh Final

Llanelli’s 68-year-old referee John Pellew will be in the middle for this weekend’s BetVictor Welsh Open final.

Welshman Pellew has been officiating for 18 years, but has taken a keen interest in the sport since the age of 15. Earlier this season he took charge of a ranking final for the first time at the BetVictor Championship League and on Sunday in Llandudno he will double that tally.

His initial experience of refereeing came when he was asked by legendary Welsh World Champion Terry Griffiths to help out at an exhibition. At that stage he had no official qualifications, but he got the bug and decided to take his refereeing exam.

Since working at qualifiers in Prestatyn back in 2005, Pellew has steadily been building up experience as an official and is now a regular on the professional circuit. Looking ahead to Sunday’s match, Pellew can’t wait for what will be the highlight of his career so far.

Pellew said: “With it being the Welsh Open it is very exciting. I believe I will be the fourth Welshman to have done it after John Williams, Eirian Williams and Paul Collier.

“It will be a real honour to be in the middle while two players battle it out for the Ray Reardon Trophy. I played against Ray in an exhibition years ago at Butlins. That was a very surreal experience.

“I was so shocked when I was told I would do the final and it is a dream come true. This tournament is part of our heritage and it is very special for me to be a part of it.”

I know that John is not everyone’s favourite referee but I really like him as a person. He’s a gentle man who has spent countless hours, and gone through countless late nights at the South West Snooker Academy, supporting grassroots snooker and the Pink Ribbon charity event. I’m very pleased for him.

The 2023 Players Championship starts tomorrow. The line-up can’t change anymore, but the seeding is not yet definitely known, as explained by WST here:

Race To Wolverhampton: Live Updates

The top 16 players on the one-year ranking list will head for Wolverhampton next week for the Duelbits Players Championship.

…

Latest update: Saturday midnight. The line-up for the Duelbits Players Championship is now confirmed. Shaun Murphy’s 6-3 semi-final victory means that Pang Junxu cannot climb into the top 16, so Joe O’Connor will be going to Wolverhampton. Murphy is up to ninth place and will go to second if he wins the final. Robert Milkins is 13th and could go as high as fourth.

Here’s one-year list as it stands.

1 Mark Allen £516,000
2 Ryan Day £144,000
3 Kyren Wilson £141,500
4 Ali Carter £136,000
5 Ding Junhui £130,500
6 Mark Selby £125,500
7 Luca Brecel £116,000
8 Jack Lisowski £115,000
9 Shaun Murphy £112,000
10 Gary Wilson £107,500
11 Judd Trump £105,500
12 Tom Ford £103,500
13 Robert Milkins £94,500
14 Zhou Yuelong £79,500
15 Chris Wakelin £73,500
16 Joe O’Connor £72,000

The draw will be confirmed after the final on Sunday night in Llandudno, with Seed 1 playing Seed 16, Seed 2 playing Seed 15, and so on. The match schedule will be confirmed soon afterwards.

Possible Duelbits Players Championship draws

If Milkins beats Murphy in the final
1 Mark Allen v 16 Joe O’Connor
8 Luca Brecel v 9 Jack Lisowski
5 Ali Carter v 12 Judd Trump
4 Robert Milkins v 13 Tom Ford
3 Kyren Wilson v 14 Zhou Yuelong
6 Ding Junhui v 11 Gary Wilson
7 Mark Selby v 10 Shaun Murphy
2 Ryan Day v 15 Chris Wakelin

If Murphy beats Milkins in the final
1 Mark Allen v 16 Joe O’Connor
8 Luca Brecel v 9 Jack Lisowski
5 Ali Carter v 12 Tom Ford
4 Kyren Wilson v 13 Robert Milkins
3 Ryan Day v 14 Zhou Yuelong
6 Ding Junhui v 11 Judd Trump
7 Mark Selby v 10 Gary Wilson
2 Shaun Murphy v 15 Chris Wakelin

The least I can say about those quarter-finals is that they didn’t go as I expected at all.

OK, Ronnie had tips/ferule issues all week, it was frustrating and it was clearly playing on his mind but I never expected him to play as badly as he did and get whitewashed by Tian Pengfei. Tian is a very good player of course, he’s very precise, but he is limited and his cue power isn’t the strongest.

Anyway… my take on that match is here

The other match yesterday afternoon was also a whitewash, as Shaun Murphy beat Yuan Sijun by 5-0. Murphy’s win is no surprise.

Here is the report by WST:

Shaun Murphy also enjoyed a whitewash success as he beat Yuan Sijun 5-0 to set up a meeting with Joe O’Connor or Pang Junxu. That will be the Magician’s second semi-final of 2023 as he reached the same stage of the recent World Grand Prix, and the 40-year-old continues to chase his first ranking title since he won this event three years ago.

Murphy set the tournament alight on Thursday night when he made a magnificent 147, and while he couldn’t hit the same heights today, he dominated an out-of-sorts Yuan. Two breaks of 81 helped Murphy into his 48th ranking event semi-final.

“This was the last tournament I won and of course I want to lift another trophy,” said world number 11 Murphy, who has declared on the onefourseven podcast that he will moonwalk into the arena the next time he reaches a ranking final. “If you had told me that night in 2020 I beat Kyren Wilson to take the Ray Reardon Trophy that would be it for three years, I wouldn’t have believed you. But so it has proved.

“I feel my game is in good shape and it would be fantastic to add to my collection of titles. I have struggled with self-belief and confidence in recent years, but that is back and I am feeling dangerous. It would have been great to have repeated the 147 fireworks of the day before but the job was to win, and I used my experience to do that.”

