Day 3 in Telford saw the conclusion of the 2024 Players Championship first round (last 16) and the start of the Quarter-finals round. Here is the report by WST:
Ali Carter scored a second consecutive defeat of Judd Trump, winning 6-4 to make the semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford.
The Captain has now gone toe to toe with Trump three times this season. Carter lost out 10-7 in the final of the Wuhan Open, before winning a 6-5 epic in the quarter-finals of the Masters and securing this evening’s victory.
Carter will now face either Mark Allen or Gary Wilson in the last four. He will be gunning for a place in the Players Championship final for a second year in a row. Carter made last year’s title match, but lost 10-4 against Shaun Murphy.
Tonight’s win for Carter is a crucial one in the Race for Riyadh. He moves above of Ding Junhui to 8th place in the provisional world rankings. Only the top eight at the end of this week will earn a place in the lucrative Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker.
After a fiercely contested opening to the evening, 2023 German Masters winner Carter took the fourth on the black to go into the mid-session all-square at 2-2.
After the break Carter moved ahead, before 27-time ranking event winner Trump fired in a break of 115 to restore parity at 3-3.
Carter claimed two on the bounce to move one from victory at 5-3 and had the first opportunity in the ninth. He broke down on 46 and Trump crafted a 56 break to reduce his arrears to a single frame.
The decisive frame saw Trump lead heading into the colours, but after Carter won a safety battle on the yellow he eventually cleared to win on the black and emerge a 6-4 victor.
“I’m very close to my best. I can still improve to be honest though. I’m working on all of the right things, so I think I can get better. I’m 45 this year and I’m in the top eight of the world, which isn’t bad. I’m going to keep searching for improvement, getting better and winning.”
Ali Carter
Five-time Ranking Event Winner
Carter added: “Tonight was a really big match. That has probably guaranteed my Tour Championship spot. Saudi Arabia is a bonus. If I am in that great, if not there is a lot of snooker to be played. I’m playing, winning and earning money.
“It will be a great match whoever I play in the semi-finals. I will have to be on top form and I’m sure that I will be.”
This afternoon saw the conclusion of the last 16 and Mark Selby secured a 6-3 defeat of close friend Barry Hawkins to set up a mouth watering quarter-final against old rival Ronnie O’Sullivan.
It will be the first time the pair have crossed cues in a ranking event since the 2020 Scottish Open final. On that occasion Selby prevailed by a 9-3 scoreline.
On the other table, Zhang Anda won a hard fought clash with Noppon Saengkham 6-4. That means International Champion Zhang will now face John Higgins.
I wrote, after the first round, that Judd Trump, despite the win, wasn’t playing that well and it was the case again yesterday. Ali Carter, on the other hand, looked really strong, in particular after the MSI.
Barry Hawkins started well enough but got worse as the match unfolded. For Mark Selby it was the opposite: he improved with every frame. He won five of the last six frames of the match and had a break over 50 in every of those frames. Ronnie will have to be on his game to beat him tonight. That said, WST is writing that Selby beat Ronnie by 9-3 in the last ranking event match they played. That’s true but it was more than three years ago. Maybe they should have mentioned as well that Ronnie beat Selby by 10-7 this season in the semi-final of the Shanghai Masters … hum?
Ronnie O’Sullivan continued his relentless winning streak, claiming a 16th consecutive match victory by beating Zhou Yuelong 6-2 at the Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford.
The Rocket is going for a fourth straight title, having won his last three events at the UK Championship, the Masters and the World Grand Prix.
It’s been a remarkable period for O’Sullivan, who has now extended his record Triple Crown and ranking title tallies to 23 and 41 respectively.
China’s Zhou has suffered two deciding frame losses at the hands of O’Sullivan this season. He started this evening’s encounter strongly by taking a 2-1 advantage.
However, from that point, Zhou faltered. The seven-time World Champion racked up five on the bounce, highlighted by a 136 break, to emerge a 6-2 victor.
Next up O’Sullivan faces an intriguing last eight meeting with either Mark Selby or Barry Hawkins, who play tomorrow afternoon.
Ali Carter scored a 6-2 win over Tom Ford to book a quarter-final showdown with Judd Trump.
Carter has already faced Trump twice this season, having lost the Wuhan Open final 10-7 and beaten the Ace in the Pack 6-5 at the Masters.
