Month: August 2024

Day 1 at the 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters

Monique Snooker

After a small hiatus in the calendar, snooker is back … in Saudi Arabia.

It was an interesting day on many accounts. Here are the reports by WST:

Afternoon session:

SAUDI ARABIA SNOOKER MASTERS: DAY ONE AFTERNOON

Abdulraouf Saigh came within a few balls of making history, as the first Saudi player to win a professional match, before bowing out 4-3 to tour rookie Robbie McGuigan in a thrilling encounter. 

The momentous maiden running of Saudi Arabia’s first ever ranking event kicked off this afternoon, beginning a nine-day festival of snooker where 144 players are battling it out for a top prize of £500,000. 

Saigh delighted his supporters in the opening stages with a break of 93 to take a 2-1 lead. The following two frames were shared to leave 37-year-old Saigh on the verge of victory, but it was McGuigan who forced a decider to make it 3-3. 

The last frame came down to the final red, but a misjudged safety from Saigh saw him go in off and leave the balls at European Amateur Champion McGuigan’s mercy. He obliged to claim victory on the pink. He now faces Ma Hailong in round two.

20-year-old McGuigan said: “The facilities are immaculate and the table was fantastic. It is just a shame how we played. It was a nervy affair and I’ve no idea how I won that match. I was 48-0 down in the decider and my head was completely gone. He has let me off the hook. When I got my chance to clear up I was never going miss. That was the opportunity to win the match.”

Returning professional Michael Holt scored an emphatic 4-0 win over Kuwait’s Ahmad Abul. Afterwards the Hitman admitted this showpiece event has served as a reminder of how much he has missed competing on snooker’s biggest stages. 

Former Shoot Out champion Holt suffered relegation from the circuit in 2022, but last year returned thanks to his performances on the Q Tour. He looked to be in good touch this afternoon as breaks of 78 and 68 helped him coast to victory. Next up for Holt is Liu Hongyu.  

It’s been a busy couple of days for Holt, who joined Jimmy White, Stan Moody and Liam Davies to help coach young players at the Saudi Federation Billiards and Snooker Hall. 

Holt said: “It was brilliant getting the youngsters involved. They obviously have a place there that they can play. Look at what has happened to China. They are at the early stages here but if you keep opening places like that and giving kids the chance to play, hopefully one day they will produce a World Champion.

“It’s the first time here and it is a new place for us. I’ve been out to get some good food and the venue is amazing. I just had to go out there and play and I did. I’m really pleased.

“I’ve missed everything. Just being around some of the lads and the fact these events are huge. The atmosphere is different. One of my motivations to get back was to play in events like this. It is a privilege to be playing out there.”

Egyptian wildcard Mohamed Elkhayat scored a 4-3 win over former Women’s World Champion Baipat Siripaporn, in what was his first ever appearance on the World Snooker Tour.

Belgium’s Julien Leclercq put on a fine display to defeat Welshman Dylan Emery 4-2. The former Shoot Out runner-up hammered home breaks of 112, 94 and 91 on his way to booking a second round meeting with 2006 World Champion Graeme Dott.

Oliver Lines scored a 4-0 whitewash win over Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Bahashwan, while Chris Totten beat Haris Tahir 4-2.

Evening session:

Legendary ten-time ranking event winner Jimmy White scored a fine 4-2 win over Mohamed Shehab on day one of the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh.

The Londoner has been at the forefront of globalising snooker since the 80s and was the winner of the first non-British ranking event at the 1988 Canadian Masters.

White first turned professional all the way back in 1980 and the 62-year-old was still one of the star attractions of this evening’s session. The Whirlwind’s top score of the tie was 67 and victory earns him a second round meeting with Andrew Higginson.

“I’ve been around from day one, when we first went to China with Barry Hearn and Matchroom. There were eight or maybe ten players. Nobody thought it would take off in China. Now you have some of the greatest players in the world from there,” said six-time Crucible finalist White.

“The way they have done it here, inviting the whole tour, getting local players the chance to see the top players and practise in the academy. The venue is fantastic and everybody is really happy. There is huge prize money so you are always going to get top players here. The way they have built this venue for the tournament shows how serious they are.”

A clash between two teenagers saw England’s Stan Moody whitewash Saudi 14-year-old wildcard Ziyad Alqabbani 4-0.

