As I mentioned in an earlier post this week, I have a lot going on in my private life at the moment and I haven’t been able to watch as much snooker as I usually do. Except for Ronnie’s matches I haven’t reported on the 2023 English Open developments. We have now reached the semi-finals and it’s time to (try to) catch up.
Most of the top players negotiated round 3 (Last 32) safely, albeit no always easily. There were two notable exceptions: Mark Allen was beaten by Matthew Selt (4-2) and Hossein Vafaei was beaten by He Guoqiang a 23 years old rookie from China.(4-3).
Round 4 (last 16) was played on the same day as round 3 for half of players who reached that round and proved to be the stumbling block for a number of top players: most notably for Luca Brecel, the reigning World Champion, Ronnie, the current number one Mark Williams whose last 16 match finished at about 1:30 in the Friday morning. All three above mentioned top players had two matches to play on “moving day”, the second one coming in the late evening session. It is absolutely obvious that fatigue was a factor, especially for those in their late 40th (Mark Williams went on a rant on twitter about it). So much so that it triggered high profile withdrawals from the 2023 Wuhan Open. More on that later.
All that yielded a rather unexpected, and somewhat strange, quarter final line-up: indeed all four remaining British players competed in one half, whilst, the other half featured four Chinese players.
John Higgins and Judd Trump, who have met in two Crucible finals, will go head-to-head in the semi-finals of the BetVictor English Open after both scored emphatic 5-1 wins in Brentwood on Friday afternoon.
Higgins saw off Martin O’Donnell while Trump got the better of Matthew Selt, setting up an intriguing contest on Saturday at 1pm. The pair last met in the semi-finals of the BetVictor European Masters in August when Trump edged through 6-5, and the Englishman will hope for a repeat result against all-time legend Higgins.
Scotland’s 48-year-old Higgins will contest his 82nd ranking event semi-final and is two wins away from a 32nd title and first since the 2021 Players Championship. He has already seen Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams win titles this season and hopes to become the third member of the famed ‘Class of 92’ to lift a trophy within the space of three weeks.
Higgins started strongly with breaks of 67 and 59 to take the opening frame. O’Donnell levelled, only for his opponent to make 82 and 77 to lead 3-1 at the interval. Frame five was in the balance until Higgins, leading 49-27, dropped a tricky red into a centre pocket and added the points he needed to extend his advantage. And the four-time World Champion sealed the result with a run of 70 in the sixth.
“In my last couple of matches I have hit the ball really well,” said Higgins. “Martin will be disappointed because it was a big match for him and he missed a couple which he has not been missing this week. I will need to take my chances against Judd tomorrow. I love playing him, I have brought the best out of him in some of our matches and he has done the same to me. I love competing against him because he has been a breath of fresh air for our game for many years. It’s a game I relish.
“At the end of last season I made some tweaks to my cue and then I started playing to a better standard, I have been more compact and had more confidence. I want to try and win big titles. It would be great to join two great champions in Mark and Ronnie, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Trump is seeking his first ranking title since the Turkish Masters in March 2022, and he enjoyed another comfortable victory over the same player he beat in that final in Turkey. The Bristol cueman shared the first two frames with Essex potter Selt, but then pulled away to take four in a row with top breaks of 137 and 103.
World number five Trump is through to his 55th ranking event semi-final and the left-hander remains on course for a 24th career ranking title.
“It was a tricky start to the game,” said 34-year-old Trump. “Matt missed a ball at 1-1 and it changed after that, I punished him. Every time he missed the balls were going over the pocket. I upped my game in the second half of the match.
“I don’t think I’m too far away from really enjoying my snooker. I’ve had a good start to the season and it would be nice to convert one of these into a tournament win. When you lose, people think you’re not playing well. But they aren’t actually looking at how you played. I haven’t played my best yet, it’s there in spells. Hopefully I’ll save that for the semi-final and final.”
Just three months into his professional career, promising rookie Liu Hongyu reached his first ranking event semi-final with a 5-2 victory over China’s greatest ever player Ding Junhui at the BetVictor English Open.