“It’s a brilliant game going up against Judd. I’m second favourite, but I’m really looking forward to it, and it is a great match to be involved in” said five-time ranking event winner Carter.
“These events are our prestige tournaments. These ITV events are in second just behind the Triple Crown. The Home Nations events are very difficult, but they seem to suit Gary Wilson. I’m just trying to focus on these big ones and I’m delighted to get the win today.”
Mark Allen crafted a rare 146 break during a dazzling display which saw him beat Mark Williams 6-3 and make the quarter-finals.
The Pistol started the match in blistering form, with the 146 in the opener, followed by breaks of 112 and 102 to storm into a 3-0 lead.
Allen then had the upper hand in the fourth, but Williams came from behind to take it with a break of 71 and trail by two at the mid-session.
When play resumed, Williams further reduced his arrears with 69 to take the fifth and make it 3-2. However, breaks of 94, 70 and 68 helped Allen to take three of the next four to emerge a 6-3 victor and book his place in the quarters.
Allen said: “That was the best I’ve played since winning the Champion of Champions. There was one match at the English Open where I made four centuries, but I didn’t feel in control there. I had a good idea of where it was going to go today, so that’s a good sign.
“When I lost to John Higgins at the Welsh Open last week I was so disheartened with how I played. Not the result because you can lose to John even playing well. I needed to change something. It is probably the only time I’ve ever gone straight on the practice table after I lost to see what I could do.”
Recently crowned Welsh Open champion Gary Wilson continued his momentum with a 6-4 defeat of Iranian number one Hossein Vafaei.
Wilson top scored with 95 in the decisive frame and will now face Allen in the quarter-finals.
Ronnie may have won but he was probably far from happy with his own performance. He was pretty awful before the MSI, and although he improved in the second part of the match, he was not at his best by any stretch of the imagination! When that happens, Ronnie often gets down on himself. He hates playing badly (by his own standards) …
Here are the scores and the match stats (Thanks Kalacs!).
Ronnie O’Sullivan after his win over Zhou Yuelong at the Players Championship. (Image: ITV.)
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When asked by ITV for his thoughts on the match, O’Sullivan sharply responded: “Yeah I am not going to comment on other players anymore so… I am just pleased to be through. I don’t assess my performances really, I make that a golden rule and just play. A bit of match practice, take what I can from the tour and move on.”
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“I’ve always been refreshed that wasn’t the thing, I am just trying to get away with playing as least as I can,” he added. “I feel happier doing that. Just treat it like a bit of match practice, take what I can from the tour and that’s it really. I’ve been doing that all my career (picking and choosing when to play) there’s other reasons why but try and make sure I am sharp for when I am doing my other bits and pieces. This is all icing on the cake for me, whatever I get from this tour.
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“I’ve got my exhibitions, I’ve got my ambassador work, that’s my main thing and I just fit a few tournaments in around that,” he continued. “I am contracted to play in these certain tournaments so I will play in them. But the rest is all up for grabs.
“I love the fans, that’s the most important thing to me. As long as the fans still want to see me play and still want to watch me and they still feel like they can give value for money that’s the most important thing.
“But for me it’s just a day out really, I just enjoy getting away from home, booking in my AirBnb, doing my gym, doing my running and then just fit a few frames of snooker in. It’s like paid practice really.“
I honestly don’t think we should read too much in these “fresh after match” quotes.
In the afternoon, I watched the Allen v Williams match. Allen played really well. If he can bring this form at The Crucible, he will be a very serious contender for the title this season! Williams wasn’t all awful but there were clear signs here and there that, at nearly 49, his eyesight isn’t what it used to be. That’s sad, inevitable but sad all the same. Williams, in many ways, is the opposite to Ronnie. With his wife’s support, Willo has taken the decision to never retire until forced off the tour, he just accepts things the way they are and makes the best of it. Having and keeping this mindset is a great quality and a great gift too. Not everyone is blessed with Willo’s mental and emotional strength.
The 2024 Players Championship got underway yesterday evening with two matches and here is the report by WST on the evening:
HIGGINS BATTLES PAST DING
John Higgins scored a hard fought 6-4 win over Ding Junhui to make the quarter-finals of Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford.
Higgins currently finds himself in 11th position on the world rankings, with only the top eight after this week’s tournament making it to the lucrative Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker, which runs from March 4th to 6th.