The evening brought another big surprise as Mark Allen was well beaten – 5-1 – by Robert Milkins. Rob is in good form but Mark has been the player of the season. The other match was a tortuous affair as both players, understandably, looked tense and uneasy. Both are young with little experience of the biggest stages.

Here is the report by WST:

Milkins Sees Off ‘Pitiful’ Allen

Robert Milkins described a 5-1 win over Mark Allen as one of the best moments of his career as he progressed to the semi-finals of the BetVictor Welsh Open.

Saturday’s semi-finals
1pm: Robert Milkins v Tian Pengfei
7pm: Shaun Murphy v Pang Junxu

Delighted Milkins has two reasons to celebrate as he has also secured a place in next week’s Players Championship in Wolverhampton having climbed to 14th place in the one-year rankings – for updates on that race click here. The 46-year-old is just two wins away from his second ranking title, having captured the BetVictor Gibraltar Open crown last season, while the top prize this week would also give him a vast £150,000 bonus from the BetVictor Series – for updates click here.

Northern Ireland’s Allen would have won that huge bonus with victory tonight but couldn’t get going in a largely scrappy contest in which his high break was just 33 while Milkins top scored with 42. World number three Allen, who described his own performance as “pitiful”, also misses out on the chance to win a fourth ranking title this season.

Allen might have settled into the match if he had taken the opening frame, but he missed the blue to a centre pocket after potting the last red, handing his opponent the chance to clear the table. The next two frames were shared, then in the fourth Allen missed a mid-range pot on the final green to a top corner, and again Milkins punished him to lead 3-1.

Gloucester’s Milkins dominated frame five to extend his lead. In the sixth, Allen missed the final pink with the rest when he led by nine points, which led to a long safety battle on the black, resolved when Milkins thumped in a long pot to reach his ninth ranking semi-final.

“I feel I have just come out of a best of 19!” said Milkins “It was really tough all the way through. I missed a lot of balls but Mark missed even more. I probably edged the safety and that won me the match though 5-1 probably wasn’t a fair scoreline. As soon as I hit the black at the end I knew it was in. The safety battle had gone on for so long I decided to have a pop.

“Last season I won three matches all year, before I went to Gibraltar and I wasn’t playing badly, I just couldn’t win. Now I’m not playing brilliant, but winning becomes a habit and I am going into games with a positive frame of mind, not worrying about money.

“This is a massive win for me. Winning in Gibraltar was everything – that was the biggest. But this is up there in my top three or four moments. When I lost 6-5 to Ali Carter in the semi-finals in Germany that was such a disappointment because if I had won that I would have been in the Players Championship. Coming here, I knew I had to get to another semi-final, which is a difficult thing to do. I am proud of myself.”

Allen said: “I was awful from start to finish, it was a pitiful performance. The right player went through. I missed a few balls in the first frame, and just couldn’t get any timing or rhythm going. It’s only one match so I’m not going to beat myself up for it. Any thoughts of the bonus were nothing to do with my performance tonight. The last time I got beaten heavily was at the Masters when I lost 6-0 to Barry Hawkins and I bounced back the following week by winning the World Grand Prix, so hopefully I can do the same at the Players Championship.”

China’s Pang Junxu reached his first ranking event semi-final with a narrow 5-4 success against Joe O’Connor. The 23-year-old, who won the Rookie of the Year award in 2021, played in his first quarter-final at the recent BetVictor German Masters, and has now gone one step further. The world number 51 meets Shaun Murphy on Saturday evening.

O’Connor came from 4-2 down to 4-4, only for Pang to finish the match in fine style with a break of 124 in the decider.

Nobody said anything about the conditions but all the matches were struggles… so???

It was an afternoon to forget for Ronnie but a great one for Tian Pengfei who reached the semi-finals of a ranking event for the first time in his 17 years long career. It was a really bad day in office for Ronnie and Tian played really well and grew in confidence as the match went on.

Here are the scores

And the match report by Eurosport:

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN CRASHES OUT OF WELSH OPEN IN WHITEWASH LOSS TO TIAN PENGFEI, DEFEAT ENDS PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES

Ronnie O’Sullivan is another big name who will be absent from the Players Championship, as his loss to Tian Pengfei in the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open dashed his hopes. It was a fully deserved victory for Tian as O’Sullivan was off the pace. 

A below-par Ronnie O’Sullivan was sent crashing out of the Welsh Open by Tian Pengfei, dashing his hopes of reaching the Players Championship in the process.

O’Sullivan has had a tough time on the table in Llandudno, with his tip falling off on three occasions earlier in the tournament.

He beat Ben Mertens in the previous round with his cue staying in good order, but he did not look fully settled and that appeared the case again in his quarter-final with Tian who grew in confidence to secure an impressive win.

The opening two frames went Tian’s way in worrying fashion for O’Sullivan fans and after the Chinese player took a scrappy third, he grew in confidence and took the match to book his place in a ranking semi-final for the first time in his career.

O’Sullivan needed a run to the final to secure a place at the Players Championship, but will now have to fall back on some exhibitions to sharpen his game.

Tian set his stall out by playing an extremely attacking safety in the opening frame to open the reds up and pile pressure on O’Sullivan.

The four-time winner of the event had no route back to baulk so took on a red, but missed by a distance and Tian was rewarded for his endeavour as he crafted a break of 66. 