Liu, 19, becomes only the fifth rookie since 2011 to reach a ranking event semi-final, and he is just two wins away from becoming the first player to win a ranking title during his debut season since Terry Griffiths at the 1979 World Championship.
Already this week in Brentwood, Liu has knocked out Shaun Murphy, Joe O’Connor, Chris Wakelin and Mark Williams, before getting the better of an out-of-sorts Ding. His next match will be another Chinese derby against Zhang Anda, who followed up yesterday’s defeat of Ronnie O’Sullivan by edging out Zhou Yuelong 5-4.
World number 89 Liu, from Taishan in China’s Guangdong province, turned pro earlier this year after winning the Asia-Pacific Championship, and has quickly made the transition to the highest level.
In a scrappy opening to tonight’s match he took the first three frames with a top break of 52. Liu had a chance to go 4-0 ahead but missed the last red to a centre pocket when he trailed 33-61 in frame four, and 14-time ranking event winner Ding reduced the deficit.
After the interval, Liu extended his lead to 4-1, then Ding pulled one back. In the seventh, Ding led 57-1, but twice missed frame ball – the blue to a baulk corner and then a tough red to a top corner. The second mistake proved costly as Liu made an excellent 57 clearance for victory.
“I’m very excited and very glad to be able to beat Ding,” said the teenager. “I didn’t expect to make it this far. I’ll try my best to get used to the arena tomorrow and play my own game. I felt nervous entering the arena, after all this is my first time playing in front of so many spectators. When I got these emotions under control I felt fine. After the first three frames I felt less nervous. In the last frame I felt confident to close the match in one visit.
“I thought I had chances to do well this season, but never thought it would come so soon. I can’t pinpoint what’s so different but it’s quite unique, the atmosphere was compact. All those roars from the spectators, I enjoyed it.”
Zhang and Zhou’s contest was higher quality as it included two centuries and six more breaks over 50. World number 57 Zhang took a 3-0 advantage with runs of 73 and 90. Zhou battled back to 3-3 with 61 and 102, and later made it 4-4 with a 106. Early in the decider, Zhang potted a long red then trapped his opponent in a tough snooker, and from the chance that followed he held his nerve in a smooth break of 80.
“I used all my mental strength to stay in the match because Zhou was excellent tonight,” said 31-year-old Zhang. “He was more than capable of winning frames in one visit. I don’t know how I got through the deciding frame but I fancied my chance to close out the match.
“This will be my first semi-final so I have no idea what is it going to be like tomorrow. Liu is from the same province as me so we have met in regional tournaments back home. He has beaten me before so I know how good a player he is.”
Zhang and Liu will both contest their first ranking event semi-final on Saturday at 7pm, with the winner going through to Sunday’s final to face an opponent with vastly more experience – John Higgins or Judd Trump.
Now, some thoughts about the scheduling of all this… yesterday the British players played in the afternoon, and the Chinese players in the evening, meaning that the Chinese fans had little no chance to watch “their” players as the matches were unfolding because this was the middle of the night in China. It will be the same today. I understand that it may not be an easy decision to take by WST, but why not swap those sessions? Of course they couldn’t have foreseen this line-up, and, of course some people might have bought tickets in the hope to watch a specific player or match, but, on the other hand the afternoon session can be watched Chinese fans in China, and most “working people” in the UK are free to attend matches at the venue in the evenings, whilst this isn’t probably the case in the afternoons. I have seen sessions swapped – at the Masters of all events – to allow Chinese fans to watch Ding “live on TV”, so it wouldn’t be a first.