Today’s victory was crucial for the Wizard of Wishaw and allows him to continue chasing Ding, who is now perilously exposed in eighth place.
The last time Higgins and Ding faced each other in Telford was the 2009 UK Championship final. On that occasion Ding prevailed 10-8, but Higgins had his revenge this evening and the Scot has now won their last three meetings.
Higgins crafted breaks of 102 and 68 on his way to finding himself locked level at 4-4 this evening. The final two frames saw him burst over the line with runs of 65 and 100. Next up he faces either Noppon Saengkham or Zhang Anda.
“It’s a brilliant win, because I’ve always struggled with Ding. He’s had my number in the last few years. It is good to get the better of him in the last couple of matches we have faced each other. I rate him so highly.”
John Higgins
Four-time World Champion
Higgins added: “I’ve had some nice memories in Telford and some sad too. I can remember beating Mark Williams to win the UK Championship and also losing to Ding. I’m still very proud that I am playing with the top boys and competing with them all.
“My game is getting better. At the start of the year there were a few things going wrong and I was fighting my technique. I think I seem to be on top of a good bit of it.”
One of the dominant forces of season so far, Judd Trump, sealed his progression with a comfortable 6-2 defeat of 16th seed Chris Wakelin.
Trump tops this season’s one year list, which means he is number one seed for this elite 16-player event. The Ace in the Pack has already won four ranking titles at the English Open, Wuhan Open, Northern Ireland Open and the recent German Masters.
Wakelin, who narrowly earned his place in Telford this week, took the opener with a fine break of 120. Trump took the next two and led 2-1, before Wakelin claimed the fourth to head in for the mid-session all-square.
When play resumed the Englishman blitzed to four on the bounce, signing off with a break of 132 to emerge the victor. He now plays either Tom Ford or Ali Carter in the last eight.
REFRESHED TRUMP ON OPENING TELFORD WIN
I have not changed WST text but it’s indeed a 139, not a132, that Judd made to finish the match as Rob mentions in the above interview.
I only watched the Trump v Wakelin match to to the MSI. Neither played well in that first mini-session and the camera image wasn’t stable1 which was very annoying and disappointing.
I didn’t turn to the other match. I was tired and I don’t enjoy watching John Higgins play, never did. For some reason, for all his skills, he bores me. And, I have to admit it, after what happened in 2010, I hate seeing him win.
At times it looked like the camera was mounted on a spring and the image was bouncing. Very annoying. ↩︎
Lines becomes the fifth different winner of an event on the Q Tour UK/Europe series this season and denies Dikme a second title of the campaign following his success in Germany back in October.
Both finalists, as well as sixteen others from the ranking list, have secured qualification for March’s Q Tour Global Play-Off in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where three World Snooker Tour cards will be on offer.
Heading into event seven, it was already confirmed that Michael Holt had secured his two-year tour card as the series’ top ranked player after winning three of the six events already held. Those heading to West Yorkshire still had plenty to play for, however, with players ranked between 2nd and 19th guaranteed their place at the Global Play-Off.
A total of 117 players from 21 nations entered the seventh and final event of the Q Tour UK/Europe series. The opening Friday saw the field narrowed to 64 and this was further reduced to the final eight as the event reached a conclusion on Sunday.
As seeded players, both Lines and Dikme began their tournament on the Saturday at the last 64 stage.
In his first match, Lines came from 2-0 down to defeat Oliver Sykes 3-2, before following the victory up with impressive wins over English Amateur champion Paul Deaville (3-1) and Austrian National champion Florian Nuessle (3-1).
A 4-1 victory over Ukrainian hopeful Iulian Boiko on Sunday morning saw Lines move into the last four, where he met Harvey Chandler.
Chandler charged into a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven frame contest, but the 54-year-old forced his way back to earn a decider. In a dramatic concluding frame which lasted over an hour, Lines showed all of his experience to hold himself together and clear up from green to black and reach the final.
On the other side of the draw, Germany’s Dikme reached the last day with wins over Kreishh Gurbaxani (3-0), Kayden Brierley (3-2) and Aaron Busuttil (3-0).
The German then ousted two Welshman to reach the title match. First, he came from two down to beat Tyler Rees in a tense deciding frame, and then followed this up in more comfortable fashion by defeating former professional Duane Jones 4-1.