As in the opener, O’Sullivan missed a red to the bottom left by a distance at the start of the second and further misses were to follow. He was down at 40% pot success at that stage, and Tian took full advantage to double his lead courtesy of a half-century break.

After looking completely out of sorts in the opening two frames, O’Sullivan showed signs of life in the third. He knocked in a series of impressive pots to get going, and was unfortunate to run out of position on 31.

The frame turned extremely scrappy, with balls clustered over the bottom left. It took some time for the frame to develop, and Tian got a series of nice nudges and cannons to build a lead. But he missed a red with the long rest to hand O’Sullivan a chance and he looked set to get on the board only to fall awkwardly on the final blue, and missed a tough cut into the yellow pocket.

Both players missed further chances on the blue, before Tian knocked it into the green pocket – with the long rest – and got a kind nudge to drop plumb on the pink to secure a three-frame cushion.

O’Sullivan largely fed off scraps from Tian in the opening three frames. He had a decent chance in the fourth, but a red to bottom right did not drop. 

While O’Sullivan appeared all at sea, Tian’s confidence was rising and he picked off an excellent break of 86 to move into a 4-0 lead.

O’Sullivan was whitewashed by Tian’s fellow countryman Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals of the UK Championship, and suffered the same fate in Llandudno.

Potting was the big problem for O’Sullivan on Friday, but his safety was below par and a poor shot when attempting to get back to baulk in the fifth hammered the final nail in his coffin.

The table was not a simple one for Tian, but he picked off a couple of tough reds to clear the road and a break of 73 got him over the line.

It has been a 17-year wait since turning professional for a first ranking semi-final, and it was achieved in style with back-to-back wins over class of 92 alum John Higgins and O’Sullivan.

Ronnie was interviewed by Michael McMullan after the match and he was gracious as always, praising his opponent. He was however clearly disappointed with his own performance and fed up. He had bitten his tip off at the end the the match.

Ronnie is now out of the 2023 Players Championship, and the 2023 Tour Championship. Even winning the WST classic wouldn’t be enough. His focus though seems to be on the 6-reds Championship in Thailand.

Missing out on the Players Championship though might be a blessing in disguise, as Jimmy White explained in the studio.

It was obvious that Ronnie had no confidence in his shots today, and most shots played with side went badly wrong. If his cue/ferule need repair, the earlier it’s done, the better.

As a Ronnie fan, I’m very disappointed, of course, but credits to Tian, he fully deserved the win and I wish him the best for the rest of the tournament.

And here is the report by WST:

O’Sullivan Whitewashed As Tian Reaches First Semi

World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan suffered one of his most shocking defeats of recent years as he was crushed 5-0 at the BetVictor Welsh Open by Tian Pengfei, who is through to the semi-finals of a ranking event for the first time.

Three months ago, O’Sullivan was whitewashed in a Triple Crown event for the first time when he went down 6-0 to Ding Junhui at the UK Championship, but this was an even more surprising defeat as he was annihilated by a player ranked 49th in the world. The result also means that O’Sullivan cannot qualify for next week’s Players Championship in Wolverhampton as he needed to reach the final to climb into the top 16 of the one-year rankings.

While he has won two invitation titles at the Champion of Champions and Hong Kong Masters, O’Sullivan has struggled in ranking events this season, failing to reach a semi-final. He is likely to have just one more ranking event – the WST Classic in March – before he heads to Sheffield in April to chase an eighth Crucible crown.

China’s 35-year-old Tian, who knocked out Ali Carter and John Higgins on Thursday, had lost all four of his previous ranking quarter-finals, but showed no signs of nerves today in Llandudno as he progressed to a match with Mark Allen or Robert Milkins. He is now guaranteed £17,500 and if he goes on to win the title he will earn a spot in Wolverhampton.

O’Sullivan, who has had problems with his cue tip all week, scored just ten points in the first two frames as Tian made breaks of 66 and 51 in going 2-0 ahead. A scrappy 30-minute third frame came down to the colours and O’Sullivan twice missed the blue to a baulk corner, handing his opponent the chance to pot blue and pink to extend his lead. World number one O’Sullivan failed to pot a ball in the last two frames as Tian sailed through with runs of 82 and 73.

“It’s very special, definitely the biggest win of my career, especially to play Ronnie with that crowd and atmosphere,” said Tian, who has now beaten O’Sullivan in three of their six meetings. “I know he has changed his tip a few times his week, so I feel sorry for him because that is tough for a player. It happens sometimes.

“My performance was good, I tried to stay calm and enjoy the occasion. I have beaten two legends in Higgins and O’Sullivan so I am very pleased. It’s unbelievable. Every match I just try my best and the crowd make me feel good. It means a lot, it’s like a dream to beat Ronnie on TV, and a lot of my family and friends in China will be watching.”

O’Sullivan said: “Tian played well and deserved his victory. If I scored myself on my mindset in terms of how I dealt with it today I would give myself nine and a half out of ten. Less than that for my performance. There are no excuses, you have to deal with whatever is put in front of you and accept it. I tried my hardest, but every mistake I made I got punished.”

Two rounds – last 32 and last 16 – were played over a day and a half to produce this line-up:

Afternoon

12pm: Shaun Murphy v Yuan Sijun
Not before 2pm: Ronnie O’Sullivan v Tian Pengfei

Evening

7pm: Mark Allen v Robert Milkins
7pm: Joe O’Connor v Pang Junxu

Times are “local time” i.e. UK

My report on Ronnie’s last 32 win is here

And this is my report on Ronnie’s last 16 win

Here is how we got there (reports by WST, minus Ronnie’s last 32)

Wednesday afternoon

O’Sullivan’s next opponent will be Ben Mertens, the promising Belgian 18-year-old playing his first season on the pro tour. Mertens continued his best run in a ranking event with an impressive 4-3 success against David Gilbert, highlighted by a break of 130, his highest in a pro event.

