Shaun Murphy stormed into the semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters with a 6-2 victory over Neil Robertson, but passed up the chance to make his first 147 in a Triple Crown event.
Murphy came so close to the perfect finish to a tremendous match, as in the eighth and final frame he potted 15 reds with blacks, chasing the ninth maximum of his career and first in a major. But in potting the 15th black he left himself behind the blue, snookered on the yellow, and the chance was gone.
“It was just a terrible mistake to leave the cue ball behind the blue,” he said. “Almost anywhere on the table except there would have been fine. It was such a good chance. At the start of the season, making a 147 in a Triple Crown event was one of my goals. To get so close, I’m gutted.”
Still, that was the only blemish on an outstanding performance from the 2005 World and 2015 Masters champion as he booked a semi-final with Mark Allen or Mark Selby on Saturday afternoon.
World number seven Murphy hasn’t won a title since the 2023 Championship League but has come close this season, notably reaching the final of the Shanghai Masters and semi-finals of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. The 42-year-old is now into a seventh Masters semi-final with his sights set on the £350,000 top prize.
Robertson had first chance in the opening frame but ran out of position on 35 and Murphy punished him with a superb 90 clearance. A break of 79 helped Robertson level but Murphy dominated the next two with 49 and 67 for 3-1.
In frame five, Robertson was on 66 with five reds left when he was unlucky to lose position when splitting the cluster, and he later mid-cued attempting safety, which handed Murphy the chance to clear with 66 for 4-1. World number 20 Robertson hit back with 108, but a missed pink to centre early in frame seven proved costly as Murphy took advantage with 82 for 5-2. And his 147 attempt ended on 120 but still Murphy received a huge ovation from the Alexandra Palace crowd.
Murphy added: “I was very strong in all departments today. I must give Neil credit because when you play someone of his class, you have to play really well to stand a chance, so I was in the right frame of mind. I remember as an 11-year-old going to the Masters at Wembley Conference Centre, I said to my friend “do you think I’ll ever get to play here?” Ally Pally is better, it’s a dream come true to walk down those stairs.
“My game has been going in the right direction, something good is coming for me, whether it’s this week or next week or next month. As long as I am here I am dangerous.“
Australia’s Robertson, a late replacement in the field when Ronnie O’Sullivan pulled out, said: “Both of us played fantastic out there. When two of us are playing that well, small margins can make the difference. I missed the pink to middle at 4-2, that’s all I can think of in terms of unforced errors. I just take my hat off to Shaun for how good he was. I felt as if I could go all the way and win the event. It was a real shame for everyone watching that Shaun didn’t make the 147. Even if he had left himself a shot with the rest on the yellow, he is so good with the rest you would fancy him potting it.“
It was indeed an excellent match, very entertaining and played in great spirit. I enjoyed it as, I’m sure, did the lucky fans who were sat in the arena for that session.
I’m not sure the same can’t be said about the evening match… It certainly was high quality; some of the safety battles were incredible, but it was close to one thirty in the morning at my place when it finished and I was probably far too tired to be able to appreciate that kind of snooker. Anyway, here is the report shared by WST:
Mark Allen showed his tactical intelligence as he won a succession of close frames to beat Mark Selby 6-2 and reach the semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters.
In recent seasons Allen has developed into one of the best all-round competitors in the sport and he showed that at Alexandra Palace on Thursday evening as he outfoxed Selby to reach the last four of this event for the fifth time. The Northern Irishman will face Shaun Murphy on Saturday afternoon and is just two wins away from becoming a multiple Masters champion having first lifted the trophy in 2018.
The pair had met three times before in this event and all three had gone to a deciding frame, Selby winning the first two before Allen gained revenge last year. This time, the scoreline was emphatic in Allen’s favour, though Selby failed to take opportunities to make it much closer and the three-time winner has not reached the semi-finals since 2014.
“Mark is probably the best player of all time when it comes to safety,” said Allen, winner of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship four weeks ago. “But that’s probably the first time I feel I have dictated play against him. Especially on the safety side – I felt I was better than him, aside from the few bits of luck I had. That’s a real positive for me to take forward.“
World number four Allen took a 2-1 lead with breaks of 81 and 104, sandwiching an 88 from Selby in frame two. In frame four, which lasted 58 minutes, Selby led 71-8 but couldn’t finish the job and Allen battled back, eventually snatching it by clearing from the last red. It was a similar story in the fifth as Allen out-maneuvered his opponent in an exchange on the last red and took advantage for 4-1.
Frame six ended with 11 minutes of cat-and-mouse on the final black, resolved when Selby went for a cross double and was unlucky to leave the black over a top corner for Allen to extend his lead. Selby pulled one back with a run of 80, but Allen made a 59 in frame eight and eventually got over the line by converting a thin snick on the final yellow to a centre pocket and adding the points he needed.
“The fourth frame was the big one because I had no right to win it, the way the balls were sitting,” added 38-year-old Allen. “I am much happier with my game than I was a few months ago. There is still room for improvement and I slipped into a few bad habits tonight. But in general there is a lot of good stuff and I’m feeling upbeat. I am buzzing for the semi-final, the atmosphere gets better every round.”
