The first and second round of the 2023 English Open concluded yesterday afternoon and, again, we saw some unexpected results. Indeed Anthony McGill, Jack Lisowski, Barry Hawkins, Ryan Day and Mark Selby all exited the tournament in the second round, as Hossein Vafaei and Robert Milkins were beaten in round three yesterday evening. Of the top 20 in the rankings, only 8 remain in the tournament as we enter day 4.
Man of the moment Mark Williams kept his hot streak of form going in the first round of the BetVictor English Open, beating Ian Burns 4-0 in just 49 minutes with a century and three more breaks over 60.
Last Sunday, Williams won his 25th ranking title – and first for two years – with a 10-7 victory over Mark Selby in the final of the Cazoo British Open. It was a significant moment for the 48-year-old Welshman as he proved to himself that he can still beat the elite players in major finals. And the left-hander kept the momentum going with a superb display against Burns, knocking in breaks of 75, 100, 62 and 94.
“This week I just want to ride the crest of the wave,” said Williams, who now meets Xiao Guodong on Wednesday morning. “Every wave comes crashing down so when you are on the top of one you just have to enjoy it. I’ll do the best I can this week and see how far I can get.
“I thought I might be on a bit of a come down today because I was buzzing on Sunday. I went to bed at 4am on Monday morning, got up at 8am to play golf, then I was up at 6am this morning to come here. I only had 20 minutes practice so I didn’t expect to play as well as I did.”
Asked if he would celebrate Sunday’s triumph, he replied: “I’m too old for that and I haven’t had a drink for a few months. I’ll just go out for a meal with the family.”
Selby also made a strong start with a 4-1 win over Xing Zihao, highlighted by runs of 127 and 93. “I felt flat out there today. It was a massive high to play in a big final, so to go again so quickly afterwards is tough,” admitted Selby, who plays again at 7pm on Tuesday against Martin O’Donnell. “But my game feels good, I have a new tip on my cue and I’m getting used to that now.”
Luca Brecel beat Andy Hicks 4-1 but had the disappointment of missing out on a 147 in the opening frame. After potting 15 reds with blacks, the World Champion ran out of position, then potted the yellow but the cue ball came off two cushions and dropped into a centre pocket. Brecel went on to make 55 and 68 as he set up a third round match with Muhammad Asif or Fan Zhengyi.
Judd Trump was another top seed to impress as he saw off Scott Donaldson 4-1 with top breaks of 140, 65 and 56. John Higgins was far from his best against James ‘Giant-Killer’ Cahill but avoided an upset as he came through 4-2, while Hossein Vafaei made a 76 in the decider to edge out Julien Leclercq 4-3.
Mark Selby was playing his ninth match in as many days at the BetVictor English Open on Tuesday night, and fatigue caught up with the four-time Crucible king as he lost 4-2 to world number 104 Martin O’Donnell.
Selby reached the final of last week’s Cazoo British Open in Cheltenham before a 10-7 defeat against Mark Williams in a bruising battle on Sunday night. He beat Xing Zihao in his first round match in Brentwood on Tuesday afternoon, but then looked jaded in his last 64 tie. Londoner O’Donnell took advantage with a fine performance, highlighted by breaks of 51, 102 and 58. He now meets Stephen Maguire or Louis Heathcote.
“I could see Mark was struggling a bit towards the end of his match this afternoon. But he’s a marathon man, he has won the world title four times and he has got more stamina than anyone else in the game,” said former world number 34 O’Donnell, who was relegated from the tour in 2022 but bounced back this year to regain his place.
“If anyone can dig out a result when he is tired, it’s Mark. I took nothing for granted, kept my focus all the way through and tried to put pressure on him. The TV table was lovely, a joy to play on. I don’t get to play on that table often, and when I do it’s usually against an absolute machine. It was nice to pot some long balls and create chances.
“I will go to bed buzzing tonight but there is no point beating Mark and then losing in the next round. Tomorrow is another today and I need to be on top of my game otherwise I’ll be going home. It’s a fresh start for me this season. The tournaments are coming thick and fast now and tonight’s result gives me some momentum.”
Oliver Lines knocked out Kyren Wilson on Monday night, and followed up today with a 4-1 defeat of Martin Gould. “My confidence is growing in each game,” said Lines. “I learned a lot about myself last night when I beat Kyren, in terms of how I can handle those kind of situations.
“There’s no reason why I can’t go deep this week. I talk to my dad and coach Steve Feeney a lot, trying to think more positively about life and then that carries through to snooker. The best players always play the right shot, even if it’s risky, and I am trying to do that myself.”
Gary Wilson came from 3-1 down to edge out Dominic Dale 4-3, while Mark Allen earned a 4-1 success against Wu Yize.
Ronnie O’Sullivan described Jackson Page as a “fantastic talent who will win tournaments” after beating the young Welshman 4-1 in the second round of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.
Local favourite O’Sullivan, competing in a ranking event for the first time this season, is through to the last 32 and will meet Si Jiahui on Thursday.
