When snooker’s greatest ever player eventually decides to put his cue away for good, his legacy will not just be his record number of titles and his unique relationship with fans worldwide, but also his willingness to pass on his knowledge and experience to younger players.
In recent years, Ronnie O’Sullivan has been generous with his time and willingness to offer advice to players who have asked him to help fulfill their talent.
Judd Trump benefited from O’Sullivan’s influence when they worked together in Romford during the early years of the younger man’s career. During their emotional embrace at the end of the 2022 World Championship final, Trump told the newly-crowned seven-time Crucible king: “Thank you for letting me practise with you. You took your time out for me and I really appreciate that. You’ve always taken care of me. The dedication, everything that you’ve put in, you deserve everything.”
In October this year, O’Sullivan was in Riyadh to open the new Ronnie O’Sullivan Snooker Academy, where he will play a role in nurturing the best young talent from Saudi Arabia. Ahead of that launch, we asked the 49-year-old about his coaching philosophy and his lifelong emphasis on hard work.
Ronnie, how exciting is it to be involved with the new academy in Riyadh?
It’s great to be part of it and to see what the development is like, and to help nurture the talent. Nigel Bond will be the head coach and he is perfect for that job. It won’t be easy for the local players to get to the standard of tour players, but if someone has the talent and the willingness then it can be done. Academies are so important in any sport, you can see that in Kenya for running, the USA for golf and tennis or football in France where the likes of Thierry Henry and Kylian Mbappe came through. It’s about being in the right environment with access to the best coaching as well as advice and nutrition.
How important is it for young snooker players to be coached from an early age?
Some players are blessed, like John Higgins. From the minute they pick up the cue, they are natural. Others need guidance. I don’t believe in over-coaching, because instinct is important. You have to allow a player to grow his own game and let his personality come through. But you do need someone to keep you on the right track.
How much coaching did you have when you started playing?
I didn’t have a coach but I watched a lot of Steve Davis videos and you can learn a lot from that. Not everyone can be a Jimmy White or Stephen Hendry, but anyone can be like Davis, John Higgins or me. If you can learn good fundamentals and get them right, you can become very consistent because it’s a repetitive sport. You can’t follow anyone better than Davis, no one comes anyone near him for doing all the right things. He didn’t coach me personally, but I watched everything he did. His tempo, the way he hit the ball, the way he played safe, his ability to keep still on every shot…he was incredible.
During your career you have often worked with coaches, notably Frank Adamson and Ray Reardon. Have you always wanted to learn more?
Everyone in every sport has to learn. People say I’m gifted, but I wasn’t the most gifted junior or amateur. I always had to work hard at my game. I was never a good safety player or potter, or not as good as some of the others who were playing at the time. I was always good at scoring, that was my thing. But I had to learn the other stuff. I didn’t have a good temperament, I still don’t deal with bad spells that well.
When you said you don’t believe in over coaching, do you mean that you have to give a player space to make the most of natural flair?
Yes. As a junior I saw very natural payers going to certain coaches and then become stiff and methodical, losing the ability to play at a high pace. Steady, slow and methodical doesn’t often get you anywhere. It might win you a few matches, but if you want to be a real winner you have to play at speed, in any sport. You have to be clinical, but speed is a big weapon. You can’t over-think this game. To play as quickly as you can without being careless is the goal.
In the latter part of your career, you’ve been generous with younger players and willing to give advice. Do you enjoy helping them?
If someone asks you for help it’s hard to say no. Victoria, who runs one of the academies in Sheffield, is passionate about her players and wanted them to do well. She asked me, and I always want to help if I can. I don’t see at as giving secrets away because there is no secret really, it’s just hard work and determination. It’s nice to try to pass on knowledge in any sport. In athletics, the Kenyan runners don’t keep it to themselves, they see sharing as a good thing.
Judd Trump is one such player you helped. When you first saw him play, did you see something of yourself in him?
He has amazing talent, he didn’t need to learn from me. But being in that environment when we practised at the same club in Romford helped him because he saw how hard I worked. A lot of people think it’s just talent, but if you ask players who have spent time with me, they are surprised at how dedicated I am and how seriously I take practice. When I was young I saw Stephen Hendry practise and realised he was the hardest worker on the tour. It’s true in any sport. That’s why they are the best, because they are willing to put the work in.
How much satisfaction does it give you when you see an improvement in a player you have given guidance to?
There was a player who is super talented and he’d had some success. He asked if I could help him. I had watched a few of his games and had the feeling that something wasn’t quite right but I couldn’t put my finger on it. We got on the practice table and I showed him a few things and he said he understood it. It was nice to see him develop as a player, that was a good feeling.
In your book Unbreakable you describe your obsession with practice and the technical side of the game. Have you always had that fascination?
I never used to as a kid, that was my biggest downfall, it held me back and made my career tougher than it needed to be. I got into bad habits when I was 16 or 17 and it got worse and worse That’s why I had to go and see Frank Adamson. I knew I wasn’t going to win the World Championship, I was good one day, terrible next, when in this game you need consistency. Frank had to deconstruct my game, take it apart. Within the first year I managed to win the world title – not by playing better, but just by being a bit more consistent.
