It was quater-finals day in Shanghai and here is what happened, as reported by WST

Wilson And Zhao Set Up Blockbuster Clash

World number two Kyren Wilson and World Champion Zhao Xintong prevailed over legendary opposition, defeating Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui respectively, to set up a meeting between the two most recent Crucible kings at the Shanghai Masters.

2024 World Champion Wilson blitzed clear from 3-3 to score a 6-3 win over seven-time Crucible king O’Sullivan, his third consecutive win over the Rocket. 

The Warrior is gunning for a second Shanghai Masters crown, after he won the first of his ten career ranking titles to date here back in 2015. The event has since transformed into one of the sport’s most prestigious invitational tournaments. 

O’Sullivan took the opener this evening before a dramatic second frame. A break of 56 saw O’Sullivan force a respot, only for Wilson to come out on top and restore parity at 1-1. O’Sullivan then came from needing a snooker to win the third, with the help of a free ball, before being pegged back to 2-2 at the mid-session. 

When play resumed, the next two frames were traded. However, Wilson then pulled away with breaks of 91, 83 and 109 to secure a momentous 6-3 win.

Wilson said: “It feels like this is the showpiece Chinese event nowadays. It is like the Masters in London and when you are going out to a packed out audience it inspires you. I felt it was box office on both tables. You have the two highest ranked and most popular Chinese players on one table and the greatest of all time against an in form player on the other. The crowd definitely had value for money tonight.

“This event changed my life ten years ago. I didn’t know where I was going and down in the 50s and 60s in the rankings. I basically didn’t have a pot to pee in. My son Finlay came along and was six months old. I came here with no expectations and won the event. I’m really proud that since then I’ve stayed in the top 16. I’ve managed to kick on since that moment.

“I’m looking forward to playing Zhao. There has definitely been a boom in China with the excitement and expectation which is now on his shoulders. I’m sure he will handle being World Champion very well. That was something I really enjoyed last year. I’m looking forward to playing in front of a packed out crowd.”

Zhao triumped 6-1 against compatriot and Chinese trailblazer Ding Junhui to set up his meeting with Wilson. 

The 28-year-old is making his first appearance on tour since winning the World Championship in May and alongside Ding he received a rapturous reception when he stepped out into the arena this evening. 

This was only the sixth ever meeting betwen the pair and Zhao’s emphatic victory was only his second win against Ding, taking the heat to head to 4-2. 

Century breaks of 134, 132 and 118 helped him to the stunning win this evening, which took just under an hour and a half. Zhao averaged a swashbuckling 17 seconds a shot. 

The Jester from Leicester top scored with 137 in this evening’s win. He now faces the tenacious Ali Carter over the best of 19 frames tomorrow for a place in the final.

Although there aren’t ranking points on offer this week, world number seven Selby admitted he is targetting a return to the top spot, but isn’t underestimating the scale of the challenge. 

Selby said: “You have to have goals or it is pointless. I want to win a few more Triple Crowns and get back to world number one. Judd looks like he is going to be there a long time. Rightly so because he has won numerous tournaments in the last few seasons.“

Carter came through his quarter-final in a deciding frame against Wuhan Open Champion Xiao Guodong, winning 6-5. 

It was yet another incredible turnaround for the captain, who for the second match in a row came back from 5-2 down. 

Carter: “I’m a resilient player. I’m delighted to be in the semi-finals. To have come from 5-2 behind twice now is great and I’ll have to extend my stay a bit longer. This is a great tournament and I can’t wait for the semi-finals.“

Here are the scores for Ronnie’s match against Kyren Wilson:

And some images…

Am I disappointed? Yes, of course, I am. Actually it’s not so much about disappointment, it’s about not being quite ready for what happens to someone, a friend, who I admire, and yet it is something that happens to all of us sooner or later … something called natural decline. No living being is immune to it. I’m 70, I should know.

I DO know, only too well, but it doesn’t mean it is something easy to actually accept. It isn’t.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to take anything off Kyren’s performance. He was the better player today. He IS a great player, and a really good person, a family man, who I had the privilege to meet on several occasions. I’m very pleased for him and his family. I wish him the best. I hope he wins this tournament now. Some fans, when their hero is beaten, hate the victorious opponent and want them to fail. I’m not like that. I, by far, prefer to think/know that my favourite has lost to the best man in the field rather than to a “stopper”, a “one day wonder” ¹ , someone who did nothing afterwards …

1. something Kyren clearly isn’t, of course! ↩︎

Ronnie won his first match since losing in the semi finals at the 2025 World Championship, as did the man who beat him that time, the reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong.