Shanghai Masters champion O’Sullivan looked sharp as he fired breaks of 105, 109 and 122. “I worked hard at my game yesterday, I played for four hours,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport. “Rather than practising two hours every day, I am going to play twice a week for a bit longer and then take days off. I am trying to find some consistency, trying to find the Mark Williams secret, whatever that is.”
Page, 22, first turned pro in 2019 and has made steady progress since, climbing to 51 in the world. He made a break of 109 in the second frame today and did enough to draw praise from his illustrious opponent.
“He’s a brilliant player, he reminds me of Luca Brecel,” said O’Sullivan. “He has great cue power and a good snooker brain, he’s a fantastic talent and great for the game. He will win tournaments for sure. He just has to wait for some of the top players to dip. You have Robertson, Selby, Trump, Ding, Higgins, Williams and others – it’s hard to break through. How do you get in among them and win titles? They have experience while he is learning on the job.
“He’s in that bracket in his early 20s and he will have his time. He’s much better than he was four or five years ago, when his bridge arm was too long. Like Luca, he’s had to learn how to be more compact and get more consistency.”
World number 58 Elliot Slessor knocked out 13th seed Jack Lisowski, taking an exciting decider to win 4-3. Slessor made breaks of 90 and 99 to lead 3-2 but missed chances for victory in frame six and his opponent took it after a huge fluke on the brown. The final frame came down to the last red and Lisowski, trailing 31-37, made a safety error, leaving the red over a top corner, handing Slessor the chance to add the points he needed.
“There was some good snooker in the middle of the match, then towards the end we were both gone, we were missing chance after chance,” said Slessor. “If I can take the good parts of my game and cut out the bad stuff, I’ll be alright!”
Looking ahead to next week’s Wuhan Open, the first ranking event in China since 2019, Slessor added: “It’s massive. I’m delighted we’re going back out there. I have heard a few players complaining about having to fly here and there, but it’s a good problem to have. When you have got a mortgage to pay and kids to feed you want to be busy. You’ll get no complaints from me about being busy. Before Covid, the schedule was packed and that’s the way it should be, it’s a global tour and you have the chance to change your life in a week. It’s horrible when you are sitting at home watching an event having lost in the qualifiers, especially the China events as the prize money is huge and we haven’t been there for a long time.”
Cazoo British Open champion Mark Williams won his tenth consecutive match by coming from 3-1 down to edge out Xiao Guodong 4-3. The Welshman made a 123 in the opening frame then lost three in a row, before hitting back with 65, 123 and 73 to take the last three.
China’s Liu Hongyu continued to impress during his debut season as he beat Joe O’Connor 4-1. Pakistan’s top player Muhammad Asif came from 3-2 down to beat Fan Zhengyi 4-3, making a 91 in frame six and taking the decider by potting blue, pink and black.
Crucible semi-finalist Si Jiahui beat Fergal O’Brien 4-0 while Essex cueman Ali Carter saw off Liam Pullen 4-0 with top runs of
I have currently a lot going on in my private life, so in the near future, I’ll probably not “analyse” what I have watched so much, simply because I can’t watch “properly” that much right now, as when I do watch, it’s usually when I mark scores for snooker.org and hop from one match to another to keep up with what’s going on on all tables.
I can see only one explanation for the many upsets we observe and that is the current calendar structure. Whilst there have been a lot of snooker played in qualifying rounds, some of the very top players have barely played at all. Practice doesn’t replace match play, and it’s the different “life rhythm” as well. You can practice when it suits you, you have to play your matches when the tournaments’ schedule dictate. Players generally practice close to home, tournaments generally imply travel, life on a suitcase away from family.
2 thoughts on “The 2023 English Open – Days 2 and 3”
I was surprised to see Selby concede trailing 20 and still 27 on the table. is he going to be fined for it, or it will just be let go, because he must be tired?
He will probably be fined. Probably a small fine as he’s not one to do that often and he was visibly exhausted.
Man of the moment Mark Williams kept his hot streak of form going in the first round of the BetVictor English Open, beating Ian Burns 4-0 in just 49 minutes with a century and three more breaks over 60.
“I could see Mark was struggling a bit towards the end of his match this afternoon. But he’s a marathon man, he has won the world title four times and he has got more stamina than anyone else in the game,” said former world number 34 O’Donnell, who was relegated from the tour in 2022 but bounced back this year to regain his place.
Oliver Lines knocked out Kyren Wilson on Monday night, and followed up today with a 4-1 defeat of Martin Gould. “My confidence is growing in each game,” said Lines. “I learned a lot about myself last night when I beat Kyren, in terms of how I can handle those kind of situations.
Page, 22, first turned pro in 2019 and has made steady progress since, climbing to 51 in the world. He made a break of 109 in the second frame today and did enough to draw praise from his illustrious opponent.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
I was surprised to see Selby concede trailing 20 and still 27 on the table. is he going to be fined for it, or it will just be let go, because he must be tired?
He will probably be fined. Probably a small fine as he’s not one to do that often and he was visibly exhausted.