So much for those who say Ronnie doesn’t care about his sport and its future. He’s not Mr Perfect. He has his ups and downs, violent mood swings that, at times, are difficult to cope with. But over the last 32 years and a half, he has given plenty to the sport, countless magical moments and even more talking points. He’s kept snooker in the news. It was not always for the good reasons but nothing is worse for a sport than to be “invisible”. And he has been giving to his sport away from the spotlights as well. He’s been helping other players, talented youth he certainly knew could become dangerous rivals. Judd Trump is the prime example.
Yes, he has set limits. Yes, he has done it his own way … but if you are in his position and you try to please everyone you will soon find it impossible and overwhelming. So many people want a piece of him at events, and even away from events … sponsors, media, aspiring players, fans … you name it.
It’s nice to see WST giving recognition to that side of him.
While the top ten players where battling it out for (allegedly) a golden ball in the luxury1 of Riyadh, most of the tour players were battling it out in Ponds Forge to try to qualify for the 2025 German Masters and the 2025 World Open … in front of nobody. Lets have a look at what happened there …
Bai Yulu added another victory to her impressive debut pro season as she beat Liam Pullen 5-4 in the first qualifying round of the Machineseeker German Masters.
China’s 21-year-old Bai will face Yuan Sijun on Tuesday afternoon with the winner to go through to the final stages of this world ranking event at the Tempodrom in Berlin in the new year.
Last month, Bai won three qualifying matches in the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship, and she followed up with a first round win at the 9Club Shoot Out, and notched another success today against world number 90 Pullen. Breaks of 56 and 66 gave her a 2-1 lead, and she later came from 4-3 down to take the last two frames.
Ken Doherty, recently recovered from an umbilical hernia operation, earned his first win of the season with a 5-4 defeat of Oliver Lines. From 4-0 down, Lines recovered to 4-4 and led 53-0 in the decider, only for veteran Doherty to snatch it with a superb 66 clearance.
Julien Leclercq top scored with 131 in a 5-2 win over Jimmy White, while Stan Moody fired runs of 108 and 133 in a 5-0 whitewash of Ahmed Aly Elsayed. Artemijs Zizins made a 94 in the decider to edge out Kreishh Gurbaxani 5-4.
Just eight weeks after having emergency surgery for an umbilical hernia, 55-year-old Ken Doherty booked a place in the final stages of the Machineseeker German Masters with a 5-4 victory over Jordan Brown.
Veteran Doherty lost his first five matches this season and was then forced to take a break after being rushed to hospital for the surgery in October. He returned at this week’s qualifying event with low expectations, but the former World Champion edged out Oliver Lines 5-4 in his first match on Monday then beat Brown by the same scoreline
Doherty took a 4-2 lead with top breaks of 53, 80 and 64, then Brown fought back to 4-4 and he led 59-46 in the decider only for Doherty to clear from last red to pink.
Bai Yulu made the second highest break ever by a woman in a ranking event, making a 128 during her match with Yuan Sijun. This has only been topped by Allison Fisher who made a 133 in the 1992 Dubai Classic. However that break was the only highlight of the day for Bai as she lost 5-1.
Xu Si top scored with 142 in a 5-1 win over Julian Leclercq. Aaron Hill battled to a 5-4 win over Stan Moody, winning an 85-minute deciding frame on the colours. Latvia’s Artemijs Zizins followed up his 5-4 first round win over Kreishh Gurbaxani by beating Matthew Selt by the same scoreline. Zizins made a 70 clearance to take the decider, helped by a fluke on the last red.
In round one, BetVictor Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan saw his winning streak ended by a 5-3 defeat against Allan Taylor.
Reanne Evans scored her first win on the pro tour this season, beating Amir Sarkhosh 5-3 in the first qualifying round of the Machineseeker German Masters.
Evans will face Joe O’Connor on Thursday with the winner to go through to the final stages at the iconic Tempodrom venue in Berlin in January. Breaks of 66 and 50 helped 12-time World Women’s Champion Evans to a 3-0 lead, and she later sealed victory in frame eight.
9Club Shoot Out runner-up Liam Graham made a tremendous comeback from 4-0 down to beat Ma Hailong 5-4. Graham, who was denied a first ranking title by Tom Ford earlier this month, took the last five frames with a top break of 55.
Poland’s Antoni Kowalski enjoyed a 5-4 success against Ian Burns, making an 83 in the decider. Amateur Joshua Thomond beat Ben Mertens 5-4, winning the last frame on a respotted black. Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko beat Michael Holt 5-2 with a top break of 79.
Antoni Kowalski sealed his place in the final stages of the Machineseeker German Masters with a 5-0 demolition of last season’s Welsh Open runner-up Martin O’Donnell at qualifying in Sheffield.
Polish number one Kowalski is in his debut season on tour, having come through Q School at the beginning of the season. He’s enjoyed a strong start to life as a professional, with today’s win marking his 13th victory of the campaign. He top scored with 58 in the second frame.
Welshman Jackson Page produced a break building blitz to ease past Thailand’s Sunny Akani 5-1. Runs of 64, 65, 59, 86 and 64 were enough to see him through in just over an hour and a half.
Scotland’s Shoot Out runner-up Liam Graham continued his good form by registering a second consecutive 5-4 win to qualify, this time beating Sanderson Lam to follow up his first round win against Ma Hailong.
Former Shoot Out champion Thepchaiya Un-Nooh made breaks of 101 and 104 during a 5-3 defeat of amateur Paul Deaville, while Alfie Burden scored an impressive 5-0 win over Jamie Jones.