Here is the report by shared by WST

World Champion Zhao Returns With Victory

World Champion Zhao Xintong made a triumphant return to the World Snooker Tour, beating Chris Wakelin 6-2 in front of a raucous home audience at the Shanghai Masters.

A crowd of just under 2,000 fans turned out this evening, despite Shanghai being hit by a typhoon and subject to a tsunami warning earlier in the day.

They witnessed Zhao’s first appearance since becoming China’s first Crucible king back in May. The 28-year-old beat Mark Williams 18-12 in the final to become World Champion. This evening’s victory sets up a blockbuster meeting with Chinese legend and trailblazer Ding Junhui.

The first four frames were shared, before Zhao pulled away from world number 16 Wakelin. Breaks of 103, 65, 73 and 59 saw him take four in a row and secure victory.

Zhao said: “I’m really happy, because I’ve been looking forward to this match for a long time. It was my first game of the season and here at home. It is also my first time playing on Chinese soil in several years, so I was very excited. I knew there would be some pressure, but overall I think I played quite well.

“I played intensely for a month at the World Championship and that was pretty much my entire season last year. I actually ended up wanting to play snooker again soon after. Over the last two months I’ve taken some time off and done things I haven’t done before. It gave me a chance to reset and have a fresh start. I think today was a good beginning.

“I played Ding a few times many years ago. Back then I was just a young fan playing my idol. Now my level has improved and I can compete with him a bit more. I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know what will happen, but I hope it is a good match. When I play Ding, winning or losing doesn’t really matter any more. What matters is that the fans enjoy the show.”

Seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan prevailed in a 6-5 thriller with Barry Hawkins to set up a quarter-final clash with world number two Kyren Wilson.

The Rocket mustered a match winning break of 67 in the deciding frame to seal his progression and avenge a 6-4 loss to Hawkins in their last meeting at the 2024 UK Championship. 

This was O’Sullivan’s first appearance since losing 17-7 at the hands of Zhao in the semi-finals of the World Championship. After this evening’s game the 41-time ranking event winner was delighted with how he performed

O’Sullivan said: “I’m pleased to have won the match. Barry played pretty well and I played the best I’ve played since I won the World Championship in 2022. That was a good performance and I could have lost it as well.”

Former Shanghai Masters winner Ali Carter produced a stunning four frame blitz to overhaul three-time World Champion Mark Williams and emerge a 6-5 victor.

The Captain trailed 5-2 when he hit top gear, hammering home breaks of 93, 78, 87 and 132 to turn the match on its head and score a brilliant fightback victory.

Carter was a late entrant to the event, having earned a place thanks to Mark Allen’s withdrawal. Back in 2020 the Essex cueman made the final of the Masters, capitalising on a last minute spot in the tournament when Ronnie O’Sullivan dropped out.

He now faces Xiao Guodong, who came through a tightly fought clash with John Higgins 6-4 to earn his place in the quarter-finals.

Here is the last frame of Ronnie’s match shared by WST on YouTube

I’m very pleased, not just because Ronnie won, but also because he was happy with his performance. It’s been a long time since he last sounded so positive about his game.

Here are the scores for this match:

Here are some images shared on weibo:

Ronnie is big in China, his nickname is “the Teacher” and nobody forgets how he helped a distraught Ding who was abused by some idiots in the crowd at the 2007 Masters.

Wang Chuqin is a top top table tennis player, a former World and Olympic Champion. He gave a signed table tennis bat to Ronnie as a token of his admiration for him and Ronnie in return offered a signed cue in its case. 💖

It was a truly crazy day in Shanghai today… read here the report shared by WST:

Superb Wilson Denied History After No Look Black

Kyren Wilson and Si Jiahui narrowly missed out on history after the Warrior spurned a no look black for a century in the final frame of his 6-5 victory at the Shanghai Masters. 

The match included six century breaks, which tied the most ever in a best of 11 match. The pair equalled Judd Trump and Neil Robertson’s match in the 2016 Masters as well as Robertson’s meeting with Selby in the 2020 Champion of Champions. 

Wilson enjoyed a fantastic season last term, following up from his World Championship win in 2024. The Englishman claimed four ranking titles, but was unable to end the Crucible Curse, losing out to Scottish Open Champion Lei Peifan 10-9 in the opening round in Sheffield. 