“I played very well, it was a good game from both of us,” said Mertens. “I am really happy and feeling good. It will be special to play Ronnie. I have good memories of playing him (at the BetVictor English Open), I lost 4-3 so hopefully I can go one better this time. I learned a lot, it’s a different experience to playing anyone else. He is my idol and I look up to him.”

For the first time, there are three Belgian players in the last 32 of a ranking event, with Luca Brecel and BetVictor Shoot Out runner-up Julien Leclercq also in this round. Mertens added: “We all support each other and I think Belgium is very proud of us. There are a lot of good younger players there, snooker in Belgium is getting bigger. What Julien did in the Shoot Out was fantastic, he is one of my best friends and I was really pleased for him to get to a final.”

Four-time Crucible king Mark Selby suffered a 4-2 reverse against Robert Milkins, who maintains his good form having reached the semi-finals of the recent BetVictor German Masters. From 2-2, Milkins won the crucial fifth frame by clearing from yellow to pink, then close out the contest in style with a 137.

“I am winning a lot of matches despite not playing brilliant,” admitted Milkins. “My safety is always pretty good, it doesn’t go below a certain level and it has won me a lot of matches over the last year or so. When I was 19 or 20 I would see balls, pot them and make breaks. As you get older and you don’t see the balls so well, you naturally develop your safety, using side and seeing different angles.”

The result ends Selby’s hopes of winning the £150,000 BetVictor Series bonus at the end of this week, while Milkins is still in with a chance if he can capture the title.

Joe Perry’s title defence was ended by a 4-1 defeat against Robbie Williams while BetVictor Scottish Open runner-up Joe O’Connor top scored with 93 in a 4-0 defeat of Stuart Carrington.  Jak Jones beat LeClercq 4-2 with a top run of 74 and he’s one of two Welshmen left in the field, alongside Daniel Wells.

Wednesday evening

Amateur Wells Sinks Trump

Daniel Wells has spent time cleaning toilets during his time away from the pro tour but he enjoyed his moment on the main stage today as he flushed out Judd Trump’s hopes of winning the BetVictor Welsh Open for the first time with a 4-2 victory in the third round.

Wells dropped out of the pro ranks in 2021 and put snooker to one side to work for his mum’s cleaning business, but has committed himself to the sport again this season and has had an excellent 2022/23 campaign while competing as an amateur ‘top-up’, scoring wins over the likes of John Higgins, Joe Perry and Gary Wilson as well as reaching the semi-finals of the recent BetVictor Shoot Out. He looks set to regain his place on the main tour next season and his confidence will be further boosted by an excellent performance against Masters champion Trump.

One of two Welshmen left in the field alongside Jak Jones, 34-year-old Wells is through to the last 16 in Llandudno and will meet Shaun Murphy on Thursday night.

The key moment of today’s contest came when Trump, leading 2-0, missed the black off its spot after potting the last red, trailing by 13 points with the balls at his mercy. Wells cleared for 2-1 then took the next two frames with runs of 67 and 101. In frame six, he led 24-15 when he potted an excellent long red and made 47 to seal the result.

“To beat a top player on TV is a massive stepping stone for me,” said Wells. “When Judd looked like making it 3-0 I thought I had gone, because I had missed chances. Luckily he missed it and after that I settled down and started to play a bit. I have put my whole life into trying to win tournaments and trying to provide a life for my family.

“My world fell apart during Covid, I can’t explain why or how I deserved that, but it happened. When I was off the tour and cleaning toilets, no one was paying my bills. It was a shock to me, I realised I have to be more gritty and not give other players too much respect. They are all human and if you put anyone under enough pressure they will crack. Hopefully I can go further, I am not finished in this tournament yet.”

Trump said: “Daniel was the better player all day. I nicked a couple of frames at the start and should have gone 3-0. After that I knew the balls wouldn’t run my way. In the last frame he made a couple of mistakes but didn’t leave anything, which is what happens. His safety was really good and I struggled to create any chances. I feel a bit rusty, I didn’t play well from the start of this week, everyone else was spinning the ball back but I couldn’t get any screw into the white. My game is in good shape, I just struggled this week.”

Murphy made his 599th and 600th career centuries in a 4-2 success over Anthony McGill. Breaks of 100 and 102 made Murphy the eighth player to cross that milestone. Hossein Vafaei top scored with 100 in a 4-3 win over Barry Hawkins, a result which ends Hawkins’ hopes of the winning the £150,000 BetVictor Series bonus and also dents his chances of a place in next week’s Players Championship.

Mark Allen is very much in the race for that bumper bonus, needing to reach the semi-finals for a chance to overtake Ali Carter at the top of the BetVictor Series rankings. He scored breaks of 66, 57, 58 and 73 in a 4-1 win over Andy Hicks.

Luca Brecel is another of the five players in the hunt for the £150,000 pay day, albeit needing to win the title, and he saw off Cao Yupeng 4-1 with a top run of 86. John Higgins kept his recent improvement going as he narrowly avoided a surprise defeat against Sanderson Lam, winning 4-3.