Joe O’Connor scored a 5-1 win over Reanne Evans and Hammad Miah defeated Matthew Stevens 5-2 with two century breaks.
Some observations about the outcome of those “German” qualifiers …
The second round of qualifiers started before the first round finished. This was done so that players who had won their first match during the first two days should not have to wait “idle” to play their second one. It’s good for the players but makes following the results a bit more difficult for the fans.
Eight players from China/Hong Kong have booked their place in Berlin and ALL of them did it on the first day of round 2. Actually the vast majority of the Chinese players were scheduled to play early in these qualifiers. I thought at first that it might be a move by WST to allow them to travel back to China “early” in the holiday time, should they wish to do that, but with the World Open qualifiers to follow that made no sense.
From mainland Europe, Artemijs Zizins, Antoni Kowalski and Alex Ursebacher have qualified. For Alex of course this event is as close as it can be from being a “home” event.
Two of the four women won their first match: Bai Yulu and Reanne Evans, and Bai made her fits century as a professional. Bai is the best female on tour, she actually competes with the men, and I believe that what she is doing is actually re-motivating the other women.
The tour “veterans” did very well: Dominic Dale, Ken Doherty, Graeme Dott, Mark Davis and David Lilley are all Berlin bound! At 47, Dotty is the “baby” in this list. When I started following snooker, the general opinion was that past 35 years of age, players were “finished”… clearly the said players have other ideas.
For this event, only one qualifying match was required, but most of the top players had to go through the qualifying process. The qualifiers were played over three days, again without spectators.
Barry Hawkins produced a brilliant display to demolish Ka Wai Cheung 5-1 and clinch his place in the final stages of next year’s World Open, which will take place in Yushan.
The Hawk is in fine form currently, having reached the first Victorian Plumbing UK Championship final of his career earlier this month. He was runner-up to Judd Trump after losing a classic contest 10-8. He followed that up by beating John Higgins 4-3 during last week’s BetVictor Scottish Open, where he exited against Wu Yize in the last 16.
Hawkins surged to an emphatic win today, crafting breaks of 66, 76, 71, 51 and 133 on his way to victory.
World number 89 Zak Surety staged a stunning upset victory to thrash world number 13 Si Jiahui 5-0. Surety hammered home contributions of 64, 74 and 87 as he blitzed past the talented Si.
Another significant shock saw world number 108 Chris Totten score a 5-1 win over 2015 Crucible king Stuart Bingham. Totten fired in two century runs of 102 and 103 during the win.
Alfie Burden beat Stephen Maguire 5-4 by a single point on the final black, while Gary Wilson was a 5-1 winner against Gong Chenzhi.
John Higgins came through a tough battle against Wang Yuchen in the qualifying round of the World Open, making a vital deciding frame clearance to score a 5-4 victory and book his place in the final stages.
World number 14 Higgins was pushed all the way by a player ranked 95 places lower, but eventually got over the line and will be in Yushan, China in February for the world ranking event. Breaks of 66, 80, 54 and 50 helped Higgins build a 4-2 lead, before Wang recovered to 4-4. The underdog led 48-0 in the decider only for Higgins to make an excellent 76.
Newly crowned BetVictor Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan enjoyed a tremendous fight-back as he recovered a 4-0 deficit to beat Anthony Hamilton 5-4 with a top run of 79. India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha came from 3-1 down to beat Dominic Dale 5-4 with a top break of 100.
Poland’s Antoni Kowalski continued his fine recent form with a 5-1 thrashing of Paul Deaville. Crucible runner-up Jak Jones compiled runs of 107 and 102 in a 5-0 whitewash of Allan Taylor.
Luca Brecel’s mid-season recovery continued with a 5-3 defeat of Iulian Boiko to qualify for the final stages of the World Open, which will take place in Yushan next year.
The Belgian’s points for winning the 2023 World Championship will drop off at the end of the season, at which point he is currently projected to plummet to 57th position in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. However, a recent recovery of his form started at the BetVictor Scottish Open, where he made the quarter-finals. On Friday, he was also runner-up to Mark Allen at the invitational Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
After a quick turnaround, he travelled to Sheffield for today’s qualifier with Boiko. With the scores locked at 2-2, Brecel racked up three frames on the bounce to secure another important win.
Thailand’s Sunny Akani scored a shock 5-2 win over Mark Williams to earn his place in Yushan. Breaks of 60, 109 and 87 helped him to progress this afternoon.
Wuhan Open champion Xiao Guodong eased to a 5-0 win over Dylan Emery. There were contributions of 116 and 86 for Xiao on his way to victory.
Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh scored only his eighth win of the season after beating David Gilbert 5-3, taking the concluding frame on the final black.
Mark Selby made a stunning 142 in the deciding frame to beat Artemijs Zizins 5-4 and Mark Allen won the last two frames to overcome Rory Thor 5-4.
England’s 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy beat Mostafa Dorgham 5-3, while Pang Junxu beat 1997 Crucible king Ken Doherty 5-2.
Again, some thoughts about these results…
From the top 16, only Mark Williams and Si Juahui failed to qualify. Si appears to be going through a dip of form recently. He was whitewashed by Zak Surety who is a very decent player, but not a top player by any means. Willo lost to Sunny Akani and, as much as I like Willo, I’m delighted for Sunny.