Contributions of 103 and 98 helped 17-year-old Moody to victory and he now faces familiar foe Liam Pullen. The pair grew up battling it out in the junior ranks and Moody defeated Pullen in the final of the 2023 WSF Junior Championship to turn professional.

Hungarian 17-year-old Bulcsu Revesz prevailed 4-2 against Ukrainian 18-year-old Iulian Boiko.

Revesz is making his debut season on the World Snooker Tour after winning the WSF Junior Championship earlier this year. The first ever professional from Hungary got over the line with a 67 in the decisive frame and now faces Mark Davis.

Polish rookie Antoni Kowalski defeated Habib Sabah 4-1, while Andrew Pagett beat Wang Yuchen 4-2.

All detailed results are on snooker.org as always.

The players seem to be unanimously very happy with the facilities and the venue. Going by the few photos I could gather, it looks great indeed.

What wasn’t that great was the broadcasting… they really need to “tune” their cameras to adjust to the light temperature. As it was yesterday, everything was overly “saturated”, on some tables it was hard to tell the green from the blue and … all in all it was very tiring to the eyes. Hopefully they work on that today!

Something that does not feature in the above reports but that I see as very important is this…

This is Najla Naeemi a Saudi woman refereeing a professional match between two young men, Julien Leclercq and Dylan Emeri. She is wearing her veil but other than that she is dressed like all referees in a suit and even wears a bit of make-up. Most importantly, she is at the table, in a position of authority, in a professional event. She was probably watched by hundreds of women and girls in her country and neighbouring countries. This is the kind of “little thing” that could plant the seeds for bigger changes.

Yesterday, Mink was the only woman to register a win. Both Bai Yulu and Baipat were in front in their matches: Baipat was 3-1 up, having scored two breaks of 50 or more, Bai Yulu had won the first two frames in her match … both lost. OK, Bai Yulu was up against Lei Peifan who first turned pro in 2019 and is more experienced than she is but, all the same, I’m afraid that these defeats are only a “symptom” of the lack of confidence these women suffer after accumulating defeats on the main tour. I don’t know what the “solution” is, but certainly, playing solely on the women’s tour isn’t the answer.

Introducing the 2024 Saudi Arabia Masters Wildcards … ans some thoughts about the format.

Monique Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament

WST has published (shared?) this piece, introducing the wildcards players due to compete in the 2024 Saudi Arabia Masters, with the focus on the youngest player in the field, a promising 14 years old.

TEENAGE SAUDI SNOOKER ACE ZIYAD AL – QABBANI THRILLED WITH CHANCE TO TAKE ON WORLD’S BEST

7 Saudi Wildcards to take part in first ever Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 27 August 2024

Fourteen year old  Saudi snooker  protégé Ziyad Al – Qabbani will have the opportunity to play in the same field as the sport’s biggest stars, including his heroes Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters which starts on August 30th.

…

Al – Qabbani is recognised as Saudi Arabia’s best young player and has the potential to, one day, join the all-time greats on the professional tour. 

He’ll have his first experience of the big stage when he competes as a wild card at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters which runs from August 30th to September 7th at Green Halls in Riyadh.

Al – Qabbani has been drawn against Stan Moody, a talented 17-year-old from England, in a fascinating first round match-up. “My excitement is indescribable,” said Al – Qabbani. “I will try as hard as I can to win.”

The teenager first played snooker two years ago and has been supported by the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation, under the leadership of Dr. Nasser Al-Shammari.

Al – Qabbani now practises for eight hours every day and enjoys watching matches featuring his two favourite players O’Sullivan and Higgins. He added: “I believe that I have a chance to be a professional player and this is what the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation is planning for players, especially emerging players, in the short and long term. To inspire young people to play snooker is a goal of Dr. Nasser and the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation.”

Dr. Nasser Al-Shammari President of the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation said: “We are incredibly excited to welcome the world’s best snooker players to Saudi Arabia for this competition and we are thrilled that seven of our own Saudi stars will be given the opportunity to perform on this stage and to learn from some of the greatest players to ever play the game. 

“This is a landmark moment in the development of our federation and the sport of snooker in the Kingdom. We hope having the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan competing here in Riyadh in the same field as Ziyad Al-Qabbani will inspire other young people to engage with the sport of snooker and pick up a cue for the first time.”