He’s kicked the new campaign off with an early contender for match of the season. However, it was former Crucible semi-finalist Si who came charging out of the blocks with 55, 124 and 139 to lead 3-1 at the mid-session, with a 120 from Wilson in the third frame keeping him in touch. 

When play resumed, breaks of 82, 114 and 114 helped Wilson on the way to restoring parity at 4-4, before Si hammered home a 127 to regain the lead at 5-4. Wilson forced a decider with 83 in the tenth and had the chance for a record seventh century of the match in the 11th, but attempted to pot the final black while looking away and his run ended on 97. He now faces either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Barry Hawkins. 

“I did the silly no look thing. Especially in China, I feel the sport is blowing up out here and a lot of it is about doing things a bit differently. You have to have a bit of fun. The crowd appreciate that sort of thing. I didn’t know it could have broken the record. That is disappointing, but it was an amazing game to be involved in. It was crazy,” said 33-year-old Wilson. “There’s no chance I’d have just rolled that black in, even if I knew about the record. It is still about doing things differently. We are stepping into a modern era in snooker.

“I don’t think a game can get any harder than that. I think up until the last couple of frames he missed one ball. He was relentless and some of the balls he knocks in are frightening. I worked hard going into this event and I’m glad I can see that shining through. That has allowed me to battle back into the game and do enough to win it.”

World number one and defending champion Judd Trump scored an impressive 6-2 win over Australia’s 2010 World Champion Neil Robertson. 

The Ace in the Pack crafted century runs of 103 and 127 during the win and now faces a meeting with four-time Crucible king Mark Selby. 

2019 World Champion Trump said: “Every match at this tournament is very tough. I’m just trying to treat everyone the same. Mark Selby played very well today, so I will have to be at my best to win. I’ve not played him for a long time in a big event, so it is one I’m looking forward to.“

Selby produced an incredible display to beat close friend and long time rival on the baize Shaun Murphy 6-0. The pair have been battling it out since playing on the junior circuit at the age of ten, with 2005 World Champion Murphy coming into today having won three of their last four meetings. 

However, four-time Crucible king Selby completely dominated on this occasion. Breaks of 66, 52, 115, 81, 73 and 137 saw him coast home to victory.

Chinese legend Ding Junhui scored a thrilling 6-5 win over compatriot Zhang Anda to set up a potential blockbuster showdown with World Champion Zhao Xintong. The match included a stunning 147 for Zhang, but it was Ding who edged through on the colours in the decider. Zhao now faces Chris Wakelin to decide who will play Ding.

Former Shanghai Masters winner Ali Carter thrashed wildcard Lei Qiu 6-1, while Wuhan Open champion Xiao Guodong beat Lei Peifan 6-3. They now face Mark Williams and John Higgins respectively. 

Here is Zhang’s 147, shared by WST on YouTube

One thing I have to say about the Chinese fans is that their enthusiasm truly inspires players to try and entertain whilst giving it everything to win at the same time. Also, they have their favourites, of course, but they are very fair with all players. As a result, the players feeling valued and appreciated are strongly motivated not just to win but also to entertain in the process of winning.

Here is the report by WST on the first day at the 2025 Shanghai Masters

Wakelin Set For Zhao Clash

Chris Wakelin is determined to put an end to Zhao Xintong’s World Championship winning party, with the pair meeting in the second round of the Shanghai Masters after the Englishman scored a 6-3 win over Zhou Jinhao. 

Wakelin is competing in the invitational version of this event for the first time in his career, having earned a place in the top 16 of the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. He went on a fine run to the quarter-finals of the World Championship, where he beat Mark Allen and Neil Robertson before losing out to Zhao. 

That came at the conclusion of a landmark season for Wakelin, which saw him qualify for the Masters for the first time and make the final of the International Championship. He’s now keen to press on and further cement his place among the world’s elite tier. 

This afternoon’s game saw Wakelin fire in breaks of 83, 61 and 54 on his way to victory over his 17-year-old wildcard counterpart this afternoon. He now turns his attention to a blockbuster showdown with Zhao on Wednesday evening. 