Selby said: “If I had won the fourth frame for 2-2 I was right in the match. After that I felt I was chasing the game. Mark won all of the close frames. A few times I thought he had stuck balls over the hole but they finished safe. But he took his chances better than I did.“
The fourth frame was indeed crucial.
Somehow this match reminded me of the match of the 2013 semi-final that Mark Selby won, beating Graeme Dott by 6-5, well past midnight1. It was a safety masterclass by Selby, but it wasn’t pretty and that’s a serious understatement. Ally Pally is a rather isolated place and it was snowing heavily. All around the arena, people started getting up and leaving mid-frame. They had enough of it. It was cold and damp in the venue. Many feared that they would be blocked in their cars by the snow. Others didn’t want to risk missing the bus, the next one might never come, again because of the snow. The media stood put. After the match, Graeme was incensed. “Surely he can’t enjoy playing this way, can he?” was his assessment of his opponent game. When the last press interview was over, we discovered that the venue had been locked with us inside. It was dark and cold everywhere. We had to find the security guy on night duty to be able to leave… And then I started trudging in the snow, through the blizzard … with all my heavy photo equipment. Ahead of me was a deserted park. I wasn’t afraid … surely even hooligans wouldn’t stay out in this weather, he?2 But what about stray dogs? I was freezing and it wasn’t a pretty prospect. Eventually I was saved by Tryggvi Erlingsson who was on his way to his hotel, in his car, and spotted me on the side of the road… I’m eternally grateful! I still caught the mother of colds that night though…
Yesterday’s match wasn’t that bad to be fair, but as it slowly unfolded it triggered memories… ↩︎
World Champion Kyren Wilson won his first match at the Johnstone’s Paint Masters for three years, beating tough opponent Zhang Anda by a 6-4 scoreline to reach the quarter-finals.
A hard-fought contest was in the balance at 4-4, but China’s Zhang crucially missed chances in the last two frames, allowing Wilson to get to the finish line and end a losing streak at Alexandra Palace, having been knocked out in the first round by Stuart Bingham in 2023 and Judd Trump in 2024.
The Crucible king is into the quarter-finals for the fifth time and is aiming for his maiden Masters title, having come close in 2018 when he lost 10-7 in the final to Mark Allen.
“It was a great match to be involved in,” said world number two Wilson. “At 4-4 I had to hang in there and stay positive. I was really impressed with Zhang’s long potting, he was floating them in from everywhere. Playing as World Champion this season has given me the confidence to see those matches out. I know I have a target on my back this year so I didn’t want to go out of this one early again.
“A lot has changed for me since I was in the final here seven years ago. I have gone on to bigger and better things, achieving the dream of becoming World Champion. But there is still a lot of unfinished business.”
The opening frame came down to a safety battle on the colours, resolved when Wilson converted a tricky pot on the green to a centre pocket and cleared for 1-0. Zhang levelled with a break of 85, before Wilson regained the lead. In frame four, Zhang led 64-0 when he ran out of position, and his opponent punished him with an excellent 69 clearance for 3-1.
Wilson failed to score a point in the next two as Zhang compiled breaks of 65 and 83 to square the tie at 3-3. A break of 69 from Wilson restored his lead, only for Zhang to respond again with a 141 total clearance, his first Masters century and the new target for the £15,000 high break prize.
In frame nine, Wilson led 52-0 when he missed the blue to a baulk corner, and Zhang had the balls at his mercy but his counter ended on 26 when he failed to pot the black off its spot. And Zhang had another clear opportunity in the tenth, only to miss a red to top corner when he led 15-13. The frame came down to the last three reds, and a superb pot to a centre pocket from Wilson set him up for a match-winning 38.
Kettering’s Wilson was wearing a unique waistcoat designed by 12-year-old schoolgirl Serena, the winner of a competition run by Johnstone’s Paint, STEM Learning and WST. The project challenged children age 11-14 to design a waistcoat, using a theme connected to the science curriculum and also including Johnstone’s Paint colour of the year, Acai Berry. Wilson himself was one of the judging panel and picked the winner from over 20 entries, then met Serena on the eve of the tournament to receive the waistcoat.
He added: “I feel like it was a brave thing to do! It’s great for the sport and the sponsors and fantastic for the children who made the designs.“
Luca Brecel showed flashes of brilliance in a 6-3 win over debutant Chris Wakelin at the Johnstone’s Paint Masters as he joined a quarter-final line-up which includes six former winners of the event plus the last two World Champions.
Brecel will meet current Crucible king Kyren Wilson on Friday evening at Alexandra Palace, after showdowns between Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Mark Allen, then Judd Trump and Ding Junhui. The eight players left chasing the Paul Hunter Trophy have 31 Triple Crown titles between them.
Since his victory in Sheffield 20 months ago, Brecel has not won another individual title, but he showed improved form before Christmas with runs to the quarter-finals of the BetVictor Scottish Open then the final of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship. Tonight’s display was far from perfect but he reminded fans of his genius with several extraordinary pots, notably a brown in the opening frame which Stephen Hendry, commentating for BBC, described as “one of the best shots I have ever seen.”
The Belgian ace doubled his tally of wins at the Masters, having previously only registered a single victory in his four previous appearances in London.