In total there are 17 wild card players from across the Middle East in the line-up in Riyadh. They are:

Ziyad Al-Qabbani, age 14 from Saudi Arabia
Ayman Alamri, age 21 from Saudi Arabia
Abdulraouf Saigh, age 36 from Saudi Arabia
Faisal Bahashwan, age 28 from Saudi Arabia
Saleh Alamoudi, age 38 from Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Alotayyani, age 32 from Saudi Arabia
Omar Alajlani, age 45 from Saudi Arabia
Adeel Aqdus, age 37 from Pakistan
Kusai Hamed, age 35 from Libya
Khalid Alkamali, age 32 from UAE
Ali Hussain Ali, age 40 from Iraq
Ali Jalil Ali , age 33 from Iraq
Mohamed Elkhayat, age 37 from Egypt
Habib Sabah, age 41 from Bahrain
Ali Alobaidli, age 32 from Qatar
Ahmad Abul, age 31 from Kuwait
Haitham Al Mahri, age 39 from Oman

The event has total prize money of £2.3 million and there will be 144 players battling for the new trophy.

Among the legendary names in the draw are seven-time World Champion O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Allen, World Champion Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams, Ding Junhui and many more.

It’s a good move to devote a piece to the wildcards, as most of them will be completely unknown to the majority of European fans. Ali Alobaidli has been IBSF World Snooker champion in 2023. He beat Cheung Ka Wai in the final on that occasion. He’s no push-over.

Ziyad Al-Qabbani was due to play in the current IBSF event in Bangalore, India. Of course he’s a “no show”. There is another Al-Qabbani in the IBSF draw, Abdullah, 9 years old, also a “no show”. A younger brother maybe?

There are no players from Israël in the draw … unsurprisingly given the political situation … although if Egypt is part of the Middle-East then surely so is Israël1. Mohamed Elkhayat is actually the only player in this field that I have watched playing … in the Africa championship. There are currently no players from Israël on the main tour, but this event being part of a ten years deal the problem could well present itself. It’s not a “void” question. At the time of writing there are IBSF youth events underway in India and players from Pakistan weren’t granted the necessary visas. I hope that WST has “secured” that side of things in their contract.

This event has the potential to seriously shake up/distort the rankings as the money is huge. In my opinion this is plain wrong, it’s a very short format in the early stages, and medium/short up to the semi-finals. Only the final is a multi-session match. That combined with huge prize money will, no doubt, generate huge pressure. But will it favour the best players? I’m not sure, not sure at all. It’s great for the players to have the opportunity to earn good money, but this event also highlights why the money list shouldn’t be used as a “ranking” device.

The narrative is that the huge price money elevates this event to the status or “fourth major”. Not in my views. Being a “major” stems from the importance of the challenge it offers, and history. When the UK championship went from being best of 17 or more all along, to being best of 11 up to the QFs included, it lost a huge chunk of its prestige IMO.

On the other hand, it’s a huge positive that all players will be at the venue and spared qualifying in England… Well done to the Saudis for that!

One way to make this event both different and less of a lottery whilst keeping a short format would be to make it a “double elimination” event with everyone starting in round 1. That would also make it more special, unique. But of course it would make it longer as well.

  1. If you are not convinced look at the map of the region… ↩︎

Christian Richter is the 2024 IBSF World U17 Men Snooker Champion

Monique Amateur, Snooker ,

Christian Richter from Germany has won the Under-17 IBSF men snooker championship in Bangalore, India, yesterday.

Here is the report shared by IBSF

Christian Richter wins the 2024 IBSF World U17 Men Snooker Champion

Christian Richter from Germany has clinched the IBSF World Under-17 Men’s Snooker Championship 2024, defeating Thailand’s Lomnaw Issarangkun 4-1 in the final held today at KSBA, Bengaluru, India. This marks Christian’s first international snooker title.

Christian entered the knockout stage as the 7th seed and made an impressive start by overcoming Germany’s Paul Arthur Jeroch 3-1, highlighted by a standout break of 91. He then proceeded to beat India’s Jabez Naveen Kumar 3-0, with breaks of 44 and 67, securing his first international medal.

In a challenging semi-final, Christian faced last year’s runner-up, Riley Powell from Wales. Despite Riley’s century break in the second frame, Christian stayed composed, winning the match 4-2 with a break of 60 in the first frame and strong counterplay throughout.