Liu Hongyu is only 19 and this a quite extraordinary run he’s having here in his first year as a pro. It’s good that he was interviewed and I hope that him and He Guoqiang get more exposure by the governing body as the season unfolds. That brings me back to Stan Moody … I got quite some stick on social media for the comments I made when young Stan was showcased on the main table while the defending Champion was playing on an outside table at the 2023 British Open. I’m unrepentant and stand by those comments. I’m all for WST promoting the young players, and putting them under the spotlights, provided they do it for the right reasons, by this I mean on merits. Stan showed promises and talent in his match against Luca Brecel this week. On that occasion people on twitter jumped at me with “See? He’s making progress, WST was right to put him on TV to help his development”. I watched that match and indeed, the young man has talent. The fact remains however that he has played eight matches as a professional so far and is yet to win a single one. In sharp contrast, two young Chines players, Liu Hongyu and He Guoqiang have won plenty. If you look at the provisional season points on snooker.org , Lyu Hongyu is currently ranked World number 13 whilst He Guoqiang is number 25. It’s those two who should be showcased, because they earned it, on merit rather than because a top player, close to the governing body, and to whom they bear some physical resemblance, is their mentor .
A final world about the Wuhan withdrawals. It’s a crying shame and I don’t blame the players. They need to look after their own wellbeing and health, because WST won’t. But the World Champion, Luca Brecel and Mark Williams withdrawing … that’s quite a blow to the first ranking event played in China in years! Ronnie on Weibo confirmed that he would be in Wuhan and was looking forward to it. That said, he looked tired and didn’t exactly ooze enthusiasm… This is all because the shambolic scheduling of the season. The Chinese events should be grouped – this is done in other sports – and the qualifiers or rather round 1, played in China. Make them a 10 days events played in one go. That would give time from travel and rest between events (China is vast). Yes, it would be a long time away from home for the Brit players. So what? It’s even more “long time away from home” for everyone else as it is now, and that is one of the reasons, an important reason, why the main tour remains so predominantly dominated by the Brits.
Ronnie played very well against Jackson Page on day3, but couldn’t reproduce that form on day 4. He managed to win by 4-2 against Si Jiahui in the afternoon, but bowed out of the tournament in the evening, beaten 4-2 by Zhang Anda.
O’Sullivan recovered from a slow start to beat Crucible semi-finalist Si Jiahui 4-2. China’s Si made a 101 in the opening frame and went on to lead 2-1, but crucially missed chances in frames four and five. That allowed O’Sullivan to go 3-2 ahead and he sealed the result with a 78 in the sixth to earn a tie with Zhang Anda.
WST also shared some more images of that match
The following videos were shared bu Eurosport on their YouTube channel
Frame 4 … Si was leading 2-1 at that point
The final frame
Despite non playing well at all, Ronnie fought well and had a very positive interview with Alan McManus after that match. Despire branding his performance “awful”, he insisted that he wants to play, and still loves to play and compete.
World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan suffered a shock 4-2 defeat against Zhang Anda in the last 16 of the BetVictor English Open, while World Champion Luca Brecel was also knocked out, losing 4-3 to Ding Junhui.
Thursday night’s results mean that O’Sullivan hangs on to the official world number one position for at least another ten days. Brecel could have gone above him with a run to the semi-finals, but instead he’ll have another chance to gain top spot at next week’s Wuhan Open.
Shanghai Masters champion O’Sullivan looked on top of his game on Wednesday when he made three centuries to beat Jackson Page, but he had to battle to get past Si Jiahui on Thursday afternoon, before his run was ended by world number 57 Zhang. China’s 31-year-old Zhang is through to the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the fourth time in his career and will hope to reach his first semi-final when he plays Zhou Yuelong, who beat Ali Carter 4-1.
O’Sullivan led 2-1 but his opponent then dominated, firing breaks of 97, 50 and 116. Zhang said: “I played well tonight, my break building was good and I did not make serious mistakes. I felt a bit nervous at the beginning but I was pretty settled after the first frame. I took some extra time lining up the last few shots, thinking about the winning line. From 2-1, Ronnie missed a few and went for a couple of shots when he could have played safe instead, which offered me chances.
“I have won matches recently in qualifiers, playing well, so generally I feel good. The best players are used to the feeling of winning as a habit. I’m getting a bit of that and want to keep this going.”