Among the players close to the top 16, or that I feel are/were top 16 material, a few will miss the “main event” in Yushan. Neil Robertson failed to show up. No explanation was provided by WST. Stephen Maguire was beaten in a decider by Alfie Burden who, of course, is very experienced. I doubt that Maguire was particularly happy to have to travel to England this time of the year to play a qualifying match in front of no one, therefore, I’m not overly surprised. On the other hand David Gilbert’s 5-3 defeat to Amir Sarkosh did surprise me.
Mark Selby and Mark Allen had to battle really hard against Artemijs Zizins and Rory Thor (Thor Chuan Leong). Those were the two last matches of the day and both went the distance. Artemijs Zizins is definitely one to watch!
For me, the most surprising result of the event was Manasawin Phetmalaikul 5-2 win over Matthew Selt, with 3 breaks over 50. How come? “Quid” has done very, very little on the main tour so far. I didn’t see the match. Maybe I will watch it because I’m truly nonplussed.
And with that professional snooker is over until the New Year …
Ronnie O’Sullivan reveals new goal after rediscovering snooker enjoyment
Phil Haigh
Ronnie O’Sullivan hopes to keep playing for another 10 years as he says he is enjoying snooker more now than he ever has as a professional.
It has not been a great season so far in terms of results for the Rocket, without a final appearance yet and he has just suffered back-to-back first round exits at the Champion of Champions and UK Championship.
The 49-year-old is still number three in the world rankings after winning two big ranking events last season, so it is not disastrous and he says he has rediscovered some enjoyment in his game over the last few weeks.
Despite winning five tournaments in total last season, O’Sullivan cut a frustrated figure, dissatisfied with how he was playing.
Since working with coach Lee Walker he now feels like he is returning towards his best form and, although the results have not come yet, he is confident they will.
‘The last time I enjoyed playing snooker like I have done the last couple of months was when I was 14,’ said O’Sullivan. ‘I’m actually loving playing.
‘It’s quite weird, I played awful last year and pretty terrible at the start of the year, but I’ve won five tournaments last year, but just not enjoyed playing. Then I took a couple of months off, figured out a couple of things about the game and really enjoying it, loving the game.
‘The last three tournaments I’ve played pretty well, maybe just a little bit too open. I’ve realised that and I’ve worked the last few weeks on trying to tighten up a little bit, trying not to leave so many easy chances.’
Asked how he rated his game in recent times, the seven-time world champion reckoned he had really hit a low.
‘The start of this season and the whole of last season I would say it’s probably about 4 [out of 10]. Really bad. 3? Probably as bad as its ever been.
‘But I played what I felt wasn’t great and won five tournaments. Then I start to play great and can’t win a match. Maybe I’m better off playing terrible if I want to get results.
‘To be honest I always play the long game. My game’s in good shape. As long as I apply myself, little bit of run of the ball, a couple of opponents don’t play so well against you, get on a run, win the tournament, then before you know it you’re back in a good spot.
‘I never panic, I never worry. I’m not really bothered either. If I was bothered I might be worried. I’m not bothered, I know I’m on the back end of my career so it’s less important now. I’m just enjoying it.’
O’Sullivan has flirted with retirement for years, but he says it is now a long way from his mind and intends to keep playing for another decade.
O’Sullivan expects to get on a run again soon (Picture: Getty Images)
Still the sport’s biggest attraction and with business interests and opportunities in Asia and the Middle East, O’Sullivan doesn’t want to see his star power wane.
‘I’ve set a new goal. If I can just stay on the tour – even if I fell off the tour they’d probably give me a wildcard – but I’m enjoying everything about snooker.
‘I just said to Lee Walker, who I’ve been working with, just keep me going for 10 years, keep me enjoying it for 10 years. If I can enjoy it and not get many results I’ll take that, because I’ve had a lot of good results over my career.
‘I don’t have anything to prove, but I definitely don’t want to miss out on the next 10 years because things are quite exciting for me off the table more than it is on the table.
‘It’s a good combination I’ve got at the moment. I still like getting my cue out, people still like to see me play and I still like to think I can put in some good performances, but who knows? Maybe I won’t.’
I suppose that’s the article Mark saw a few days ago. It’s a nice change from the depressed doom and gloom that so often engulfed him. Long may it last. It’s not what us, fans want to see, but we have to be realistic. He’s in his 50th year, he’s given us a lot to enjoy for over 30 years. He deserves “me time”, we shouldn’t be greedy 💖.
Ronnie O’Sullivan ‘can’t be bothered’ playing UK snooker events
By Tom Parsons
Ronnie O’Sullivan has spoken out on his lack of desire to play at some snooker events.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has admitted he ‘can’t be bothered’ to attend some UK snooker events (Image: GETTY)
Ronnie O’Sullivan has admitted he “can’t be bothered” to travel long distances to play at some UK snooker events and has conceded that he would prefer to stay at home instead.
The 49-year-old pulled out of the Scottish Open in Edinburgh earlier this month before travelling to Saudi Arabia to compete in the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
The Rocket thrashed Ding Junhui 4-0 in his opening match in the Middle East as he took just 49 minutes to complete the rout.
But he missed out on the opportunity to land the £250,000 winning prize pot after being dispatched by eventual champion Mark Allen in the semi-finals.