“It is probably one of the most ground breaking, eye catching matches there has been for a long time. This will be the first time we have seen a Chinese World Champion. He’s a great World Champion and a phenomenal player. He has buckets of style on and off the table. Even the way he walks round the table is something very special. I was really below par when he beat me at the World Championship. I know I will have to play a lot better, but we know what is in the tank. I’m very confident in what I can achieve so I’m looking forward to it,” said 33-year-old Wakelin. 

“Zhao was super beatable in that match. It was probably the only match in the World Championship where he was beatable. I was just super fatigued. It catches up with you at some point in the tournament and it happened to be quarter finals for me. I’ve made a lot of positive changes in my life over the last few months. I said after the World Championship I would get fitter and I’ve upped my mileage a lot, dropped nearly a stone in weight and stopped smoking as well. The reasons why I lost in the World Championship were nothing to do with on the table. It was the fitness side and that is something I’m working on.

“He’s the first person to do it from China. It is incredible what he has achieved, but I won’t be going out there and bowing down to him and let him have the show. It is my job to put an end to the World Championship party. He has a lot of challenges ahead as World Champion and a lot of pressure. For me, I just want to go out there and give it my absolute best. I want to prove why I made it here in the first place.“

Barry Hawkins booked a repeat of the 2018 final, which he lost to Ronnie O’Sullivan, with a fine 6-4 win over two-time ranking event finalist Wu Yize. 

Hawkins hammered home contributions of 102, the 500th century of his career, 86, 79, 66 and 63 during this morning’s victory. He’s now relishing facing the Rocket, who he beat in their previous meeting at last season’s UK Championship. 

Hawkins said: “I lost the final in 2018, but it was a great atmosphere playing him here in a big tournament. The last time I played him was at the UK Championship and I won. Hopefully I can carry on with that sort of standard of form against him in the next round.“

Masters Champion Shaun Murphy thrashed wildcard Han Fuyan 6-0 to earn his second round. The Magician compiled five breaks over 50 and will now face close friend and long time on table adversary Mark Selby. 

Murphy said: “We’ve been playing each other since we were ten years of age and we always have great matches. We had a good one here in Shanghai last year and I’m sure we will put on a good show for the crowd.“

Neil Robertson fired in a 137 during his 6-2 win over Pang Junxu and set up a mouth watering meeting with world number one Judd Trump. 

Zhang Anda came through 6-5 in a firecely contested clash with compatriot Yuan Sijun. He now faces Chinese legend Ding Junhui in the second round. Meanwhile Si Jiahui beat Wang Xinbo 6-4 and now plays Kyren Wilson. 

Hawk Clinches Victory

For once the report reasonably exhaustive. Barry Hawkins played well but Wu Yize wasn’t at his best. He never looked confident during that match. I didn’t watch the whole Robertson v Pang match, but in that one as well at had the feeling that the Chinese player wasn’t quite the best version of himself. Maybe playing in China adds pressure because they don’t want to disappoint their “home” fans and put too much pressure on themselves.

Also, it’s hard to estimate how full … or empty … the arena actually was. In the early sessions it certainly didn’t look full to say the least. It’s a pity for the players in action. During the last matches of the day however it looked different. There were rather large groups of fans watching. Of course, during the week days, most people will be at work during daytime. Also, the seats close to the table are the most expensive. Maybe retired persons and those without a job can’t afford them¹. It doesn’t look great on television though.

1. In the UK, if the front rows are empty, often fans are invited to fill them even if they have bought a “cheaper” seat, but my experience in China, in Shanghai in fact, was different. Fans had to sit on their “assigned” seats even if the front rows were empty and it didn’t look good on television. ↩︎

The 2025 Shanghai Masters starts tomorrow. this being an invitational event involving only 32 players, it seems that there was an opening ceremony, but no red carpet ceremony.

Here after some images of the venue and some players…

David Hendon, on substack, shared some views as the new season is about to start

Back to Business – How will Ronnie O’Sullivan fare this season?

David Hendon – Jul 27, 2025

There have been 18 professional tournaments staged in Shanghai and Ronnie O’Sullivan has won six of them, including five Shanghai Masters titles. So what better place to launch a reset after a forgettable 2024/25 season?

The seven-time world champion had appeared in just one ranking event semi-final before infamously smashing up his cue at the Championship League in January, which precipitated a long lay off until the World Championship.

At the Crucible, he showed flashes of his best but was not seriously challenged until Zhao Xintong beat him with a session to spare in the semi-finals. Changing his ferrule – and changing it back – could be interpreted as evidence he was not confident with his cue or just classic self-sabotage. Either way, it was a heavy defeat to end a barren campaign.