And one images shared by WST
Towards the end of that match, Ronnie continued to attack, when it could have been wiser to be more cautious, especially a Zhang is extremely reliable in the balls. But there may have been reasons for that, other than the fact that he didn’t particularly like the venue. Playing two matches in a day, only a few hours apart, can be though, especially when players get older. Mark Selby was far from impressed with WST matches scheduling earlier in the week and it’s not like Selby to complain publicly about venues and schedules. In that light, this defeat may prove to be a blessing in disguise, as Ronnie can now travel to Wuhan, without having to rush. I expect him to give it 100% there
As already mentioned by WST, Ronnie will stay World number 1 after this event, as Luca Brecel also lost yesterday.
And there we go again with the “shock defeat” thing. There is no shock defeat. Yes, it’s a bit of an upset, by Zhang is a very capable player. His short stature means that he struggles with some types of shots, but if you leave hin in the balls, he’s extremely reliable. This is a guy who, at 17, played Hendry at the Crucible and only lost in a deciding frame.
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.
Ronnie O’Sullivan searching for ‘Mark Williams secret’ after stunning win at English Open
Phil Haigh – Wednesday 4 Oct 2023
Ronnie O’Sullivan was at his brilliant best in the second round of the English Open on Wednesday, beating Jackson Page 4-1 in under an hour, knocking in three centuries along the way.
It was a hectic start to the competition for the Rocket as he landed in the UK from China on Monday morning and travelled straight to Brentwood to play his first round match, which he won 4-0 against Andrew Pagett.
The world number one was not at his best in that contest, but he sparked into life against Page, with breaks of 122, 109 and 105, with his opponent making a 109 himself in the frame he won.
The 47-year-old said that on his day off on Tuesday he hit the practice table harder than he normally would, trying to replicate the form of Mark Williams, who won the British Open on Sunday night.
O’Sullivan, who had been struggling with tennis elbow on Monday but appears to now be feeling better, told Eurosport: ‘I worked hard on my game yesterday, I did four hours, normally I only do a couple. But I thought I’d play twice a week, do four or five hours and then the other five days I’ll not play snooker. That’s all I need.
‘I just went through the pain barrier yesterday, it felt alright. I’m always tweaking and working on things, trying to hit the ball sweetly.
‘Working hard at my game, just trying to find some consistency, trying to find the Mark Williams secret, whatever that is.’
Asked on Monday about Williams’ win over Mark Selby in the Cheltenham final, the Rocket was delighted to see his Class of 92 rival doing so well.
‘Yeah, brilliant,’ he said. ‘Every time one of them does well, I think okay, well I am still in the game. Every time John [Higgins] and Mark do brilliantly, I think happy days. It means we can still compete. Even with one arm, my eyes going, getting nearly 50. I am still performing alright, you know.’
It was Williams’ protege that O’Sullivan despatched on Wednesday afternoon, but he had some kind words for Page, who he tipped to win tournaments in the future.
‘I think he’s a brilliant player, he reminds me of Luca Brecel. Got great cue power, fantastic snooker brain, fantastic talent, great for the game. He’ll win tournaments, that’s for sure,’ said the Rocket.
‘I think he’s got to wait for the top guys to dip a little bit. Robertson, Selby, Trump, Ding, if I’ve left anyone out I’m sorry…I’m forgetting Higgins, Williams. How do you get amongst them and win tournaments?
‘He’s learning on the job, once that bracked of players start losing a little bit, he’s going to have his time. It’s hard to break through but he’s a much better player now than he was four or five years ago.’
…
Here are the scores:
And Ronnie’s reaction on social media with some pictures he shared
These videos were share by Eurosport on their YouTube Channel
Yesterday was the first day at the 2023 English Open and it delivered…
It is played in Brentwood, in Essex, a hot bed of snooker, and it attracted a huge crowd all day. This image was shared by Phil Haigh, probably taken from the media room or some place close to it above the arena.
There were quite a number of upsets as well …
Ronnie however wasn’t amongst the “upset cases” as, despite being injured and visibly in pain, he booked his place in the second with a 4-0 win over Andrew Pagett. My report about that match is here.