After taking a close-fought opener on the blue, Lines then fired in a break of 95 to double his advantage in the early stages of the final.
Dikme fired back with a half-century of his own but Lines was once again two up after winning the frame before the mid-session interval to lead 3-1.
Upon the players’ return from the interval, Lines pushed on and stormed over the line with breaks of 61 and 55 to secure the title at the Northern Snooker Centre.
On a side note, On Yee Ng played in event 7, and won three matches, before losing to Harvey Chandler in the last 32. Harvey is a former professional, is 6th in the above list and reached the semi-finals four times, including this last event, so he was always going to be a very difficult opponent for On Yee. But it’s good to see On Yee trying to qualify via those events and not sticking only to the women’s tour. This is what she has to do to progress further. In the last 64, On Yee beat Jamie Curtis-Barrett, another former pro, and Jamie was full of praise for her after the match. He said that she came across as a great person and an excellent player.
Gary Wilson beat Martin O’Donnell by 9-4 yesterday evening to win the 2024 Welsh Open. It is Gary’s third ranking title and the second this season. That makes him the only multiple winner this season, other that Ronnie and Judd Trump.
Gary Wilson won his second ranking title in as many months with an emphatic 9-4 victory over Martin O’Donnell in the final of the BetVictor Welsh Open in Llandudno.
Wilson made a fast start, taking a 4-0 lead as O’Donnell struggled with the occasion, and was always at least three frames in front. Wallsend’s Wilson doubles his tally of titles this season, having landed the BetVictor Scottish Open crown in December.
He joins Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump as the only players to capture more than one ranking event this season, and becomes the 29th player in snooker history to win three or more, having secured his maiden title in Scotland in 2022.
The £80,000 top prize boosts the 38-year-old from 16th to 12th in the world rankings, and up to fourth on the one-year list. He also moves into contention in the race to qualify for the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker; a deep run at the Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford next week could earn him a spot in that eight-man invitation event in Saudi Arabia.
Wilson has had times in his career when he has lost confidence in his unorthodox technique, but he has now found a higher level of consistency in his game and faith in his own ability. At times this week he has been outstanding, notably in a 6-4 semi-final win over John Higgins, highlighted by a 147.
O’Donnell was playing in his first ranking final after a career-best run which included a quarter-final victory over World Champion Luca Brecel. The 37-year-old Londoner couldn’t recover from his slow start today but still collects his highest pay day of £35,000 and climbs from 76th to 60th in the world.
Trailing 6-2 after the first session, O’Donnell won a scrappy opening frame tonight to close the gap. He had a clear scoring chance in frame ten, but made just 6 before missing a red to top corner, and Wilson took advantage with 100, the highest break of the match.
Wilson might have stretched his lead but overcut the black when he led 22-16 in frame 11, O’Donnell responding with an excellent 85 to close to 7-4. Frame 12 lasted 42 minutes and came down to a safety battle on the green. O’Donnell was trapped in a tough snooker and missed twice, on the second occasion handing Wilson the chance to pot green and brown to lead 8-4 at the interval.
And the contest was soon over as O’Donnell failed to score a point in frame 13, Wilson sealing it with a run of 43.
“I started well and wanted to boss the game,” said Wilson. “It didn’t pan out that way and I had to grind it out and stay solid. I have had a lot of lows over the years and that makes me determined to win in these kind of games, I knew I just had to get to get it done. My safety was good and I kept my head. I have played well in spells this week though the ongoing challenge is always to play better on the big stage. I want to win more, I will keep trying and hopefully I have got many years left.
“All credit to Martin because he has had a lot of lows too and I know how that feels. He is resilient and keeps coming back for more.”
O’Donnell said: “I have played some great snooker this week so to play like that today and not make it difficult for him is disappointing. Gary still had to pot the balls but he had plenty in the tank. I felt ok at the start but then started missing too many easy balls and got tense. I will learn from today and hopefully there are good things coming for me. I played really well in all my matches apart from today. There are ups and downs in this game and you just have to keep going. I believe I’ll be back in these kind of situations.“
Fixtures for the first round of the Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship are now available.
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The second event of the 2024 Players Series runs from February 19-25 at the Telford International Centre, contested by the top 16 on the one-year rankings.
The first round fixtures in Telford are shown below, with the full format to be announced soon.