Thursday evening

Crunch Time For Allen In Bonus Race

Mark Allen’s 4-2 victory over Luca Brecel in the last 16 of the BetVictor Welsh Open set up a crunch match in the quarter-finals with Robert Milkins, with the £150,000 BetVictor Series bonus on the line.

Victory for Allen over Milkins on Friday evening in Llandudno would see him finish the sequence of eight events at the top of the BetVictor Series rankings and earn him the huge pay day. If Milkins wins, then he can still snatch the cash by taking the title, while Ali Carter and Joe O’Connor are also in the equation going into the last three days of the series.

Northern Ireland’s Allen is enjoying his best ever season and has been clearly the outstanding player of the 2022/23 campaign having won three titles. If he goes all the way to the crown in North Wales then his total earnings for the week would be £230,000, the biggest cheque of his career. Breaks of 90, 79 and 74 tonight helped him to a fine win over Brecel.

Shaun Murphy raised the roof at Venue Cymru with a 147 during a 4-1 victory over Daniel Wells. The Magician, seeking his first ranking title since he won this event three years ago, also made breaks of 66, 145 and 78 in a tremendous display.

“I’m over the moon,” admitted Murphy. “I just wanted to put in a good performance tonight. I wish I knew the secret – if only I could do that more regularly. I saw the opportunity for the 147 early in the break, went for it and got it. It’s up there with my best achievements. I am obviously doing something right. Every time I step out in front of a live audience I try to put on a good show and entertain, and today I think I gave them value for money.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan took just 58 minutes to beat Ben Mertens 4-0 with a top break of 68. The Rocket needs to reach the final to earn a place in next week’s Players Championship. Joe O’Connor’s 4-0 success over Robbie Williams has left him on target for a spot in Wolverhampton.

The quarter-final line-up is completed by a trio of Chinese players. Tian Pengfei scored an impressive 4-1 win over John Higgins with a top break of 80. Yuan Sijun top scored with 100 in a 4-1 defeat of Jack Lisowski, and Pang Junxu ended any hopes of a Welsh winner by beating Jak Jones 4-2.

This is Shaun’s maximum break as shared by WST on their YouTube channel

Ronnie beat Ben Mertens by 4-0 yesterday late evening to book his place in the 2023 Welsh Open Quarter-finals. Here are the numbers:

Ronnie was playing with a new tip, fitted by Les Dodd. Les is a Seniors player and well known and appreciated for his talent and ability when it comes to fixing cues/tips issues. He’s the man Ronnie trusts the most for that job. Of course Les had to travel to North Wales.

WST report on the match is minimal, but, fortunately Eurosport has it covered.

Here is their report on the match:

WELSH OPEN 2023: RONNIE O’SULLIVAN WHITEWASHES BEN MERTENS TO MAKE QUARTER-FINALS

Tip problems have threatened to derail Ronnie O’Sullivan’s bid for a record-equalling fifth Welsh Open title, but there were no such issues as the Rocket whitewashed 18-year-old Ben Mertens to reach the quarter-finals. O’Sullivan faces John Higgins or Tian Pengfei next. 

Ronnie O’Sullivan remains on track for a record-equalling fifth Welsh Open title following a 4-0 whitewash victory over Ben Mertens to reach the quarter-finals.

It was a much more straightforward night for O’Sullivan after tip problems in the earlier rounds had threatened to derail his tournament.

With a new tip now in place, O’Sullivan hit two breaks of 55 and a break of 68 to seal a far more comfortable win than when he needed a deciding frame to beat Mertens in the English Open in December.

O’Sullivan will meet fellow Tian Pengfei for a place in the semi-final on Friday.

A half century put O’Sullivan in control of the opening frame, and a missed red to left corner from a nervy Mertens allowed the Rocket to finish the job.

Mertens – in his first year on the pro tour – had stunned Jackson Page and David Gilbert to make it this far but, certainly in the opening frames, he appeared overawed by the man he calls his hero, simply committing too many mistakes as O’Sullivan moved two frames clear.

Clearly struggling with the occasion, the 18-year-old had an opportunity to reduce the deficit in the third frame as O’Sullivan’s break ended at 55, only to pot the white after knocking in the pink. This time O’Sullivan would put the frame to bed to extend his lead to 3-0.

When these two met back in December, Mertens won three of the last four frames to force a decider, however, the fans in attendance at Llandudno were never likely to be treated to such a close finish. 

Another poor shot from the young Belgian left O’Sullivan with a simple pot and a final break of 68 wrapped up the match in under an hour.

The report on the match is quite minimalist but, truth to be said it wasn’t the most thrilling match. Ben looked overawed indeed and Ronnie was clearly playing on the cautious side, unsure about how his new tip would react.

Eurosport also reports on the postmatch interview:

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN OPENS UP ABOUT PLAYING WITH NEW TIP FOLLOWING WELSH OPEN VICTORY OVER BEN MERTENS

Following some unwanted drama with his cue in the previous rounds of the Welsh Open, Ronnie O’Sullivan has got a new tip, and he was much happier with his performance as he whitewashed Ben Mertens 4-0 to reach the quarter-finals in Llandudno

Ronnie O’Sullivan says he is “enjoying the challenge” of playing with a new tip after he was forced to take action following some unwanted drama in the earlier rounds of the Welsh Open.

The 47-year-old looked much more comfortable on Thursday night as he claimed a 4-0 whitewash win over Ben Mertens to reach the quarter-finals after some tip problems had previously threatened to derail his tournament.

Although he was not at his best, O’Sullivan did make two 55 breaks and a break of 68 as he proved too strong for his young opponent.