In the final against the 2nd seed Lomnaw Issarangkun, Christian set the pace with opening breaks of 44 and 67 to lead 2-0. Lomnaw won the third frame but couldn’t catch up as Christian maintained his focus and won the next two frames effortlessly to secure the title.

The presentation ceremony was attended by IBSF Vice President Jim Leacy, IBSF Treasurer and Tournament Director Joseph Lo, BSFI President S. Balasubramaniam, and other officials from the Indian Federation, along with Shri Daulat B. Chhabria, the title sponsor.

Congratulations Christian!

Note that the “seeding” mentioned above is based on the results in the group stage and not on a kind of “IBSF ranking system”.

Meanwhile, the under-21 event is underway and still in the groups phase. Both “under-17” finalists are playing in this one as well. You can follow that event here.

2024 IBSF Junior Championships in India

Monique Amateur, Snooker

We are going through a short “professional snooker” hiatus but there is quite a lot of snooker being played elsewhere. Indeed, the 2024 IBSF junior Championships are currently be held in India, and you will find everything you could wish to find about it here.

There are two events: an “under-17” event and an “under-21” event.

The under-17 event is close to its conclusion with only the final to be played”: 16 years old Christian Richter from Germany will face 15 years old Lomnaw Issarangkun from Thailand for the title.

The under-21 event is still in the early stages of the groups phase.

There are 44 players in the draw but there should be more. Indeed the Pakistani players weren’t granted the necessary visas by the Indian authorities. This is a great shame. Sports should bring people together, not further divide them and this feels even worse because is a junior event. Kids deserve better than chances being denied over old political grudges.

Kyren Wilson is the 2024 Xi’an Grand Prix Champion

Monique Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament

Kyren Wilson, the reigning World Champion, beat Judd Trump, the World Number One player, by 10-8 in the final of the inaugural Xi’an Grand Prix.

Congratulations Kyren Wilson

Here is the report by WST:

WILSON TRIUMPHS OVER TRUMP IN XI’AN FINAL

Kyren Wilson built on his World Championship success with a 10-8 final victory over Judd Trump to win the new Xi’an Grand Prix in China.

Full of self belief following his Crucible glory in May, Wilson beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-4 in the semi-finals on Saturday before a hard-fought win over world number one Trump to land the trophy and £177,000 top prize.

A fiercely contested final never had more than one frame between the two players, until Kettering’s 32-year-old Wilson came from 8-7 down to take the last three frames. In the home of the famous Terracotta Army, snooker’s Warrior was the last man standing.

Wilson’s tally of seven career ranking titles puts him ahead of Ken Doherty, Stuart Bingham, Stephen Maguire and Ali Carter on the all-time list. It’s his second ranking crown in China, having won his maiden title at the 2015 Shanghai Masters.

Not every World Champion thrives under the spotlight and added expectation; 2023 king Luca Brecel struggled for results for most of last season. But Wilson has risen to that challenge very early in the campaign, and will go into the forthcoming Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters with sky-high confidence.

Trump missed out on a 29th ranking title, which would have taken him above Steve Davis into fourth place on his own on the all-time list. Having won last month’s Shanghai Masters, he came close to a perfect start to the season, but today’s result ends a ten-match unbeaten streak. The 35-year-old has the consolation of taking over from Mark Allen at the top of the world rankings having banked £76,000.

Trailing 5-4 after the opening session, Trump took three of the first four frames today with top breaks of 53 and 66 to go 7-6 ahead. Wilson levelled before Trump’s 104 edged him ahead again. A run of 54 helped Wilson make it 8-8.

Trump looked set to pinch frame 17 from 49-1 behind until a routine positional shot from black to last red went awry. He later lost a tactical exchange on the yellow, handing Wilson the chance to take the lead.

An early chance for Wilson in the 18th yielded just 22, but Trump’s weak safety left him among the balls again and he added 89 to clinch victory.

“I tried to stay as resilient as possible,” said Wilson. “Neither of us played our best but it was great to be a part of the final in front of a packed house. Having lost 6-0 to Zhou Yuelong in Shanghai, I am so glad to have come here and proved why I am World Champion. I just kept pushing and trying to get over the line first. 

“I know I need to start challenging and lifting more of these trophies because Judd is a long way ahead of me in terms of ranking titles. When I get the chance to beat him in a final I have to make it count. 