Mark Allen became the second player to win a best-of-seven frame match with four consecutive century breaks as he thrashed Mostafa Dorgham 4-0 on the opening morning of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.
Allen rattled in runs of 104, 127, 114 and 104 as he wrapped up victory in just 51 minutes. He becomes the only player to win a best-of-seven contest with four straight centuries, other than Neil Robertson who did so at the 2013 Ruhr Open. This is the second time that Allen has made four consecutive tons in a match, a feat achieved by only seven other players. The Northern Irishman goes through to face Wu Yize on Tuesday afternoon.
“I couldn’t have been any lower in confidence before I went out to play, I was hitting it sideways on the practice table,” said Allen, who won three ranking titles last season. “(Coach) Chris Henry was standing next to me and we were actually laughing about how far I was missing the balls by. It just shows the importance of going out with the right mindset, because I didn’t let that practice session get to me. My performance was pretty flawless.
“I have been low on confidence but I know I can still play the game. It has been a while since I won a tournament, I haven’t had that winning feeling since that World Grand Prix in January. I am getting found out when I come up against someone who plays very well. I had a good chat with my mental coach Paul Gaffney this morning which really helped, it freed me up.”
Ding Junhui is not expected to appear in any Wallace and Gromit movies but he did arrive in the wrong trousers this morning, before grinding out a 4-3 victory over Ma Hailong. China’s Ding turned up wearing his usual brown snooker suit with bow tie and waistcoat, having forgotten that in the BetVictor Home Nations Series, the dress code is black shirt and black trousers. His friend was quickly despatched to Marks & Spencer on Brentwood High Street to buy the correct uniform.
By the time Ding was ready to play, he was late for the start of the match and had been docked the opening frame. The 14-time ranking event winner then fell 3-1 behind, but battled back to take the last three frames.
“I totally forgot that I needed a black shirt and trousers for this tournament,” admitted 36-year-old Ding. “My memory is not good! I didn’t think about it. Once I was playing I tried to just concentrate on the match. Luckily Ma’s safety was not that good and he gave me enough chances to win.”
Ding escaped the “upset” largely help by his young opponent who found it hard to “close” the match. Ma’s game deteriorated as the match went on. It’s never easy for young Chinese players to face Ding (and everything he represents for snooker in China).
There were two more matches played during that session: Robert Milkins beat Robbie Williams by 4-1 and Ryan Day beat Ashley Hugill by 4-2.
Sanderson Lam scored the best win of his career as he beat Neil Robertson 4-2. World number 73 Lam has enjoyed a fine start to the season having won at least one match in every ranking event so far, but today’s victory, on the main televised table, was a career highlight. Robertson, meanwhile, is yet to go past the last 64 of a ranking event this season and lies well outside the top 16 of the provisional end of season list.
Leeds-based Lam, who now meets Stuart Carrington, said: “It was a relief to get over the line, it was looking like 3-3 so I was proud of the way I finished the match. I was a bit lucky today that Neil wasn’t at his best, because he is a great player. I am practising hard on my weaknesses, and analysing matches that I lose. I am enjoying the game and winning gives you confidence.”
John Higgins edged out Marco Fu 4-3 in a contest which came down to the last five balls. Higgins got the better of a safety exchange on the green, potting it to to a baulk order and adding the points he needed to set up a tie with James Cahill on Tuesday morning.
Local favourite Ali Carter saw off Jamie Clarke 4-1 with top runs of 85, 128 and 62 while Ryan Davies won the battle of the English amateur wild cards, beating Bradley Cowdroy 4-2.
There were two more matches played in the afternoon. Surprisingly, no word in the above report on Jack Lisowski 4-1 win over Matthew Stevens. Less surprisingly, given WST UK centric nature, nothing either about Yuan Sijun 4-2 victory over Tom Ford.
Evening session
Lucky Luca Avoids Moody Upset
Teenage ace Stan Moody showed glimpses of his potential in the opening round of the BetVictor English Open and had chances to beat the World Champion, but Luca Brecel eventually came through 4-3 in a dramatic finish.