“It was a new tip, so I didn’t have the worry of it like coming off. So just got to get used to it a little bit, I suppose,” O’Sullivan said in the Eurosport studio afterwards.

“I’m just trying not to think about how I play or anything. I’m just like, ‘how am I dealing with it?’. I know how I should be dealing with it and that’s what I’m just trying to do. 

“I’m enjoying how I’m sort of processing it all. It’s good practise for me, I’m quite enjoying the challenge.”

Asked by Neal Foulds if he has to think about hitting the centre of the ball with the new tip, O’Sullivan responded: “I don’t know. I try not to think about it, to be honest with you.

“I’m just trying to think about staying present. Just dealing with whatever I’ve got. Tip is great, tip is bad – there’s not a lot I can actually do about it.

“I’d love to have an amazing tip, I’d love to have an amazing cue. I’d love my game to be perfect. But that’s not always the case. So I have to deal with whatever I’ve got given and just make the most of it. 

“There’s no point getting frustrated out there which you can do, but I don’t want to, it’s probably not going to help me. 

“Like I’ve said, I’ve just got to focus on what I’ve got, trying to do my best. I’m not going to try and go down this road of perfection. There’s no point, you’ll drive yourself crazy.”

It comes after O’Sullivan revealed that he was ready to concede his third round match to Rod Lawler following his tip troubles.

O’Sullivan was on a break to go 3-0 up on Wednesday night before his tip flew off for a third time in Llandudno, having come off twice in his previous match against Ross Muir, which left him frustrated before he went on to whitewash his opponent.

He told Lawler his “cue was broken” before getting a new tip fitted by tournament director Paul Collier.

“I think I’m best suited if I can just keep my mind right, deal with the situation as it is,” O’Sullivan continued following victory over Mertens.

“Forget how I’m playing. Because I can be hard on myself. So I’m just trying to make do with what I’ve got, and get the best out of myself in every match, every minute, every situation. 

“If I win, great. If I don’t, come back next week.”

That’s the right attitude.

Ronnie will play Tian Pengfei this afternoon. It won’t be easy. Tian is a dangerous player who has just beaten Ali Carter and John Higgins earlier this week, but I’m much more confident in Ronnie’s chances now that he has a new tip fitted. They have met 5 times before: Ronnie won 3 of those encounters, Tian won 2. Ronnie however won the last three. Their last match came in the 2020 Scottish OPen with Ronnie prevailing by 4-3.

Social media can be really awful. Paul Collier it seems got stick for not being able to fix Ronnie’s tip issues. Paul is the tournament director, he’s very good at replacing tips and does it to help players. But, when a tip comes off in the middle of the match, the player only gets 15 minutes to get things fixed. Paul could only do an “emergency job” in such a short time and what he did allowed Ronnie to get through two matches and win both.

Ronnie was full of praise for Ben after the match. Here are some quotes as reported by Eurosport:

“He’s young, but he’s got so much talent,”

“You see some players on the tour and there’s a ceiling to everybody, really, but this kid…I don’t think there’s much of a ceiling, you know. He is, I think, by far the best in his age category so his future is unbelievable.

“But I don’t think he should be thinking future; he should be thinking present. The type of game he’s got, the quality he’s got. Just a bit of experience, maybe. But he’ll mould better as a player, and all really, really good players are quick learners. 

“I think it applies in all sports – if you’re going to be good, you get it young. Tiger Woods, Michael Schumacher, Mike Tyson…you know, all the great sportsmen. They do it early. Age is not important. 

“Sometimes when you’re younger, it’s even better, you’re more fearless. Stephen Hendry.”

Ronnie booked his place in the last 16 yesterday evening, despite suffering more tip troubles. He beat Rod Lawler by 4-0. Here are the scores:

And the report by WST:

Rocket Wins Despite Tip Trials

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s cue tip fell off for the third time in two days, but a rapid repair allowed him to continue his run as he beat Rod Lawler 4-0 to reach the last 16 of the BetVictor Welsh Open.

The World Champion’s tip broke loose twice during his match against Ross Muir on Tuesday, and once again tonight it was rolling across the table after he played a shot during the third frame. Tournament director Paul Collier replaced the tip and the match resumed, O’Sullivan wrapping up the result having scored breaks of 100, 62 and 58 over the four frames.

“I’ll get the cue sent to John Parris, it needs a new ferrule,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport. “Hopefully it will be ready for Thailand and the other important tournaments coming up. Every shot I play I think the tip will fall off, I’m expecting to see it rolling around the table. It will come off again. I am not cueing badly. I think I am doing really well, I am working on my mindset, irrespective of how I play. I am just staying within my mind.”

The world number one is through to the last 16 of a ranking event for the third time this season but must reach the final in Llandudno to qualify for next week’s Players Championship.

O’Sullivan’s next opponent will be Ben Mertens, the promising Belgian 18-year-old playing his first season on the pro tour.

I fell sorry for both players yesterday. Of course what is happening is very difficult for Ronnie, but I think if affected Rod as well. Rod really struggled yesterday. The two know each other for 30 years or more, Rod turned pro in 1990. The go along well, they know each other’s family. It was a very awkward situation for both. Ronnie looked frustrated and, as he admitted, the tip was on his mind all the time and he got the job done eventually and all credits to him for that.

Here are some quotes by Ronnie as reported by Phil Haigh:

The world number one went on to win the match 4-0 nonetheless, but he admitted afterwards that he offered to concede the game to avoid any more interruptions for him to fix the faulty tip.