“Since the World Championship I have been trying to search for that high,” added Wilson, who admitted he needed a bigger waistcoat this week having celebrated to excess during the summer. “I’ve gone a bit off the rails because I was searching for the wrong high. Now I am more focussed on the big tournaments because there is so much on offer. I had dreamed of being World Champion since I was six. I have reaced the pinnacle but I’m still young and I have a lot more to give.

“I’m heading to Dubai now for a holiday with the family. Before I came here I told my kids I was going to make them proud this week.”

Trump said: “I made too many mistakes. I had a chance at 8-8. I didn’t play well in the whole tournament. I was happy to make a fight of it today, but I lost all the close frames.“

The two pictures above were shared on twitter by Kyren’s management.

I enjoyed the final and I’m happy for Kyren who was one of the first players I got to know at the South West Snooker Academy. He was always nice with everyone and it was obvious that he’s a devoted husband and father. He’s not the most talented player on tour – although ALL players who make it to the pro tour and manage to make a career as professionals are extremely talented – but Kyren is certainly amongst the “very hard workers” out there. He’s also someone who takes his duties very seriously and I was certain that he would do everything to be a great “World Champion” and a fantastic ambassador for his sport.

Neither finalist was at their best but they both produced a lot of very good snooker, they both give it their all and the match was played in great sporting spirit. It was close and tense all along. Thank you Kyren and Judd.

Now some personal reflections / reactions to what happened on social media this week …

  • A former pro came on Twitter (yeah… X) today saying the Ronnie is a spent force, that he hasn’t “got the desire” anymore and is happy to do his little exhibitions. Whilst I do see that Ronnie isn’t the absolute force he was, he has still won his fair share of titles last season and reached the semi-finals in both knock-out events he played in this season so far, both times going out to the eventual champion. Not too bad for a 48 years old playing in his 33d season… AND if the guy watched Ronnie’s match yesterday, I’m curious how he reconciles his opinion about Ronnie’s lack of desire with Ronnie’s obvious frustration at his own poor performance. That makes no sense.
  • Very few were giving Kyren a chance ahead of the final. Kyren somehow played “under the radars” until last May. Somehow he’s been in the shadow of Judd Trump, Jack Lisowski and, to an extend, Mark Allen, although Mark is a bit “older”. Judd and Mark, of course have been winning loads. But Jack? The thing is Kyren isn’t “flamboyant”, he’s very skilful1 but rarely spectacular. What he does will be appreciated by the true fans of the sport but maybe not so much by the casual spectator.

  1. Some of the shots he played today were awesome and duly appreciated by the commentators, Fergal O’Brien and Steven Hallworth … both have been excellent all week BTW. ↩︎

2024 Xi’an Grand Prix – SF Day – Kyren Wilson and Judd Trump will play the Final.

Monique Professional snooker tournament, Snooker

SF 1 – Kyren Wilson 6-4 Ronnie O’Sullivan

Yesterday Ronnie had beaten Matthew Selt but it had been a struggle. Therefore I had little confidence that he would win today against the reigning World Champion and, unfortunately, I was proven right as Kyren Wilson prevailed by 6-4. One thing though that pleased me today is Ronnie’s fighting spirit as he came back from 5-1 down to 5-4 down trailing only by a single frame. But Kyren was playing really well and wasn’t to be denied. He took the next and last frame of the match with a great 102.

Here is WST report on that match

WARRIOR SHOOTS DOWN ROCKET

World Champion Kyren Wilson held off a Ronnie O’Sullivan fightback to edge a pulsating Xi’an Grand Prix semi-final clash 6-4 and make the 15th ranking event final of his career. 

Victory for 32-year-old Wilson reaffirms his form after a rocky start to the campaign. The Englishman was whitewashed 6-0 by Zhou Yuelong in his first knockout appearance since winning the World Championship. He is now just one win away from capturing a seventh ranking title.

It is a second straight defeat for O’Sullivan at the hands of the Warrior, who prevailed 6-5 in the 2021 UK Championship quarter-finals. However, O’Sullivan still leads the head-to-head standings 6-4.

Wilson had moved himself to the cusp of victory in today’s clash, when breaks of 57, 74, 64 and 74 helped him into a commanding 5-1 advantage.

O’Sullivan wasn’t going down without a fight and rallied with contributions of 87 and 55 to stay in contention at 5-3, before a hugely dramatic ninth.