He said afterwards: “I think the next ten years could be my best. I am still very young and I have a good mindset to perform.”
Wakelin led 47-27 in the opening frame when he missed a tricky red with the rest, and Brecel’s 36 clearance included that thunderbolt brown, played at pace along the baulk cushion. Wakelin levelled with a run of 69 and had chances in frame three but couldn’t take them, and Brecel eventually converted excellent long pots on the pink and black. World number eight Brecel’s run of 89 made it 3-1 and he led 43-0 in frame five when he underhit an awkward red to a centre pocket, letting Wakelin in for a run of 67 to halve the gap.
Brecel dominated the sixth for 4-2, before his opponent emerged successfully from a safety exchange on the green in the seventh. Frame eight also came down to the green, Wakelin potting it but then missing the brown when he looked set for 4-4. Brecel rifled in tremendous long pots on brown, blue and pink for 5-3. Wakelin’s night ended when he touched a ball with the rest as he tried to move it into position for a scoring chance in frame nine, handing Brecel the table for a closing 73.
“There were a few misses but apart from that I felt good,” added 29-year-old Brecel. “It’s tough to settle in this arena, I played some good and bad frames but the most important thing was to get the win. I’m not yet 100% confident but I feel I’m getting better and really looking forward to the rest of the season.
“This tournament is so hard, because of the crowd and the history of the Masters. To win it you have to play really well, and don’t bottle it.”
Brecel is planning to take on the Ironman triathlon in 2028 and is training for that challenge. He said: “The feeling you get from running and cycling is amazing, you feel like a different person. People who don’t play sport under-estimate the benefits of it. I feel much lighter and I can go for longer when the matches get long and tough. It’s good mentally, for example tomorrow I will have a day off so I will go for a run which fills up the day and takes your mind off snooker.“
Wakelin has climbed into the top 16 for the first time this season and relished his first appearance at the sport’s biggest invitation event, though admitted that his focus has not been on preparation in recent weeks as he became a father for the first time last month.
He said: “I absolutely loved it out there, walking into the arena is a moment I will never forget. I didn’t play well, but the last few weeks have been very hectic and the last thing on my mind has been practising for this event. I tried my best. Given it was my first time out there I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I felt comfortable.”
The main thing on Chris mind is of course his baby girl. She was born nine weeks prematurely and is still in hospital. Chris said that she’s doing well but, of course, she is still fragile and still needs special care. A match, even at the Masters, is nowhere near as important as the little one’s health and well being. Chris did extremely well under the circumstances. I wish Chris family the very best.
The above reports are comprehensive. I don’t have much to add.
Kyren, once again, is representing his sport in the best possible way and proves himself to be a really worthy World Champion on and off the table.
Zhang himself played really well and got a lot of praise from Hendry… well, maybe, Hendry still has vivid memories of the scare Zhang gave him at the Crucible in 2010. Back then, Hendry only won his opening match against Zhang by 10-9. At the time Zhang was only 18 and in his first season as a pro. Nobody expected him to push the seven times World Champion this hard. If I remember correctly Hendry had to win the last three frames.
Luca Brecel was his spectacular self. He can be infuriating at times because, given his humongous talent, he should win much more, but when on song he’s box office: daring, unconventional and extremely entertaining.
Judd Trump moved a step closer to an unprecedented clean sweep of all four major titles as he hammered Barry Hawkins 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters.
Having already won the new Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and Victorian Plumbing UK Championship this term, Trump needs to add the title this week and then the World Championship in the Spring to become the first player to land all four in a single season. On today’s evidence he will be hard to stop as he swept past Hawkins in just 106 minutes.
He is just one match away from a new record for prize money in a single season, as his tally for 2024/25 stands at £1,260,200, just shy of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s target of £1,265,500 set last season. If Trump beats Ding Junhui on Friday at Alexandra Palace to reach the semi-finals, he will bank a further £35,000 and set a new record with four months of the campaign still to come.
The world number one is also setting a new bar for consistency as he has now reached at least the quarter-finals of 19 of the last 20 tournaments he has contested. Clearly the man to beat, he is aiming for a third Masters title having previously lifted the trophy in 2019 and 2023.
Hawkins, who lost narrowly 10-8 to Trump in last month’s UK final in York, had first chance in the opening frame today but, leading 14-0, knocked in a red when splitting the pack off the blue. Trump took control and a 3-0 lead with top breaks of 59 and 47. Once again in frame four, Hawkins was on 33 when he opened the pack and a red dropped in, and again his opponent punished him with a 60 clearance for 4-0.
In the fifth, Hawkins was on 12 when he missed the pink to a centre pocket, and Trump’s 56 helped him extend his lead. World number 12 Hawkins at least avoided a whitewash thanks to a run of 70 in the sixth. But a rapid 112 from Trump in the next completed the scoreline.
“I was expecting a really tough game, 6-4 or 6-5 either way,” admitted 35-year-old Trump. “Barry and I have had some great battles here. Today I didn’t do a lot wrong and punished his mistakes, I didn’t miss anything easy. In those games it’s important to keep your foot down, keep your concentration and not give away any easy chances.
“This event keeps getting better. More people see it on the TV and want to experience it live. It makes the players feel so important, everyone wants to play their best. It’s probably my favourite event on the calendar, I get excited about it for a month before.