Tour rookie Moody, who turned 17 last month, came from 2-0 down to take three frames in a row, notably making a 121, the highest break of his pro career so far. At that point he had Crucible king Brecel on the ropes, and Moody had a chance for victory in frame six but missed a tricky red to a top corner on 30, allowing his opponent to level at 3-3.
A tense decider lasted 36 minutes and came down to a long battle on the colours. Moody trailed 42-46 when he made a safety error on the pink, handing a relieved Brecel the chance to pot it and progress to second round match with Andy Hicks on Tuesday afternoon.
“From 2-0, Stan played really well, the way he did that was incredible,” said Brecel, who has a chance to take over from Ronnie O’Sullivan as world number one this week, though he must at least reach the quarter-finals. “I had to dig deep and I was lucky not to go out because he missed a red at 3-2. I needed to find something.
“I have had a good start to the season, I reached the final in Shanghai and played well in Germany. I have just put a new tip on my cue and I have new chalk, I am trying to improve now.
“Stan has definitely got the talent, he did some great things today. I was impressed. If you are good enough you will make it, if you are not good enough, you will never make it. Sometimes I look at players and they change their diet or their lifestyle, but nothing happens. If Ronnie ate rubbish and sat on the couch all day, he would still win tournaments.”
China’s Liu Hongyu, another tour rookie, came from 3-1 down to beat Shaun Murphy 4-3. Liu trailed 57-0 in the deciding frame but battled back to take it with runs of 43 and 24.
Matthew Selt made it a clean sweep for Essex on day one in Brentwood as all three players from the county earned victories – following earlier wins for Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter. Former Indian Open champion Selt beat Michael White 4-3 in a high quality encounter which included two centuries and five more breaks over 50. Runs of 135, 54, 69 and 79 helped Selt into the last 32.
BetVictor European Masters champion Barry Hawkins saw off Anthony Hamilton 4-1 with a top run of 62. Judd Trump made a 102 in a 4-0 whitewash of Sean O’Sullivan, and now meets Scott Donaldson.
There were two more matches played that evening, imcluding another upset as Oliver Lines beat Kyren Wilson by 4-3. Ricky Walden also progressed win a 4-2 victory over Hammad Miah.
Stan Moody did indeed show very good things yesterday evening, partly aided though by a rather sloppy and inconsistent Luca. Obviously he can play. Whether he currently can cope with the grinders on the tour, I’m not sure, but that, of course, is normal for a 17 years old. It’s something most young professionals find difficult. Stan is still to win a match this season.
Meanwhile, on another table, another rookie, Liu Hongyu, sent Shaun Murphy – Stan’s mentor – out of the tournament. Liu is only 19, he is in his first year as a pro, just like Stan, but he has already seven wins to his credit, one draw and 4 defeats…
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN BATTLES ELBOW PAIN TO BEAT ANDREW PAGETT AT ENGLISH OPEN …
BY BEN SOUTHBY
Ronnie O’Sullivan suffered the effects of his tennis elbow injury, but did not let it stop him from beating Andrew Pagett in the opening round of the English Open in Brentwood. However, 2021 champion Neil Robertson is out after his tournament came to a shock early end as he was beaten by Sanderson Lam. Mark Allen and John Higgins also progressed to round two.
Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Andrew Pagett 4-0 to reach the second round of the English Open in Brentwood, despite nursing an elbow injury.
Hours after winning a race against the clock to arrive in Essex in time following an exhibition match with Jimmy White in Hong Kong, the 2017 champion started his campaign brightly as breaks of 69 and 62 helped him progress.
Following his whitewash win, O’Sullivan opened up on the severity of his tennis elbow issue to Eurosport’s Alan McManus.
O’Sullivan began to visibly struggle with the pain in the fourth frame and was relieved to put an end to the match as soon as possible.
“That’s the first shot I felt it,” O’Sullivan said as he reviewed one of his power shots in the final frame. “Until then it was alright, and then I thought ‘here we go’.