O’Sullivan has been critical of a number of the UK venues he has had to visit in the past, with some snooker tournaments taking place at leisure centres across the country.
And the seven-time world champion said: “I’m not being harsh, it’s really difficult when you go to a leisure centre.
“You’ve got 50 to 100 people all standing outside. You’ve got to get through that, play a best of seven frames. Then you’re not sure when you’re going to be on. They say you could be on at 8.30pm but you get on at 11pm.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was dumped out of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship by Mark Allen in the week (Image: GETTY)
“It’s a nine-hour journey from my house [in Essex] to Edinburgh. You weigh it all up and think you can’t be bothered. Ten to 15 years ago I’d probably have been fine, but I can’t play every tournament or every week.”
O’Sullivan then admitted he will limit his appearances at tournaments as he added: “I’ll try and play a minimum of 10 and I’ll pick the best 10 to play in.
“After that, if I feel like I need to play in a few more I will. I still want to play snooker but I want to spend time at home as well.
“I enjoy practising at home, going down the club, spending time with friends. I love being on the road as well. But it’s about getting that practice.
“In Saudi Arabia, the events we’ve had there, it’s been brilliant. Food, dressing rooms, shower rooms, loads of practice tables, courtesy cards, it was amazing. Same in China. With these tournaments they have 8 to 10 practice tables.
“Some of the events in the UK, there are 3 to 4 practice tables in a leisure centre, it’s not the easiest. They have bigger budgets in China and Saudi Arabia. Maybe in the UK not so much. They do the best they can with what they’ve got. It is what it is.”
I think it’s a normal evolution in life. As we are getting older, we want, and need, more comfort, more “me time”. Ronnie, more than any other player faces huge demands from the fans wherever he goes. I have witnessed him getting out of the Crucible, very downbeat and disappointed after losing and being met by dozens of fans wanting him to stop for a chat or an autograph. That’s not right. Those players have feelings, usually right after a defeat they only want one thing: they want left alone. For young players all this is new and exciting. For many older players, snooker is a mainly job and if they are not able to do it in a good environment – good conditions and respect of their privacy – it often becomes a burden.
Mark Allen will face Luca Brecel in the final of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship on Friday night, with the winner to lift the trophy and bank £250,000.
Brecel scored a 4-2 victory over Mark Williams in the semi-finals and remains in the hunt for his first individual title since capturing the World Championship 19 months ago. Defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan had hoped to set up a repeat of last year’s final against Brecel, but went down 4-2 against Allen.
O’Sullivan took the opening frame by clearing from the last red, and he led 53-1 in the next when he missed a mid-range red, which proved a turning point as Allen made an excellent 53 clearance. A run of 56 put Allen 2-1 ahead, and he came from 40-8 down in the next to snatch it with a run of 60. O’Sullivan pulled one back with a 75, but early in frame six Allen converted a clever double to a centre pocket, and went on to finish in style with a 134 total clearance.
The Northern Irishman is aiming for his first title since the Players Championship in March, and victory would match his biggest ever pay day, equalling the £250,000 he won at the 2022 UK Championship.
Brecel won the first frame of his semi-final, then Williams made breaks of 103 and 58 to lead 2-1. Brecel enjoyed a huge slice of luck in frame four as, escaping from a snooker, he fluked a red and finished with position on the black, setting him up for a run of 59 for 2-2. Williams led 41-16 in he fifth when he missed a tricky plant, handing his opponent the chance to clear with 38 to edge ahead.
Frame six lasted 46 minutes, the longest of the tournament so far, and came down to a safety battle on the brown. Williams had a chance for 3-3, but failed to pot the brown to a baulk corner, and Brecel took the chance to reach his first final since this event in March.
Mark Allen won his first title of the season and equalled the biggest pay-day of his career by beating Luca Brecel 5-1 in the final of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in Saudi Arabia.
Arguably snooker’s toughest match player, Allen scored a superb 4-2 win over defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals and went on to outplay last year’s World Champion Brecel in the final to land his first trophy since the Players Championship nine months ago. The £250,000 top prize at this lucrative 12-man invitation event matches the cheque Allen received at the 2022 UK Championship.
It’s his seventh title within the last 26 months, and though it carries no ranking points, coming through such a strong field will give the 38-year-old Northern Irishman a huge boost of confidence going into 2025. Having recently turned to coach Lee Walker to make subtle changes to his technique, the world number four carries plenty of momentum into the new year.
Allen’s form was tracking in a positive direction in recent weeks, and having suffered narrow defeats in the semi-finals of the recent Victorian Plumbing UK Championship and BetVictor Scottish Open, today was the breakthrough he was looking for.
During the three-day event in Riyadh, no player managed to pot the golden ball which is unique to this tournament and earn the $1 million prize for a 167 ‘super maximum’ – Zhang Anda came closest when he took 12 reds with blacks on the opening day. But local crowds thoroughly enjoyed the chance to see the world’s leading stars in action, and with O’Sullivan’s academy now fully operational in the heart of the Kingdom’s capital city, there is a sense that snooker’s popularity is growing fast.
The opening frame of the final came down to the colours and was settled when Allen, down 25 points, missed the green to a bauk corner, leaving Brecel the chance to go 1-0 up. The Belgian led 49-0 in the second when he missed a tricky red to a top corner, and that proved a turning point as Allen made a 104 for 1-1, then dominated frame three and compiled a 109 in the fourth to lead 3-1 at the interval.