Monday February 19th 7pm Judd Trump v Chris Wakelin Ding Junhui v John Higgins
Tuesday February 20th 1pm Mark Williams v Mark Allen Gary Wilson v Hossein Vafaei
7pm Ronnie O’Sullivan v Zhou Yuelong Tom Ford v Ali Carter
Wednesday February 21st 1pm Barry Hawkins v Mark Selby Zhang Anda v Noppon Saengkham
Draw Judd Trump v Chris Wakelin Tom Ford v Ali Carter Mark Williams v Mark Allen Gary Wilson v Hossen Vafaei —– Zhang Anda v Noppon Saengkham Ding Junhui v John Higgins Barry Hawkins v Mark Selby Ronnie O’Sullivan v Zhou Yuelong
Ronnie is in the hardest half of the draw… of course.
Learning when you play and who you play, literally on evening of the day before the tournament starts is far from great. For WST, promoting the event without being able to tell the fans who plays who and when, is far from ideal as well. This situation once again highlights how bad the calendar structure actually is. That’s really something WST has to address, if only for their own good!
The final of the 2024 Welsh Open will be played today over a best of 17 format and the line-up is one not many would have predicted, but ne i’m rather happy with. Indeed, Gary Wilson will face Martin O’Donnell in the battle for the Ray Reardon Trophy. Here are the reports by WST:
World number 76 Martin O’Donnell reached his first ranking event final by making a tremendous break of 126 in the deciding frame to beat Elliot Slessor 6-5 at the BetVictor Welsh Open.
A high-quality semi-final in Llandudno went down to the wire, and it was O’Donnell who finished the contest in style to set up a final clash with John Higgins or Gary Wilson on Sunday. Having knocked out World Champion Luca Brecel on Friday night, O’Donnell was able to keep his career-best run going and now has the chance to play for the Ray Reardon Trophy and £80,000 top prize.
It’s some shift in fortunes for a player who was relegated from the tour in 2022 and spent a season on the amateur scene, when he must have wondered whether he would ever return to the pro ranks. The Bedfordshire-based cueman regained his card via Q Tour in 2023 and is now playing the best snooker of a career which started in 2012.
O’Donnell could continue the sequence of surprise winners of a title which has been captured by Jordan Brown, Joe Perry and Robert Milkins over the last three years. Victory would also vault O’Donnell into the top 16 of the one-year ranking list and earn him a place at next week’s Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford.
Slessor, ranked 50th, was also aiming to reach his first ranking final, but has now lost all three of the semi-finals he has contested. The Gateshead potter made four breaks over 50 in the match, but admitted afterwards his safety was “embarrassing.”
After sharing the first two frames, O’Donnell took the lead with a break of 78. He led 52-0 in the fourth when he missed a tricky red to a top corner, and Slessor punished him with an 82 clearance. After the interval, a run of 61 helped O’Donnell regain the lead, and he had a clear chance in the sixth but ran out of position on 47, letting Slessor in for an excellent 55 for 3-3.
O’Donnell came from 40-0 down to take the next with an 88, then got the better of frame eight for 5-3. Back came Slessor with 95 to close the gap, and he took the tenth with a break of 65 after his opponent had missed a routine black at 11-0. The decider began with a cagey bout of safety, resolved by an error from Slessor, leaving a red over a centre pocket, and that proved his last shot.
“It feels amazing,” said O’Donnell. “You find out about yourself in those situations. Elliot put me under a lot of pressure from 5-3. So I’m really pleased with that break in the decider. It means everything to reach my first final. There have been some dark times in the last few years. My fiancée Anna and kids have picked me up and got me through those dark days.
“When you’re off tour you find out whether you have still got the stomach for it. It feels like a long way back, because the amateur game is very competitive, you are not guaranteed to get back on. I got a new cue which made a difference, and also got back with my coach Ian McCulloch who really helps me on the mental side. I worked on myself every day because I wanted to make sure my head was right for the time when I got back on the tour.
“Anna has seen me crying my eyes out at night, not knowing what to do. I don’t want to be a player who can’t let the game go, but I have never felt as if I was finished with snooker. I still have business to take care of, and hopefully than will start tomorrow.”