Wilson had appeared to be in control, after fluking the third last red. However, a superb clearance of 37 helped O’Sullivan to force a re-spotted black. He returned the favour, with a fluked double to the top left to pull within one.

The momentum appeared to be with the Rocket, but Wilson summoned a match winning break of 102 saw him over the line to book a place in the final against either Judd Trump or Daniel Wells. The winner tomorrow will take home a top prize of £177,000.

“When Ronnie fluked the black to make it 5-4, the crowd went mad in here and that created a really good atmosphere. I made a good one visit to close it out,” said world number three Wilson. “The crowd have been fantastic and this is a great venue. It is really good fun to play in. 

“I’ve really prepared hard for this event and the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, which comes straight after. My wife and kids are out in Dubai at the moment, we were going to have a little holiday there before Saudi, but unfortunately they are going to have to wait a little bit longer. 

“Both Judd and Daniel are really nice lads. There is an argument to say Judd is the best player in the world right now. It is good for him that someone around his age group, in myself, is coming along and trying to compete with him. In the past it has been the Class of 92, Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby and Neil Robertson all of the time. Daniel is a great player, good family man and works really hard. I’m pleased to see him doing well too.”

Here are the scores for the match:

SF 2 – Judd Trump 6-1 Daniel Wells

Judd Trump on the other hand really had an easy task in beating Daniel Wells by 6-1. Judd played well enough but he was never put under any pressure.

Here is the report by WST

TRUMP TOP OF THE WORLD

Judd Trump thrashed Daniel Wells 6-1 to book his place in the final of the inaugural Xi’an Grand Prix, surpassing Mark Allen as world number one in the process.

It’s the first time Trump has been world number one since November 2021. The £77,000 minimum prize for reaching the final draws the Englishman level with Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen at the summit. However, he is guaranteed to move ahead on count back of the most recent event.

Today’s victory extends an undefeated streak to start the season for Trump, who won the Shanghai Masters last month. He’s now won his first ten matches of the campaign. Trump has been a particularly successful in China recently, having been victorious in 24 of his last 25 matches in the country.

Next up for the 28-time ranking event winner, is a showdown with World Champion Kyren Wilson in the title match tomorrow. The victor will take home a top prize of £177,000.

Welshman Wells departs a defeated man in his third ranking event semi-final appearance. However, he can take solace from putting in his best showing since regaining professional status at the beginning of last season, following a period off the tour.

The match lasted just over two hours, as Trump blitzed to victory. He fired in runs of 67, 64, 96, 56, 63 and 99 on his way to a routine win. Tomorrow will be the 45th ranking final of Trump’s illustrious career.

Trump said: “It is nice to get back to world number one. That all goes out of the window now. I don’t want to get to world number one then lose in a final. It is all about trying to finish off what I’ve done. I had an excellent tournament in Shanghai. Not quite as good here, but I’ve done what I’ve needed to.

“In Kyren’s own mind he will have a lot more confidence and feel like he is the man to beat. I feel like over the last couple of years I’ve played well against him and done what I needed to do. He will have that extra bit of motivation after winning the World Championship, it fills you with confidence. I will have to try and shut that down early.”

The Final tomorrow will be contested between the reigning World Champion and the Number One ranked player …

I expect a close, high quality match …

2024 Xi’an Grand Prix – QF Day – Ronnie goes through despite a poor performance

Monique Snooker

It was QFs day in Xi’an. Here is the report on the afternoon session

ROCKET AND WARRIOR SET FOR SEMI-FINAL SHOWDOWN

Seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and current Crucible king Kyren Wilson prevailed in their respective last eight encounters to set up a mouth watering semi-final meeting at the inaugural Xi’an Grand Prix.

O’Sullivan is now set to appear in the 93rd semi-final of his incredible career. However, he needed to hold off a brilliant fightback from world number 37 Matthew Selt, who he eventually defeated 5-4.

The loss for Selt extends his wait for a first ever win over O’Sullivan, who now leads their head to head 3-0.

It appeared to be plain sailing in today’s match for the Rocket, when he moved into a commanding 4-2 lead. However, Selt showed his class to rally with breaks of 105 and 95 to force a decider.

Both players had chances early on in the final frame. O’Sullivan was first in and missed a black on 36 to allow Selt an opportunity for a momentous victory. He could only make 13 and O’Sullivan got back in to compile a match winning 35 to seal his place in the semis.