In frame five, Brecel made 43 then ran out of position, and Allen responded with 50 then later got the better of a safety exchange on the last red and went on to extend his advantage to 4-1. The sixth came down to a safety battle with three reds on the table and Allen, trailing 36-32, drilled a red down a side cushion into a top corner, the shot of the tournament, to initiate a match-winning run of 31.
“To win an event with the top ten players in the world is extra special,” said Allen. “My safety was good all week, I scored well and made the right choices. I was nervous at the end but I held myself together. The matches here are short so if you can steal a few frames you can hurt your opponent. Winning the second frame tonight with a good break gave me the confidence to go on.
“I worked with Lee Walker at the UK Championship, I’m not sure yet where I will go with that. I am trying to play faster and enjoy it more. There was a time when I was winning matches and even winning tournaments but not enjoying the way I was playing and I knew something had to change. Partly the work with Lee and partly figuring it out for myself, as well as working with my psychologist, has helped me feel like everything is coming together.
“Next year I want to keep winning and enjoying my snooker. There are big tournaments coming up, leading up to Sheffield. The world title is the one missing from my CV and that’s what I will keep working for. The money here is great but I wasn’t thinking about that, I just try to win tournaments.
“You could see the difference here compared to when we came in March, crowds were better. It’s like when we first went to China, it will take time to build up. As long as we keep coming back here and getting bigger crowds, it will be great for the players.”
Brecel, who missed the chance to win his first title since his Crucible triumph 19 months ago, said: “I made a few mistakes but Mark is really tough to play against. Overall I feel I’m getting better and I’m really looking forward to next year.“
Here are the scores for Ronnie’s semi-final match:
Jimmy White commenting on the floor after the match said that Ronnie didn’t play badly. It is true in that he did show some very good things even in defeat. What happened though was that the odd unexpected mistakes crept in and I can’t help but wondering how much the schedule in this event has something to do with it. Ronnie’s QF match had finished at nearly 3am local time. He can’t have been in bed before 4am and with the adrenaline probably still pumping he he may not have been able to fall asleep immediately. And that’s the best case scenario … he may have want to eat something after the match and unwind a bit with his son and his friends. You will tell me, he could have slept all morning but that’s not the same thing. I’m certain that he must have been tired and when that happens, no matter who you are,lapses in concentration are bound to happen as well.
And the same is true for both finalists. There were two centuries by Allen in that final but there were quite a few unexpected mistakes from both players as well. Luca in particular played nowhere near as well as he had in previous matches. It may have been pressure, but it may have been fatigue as well. Again it finished at ungodly hours. Again it was nearly 3am in Riyadh when Allen potted the last balls. It’s not great to say the least. I know that there is a lot of night life in Riyadh, but this wasn’t a party, it wasn’t a rave in a nightclub, it was the final match of a very lucrative event with both protagonists trying to make a living from their sport.
Anyway … here are some images of Ronnie’s semi-final. They were shared by WST.
Luca Brecel won the battle of the last two World Champions, beating Kyren Wilson 4-3 in an exciting finish to reach the semi-finals of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
Mark Allen is also into the last four, scoring a 4-2 success over Mark Selby despite letting nerves get the better of him when he had sight of the $1 million bonus available for a 167 ‘super maximum.’
Current Crucible king Wilson has had an excellent first half of the season, winning the Xi’an Grand Prix and BetVictor Northern Ireland Open, but finishes 2024 on a low note with an early exit in Saudi Arabia. Brecel, runner-up to Ronnie O’Sullivan in this event last season, continues his return to form having reached his first quarter-final of the season at last week’s BetVictor Scottish Open. The Belgian has now gone one step further and will face Mark Williams or Judd Trump in the semis in Riyadh on Friday.
Wilson started strongly by taking a 2-0 lead, then Brecel hit back to take three frames in a row with a top break of 83. Frame six went to Wilson, then in the decider Brecel led 42-1 when he failed on a red to top corner. That gave world number two Wilson a chance to steal, but he took just one red before missing the black off its spot. This time Brecel made no mistake.
“It was a good game overall, we both played some good stuff. At the end it was really tense,” said Brecel. “I thought he would clear up. When I came back to the table I just tried to stay composed. This is exactly what I need, to win these games against top players like Kyren. I have always been someone who can play well under pressure. Last time here I got to the final, I was really focused. This time it’s the same, from the start I have been really up for it. Maybe if I was like that in every event it would be better for my career. But it’s difficult to be that motivated all the time.”
Allen scored an impressive win over Selby and has now reached the semi-finals of four of his last five events. The Northern Irishman will meet Ronnie O’Sullivan or Ding Junhui on Friday for a place in the final.
Selby opened with a break of 88 then Allen levelled at 1-1. In frame three he was on target for a possible 167, but after potting nine reds and eight blacks, he missed a routine black on 65. Selby stepped in with a 68 clearance to regain the lead, but his opponent dominated the last three frames with top runs of 76 and 75.
“I felt so nervous, going for the 167,” said world number four Allen. “I fluked the black on 57 and brought a red off the cushion and I wondered if it was meant to be, they were all there. But I got too excited and took my eye off the next black. I would love to have potted a few more just to see if I could have handled the pressure later. It’s a massive prize so you can’t help thinking about it even when you pot the first red. Mark made a good clearance to put me under pressure. But from 2-1 I didn’t give him much of a look and finished the match off well. My form is coming together.”