“A couple of times I had to play a shot with power, long red, and I was just like ‘eugh’. I was trying to squeeze it and do the exercises which you’re supposed to do, but I was happy to just get over the line.”
O’Sullivan pipped a tight opening frame, which Pagett had for the taking until he accidentally went in-off when firing home a difficult brown, paving the way for O’Sullivan to step in and remove the blue.
Pagett returned to the table needing a snooker and both remaining balls but, following a short tactical battle, O’Sullivan delicately potted the pink to put the frame to bed.
With that, Pagett’s chances always looked poor.
O’Sullivan mustered a break of 69 to take control of the second frame and it was the same story in the third as O’Sullivan raced ahead to quell any hope of a Pagett comeback.
The Rocket would have been pleased to have wrapped up the fourth frame as quickly as he did as the elbow pain started to increase, as he benefitted from some sloppy Pagett play.
O’Sullivan will have a day’s rest before facing Jackson Page in the second round on Wednesday.
The first frame was really poor from both. Pagett of course is not that used to play on the television table and, as we know, Ronnie didn’t have the best preparation. Knowing that he had that exhibition in Macau, and wanting to minimise the risk of his cue be being damaged, delayed or lost in transport, he had left it in China. To his own admission he had barely practiced, and of course he only arrived back in the UK in the morning. Ronnie though improved significantly from frame 2 on, without playing anywhere near is best. There were signs already that he might not be 100% right as he massaged his arm a few times. In frame 4, he played one power-shot that clearly put him in a lot of pain. He managed to finish the match, but clerly, as he said “It’s no good” …
Here are two videos shared by Eurosport on their YouTube Channel
The end of the match, after the shot that caused strong pain
Playing in a ranking event for the first time this season, Ronnie O’Sullivan eased to a 4-0 win over Andrew Pagett in the opening round of the BetVictor English Open, but admitted that he still suffers from the long-term effects of tennis elbow.
World number one O’Sullivan won the invitational Shanghai Masters earlier this month, but pulled out of the recent BetVictor European Masters and British Open for medical reasons. So today’s fixture was his first in a ranking event since the World Championship in April and he secured victory with top breaks of 69 and 62. The Rocket now meets Jackson Page at 1pm on Wednesday at the Brentwood Centre …
The pain of tennis elbow has plagued O’Sullivan for around 18 months and still flares up regularly. “I have tried resting it,” the 47-year-old told Eurosport after today’s match. “It will be ok once I take painkillers. I don’t want to keep taking them, but I need to in order to be able to commit to shots with power.
“I might need another cortisone injection which would be my third one, but I don’t really want to do that either because it weakens the muscles. It started last year when I went to the gym and lifted too many heavy weights – after that I couldn’t pick up a cup of tea. From that moment it has been very weak and it gets worse whenever I aggravate it.”
O’Sullivan was also asked about last night’s British Open triumph for Mark Williams, a fellow member of the renowned Class of ’92. He replied: “Every time either Mark or John (Higgins) win something then I think ‘I’m still in the game.’ It shows we can still compete. Even with one arm, my eyes are going and I am nearly 50, I’m still performing ok!”
Mark Williams became the second oldest snooker ranking tournament winner yesterday evening as he beat Mark Selby by 10-7, to become the 2023 British Open Champion. This is Willo’s 25th ranking title.
Mark Williams became the second oldest winner of a ranking title by defeating Mark Selby 10-7 to claim victory at the Cazoo British Open in Cheltenham.
At 48 years and 194 days, Williams moves ahead of Joe Perry into second place in the list of oldest ranking event winners. Perry was 47 when he won the Welsh Open in 2022. The oldest player to win a ranking event remains Ray Reardon, who was 50 when he won the Professional Players Tournament in 1982.
It’s the third time Williams has won the British Open. His last came in 2021, when he beat Gary Wilson in the title match and his first came in 1997 after victory against Stephen Hendry in the final.