In sport, the spotlight will always find someone else and snooker now has a new champion creating excitement and chatter.

O’Sullivan surely looks at Zhao with admiration, for his talent, his poise and his ability to perform under pressure. He possesses similar charisma and star power. He plays the game in that same eye-catching way, in which it appears to be the easiest thing in the world.

Zhao has clearly been inspired by him but perhaps O’Sullivan can also take inspiration from the young Chinese, who has become the latest contender for the mantle of snooker’s top dog.

Ronnie has had to adapt to playing Hendry, Selby, Robertson, Trump and sundry others throughout a long career. Now, a new challenger has emerged, one with the capacity to rival O’Sullivan’s own box office pulling power.

Ludicrously, they are playing on the same session in Shanghai on Wednesday night, creating a needless dilemma for broadcasters which could have easily been avoided. If ever there was a time for double-screening, this is it.

What can we expect from The Rocket this season?

O’Sullivan’s considerable powers have waned to a degree. His long game does not seem as strong as it once was. In the balls, he can still score heavily, but he is more reliant on mistakes from opponents.

This is just the natural reality of getting older. Even Ronnie O’Sullivan cannot defeat time itself.

But this does not mean he can’t adapt to the challenges of younger opponents and the odd deficiency in his own game.

O’Sullivan has nothing to prove but continues to prove it anyway. It’s only two years ago that he won five titles, including record extending eighth triumphs in the UK Championship and Masters.

Away from the public glare, he has always put the work in, never content to settle for doing things the same old way. He’s consulted with myriad coaches over the years, always looking for new information, a different insight, something else he can build into his game.

Turning 50 in December, it’s easy to characterise this as a make-or-break season, but this conveniently ignores the fact that he made it 33 years ago and hasn’t departed from the top level since.

Even so, in the provisional standings for seedings at the Crucible, O’Sullivan is currently positioned 17^th. This is factoring in all the points which will come off his tally. We don’t yet know how many will be added.

It raises the prospect of the Greatest of All Time being required to rock up at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield for Judgement Day if he is to appear once again at the Crucible.

The season ahead could be complicated by his reported move to Dubai. If he remains based in the Middle East, will he want to travel constantly to the UK for tournaments there outside of the established majors?

If he doesn’t, he may struggle to qualify for the Players Series events and this could seriously imperil his ranking. This is why he needs a deep run – possibly a victory – in a ranking tournament to steady the ship.

The Shanghai Masters does not carry ranking points but presents an early opportunity this season to test his game against the other top players.

Younger men – Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson – sit at the top of the rankings, but O’Sullivan occupies the top five with his celebrated contemporaries Mark Williams and John Higgins.

Maybe O’Sullivan’s greatest weapon is that, more than three decades after exploding on to the scene, he remains unpredictable.

Write him off at your peril, but to expect him to still be dazzling like no one else into his sixth decade is also dangerous.

This season, the challenge surely is to find a consistent level with which to keep pace with the other top players, to enjoy this challenge and to accept that there will be bad days.

Ronnie O’Sullivan fans hope – in fact they know – that there will also be good days. Maybe being back in Shanghai, where he has experienced many highs, is the perfect way to get the ball rolling.

Personally, I have no expectations for the future regarding Ronnie. I just want to see him happy. If wins and titles come, happy days. If not … life goes on and health and happiness are far more important than trophies.

The “group phase” at the 2025 ranking Championship League Snooker concluded yesterday in Leicester.

Ben Mertens and Tom Ford won their respective groups, completing the line-up for the “Final day”, i.e. today.

Here is the report shared by WST:

Ford Motors To Final Phase

Leicester’s Tom Ford clinched top spot in Group H to earn a place in tomorrow’s final stage of the BetVictor Championship League in his home city, while Ben Mertens topped Group G by the narrowest of margins. 

Shoot Out champion Ford clinched his progression thanks to a 3-1 win over two-time ranking event finalist Wu Yize, top scoring with 131. Earlier in the day he made a 132 during a 3-0 win over Wu’s Chinese compatriot Liu Wenwei and secured a 2-2 draw with former Masters and UK Champion Matthew Stevens. 