Slessor said: “I didn’t play well enough, I was useless for most of the game. My safety was shocking, embarrassing. You can’t give that many chances away against someone as good as him. I left a red over the pocket at the end, and Martin made a great break so he deserved to win. I have played some good stuff this week but it’s very disappointing to play like that in the semis. It’s absolutely sickening.”
I’m really pleased for Martin. It will be difficult but I’d love to see him win today. The way he picked himself up after being relegated, his openness about his struggles, the work he certainly put in to change his game… and now being in his first final as number 76 in his first year of a tour card. You have to admire that.
It’s interesting to read that he worked with Ian McCulloch. They come across as completely different personalities. I got to know Ian quite well in his last years on the tour. He’s quite the character … rough as sandpaper but we got along well. Ian, who turned pro in 1992, never won a title, his highest ranking was 16, but he was hard as nails at the table and, from what I heard from several sources, when playing exhibitions, he refused to be payed if he hadn’t made at least one century on the night. And he still owes me a few glasses of wine … eh Ian? Getting the man to open his wallet at the bar was about as hard as beating him at the table! 😂
Gary Wilson is just one win away from a second ranking title in as many months, having beaten John Higgins 6-4 in a fantastic semi-final at the BetVictor Welsh Open.
World number 16 Wilson won the BetVictor Scottish Open in December and now has the chance to land a third career ranking title, when he faces Martin O’Donnell over 17 frames on Sunday, with the Ray Reardon Trophy and £80,000 top prize on the line.
It was a dream night in Llandudno for the Wallsend cueman as he beat one of the all-time greats in Higgins, as well as making the fifth 147 of his career. Overall it was an outstanding performance from the 38-year-old as he made two centuries and four more breaks over 50, eventually getting over the line in the tenth frame after Higgins threatened a fight-back from 5-1 down. Wilson is through to his fifth ranking final, and if he captures the title he’ll become the only player other than Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan to win multiple ranking titles this season.
Higgins has shown consistent form this term, reaching four ranking semi-finals, but has come up short in each of those and is still waiting for his first ranking title since the 2021 Players Championship.
Wilson was an target for a 147 in the opening frame until he missed the penultimate red on 104, then made amends in the next with his marvellous maximum. He added an 82 in the next then dominated a scrappy fourth frame to lead 4-0. Higgins finally got going after the interval with a break of 93, before Wilson went 5-1 ahead with an 89.
In frame seven, Wilson looked to be cruising past the winning post until he missed a tricky thin cut on the black on 55, allowing Higgins to launch his recovery with a trademark 69 clearance. In the eighth, Wilson over-cut a risky red when he led 49-0, and again Higgins took advantage with 66 to close the gap. The Scot’s run of 78 turned up the heat, with the scoreline at 5-4.
But Wilson kept his composure, and executed a superb red to centre when he led 24-0 in frame ten, setting him up for a match-winning 73.
“It got a bit twitchy towards the end because I missed chances to kill it off,” admitted Wilson. “John is a such a class player and if you miss you know you might as well set the balls up for the next frame because he’s going to clear up. At 5-4 I knew I had to take a chance and not give him another sniff. When I potted the red to the middle, I knew that was my chance to win. I am feeling better about my game and more consistent.
“Martin will be excited and he’ll want to enjoy the occasion tomorrow. I feel the same, it’s an opportunity to win a big trophy and I’ll be well up for it.”
Higgins added: “Gary was deadly for the first three and a half frames, I was just sitting there like a bystander, he played incredible and made a great 147. It’s a tough sport because I knew I was hitting the ball well and I showed that at the end when I came back. It was a great game to be involved in and Gary played superb. I was just enjoying it. In the last frame I went for a red to the green bag because, the way I was feeling, I thought I would get it, but I missed and he potted an unbelievable red to the middle. It has been a good week, hopefully I can have another run in Telford next week.”
Here is Gary’s 147, shared by Eurosport on their YouTube channel:
the 199th maximum in professional snooker …
Yesterday results mean that neither the line-up nor the fixtures of the Players Championship – that starts tomorrow – are set yet. Martin needs to win today to be in it. Gary has already qualified. Those uncertainties are not helping the promotion of the event… that’s why WST published this yesterday :
TRUMP AND O’SULLIVAN FIXTURES CONFIRMED
Top seed Judd Trump will play on the opening night of the Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford on Monday evening, with Ronnie O’Sullivan to play on Tuesday night.