“It’s great for snooker to have Ding back somewhere near his best. There have been times when he has struggled a bit, he has the weight of China on his shoulders so it’s not easy to do what he has done. Every game he plays at the moment seems to be a thriller but I hope it’s not too close when we play! I love playing him, he’s one of the nicest people on the tour.”
Hawkins said: “I didn’t think I had done that much wrong in the first four frames. Judd is playing some great stuff and every time I made a mistake he capitalised.
Mark Allen became the sixth former champion to reach the quarter-finals of this year’s Johnstone’s Paint Masters as he beat debutant Si Jiahui 6-2 with a fine display in London.
China’s 22-year-old Si is recognised as one of snooker’s best young talents and has leapt into the world’s top 16, but Allen’s vast experience was too much for him at Alexandra Palace as the Northern Irishman controlled most of the contest and ran out a comfortable winner. He will face Mark Selby on Thursday evening and so far all six players into the quarter-finals are former winners of the title, as Judd Trump meets Ding Junhui and Neil Robertson takes on Shaun Murphy.
World number four Allen comes into this week full of confidence having won the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship just before Christmas and he looked sharp tonight, making a century and three more breaks over 70 as he marched into the quarter-finals of this event for the tenth time.
The opening frame lasted 40 minutes and came down to a safety exchange on the last red, Allen trapping his opponent in a snooker and taking the chance that followed to go 1-0 up. Si showed his quality with a superb break of 103 to level, before Allen compiled runs of 111 and 70 to lead 3-1 at the interval.
A run of 60 helped Si pulled one back, but Allen responded with an excellent break of 94 then dominated frame seven for 5-2. World number 13 Si had a clear scoring chance in the eighth but made just 6 before missing a simple red to a top corner, and Allen finished strongly with a break of 80.
“I played well, my safety was very good and I made it tough for him,” said Allen. “If he had potted ridiculous long ones and made breaks then so be it, but as it turned out I felt played better than him.
“He played so well at the Crucible (in 2023) so he is not scared of the big occasion. I just needed to play my game and make it hard for him. He pushed the boat out a bit because he probably didn’t fancy getting into safety battles. There was one at 3-2 when he went for a plant, when he had an easy safety. At that stage he was back in the game so there was no need for him to go for it, that was a bit of inexperience.
“I can always improve and that’s why I work so hard in practice. But I have to enjoy those kind of performances. These are the events I want to win because it’s the best of the best. I always look forward to playing Mark Selby, I have a good record against him. Hopefully it will be a repeat of last year (when Allen won 6-5) which was high quality. Nearly every time we play our matches are close.“
Overall I didn’t particularly enjoy what I saw yesterday. Maybe I wasn’t in the mood but I’m not sure that my mood was the issue. Both matches were pretty one-sided and, well before the MSI, their outcome looked inevitable. There was no suspense, no real “tension”.
Judd Trump was excellent as he has been in most of his matches this season. Barry on the other hand was not at his best and was never given much opportunity to really settle and improve. When he eventually won a frame, the sixth, he did it with a good 70, but it was far too late.
The Mark Allen v Si Jiahui match was a high scoring affair. They had 6 breaks over 60 between them, including one century each. In the first two first frames, Si looked dangerous. After that, he he was largely outplayed in the safety department. Allen ruthlessly punished most of his opponent’s safety mistakes and there were far too many of them. This is a side of Si’s game that needs improvement! Even when Si won frame 5, the first after the MSI, with a good 60, I never had the feeling he could beat Allen on this form and in this mood.
Today is the last day of the first round. I expect Kyren to beat Zhang but I wouldn’t bet a caramel over the outcome of the evening match. It will largely depend on what kind of Luca will be on show. He’s equally capable to win by 6-0 and to lose by 6-0.
Ding Junhui came from 5-4 down to beat Mark Williams 6-5 in the opening round of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters, boosting his hopes of doubling his tally of titles in snooker’s biggest invitation event.
The result means that, for the first time since 2011, none of the ‘Class of 92’ of Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Williams are in the line up for the quarter-final stages. In that year, Ding went all the way to the title, and the Chinese ace will hope that’s a good omen. The 37-year-old certainly had his fair share of good fortune today, enjoying a string of lucky moments in the closing stages of an exciting contest.
It’s the second match already this year to go to a deciding frame, and Ding finished in style by taking it in one visit. He already has a huge title under his belt this season having won the International Championship in November and can now look forward to a meeting with Judd Trump or Barry Hawkins at Alexandra Palace on Friday.
After sharing the first two frames, Williams led 41-7 in the third when he mid-cued, attempting blue to centre, and Ding punished him with 69 to go ahead. Williams responded with breaks of 57 and 70 to go 3-2 up, then Ding made 64 and 60 to edge ahead at 4-3.
A tremendous 136 total clearance, the new front-runner for the £15,000 high break prize, gave Williams frame eight. Ding looked set to go 5-4 up until he missed a straight-forward black at 66-0 in the ninth, and Williams eventually cleared from the last red to black to pinch it by a single point.