Belgium’s Mertens came through courtesy of making the group’s high break. Remarkably all four players ended up tied on one win, one draw and one loss, with identical frame differences. However, a break of 111 from Mertens in his 3-0 win over Yao Pengcheng proved to be the difference. He took the final frame of the day to draw 2-2 with Sam Craigie and clinch the group, having lost 3-0 to Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh earlier in the day. 

The final phase takes place tomorrow, when the winner will be crowned. Joining Mertens and Ford are Stephen Maguire, Pang Junxu, Xu Si, Joe O’Connor, Matthew Selt and Ricky Walden. 

As always, all the detailed results are available on snooker.org: Group G and Group H

So … here is WST looking at our “Finalists”:

BetVictor Championship League: The Final Eight

The first ranking title of the season will be won on Wednesday evening as the BetVictor Championship League comes to a conclusion, after 23 days of action in Leicester.

Just eight players remain, divided into two groups of four. The two group winners will meet in the best-of-five frame final on Wednesday night, with the champion to bank a total of £33,000 and earn a place in the Champion of Champions in November. The contenders for the crown are:

Group A

Joe O’Connor
From: England
Age: 29
World Ranking: 28
Playing on home territory in Leicester, O’Connor is looking for his first ranking title. He has previously reached two finals, at the 2022 Scottish Open, and the World Open in March this year when he was beaten by John Higgins. A formidable talent who beat Mark Selby at the Crucible last year, O’Connor will hope to make further breakthroughs this season.

Xu Si
From: China
Age: 27
World Ranking: 41
Last season was by far the best of Xu’s career so far, highlighted by a run to the semi-finals of the International Championship where he knocked out Judd Trump. He also made a 147 at that event, and another maximum during the Welsh Open qualifiers. He is aiming to reach a ranking event final for the first time.

Ricky Walden
From: England
Age: 42
World Ranking: 40
Walden won ranking titles in 2008, 2012 and 2014 – all of them in China – and was a regular member of the top 16 from 2012 to 2017. Since then he has struggled to return to those heights, indeed his last ranking final was 2016. Another title would prove that Walden’s best days are not over yet.

Tom Ford
From: England
Age: 41
World Ranking: 19
Previously a contender for the unwanted title of ‘best player not to win a ranking event’, Ford broke his duck in December last year when he won the Shoot Out, at the Mattioli Arena which is home to Wednesday’s action. Another crown tonight would be a huge step towards fulfilling his potential. 

Group B

Stephen Maguire
From: Scotland
Age: 44
World Ranking: 27
A run to the final of last season’s Welsh Open was a reminder of Maguire’s class as a break-builder and competitor. Like Walden he has slipped down the rankings in recent years but remains determined to return to better days. The most experienced player left in the field, he is looking for a seventh ranking title and first since 2020.

Pang Junxu
From: China
Age: 25
World Ranking: 26
Since winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2021, Pang has made steady progress. In 2023 he reached his first ranking final, at the WST Classic in Leicester where he lost to Mark Selby. And last season he won a match at the Crucible for the first time, beating Zhang Anda. One of many up-and-coming Chinese players on the tour, he could be the next to land a maiden ranking title. 

Matthew Selt 
From: England
Age: 40
World Ranking: 33
Selt’s finest hour came at the 2019 Indian Open when he beat John Higgins in the semi-finals and Lyu Haotian in the final to land his first ranking title. Success on Wednesday night would make him one of only 42 players to win two or more. His only other final came at the 2022 Turkish Masters when he was runner-up to Judd Trump.

Ben Mertens
From: Belgium
Age: 20
World Ranking: 94
Mertens sneaked through the second stage on Tuesday night, having made the highest break of a group where all four players finished with the same points and frame difference. This is already a landmark week as he has never before reached the last eight of a ranking event. Much has been expected of Mertens since he played in the World Cup at the age of just 14 – perhaps this will be the season when we see the Belgian’s true colours.

Here is a curious “observation” … each of the two groups comprises two players in their “40th”” and two players in their “20th”. All players in their 40th are British, whilst only one of those in their 20th is British, Joe O’Connor who is 29 and the oldest of that quatuor. Isn’t this telling us something about the future of the sport, and the need to break the “UK centric” mentality that still prevails in its organisation and gouvernance?

Anyway…

Some personal “predictions” that will probably prove as reliable as Belgium’s weather forecasts 😉

Group A:

• Who I want to win: Ricky Walden
• Who I think will win: Joe O’Connor

Group B:

• Who I want to win: Ben Mertens
• Who I think will win: Stephen Maguire