The second event of the 2024 Players Series runs from February 19-25 at the Telford International Centre, contested by the top 16 on the one-year rankings.
The full line-up is yet to be confirmed, as both Martin O’Donnell and Elliot Slessor can climb into the top 16 by winning the BetVictor Welsh Open, and one of them will be in the final in Llandudno on Sunday. If either of them win the title, they will knock Chris Wakelin out of the top 16.
If Wakelin remains in the field, he will face Trump at 7pm on Monday. If Slessor or O’Donnell qualify for Telford, then Trump’s opponent will be Zhou Yuelong.
O’Sullivan will play his first match on Tuesday at 7pm, against either Zhou Yuelong or Noppon Saengkham.
The draw will be confirmed on Sunday night, with all fixtures to be confirmed on Monday.
No doubts, Chris Wakelin will be Gary Wilson’s biggest fan today!
John Higgins, seeking his first ranking title in three years, scored one of his best wins of the season as he beat Mark Allen 5-2 to reach the semi-finals of the BetVictor Welsh Open.
Elliot Slessor, looking to continue the recent sequence of surprise winners of this title by following Jordan Brown, Joe Perry and Robert Milkins, scored a 5-3 win over Dominic Dale to reach his third ranking semi-final.
World number 12 Higgins outplayed an opponent ranked nine places higher as he continued his quest for a sixth Welsh Open title, and first ranking silverware since the 2021 Players Championship. The legendary Scot, age 48, has tried to add new impetus to his game this season, working with a sports psychologist for the first time and changing his cue. And his confidence seems high as he looks ahead to a meeting with Gary Wilson or close friend Anthony McGill in Llandudno on Saturday evening.
Allen trailed 63-23 in the opening frame when he missed the brown to a centre pocket, trying to gain position on the penultimate red, and Higgins punished him to take the lead, before making a superb 131 for 2-0. Allen battled back to 2-2, but Higgins dominated after the interval, compiling runs of 76 and 85 for 4-2. The Scot built a 60-0 lead in the fifth, and Allen’s chance to counter ended when he missed a risky red.
Higgins is into his 84th career ranking event semi-final and fourth of the season. He said: “Mark is one of the elite players, you have to play well to beat him, it’s a brilliant win for me. I have changed my cue, I went back to the size I used about 25 years ago. That seems to be working right now. Hopefully things can come together because I have been knocking on the door for a while and it hasn’t opened yet.
“I would love to play Anthony in the semi-finals because it would be a special occasion to play him, he’s a friend and a top young boy. It’s great to see him back enjoying the game. He has been a bit down over the last year or two so I’m happy to see him get some big wins this week and get his confidence back. But he’s got a tough game with Gary. The crowds here have been packed all week and I’m sure it will be sold out at the weekend with a great atmosphere.”
Slessor’s previous semi-final appearances came at the 2017 Northern Ireland Open and 2021 British Open, and the 29-year-old from Gateshead will have the chance to reach his first final when he faces Luca Brecel or Martin O’Donnell on Saturday afternoon. Welshman Dale had hoped to become the first home winner of this title since Mark Williams in 1999, but the 52-year-old veteran made too many errors as his run came to an end.
Dale took the opening frame and had a clear chance for 2-0 but missed a routine black on 41. World number 50 Slessor punished him with a 54 clearance, before making a 128 to go ahead. In the fourth, Dale trailed 53-28 when he missed a red to top corner, and again that proved costly as he fell 3-1 behind.
The next two were shared, then a fluked red in frame seven helped Dale close to 4-3. Two-time ranking event Dale had a chance to force a decider, but could only make 29, and Slessor replied with runs of 43 and 24 which proved enough.
Slessor said: “There were some tight frames, it was a battle. I’m delighted to win. I have been working with (coach) Chris Henry this season and my game has turned a corner. My daughter had her fourth birthday today so it’s mixed emotions for me because I am not at home for that. I watched her open her presents this morning on Facetime. But she knows I am away for the right reasons. It would mean everything for me to get to the final and have my family there.“
Mark Allen may be ranked 9 places above John Higgins but yesterday afternoon he was poor and John played really well. Mark battled hard to restore parity at the interval, having trailed 0-2 but it was in vain. He simply didn’t play well enough on the day and, towards the end of the match looked thoroughly fed up. It’s hard to understand find a rational explanation but John Higgins nearly always seems to be inspired by the Welsh Open: he has won it a record five times, but the last of those five wins came in 2018, so it’s been a while…
Crucible king Luca Brecel fell victim to his bogey player as Martin O’Donnell scored a 5-3 victory to reach the semi-finals of the BetVictor Welsh Open.