In the last two frames, Ding missed three attempts at difficult reds, but each time was lucky not to leave his opponent a clear chance. Williams twice attempted awkward reds to a centre pocket, but couldn’t find the target and Ding capitalised with breaks of 76 and 90 to reach the second round for the eighth time in all and first since 2019.
Williams turns 50 in just two months and victory today would have made him the oldest winner of a match at the Masters since a 56-year-old Eddie Charlton in 1986. The Welshman said: “Ding had a hell of a run of the ball, especially in the last two frames when he could have left me in. I lost count of the number of times he held his hand up to say ‘sorry’, it must have been ten or 11 times. Those are the fine margins. I have had plenty of run in my time, that’s the game. He still had to make two really good breaks.
“I tried my best. It’s a great venue and the reception when I came in was unbelievable. I loved it, it’s the best venue we play in and I hope I get back next year.“
Ding said: “At 5-4 down, I missed a long red and the balls went everywhere, and I thought maybe today is done. Then I saw a bit of luck, Mark didn’t have an easy one. He had to take a difficult one under pressure, and when he missed I saw my chance was there. It was the same in the last frame. My concentration and confidence was good after the interval, I didn’t think too much about winning or losing.
“I still want to be the best I have ever been. I’ve been watching videos of myself when I was young and I am trying to get that feeling back. I used to just pot the balls without thinking too much, just playing the shots very clearly. I still struggle sometimes but I am feeling better than before.“
Mark Selby hasn’t reached the semi-finals at Alexandra Palace since 2014 but on today’s evidence he is among the favourites for the Johnstone’s Paint Masters title as he romped to a 6-1 victory over Ali Carter in the opening round.
Selby looked close to his best last week at the BetVictor Championship League, notably making six centuries in a single day. And he carried that momentum into tonight as he outplayed Carter, rattling in two tons and three more breaks over 50. The Leicester cueman’s reward is a quarter-final meeting with Mark Allen or Si Jiahui on Thursday.
World number five Selby had a tremendous record at the Masters between 2008 and 2014, winning it three times and reaching two further finals. Since then it has been slim pickings in London as he has failed to go beyond the quarter-finals. Selby, winner of the British Open in September, will be quietly confident of a deep run this time as he seeks to become the only player other than Ronnie O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry to lift the trophy for a fourth occasion.
He took the opening frame tonight with a break of 62, and added the 41-minute second by getting the better of a safety exchange on the final brown. Stepping up a gear, Selby fired breaks of 108 and 93 to lead 4-0 at the interval.
In frame five, Carter led by 62 points with four reds left when he failed to double a red to centre, and his tenacious opponent battled back and gained the snooker he required, then could have forced a respotted black but failed to pot the blue along the top cushion, allowing a relieved Carter to pull one back. But Selby regained the initiative with a 126 for 5-1, and he made an excellent 53 clearance in frame seven to settle the result.
“I felt a bit edgy at the start but winning the second frame was huge, if Ali had gone 1-1 it could have been very different,” said Selby. “I kicked on after that and felt comfortable. It’s always great playing in front of a full house here and it gives you motivation.
“My only concern was not getting in my own way and freezing, which I do sometimes. That’s something I am trying to work on. I enjoyed it and felt I was zoned in and focused. I have been there and done it in this event which will stand me in good stead if I get to the business end.“
Carter said simply: “Mark was very good and I was absolute rubbish. He strangles you and zaps you of confidence. I just wanted to get out of there in the end.“
Neither Willo nor Ding played really well. Maybe they were still a bit tired from their Tibetan adventure. The match was very eventful with all sorts happening at the table. It was certainly entertaining albeit not of the highest quality despite some big breaks from both.
In the evening, it was the complete opposite. Mark Selby delivered a master class. If he can keep that level, he will probably win the tournament. Ali had no answers and, although he continued to apply himself, it was plainly evident that he was frustrated and, after the MSI, had given up hope and didn’t want to be there.
Ronnie was in the studio in the evening and gave an update about his own state of mind. He’s OK. He explained that by Sunday he was feeling OK to play, but had not wanted to delay making his decision in order to give whoever would replace him enough time to prepare. That was the right thing to do indeed. All things considered, he looked settled and thinking clearly. It’ reassuring.
Ronnie O’Sullivan ‘lost the plot’ as he explains Masters withdrawal and gives update on future
Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrew from the Masters on the eve of the tournament with snooker fans and his fellow pros concerned about the seven-time world champion
Image PA
Ronnie O’Sullivan has explained his decision to withdraw from the Masters – and insists he WILL be back on the baize.
Snooker icon O’Sullivan was due to defend his title at Alexandra Palace with his first-round match against John Higgins slated to get the tournament underway on Sunday. But he unexpectedly pulled out after snapping his cue following a defeat by Robert Milkins in the Championship League on Thursday.
O’Sullivan has had well-documented mental health issues in the past, and there were concerns for his wellbeing from fans and fellow pros alike. But the seven-time world champion insists he is OK and will return to the sport.
“I’m alright, not too bad,” he said while working for Eurosport on Monday evening. “It was a nightmare decision really to make, if you’d have asked me Sunday if I was ready to play I’d probably have been ok to play. But it’s such a massive tournament.
“I’d been on a three-week trip away playing and I just think I exhausted myself, a lot of pressure while I was away. The build-up of all that just got a bit too much really.