“I did say to Rod, you can have the match when I was 2-0 up,’ O’Sullivan told Eurosport. ‘I said to (tournament director) Paul (Collier), there is no point me keep having to come up here and putting the tips on. I am happy to give the match to Rod.

‘I don’t think Rod wanted to play either to be honest. I felt for Rod. He is a good lad.

‘I will send the cue away and get it done. It needs a new ferrule. Hopefully it will be ready for Thailand (Six Reds World Championship) and the other important tournaments for me.

My cue, every shot I am playing I think the tip will fall off. I am surprised it didn’t fall off in a couple of blacks that I played in that last frame.

‘I was expecting to see the tip roll across the table. It will come off again. I will try to stick it on again. There is nothing else you can do.’

It’s very honest from Ronnie to offer to concede the match under the circumstances. The situation was no fun for his opponent or the fans. And it was just as great from Rod to refuse it, knowing that Ronnie actually was playing the better snooker. The two of them were a credit to the sport yesterday evening.

Tonight Ronnie will play Ben Mertens. Ben is in his first season, this will be his first “Last 16” outing and he has just scored his highest break as a pro yesterday, a 130. Ronnie and Ben have played once before. Ronnie prevailed by 4-3, but Ben had come back at him from 3-0 down. Given the tip situation I have to make Ben favourite.

The second round of the 2023 Welsh Open – the last 64 round – concluded yesterday afternoon in Llandudno and it has thrown a few unexpected results. Indeed Neil Robertson, Ding Junhui, Stephen Maguire, Kyren Wilson, Jordan Brown, Matthew Stevens and Mark Williams all bowed out at that stage.

Ronnie won despite serious problems with his tip. My report on that match is here.

Here are the reports by WST (minus the part on Ronnie’s win)

Tuesday Afternoon

Dale Hands Robertson Double Blow

Dominic Dale scored one of his best results of recent years as he shocked Neil Robertson 4-0 in the second round of the BetVictor Welsh Open, ending the Australian’s chances of qualifying for next week’s Players Championship.

Robertson came into this week 18th on the one-year ranking list and potentially needing a deep run to climb into the top 16, but today’s defeat means he won’t be in Wolverhampton to defend a title he won a year ago. It has been a disappointing season so far for the player who captured four titles in 2021/22. This term he is yet to reach a ranking final.

The world number four scored just 35 points in the first three frames today as Dale took control, making breaks of 71 and 56. Robertson had a chance to pull one back but his hopes ended when he missed the black off its spot at 29-42 in frame four.

“You have to give all credit to Dominic, he played incredibly well today,” said Robertson. “It doesn’t mean anything (to miss the Players Championship). I have won 30 major tournaments in my career. It doesn’t impact my preparation for the next event. It means I can have more time on the practice table and watch (son) Alexander’s football over the weekend.”

Dale, who reached the semi-finals of the recent BetVictor Shoot Out, said: “You have to put the top players under pressure and today I managed to do that. It’s easy to get hammered and look like an idiot when you play someone like Neil. I have always been a bit of a showman and natural exhibitionist and if you can’t perform in front of an audience like this then you are not cut out for sport.

“At the end of the match I shook his hand because I’m a big friend of Neil, I love his style of play and I said to him ‘never forget what a fantastic player you are’ because I know he’s not getting the results he wants at the moment, there is just two or three percent of his game he needs to find and he’ll get back to winning tournaments.

“This is a fantastic event and I’d love to see it come back to North Wales, maybe to that other place called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!”

…

Lawler made a tremendous 73 clearance in the deciding frame to score a 4-3 win over Matthew Stevens, who was unlucky not to land on a red when he split the pack at 59-0.

Defending champion Joe Perry won his ninth consecutive match in this event, beating Mark Joyce 4-1 with top breaks of 107 and 92. Luca Brecel top scored with 100 in a 4-0 win over Elliot Slessor while Cao Yupeng enjoyed a whitewash victory over Ding Junhui in a Chinese derby.

Tuesday Evening

Jones Beats Williams In Welsh Derby

Mark Williams, the only home player to win the BetVictor Welsh Open having lifted the trophy back in 1996 and 1999, saw his hopes of a third title end with a 4-3 reverse against Jak Jones.

World number 53 Jones beat the player ranked 46 places higher and is one of only three Welsh players left in the field in Llandudno, alongside Dominic Dale and Daniel Wells. Cwmbran’s 29-year-old Jones is through to the last 32 of a ranking event for the third time this season and will now face Jordan Brown or Julien LeClercq.

Three-time World Champion Williams made a break of 122 to lead 2-1, but Jones took the next with a run of 52, then converted a long double on the final pink in frame five to lead 3-2. Williams made it 3-3, but an excellent run of 73 gave Jones control of the decider. Masters runner-up Williams battled for snookers and got one of the two he needed on the last red, but then failed to escape from a snooker himself and offered the handshake.

“I’m really pleased with the win because Mark is still one of the best players in the world, it’s a big win for me,” said Jones. “In the last frame even when I made 73 I knew I wasn’t over the line and then he put me right under pressure so I was relieved to come through in the end. It was a great atmosphere out there. It’s a big opportunity for me now but the matches are all difficult.”

Defeat for Williams means that his place in next week’s Players Championship is in the balance. He is 15th on the one-year ranking list so must hope he is not nudged out of the top 16 over the next few days.