O’Sullivan said: “I thought the way Matt played, when I missed that black and he was at the table, that he would clear up. He was playing well. He allowed me to get back in the game and gave me a chance. At 4-4 anything could happen, but Matt deserved to win today, he was the best player by a long way.”

World Champion Wilson had a more straightforward route to the last four, demolishing China’s Xu Si 5-1 in just over one hour and 30 minutes.

The Warrior had a rocky start to his reign as World Champion when he was defeated 6-0 by Zhou Yuelong in his first knockout appearance at the Shanghai Masters. However, he has looked far sharper this week.

Breaks of 69, 50 and 115 helped him to victory over Xu and set up tomorrow’s game with O’Sullivan, who he defeated 6-5 in their most recent meeting at the 2021 UK Championship.

O’SULLIVAN AND SELT’S DECIDER

Here are the scores for Ronnie’s match:

As you can see Ronnie dominated the first mini-session, but Matt was by far the better player after the MSI. Eventually though, when the decider came, when it really mattered, it’s Ronnie who held it together and won. He will however to play much better tomorrow to stand any chance to beat the reigning World Champion, Kyren Wilson.

WST shared Ronnie’s Press conference on Youtube:

And, yes, that’s what it takes to be a great champion, that obsession which comes at a price of course. It takes a lot out of the person, and it impacts their entourage as well.

And this mindset also transpires in this one where Ronnie is speaking to Tai Chengze after his last 16 win:

Both are very revealing of his “Champion” mindset.

And … as usual … a few images from the match, shared by WST and on Weibo

I didn’t see a ball from the other afternoon match between Kyren Wilson and Xu Si , so can’t comment.

And this is the report on the evening matches:

TRUMP AND WELLS TO MEET IN SEMIS

Judd Trump is closing in on a return to the summit of the world rankings, after beating David Gilbert 5-2 to make the semi-finals of the Xi’an Grand Prix.

The Ace in the Pack is yet to be beaten this season, after a brilliant display to win the Shanghai Masters for the first time last month.

Trump has now won his first nine matches of the current campaign. He is also on a hot streak in China, winning 23 of his last 24 matches in the country.

Gilbert has enjoyed a return to form in recent months, having made the semi-finals of the World Championship at the end of last season and performed well in the Championship League. However, Trump was too hot to handle today.

Breaks of 52, 67, 67, and 94 helped 2019 World Champion Trump through this evening. One more win in the semi-finals, against Daniel Wells, would be enough to see the Englishman dethrone Mark Allen as world number one.

“I think I just want to win more than anyone else. I’m willing to put the work in more than anyone else. I see a lot of people taking time off and turning up with excuses. I don’t want to be that person. I want to practise every day and at every opportunity. I want to be the best in the world and win every event I play in. You only get one career and there is no point wasting time and taking days off.”

Judd Trump

2019 World Champion

Trump added: “Daniel is a surprise package but he is someone I grew up with and practised with many times. He has had spells on and off the tour but he is more than good enough to sustain his standard. It is nice to see him in a semi-final but friendships go out the window at this stage.”

Wells produced a fine display to reach his third ranking event semi-final, defeating former Crucible finalist Barry Hawkins 5-3.

It’s a significant moment for the Welshman, who fell off the tour in 2021 and spent time working for his mother’s cleaning business in Neath. This is his most significant result since regaining his professional status last year.

Wells said: “It is relief more than anything. I practise to try and win something. To be in the semis, I have given myself a chance to do that. I have a long road ahead. There is a bit of elation being in the semi-finals but the job’s not done.”

The old lady I am1 isn’t sure what to say about Trump’s quotes, what to say to Judd… Maybe this: “You know Judd … there is more to life than a career. Your work ethic is admirable but, maybe, you’d see things differently if you had young children or elderly parents who need you, who need time with you. You get only one life, and those around you, those who love you, those you love … also get only one life.”

As for Daniel Wells, he is the surprise package in this SF line-up indeed. He’s a very, very good player but hasn’t really got the results that he should have got given his talent. Recently he was very upset by Ronnie’s criticism, and Ronnie seeing him as a mediocre player. But the truth is that he has rarely played to the level he’s capable of. Maybe, only maybe, Ronnie did Daniel a favour with his comments, spurring him into action, making him eager to prove how good he actually is.

  1. I’ll turn 70 this year… how’s that happened??? ↩︎