Williams now has 25 ranking event wins to his name. Only Steve Davis (28), John Higgins (31), Stephen Hendry (36) and Ronnie O’Sullivan (39) have won more.
Today’s encounter was the fifth time England’s Selby and Welshman Williams have met in a final. Williams has won three of those encounters, but trails 13-12 in the overall head-to-head record.
The afternoon session saw Williams end with a 5-3 advantage, but not before Selby reeled him back from 5-1 down to remain in contention heading into this evening.
When play commenced, four-time Crucible king Selby cranked up the heat with a break of 112 in the opening frame to reduce his arrears to a single frame. The next two frames were then traded, before Williams won a tight 12th to head into the mid-session 7-5 in front.
Williams took the first after the interval to move 8-5 ahead, but at that point Selby summoned his typical battling qualities and mounted a comeback charge. A 54-minute 14th frame was in the balance when Williams left the arena for a toilet break, when he returned he played a loose safety and it allowed Selby to take charge and cut the gap to 8-6.
A break of 68 from Selby made it 8-7 and he was in pole position to move level when he led the 16th frame 56-0. However, having not potted a ball for 39 minutes, Williams crashed in a long red and cleared with 69 to move one from victory.
Selby left Williams needing a snooker in the next, but he got it and made 37 to win on the black. He clenched his fist in celebration after getting over the line for a momentous victory.
“Just to compete with him, over two sessions and first to ten in a big tournament, is unbelievable for me. At 48 (years old), that has to be up there with my best wins ever,” said three-time World Champion Williams.
“I don’t think many people gave me much of a chance beating him first to ten over two sessions to be honest. I think all day I competed with him and probably outplayed him in the safety department to be honest with you. That is really good for me because he is the best in the world at it.
“I was more than happy with 24 ranking titles. If you want me to be truthful, I didn’t think I was going to get off it. I’m on 25 and that is an unbelievable feeling. Maybe I’m a bit too harsh on myself. Maybe I do deserve to pat myself on the back a bit. Off the back of this maybe I’m a bit better than I give myself credit for as a snooker player.
“I’m going to keep going until I can’t play anymore. How long I can keep going at this level, I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to see where I am at 50. I’m 49 in a few months time, so I’m not far away and I’ve just won a tournament. Let’s just enjoy the ride while I’m still going.”
Selby said: “He played amazing today. I can’t remember him missing too many long balls. Some of the balls he potted, he was doing that all the time when he was at his peak. He was rolling back the years today. It wasn’t to be. I felt I was fighting against it all day.”
I’m very happy for Willo. He’s an endearing person, father and husband. When he wins, he always involves his family, and whenever possible, his coach and friend Lee Walker. Lee may not have had a glittering professional career, but he certainly has a special talent: he’s able to help others to reach their highest potential. I had a professor like that at University: Paul Libois. Paul Libois himself never gained any official big “prize” in mathematics, but he guided and stimulated some of the very best mathematicians of the 20th century, most notably Pierre Deligne and Jacque Tits. He had that talent to stimulate his students and to make hard work a pleasure. I was probably his last student when I was working on my doctoral thesis, and I will always be grateful for what he brought out of me. Lee is like that for Willo and he fully deserves to be next to him, at the table, and on the picture, whenever Mark lifts a trophy.
Just three months into his professional career, promising rookie Liu Hongyu reached his first ranking event semi-final with a 5-2 victory over China’s greatest ever player Ding Junhui at the BetVictor English Open.
Shanghai Masters champion O’Sullivan looked on top of his game on Wednesday when he made three centuries to beat Jackson Page, but he had to battle to get past Si Jiahui on Thursday afternoon, before his run was ended by world number 57 Zhang. China’s 31-year-old Zhang is through to the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the fourth time in his career and will hope to reach his first semi-final when he plays Zhou Yuelong, who beat Ali Carter 4-1.
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.
China’s Liu Hongyu, another tour rookie, came from 3-1 down to beat Shaun Murphy 4-3. Liu trailed 57-0 in the deciding frame but battled back to take it with runs of 43 and 24.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 