“I lost the plot on Thursday, snapped my cue, so that’s unplayable, so I knew at that moment in time the right decision was to not play and such a big tournament that I thought whoever was to come in should have had at least a couple of days notice.”
Neil Robertson was the man to take O’Sullivan’s place, and he staged a miraculous comeback from 5-1 down to pip Higgins 6-5 and advance to the quarter-finals.
I just knew at that moment in time, the right decision was to not play” .
On his cue, the Rocket added: “It was in the bin, one of them wheelie bins, but my mate said we can’t leave that here, so he got it out and brought it with us.”I’ve got a couple of other cues that I can start practicing with because there’s some tournaments coming up. I’m going to continue to play so I need to get used to the cue now.”
In words O’Sullivan fans will be relieved to hear, the 49-year-old even talked of a return to Ally Pally next year and still harbours aspirations of lifting a ninth Masters title.
“This is an unbelievable tournament, top 16, best players in the world, amazing crowd, I’ve won this tournament many times, been in 14 finals,” he said. “I’d love to come here and play again and hopefully be lucky enough to win the trophy again, that would be great.
After the evening match, in the studio, Mark and Ronnie had a very interesting and honest discussion about mental health
In the news there is also suggestion that Ronnie “faces” a lawsuit … This is misleading as I explained in this previous post.
Neil Robertson completed one of his best ever fight-backs as he recovered a 5-1 deficit to beat John Higgins 6-5 in the first round of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters.
Robertson was a late entry into the draw when Ronnie O’Sullivan pulled out on Friday morning, and the Australian insisted he could be “very dangerous” with the sense of having nothing to lose. He was frozen out in the early stages today, but then played tremendous snooker to reel off five frames in a row and set up a quarter-final with Shaun Murphy or Gary Wilson on Thursday.
Higgins was making a record-extending 31st consecutive appearance in this elite event but has now lost 16 times in the opening round. Today’s turnaround will bring back painful memories for the Scot as his previous meeting with Robertson was the 2022 Tour Championship final when he let slip a 9-4 advantage and lost 10-9. Two-time Masters champion Higgins, who turns 50 in May, has now lost nine of the 11 deciders he has played in this tournament.
It’s only the sixth time in Masters history that a player has come from 5-1 down to win 6-5. Ironically, the previous occasion was in 2020 when Robertson himself lost the last five frames against Stephen Maguire. World number 20 Robertson has already lifted a trophy this season, at the BetVictor English Open in September, and the 42-year-old will hope that today’s momentum could launch him towards a third Masters crown having won it in 2012 and 2022.
Robertson took the opening frame with a 48 clearance, but registered just 16 points in the next five as Higgins took control with breaks of 54, 78, 59, 86, 54 and 66 to lead 5-1. The Wishaw potter had a chance to turn the screw in frame seven, but missed a short range red to a centre pocket and Robertson finally got a rhythm going with a break of 63 to pull one back.
Higgins trailed 45-21 in the eighth when he over-cut a difficult red to a top corner, and again his opponent punished him to close to 5-3. Just 20 minutes later it was 5-5 as Robertson rattled in runs of 118 and 80. A superb long red set Higgins up for first chance in the decider, but on 35 a tough red to centre hit the far jaw. Robertson replied with 57 before running out of position, but then got the better of a safety exchange on the penultimate red and added the points he needed.
“I don’t think I could have hoped for better, it was a brilliant atmosphere and to be a part of that match was an amazing feeling,” said Robertson. “John didn’t do that much wrong from 5-1. Once it got to 5-3 the crowd were getting behind me. What makes this tournament so great is the fans.
“I will try to maintain this mindset and try to find the flowing state as soon as I can in a match. Hopefully this lays down a marker. I won’t get too excited or think too far ahead because every match here is against a great player.”
Higgins, who is 14th in the rankings and will hope to make it 32 consecutive appearances next year, said: “It’s a tough one to take. My concentration went a little bit at 5-1 up when I missed that red over the middle trying to play down for the black. I have no complaints. It’s fine margins. Neil played tremendously well to come back. He really put the pressure on me. I maybe played the wrong shot when I went into the pack in the last frame. But Neil played great to come back. You’ve got to hold your hands up sometimes.”
Shaun Murphy reached the quarter-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters for the 14th time with a 6-3 victory over Gary Wilson and predicts it will be a “delight” to meet Neil Robertson next.
Murphy, champion here in 2015, eased into a 4-0 lead tonight then fended off a Wilson comeback to take the last two frames and set up a tie with Robertson on Thursday. The pair have met twice in the final at Alexandra Palace, Robertson winning the title in 2012 and Murphy gaining revenge three years later.
So far this season, Murphy has enjoyed several deep runs, notably reaching the final of the Shanghai Masters and the semi-finals of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. He will hope that this week he can go all the way to the £350,000 top prize and join the group of just 11 players to have won the Masters on multiple occasions.
Wilson had chances in all four frames before the interval, but couldn’t take them and Murphy punished him, compiling runs of 69, 56 and 64 as he built a 4-0 advantage. After the break, the momentum changed as Wilson fired runs of 101 and 92, then took frame seven on the colours to close to 4-3.