The 47-year-old said: “In night matches I get really tired quickly and that’s something I have got to look at. I am eating the right food but maybe I need more exercise. I was trying my best out there. I have practised more for this tournament than I have for the last 12 months. But I need to get fitter.”

BetVictor English Open champion Mark Selby came through a tough battle against Si Jiahui, winning 4-3 with a break of 124 in the fifth frame and an 85 in the decider.

David Gilbert has been arguably the player of the week so far, having made two centuries and seven more breaks over 50 in his two matches. He beat BetVictor Shoot Out champion Chris Wakelin 4-2 with top runs of 82, 110 and 59. Like Williams, Wakelin must watch results over the coming days to find out whether he has a place in the Players Championship in Wolverhampton.

Kyren Wilson suffered a 4-2 defeat against China’s Pang Junxu, a result which ends Wilson’s hopes of overtaking Ali Carter at the top of the BetVictor Series rankings and earning a £150,000 bonus at the end of the week.

That’s interesting quotes by Willo. He’s never come across as a fitness fan. As you will read hereafter, John Higgins is considering seeing a mental coach. That was a big no-no only a few years ago. The “Class of 92” looks determined to stay at the top for some more years! I guess that a few “kids” out there must be cursing them silently!

Jak Jones is a very solid player and I’m surprised that he hasn’t done better on the tour so far. I first saw him play at SWSA, in the Pink Ribbon, when he was about 16. He really impressed me back then.

Wednesday Morning and Afternoon

Higgins Revival Gathers Pace

John Higgins continues to see the green shoots of renaissance in his game as he scored a second consecutive 4-0 victory at the BetVictor Welsh Open, beating Martin Gould to reach the last 32.

Four-time Crucible king Higgins has had a poor season by his standards; he is yet to reach the quarter-finals of a ranking event so far this term and came into this week in 60th place on the one-year ranking list. But the Scot looked sharp in winning his BetVictor Championship League group last week, and has carried that momentum to Llandudno, beating Alexander Ursenbacher and now Gould without conceding a frame.

“It was good scoring today, that’s what I’ll need to produce for the rest of the tournament if I want to go deep,” sad 47-year-old Higgins, who made breaks of 89, 68, 97 and 66 today. “My focus is just trying to hit the ball more solid and play as well as I can. There are big events coming up – I’ve got the Championship League Winners’ Group, the Six Red event and the WST Classic so I have got time to get my game ready for Sheffield.

“This is a great place to come, I have brought my wife down so we could spend Valentine’s Day together and do a bit of sight-seeing. I am relaxed and enjoying it.”

Higgins, who faces Sanderson Lam next, recently admitted that he has considered working with a sports psychologist for the first time in his career. He added today: “When you are struggling mentally with the game, you look for little nuggets or bits of advice from players who have been there and done it. It’s a tough sport. I have always been one of the guys on the tour who has always kept myself to myself, and sometimes it can get on top of you.”

Judd Trump was far from his best in a 4-2 win over Louis Heathcote, but did enough to set up a third round meeting with amateur Daniel Wells. From 2-1 down, Trump made a vital 34 clearance in the fourth frame to pinch it on the black. In the next, Heathcote was on a break of 62 when his attempted red with the rest finished short of a corner pocket, and again Trump punished him with a 65 clearance. The Masters champion then got the better of a safety battle on the final green in frame six and wrapped up the contest.

“Louis will be super disappointed because he created some good chances for himself but missed the crucial balls,” said Trump, who was runner-up to Joe Perry in this event last year. “I am getting out of jail a bit but also making the tough clearances that maybe I have been missing. Similar to the Masters, it looked like I was going out but made those important clearances under pressure. At the start of the season I might have lost that 4-3.”

Ali Carter remains on target to win the £150,000 BetVictor Series bonus at the end of this week, and his 4-1 win over amateur Ian Martin kept him £9,000 ahead of second-placed Mark Allen. “It’s in the back of my mind of course,” said BetVictor German Masters champion Carter, whose top break today was 124. “It’s in my hands now but it’s also in Mark (Allen’s) hands. All I can do is try to win the tournament. Hopefully the money will drop into my account. But if it doesn’t then I’m still in a  good place – I’m in the Players Championship, more than likely the Tour Championship and a seed for the Crucible.”

Allen, who needs to at least reach the semi-finals for a chance of over-taking Carter, eased into round three with a 4-1 win over Mitchell Mann. He now faces Andy Hicks, who beat Wu Yize 4-3 by clearing from the last red to snatch the deciding frame on the final black.

Jack Lisowski top scored with 93 in a 4-0 win over Ryan Thomerson, while Barry Hawkins top scored with 70 as he beat Ben Woollaston 4-0, strengthening his position in the race to the Players Championship. Hossein Vafaei fired runs of 102 and 133 in a 4-1 victory over Ken Doherty.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=OI0EZwsXrWM%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%3A

Judd Trump got out of jail indeed as he honestly admitted. Louis Heathcote should probably have won this match. I hope that he has the opportunity to “debrief” what happened with his coach or someone who is in his corner because he can’t lose matches like that if he hopes to climb to the top.

The two young Belgian rookies won their match against strong opponents. Ben Mertens beat Jackson Page and Julien Leclercq beat Jordan Brown. For the first time, three Belgians reached the last 32 stage of a ranking event.

The third round – last 32 – started yesterday evening. I’ll report on that round later, probably tomorrow. But the trends continues as there were more “casualties” amongst the to players already: the defending Champion, Joe Perry, Mark Selby and David Gilbert all lost their last 32 match.