Mark Williams scored a thrilling 4-3 victory over Judd Trump to reach the semi-finals of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, despite suffering a bizarre injury to his elbow during his match-winning break in the deciding frame.
From 34-8 down in the decider, Williams made a fantastic break of 68, highlighted by a superb shot on the blue to bring the last two reds away from the top cushion. As he played the next red, stretching with the long rest, the Welshman slipped on the carpet, dropped the rest and banged his right elbow on the bed of the table. He was fortunate not to touch a baulk colour with the rest, and managed to regain his composure, shrug off the pain and complete the clearance.
The three-time World Champion, who turns 50 in just three months, goes through to the last four in Saudi Arabia and will meet Luca Brecel at 5pm local time on Friday for a place in the final. Williams has already won the Tour Championship and Champion of Champions this year and could finish 2024 in style with another huge trophy.
In a high quality contest, Trump had leads of 2-1 and 3-2, making breaks of 64, 66 and 107. Williams compiled 101 in frame one, 64 in the fourth and 86 in the sixth for 3-3, then seized the opportunity which came his way when Trump made a safety error in the last.
“I dropped everything when I slipped on the carpet and I was lucky not to hit the brown,” admitted world number six Williams. “I hurt my elbow and it is very sore. It was a good break. The blue (with two reds left) was a tricky one, you can so easily decelerate on that shot. But I had to go for it rather than play safe. Judd looked very good tonight, he didn’t look like missing. He has beaten me in a lot of deciding frame to it’s nice to win one.”
World number one Trump – who beat Williams 10-9 in the final of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in September – looks certain to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record of £1,265,500 for the most prize money in a single season, and could have done so by reaching the final here. Instead he’ll have to wait until 2025 to surpass that tally.
Defending champion O’Sullivan needed just 49 minutes to beat Ding Junhui 4-0 and set up a semi-final with Mark Allen. The Rocket is seeking his first title since he won this event in March, and he looked extremely sharp tonight, watched by a packed crowd which included his son Ronnie and boxing legend Naseem Hamed.
A break of 85 gave O’Sullivan the opening frame, and he took the second after a tactical battle on the colours which was resolved when Ding severely under-hit an attempted safety on the brown. The Chinese ace had no chance to recover from that mistake as seven-time World Champion O’Sullivan raced through the last two frames with 129 and 113.
“I have enjoyed the last three tournaments,” said 49-year-old O’Sullivan. “I have found a way to feel comfortable at the table which is great. I knew I had to tighten up on my safety because I was giving too many chances away. I have been working with Lee Walker and he has pointed some stuff out to me. It’s great to see the fans here. The sport coming to Saudi Arabia is incredible, if you are into sport it’s paradise.”
Here are the scores for the Ronnie v Ding match:
Yesterday the first session was delayed. It started one hour later than initially scheduled. No explanation was given by WST as to why this decision was taken. It could have delayed the second session.
Then, the Trump v Williams match went to a decider. Just as well that Ronnie was super quick. Even so, it was only minutes short of 3 am in Riyadh when Ronnie’s match finished. It’s preposterous really. Let’s hope he was able to sleep well and will not be too tired today. He has possibly/hopefully two matches to play today.
It’s great to read that Ronnie is enjoying his snooker again, although snooker rivals may beg to differ 😉.
The lucrative invitational event, with its unique format started yesterday in Riyadh, with an opening ceremony and media duties for the players. Here are some images shared by WST:
Bizarrely all four matches played yesterday finished on a 4-0 score.
DING SIZZLES IN SAUDI AS ZHANG LETS 167 CHANCE SLIP
Ding Junhui fired two centuries in a tremendous display against Shaun Murphy, winning 4-0 to set up a quarter-final with Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
On day one at the Global Theatre in Boulevard City, Zhang Anda set pulses racing by attempting a unique break of 167 which would earn $1 million – the biggest prize in snooker history. He potted 13 reds and 12 blacks in his first frame of the day before missing on 97, and later took eight reds with blacks but failed on the ninth red on 64 with the remaining balls well placed. The action in Saudi Arabia continues on Thursday and Friday, with that magical seven-figure bonus still on offer. Zhang will not have another chance as he lost his second match 4-0 against Luca Brecel.
Ding, winner of the recent International Championship on home territory in China, did not come close to a 167 today but scored heavily in an emphatic defeat of Murphy, setting up an intriguing tie with defending champion O’Sullivan in Riyadh on Thursday night. Champion of this lucrative invitation event on Friday evening will lift the trophy and bank £250,000.
Murphy had a clear opportunity in the opening frame but on 35 he missed the pink to a centre pocket, and that proved a turning point. Ding recovered to take the frame by getting the better of a safety exchange on the brown, then stepped up a gear with a marvellous 143 total clearance for 2-0. His break of 122 in the third was capped by a series of crowd-pleasing exhibition shots, and the world number nine sealed the result in the next with a run of 74.