The Tyneside cueman also had a clear scoring opportunity in frame eight but missed a straight-forward red to a top corner leading 20-1, and Murphy punished him with a break of 103. And another error from Wilson in the ninth, failing to pot the pink to corner when he trailed 45-24, ended his hopes.
“It was a match of momentum,” said world number seven Murphy. “I knew I had the advantage of more experience at this venue and I used that in the first four frames, I was pleased to be clinical with my chances. I was expecting Gary to make a run after that and when it got to 4-3 it wasn’t red alert, but it was yellow alert. So I was pleased to make a good break for 5-3. My game is in good shape.
“It will be a delight to play Neil. We turned pro in the same year in 1998 and I have immense respect for him. We take the mickey out of him a bit because he doesn’t know how sat-nav works so isn’t guaranteed to be here. But I’ll be here and hoping to bring my A game. Over the last couple of days people have been saying that Neil is on a freeroll. But he’s a multiple winner, not a wild card who has never been here before.”
Wilson was making his first appearance at Alexandra Palace as his only previous Masters match was behind closed doors in 2021. But he finished the night dejected. “I couldn’t even enjoy the occasion because I’m frustrated with the way I’m playing,” he said. “I have been going through it for a while and it seems to be getting worse.”
There are interviews with Neil and Shaun in the original articles that for some reason I can’t include here
The Robertson vs Higgins match was truly excellent. The first frame was a close affair and Neil won it. Then John embarked in an incredible 5 frames streak: he won them with a break over 50 in each , restricting Neil scoring to only 16 points. And then it all turned and it was Neil who won consecutive five frames, four of them featuring a break over 50, to take the match.
The Murphy v Wilson match was less attractive. Shaun played well but Gary’s frustration was palpable. Frame two was important as it somehow set the match “mood”: Gary scored a break of 62, only for Shaun to steal it with a break of 69. Gary had chances in the next two as well but lost them both. He found himself 3-1 down at the MSI. He came back all guns blazing, winning the next three with breaks of 101, 92 and 52, moving 4-3 up. Shaun restored parity with a great 103. The next frame was a rather low key affair but Shaun won it and that was the end of the match…
Q-Tour Event 6
Zhao Xintong won his fourth consecutive Q-Tour event of the season yesterday in Mons (Belgium) … what can you say? It’s really remarkable. He’s in a league of his own out there, if he keeps that form into next season he will be a menace on the main tour! … The detailed results are available on snooker.org.
World Snooker Tour respond with blunt statement after £10m lawsuit against them launched
Snooker bosses have been hit with a lawsuit on the eve of the Masters.
By JACK MCEACHEN
The World Snooker Tour (WST) have bluntly shut down claims from NST Worldwide that “unlawful and anti-competitive practices” have been used to stop their players “playing in tournaments, events, or matches organised by competitor promoters” in a £10.2million lawsuit.
NST Worldwide, which Ronnie O’Sullivan owns a stake in and Jason Francis and Mayus Karia are directors of, launched their claims in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
The Rocket’s withdrawal from the Masters, which starts on Sunday, is not thought to be connected to the lawsuit and Francis claims that he pulled out because of his mental health.
An account on X (formerly known as Twitter) ran by Francis announced the news, writing: “I can confirm that my company NST Worldwide Ltd has launched legal proceedings in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (case number 1701/5/7/25) against World Snooker Ltd (WST), it’s holding company World Snooker Holdings Ltd and the WPBSA for abuse of their dominant position contrary to section 18 of the Competition Act 1998 (Chapter II Prohibition) and a further claim that they have engaged in agreements, decisions and/or concerted practices which have as their object of effect the prevention, distortion and restriction of competition, contrary to Section 2 of Competition Act 1998 (Chapter I Prohibition).
“The infringements relate to the setting of unlawful and anti-competitive provisions in the contractual relationships between WSL and professional snooker players, and WSL’s unlawful and anti-competitive practices that have prevented professional snooker players playing in tournaments, events, or matches organised by competitor promoters, including NST (which included broadcasting snooker events on Channel 5 and Channel 4 this depriving snooker fans more chances to watch snooker on free to air TV).
“NST is claiming £10.2m in damages plus interest and declarations from the Court to invalidate terms used by World Snooker Ltd to abuse its dominant position by controlling the players and erecting barriers to entry for competitors such as NST.”
The WST replied with a brief statement to Express Sport which read: “WST rejects the claims and will defend them.“
The lawsuit stems from professional players’ contracts, which state that they are not able to compete in non-WST events while tournaments are being played, unless they are specifically granted permission.
Players do have more freedom than previously, but any potential rivals to the WST are currently restricted solely to dates where WST tournaments are not taking place if they want to attract the sport’s biggest names.
Jason Francis made it clear that Ronnie is NOT involved in that lawsuit.
Jason cites players appearances on Channel 4 and Channel 5. These are the channels that show Jason’s Seniors Snooker events, and 900 events. Recently one of those events overlapped with some qualifiers… but I’m not sure if that is what caused the problem to resurface …
Defending champion Mark Selby eased to victory in Group Four of BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational to secure a place in next month’s Winners’ Group.