O’Donnell had beaten Brecel in all three of their previous meetings, but tonight’s success was the biggest win of his career so far as he knocked out a player ranked 72 places higher to reach the second ranking event semi-final of his career – the only other one coming at the 2018 Shoot Out. On Saturday afternoon, world number 76 O’Donnell will meet Elliot Slessor, ranked 50th, with both men aiming to reach a first ranking final.
The career of Bedfordshire-based O’Donnell was in danger of fizzling out when he was relegated from the tour in 2022. A year later, he managed to regain his place via the Q Tour, and since then he has enjoyed some fine results, notably reaching the quarter-finals of the BetVictor English Open and last 16 of the BetVictor Scottish Open – where he beat Brecel. This week’s run has guaranteed him £17,500, but after tonight’s performance he will only have eyes for the Ray Reardon Trophy.
The first six frames of a high quality contest were shared – O’Donnell making breaks of 88, 61 and 130 while Belgium’s Brecel knocked in 75, 75 and 76. In the seventh, Brecel had a chance to clear from 44-1 down, but ran out of position on the penultimate red. O’Donnell got the better of a safety exchange then converted an excellent pot on the red to a baulk corner, setting him up to go 4-3 ahead.
The Englishman led 63-33 in the eighth when he missed match-ball pink to a top corner, and he later rattled the last red in the jaws of a baulk pocket. Brecel’s attempted clearance ended when he missed a difficult black along the top cushion, and a brief tactical tussle was revolved when O’Donnell potted it from distance, his jubilation evident in his celebration.
It’s a deflating end to a promising week for Brecel, who reached his first ranking quarter-final of the season. He is now sure to miss next week’s Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship, while either O’Donnell or Slessor will earn a place in Telford if they win the final.
O’Donnell said: “On the last black, I built myself up for it, I knew I was one ball away from winning. I played it positively and cued it well. I’ve had good wins against Luca before but tonight was a bit different at a late stage of a tournament. I have felt confident all week, I’m scoring well and I wanted to attack the balls. Last season I wasn’t even on tour so I was a long way from this kind of thing. It’s not easy to get back on the tour, but I always believed I could get back to this level because I am older and wiser now.
“This season I have tried not to make everything a pint of blood. I do try hard out there – sometimes too hard. I still try to play as if it means everything, but I am able to handle defeats better and move on. I have played a bit quicker too and that seems to be helping. Tomorrow will be another tough game but one of us will get through to Sunday.“
Meanwhile, Gary Wilson continued his bid for back-to-back BetVictor Home Nations titles as he trounced Anthony McGill 5-0. Wallsend’s Wilson triumphed in Scotland in December and is now through to his ninth ranking event semi-final. He dominated tonight’s contest with top breaks of 92, 71 and 76, to earn a meeting with John Higgins on Saturday evening.
“I was prepared to battle tonight and make the most of every shot,” said world number 16 Wilson. “Sometimes if I’m struggling a bit I get embarrassed, and end up forcing the issue. So I just tried to forget the crowd was there. I have played for long enough to know that you can never really analyse your own game, you just have to try to feel confident and hope that it goes your way on the day.
“I have tried to stick to what I’m doing, because it was working at the Scottish. That has helped me to just go out and play without any rubbish in my head, and to be a bit more consistent. In the past I would not be able to play certain shots, but I don’t feel that way any more. I still have improvements to make, but I’m going in the right direction.
“John Higgins is an absolute legend and I look forward to that challenge. I could crumble tomorrow, but even if I do I will come away from the week with some positives. And if I can take a big scalp, even better.”
Luca wasn”t able to reproduce the form he showed in previous matches this week but that’s only a small part of the story. The “MOD” – “Minister Of Defense” – turned into a master of attack yesterday. Martin will never be a quick player but he certainly can be a very positive, attacking player, he showed that yesterday … and it paid off big time. It was actually a fantastic match to watch: great shots galore and played in great spirit as well.
I didn’t see a ball of the other matches. No comments then…
Ronnie O'Sullivan 