Ding, who was supported by a group of Chinese fans in the crowd, said: “It was like a home game! My first match helped me get used to the table. Shaun had the first chance and I thought it was going to be a hard game, after that I played well.“
Brecel continued to show signs of a return to form as he beat Zhang with his best performance of the season so far, compiling breaks of 62, 66, 100 and 120. “I was focussed and my cue ball control was good,” said 2023 Crucible king Brecel, who reached the quarter-finals of the BetVictor Scottish Open last week. “That’s the way I have been playing in practice and I have felt for a while that I would start playing like this in matches.“
Earlier in round one, featuring two Saudi Arabian wild cards who came through a qualifying tournament, Ding eased past Abdulraouf Saigh 4-0 with a top break of 108. Zhang’s 4-0 win over Ahmed Aseeri was highlighted by his brace of 167 attempts. In the first he ran out of position on 97 and over-cut a very difficult black, and in the second he missed a routine red with the rest on 64.
” I am a bit disappointed to miss the chance of a 167,” said Zhang. “I concentrated on each shot. Whenever I potted the first red I wanted to get position on the black and go for it.“
There was indeed a good crowd for Ding’s match in the evening, and clearly a lot of Chinese fans had made the trip to Riyadh to support him. The coverage was good, particularly with Steven Hallworth in commentary.
From what I saw, and in contrast with what Zhang said in his interview, the players were mainly focussed on winning their matches and not so much on the golden ball and its humongous bonus. It makes sense. The tournament in itself is lucrative and the longer they stay in the draw, the more opportunities they get to try for a 167 if the situation of the balls happens to be favourable.
That said, as reported by Victoria Shi on social media, the lights started flickering, then went out completely whilst Zhang was in the middle of that 167 attempt. It certainly didn’t help!
The non seeded players need to win two matches to get to the main venue in Berlin. Those “qualifiers” are currently underway. The environment is not particularly inspiring, spectators are not allowed. The way those qualifying matches are scheduled is a but unusual in that round 2 matches are being played “in parallel” with round 1 matches. I find this more difficult to “follow” as a fan but it makes sense for the players. Those who won their first round match on day 1 don’t have to wait an “idle” day around the venue. Such “idle days” are no fun at the best of time but particularly now that the festive period approaches, the players will want to be with their families as soon and as much as possible. WST has shared two reports about those qualifiers so far:
Bai Yulu added another victory to her impressive debut pro season as she beat Liam Pullen 5-4 in the first qualifying round of the Machineseeker German Masters.
China’s 21-year-old Bai will face Yuan Sijun on Tuesday afternoon with the winner to go through to the final stages of this world ranking event at the Tempodrom in Berlin in the new year.
Last month, Bai won three qualifying matches in the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship, and she followed up with a first round win at the 9Club Shoot Out, and notched another success today against world number 90 Pullen. Breaks of 56 and 66 gave her a 2-1 lead, and she later came from 4-3 down to take the last two frames.
Ken Doherty, recently recovered from an umbilical hernia operation, earned his first win of the season with a 5-4 defeat of Oliver Lines. From 4-0 down, Lines recovered to 4-4 and led 53-0 in the decider, only for veteran Doherty to snatch it with a superb 66 clearance.
Julien Leclercq top scored with 131 in a 5-2 win over Jimmy White, while Stan Moody fired runs of 108 and 133 in a 5-0 whitewash of Ahmed Aly Elsayed. Artemijs Zizins made a 94 in the decider to edge out Kreishh Gurbaxani 5-4.
Just eight weeks after having emergency surgery for an umbilical hernia, 55-year-old Ken Doherty booked a place in the final stages of the Machineseeker German Masters with a 5-4 victory over Jordan Brown.
Veteran Doherty lost his first five matches this season and was then forced to take a break after being rushed to hospital for the surgery in October. He returned at this week’s qualifying event with low expectations, but the former World Champion edged out Oliver Lines 5-4 in his first match on Monday then beat Brown by the same scoreline
Doherty took a 4-2 lead with top breaks of 53, 80 and 64, then Brown fought back to 4-4 and he led 59-46 in the decider only for Doherty to clear from last red to pink.
Bai Yulu made the second highest break ever by a woman in a ranking event, making a 128 during her match with Yuan Sijun. This has only been topped by Allison Fisher who made a 133 in the 1992 Dubai Classic. However that break was the only highlight of the day for Bai as she lost 5-1.
Xu Si top scored with 142 in a 5-1 win over Julian Leclercq. Aaron Hill battled to a 5-4 win over Stan Moody, winning an 85-minute deciding frame on the colours.
One match not mentioned in these reports is Lei Peifan’s defeat to Allan Taylor. This prompted disparaging comments on social media. Those comments were totally unfair IMO. Lei is now ranked 43 in the World, but his seeding in those qualifiers was 83rd because the draw was made before last Sunday victory. This is why he had to play again less than 48 hours after his win in Scotland. He struggled right from the start and, frankly, he looked very tired, maybe unwell even. Allan is a pro for a long time, he’s a very capable player. There was nothing fishy or even actually surprising about that match. Lei is again seeded 83rd for the 2025 World Open qualifiers, to be played later this week.
The 2025 German Open qualifiers continue today and tomorrow.
In other news…
Meanwhile Ronnie has arrived in Saudi Arabia for the 2024 Riyadh Season Snooker Championship. He shared this picture … he’s been practicing.
That event starts today with matches involving the wildcards. Last year the wildcards were really no match for the pros. Since then however Nigel Bond has been offered and has taken the position of head coach at the local academy. I’m not expecting any upset today but it will be interesting to see how much the local players have improved.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 