Selby will join Hossein Vafaei, Si Jiahui, Kyren Wilson and three more players in the Winner’s Group in February when the title and a place in the 2025 Champion of Champions will be at stake.
Stuart Bingham finished top of the group phase with five wins out of six, followed by Selby and Joe O’Connor with four apiece, than Jak Jones with three. In the semi-finals, Selby won a Leicester derby against O’Connor with a top break of 120, while Jones came from 2-1 down to beat Bingham 3-2 with 139 and 113 in the last two frames. Selby then dominated the final, beating Jones 3-0 with breaks of 84, 134 and 80.
Bingham, Jones, O’Connor and Matthew Selt advance to Group Five, where they will join world number one Judd Trump, Neil Robertson and Tom Ford. The action resumes on Monday, 20th January.
Zhao Xintong is now guaranteed to finish top of the WPBSA Q Tour Europe ranking list and has secured a two-year World Snooker Tour (WST) tour card starting from the 2025/26 season.
Following early exits for Dylan Emery (3-4 to Fergal Quinn) and Ryan Thomerson (3-4 to James Cahill) in the sixth Q Tour Europe event in Mons, Belgium, Zhao now cannot be caught in top spot following an incredible campaign.
The 27-year-old from China has lost just a single match in the Q Tour Europe series this season and has picked up a trio titles in Stockholm, Manchester and Vienna. He also made history by compiling the first maximum break in Q Tour history during the event in Sweden, and incredibly followed this up with another 147 in the following event at Club 200 in Manchester.
Zhao remains in contention for a fourth successive title in Mons following victories over Edwin Depoorter (3-0), Olivier Pechenart (3-1) and Hamin Hussain (4-2) to reach the last 32 stage where he will face Asutosh Padhy on Saturday evening.
Upon confirmation of his return to the professional tour, Zhao said: “I am very happy because I have hoped for this day for a long time. I knew it would be very hard to get back on to the tour and I needed to play very well because all the players on Q Tour are really good.”
Zhao added: “I went a long time without playing a competitive match and I have really enjoyed being back. To play on the tour, I need to be winning and gain some confidence. I will do my best to win this title, I am guaranteed to be on the tour next season now but I still want to do the best I can.”
As a result of his success in the amateur game this season, Zhao was invited to take part in the qualifying rounds of the 2024 UK Championship and successfully won four matches to reach the televised stages before losing out to 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy in the last 32.
The former UK Championship and German Masters winner believes he can pick up silverware in the professional ranks once more, saying: “I just want to enjoy the matches but if I play well, I know I can be a champion again on the tour. I believe in myself so lets do it.”
Not everyone is happy to see Zhao back, but I am. He’s served his WPBSA suspension, has certainly worked very hard to come back in this form. He’s a beautiful player and snooker is better with him than without him.
Iulian Boiko has made a maximum break at the Q-Tour event in Mons
Iulian Boiko has compiled only the third maximum break in WPBSA Q Tour history during event six of the Q Tour Europe series at the Delta Moon Snooker Club in Mons, Belgium.
The 19-year-old Ukrainian scored the 147 in the third frame of his last 64 stage match against home nation player Dan Leyssen2 en route to a 4-2 victory. The impressive teenager had also made a break of 134 in frame two of the same match.
The achievement sees Boiko become only the second player in history to make a maximum break on the WPBSA Q Tour after China’s Zhao Xintong, who incredibly scored 147’s in consecutive Q Tour events in Stockholm and Manchester earlier this season.
Q TOUR MAXIMUM BREAKS
Zhao Xintong – Q Tour Europe – Event 3 (Stockholm, Sweden)
Zhao Xintong – Q Tour Europe – Event 4 (Manchester, England)
Iulian Boiko – Q Tour Europe – Event 6 (Mons, Belgium)
O’Sullivan looked extremely frustrated while playing in the Championship League earlier this week, smashing his cue after defeat to Rob Milkins and then withdrawing from that event before pulling out of the Masters, causing concern over his state of mind.
Murphy says no one in the sport has to deal with the pressure that O’Sullivan has been under for over 30 years and wishes him well.
‘Ronnie has been at the top end of the game since bursting on the scene in 1992, and I’ve often criticised his antics on and off the table, but one of the things I’ve always been clear about is that nobody has carried the weight of expectation that he does,’ said the Magician.
‘I had it for a little bit, Mark Selby did, Judd Trump has it for a bit, there are players who have had that weight of public expectation for periods of time, but he has carried it since he turned professional.
‘To achieve what he has achieved while carrying that weight of expectation must take immense strength of character and it can’t be easy to do that all the time. To be under such scrutiny and in the light so much must take a toll.
‘I hope that he’s okay and nothing too seriously wrong with him and we’ll see him back to his best sooner rather than later. …
As usual I have replaced the original links by the “snooker.org” ones that will remain valid over time ↩︎
I have corrected Dan’s name … I should know how to spell it. I’m Belgian too. ↩︎
David Hendon was, still is probably, in Leicester where he comments on the action.
Following Ronnie’s withdrawal from the Masters, and reading peoples’ reactions to it, David decided to explain what he witnessed during Group 3 at the 2025 invitational CLS: you can listen to it here.
Thank you David for sharing this and your balanced views on what happened.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 