Day 2 in Riyadh saw the quarter finals played to a conclusion. The semi-finals and the final will be played today, with the final’s format being a whooping beat of 9 format … yeah!
I didn’t watch much of the action yesterday, and, apparently the only match I did watch, the second in the afternoon, was the “poorest” on the day. Allen won it by 4-2, but his highest break in the match was only 49, which in itself tells a story. Both players’ average shot time was well above their usual standard, another indicator that they both struggled. It was painful to watch TBH and, after that, I felt no inclination to watch anything snooker in the evening. A good challenging “killer hard sudoku” felt more appealing 😇 …
Neil Robertson remained on track to win two huge events in Saudi Arabia in the same season as he beat Kyren Wilson 4-0 to reach the semi-finals of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship – though he couldn’t capitalise on the best chance so far this week of a 167 super-maximum.
Australia’s Robertson beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-9 in the final of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters ranking event in August, describing it as the biggest victory of his career. And the world number three is just two wins away from another title in this invitation tournament – on Friday he will meet defending champion Mark Allen who saw off John Higgins 4-2.
Breaks of 100 and 133 gave Robertson the first two frames, then in the third he potted five reds and blacks and was clearly determined to attempt the first ever 167, which would require making a 147 then potting the gold ball for an extra 20 points to win a $1 million bonus. But with the balls well placed, he ran fractionally out of position after potting the sixth red and had to play for the blue. Still, Robertson went on to make 88 then took the next frame with a run of 76 to complete the whitewash.
“It was pretty much perfect, every time I got a chance I won the frame,” said the 43-year-old, who is competing in this event for the first time. “I would have loved to see how far I could have got with the 167 – if the cue ball had run on another couple of inches it would have been perfect. Joe (Perry) has already texted me saying I made the right decision in making sure I won the frame. I felt really good and I think I could have got down to the last ball. This is a one off event where we get this chance, so from the first red I am trying to see how I can get on the black.“
Allen was well below his best against Higgins and managed a top break of just 49 but did enough to boost his hopes of successfully defending the crown, having beaten Luca Brecel in the final last year. World number seven Allen is targeting his second title of the season as he won the English Open in September.
After sharing the first two frames, Allen went chasing a 167 in the third but missed a red to centre on 48 and Higgins punished him with an 82 clearance. The fourth came down to a safety battle on the last red and Allen potted it from distance then added the points he needed for 2-2 The Northern Irishman got the better of frame five with a top run of 49 then dominated the next to clinch the result.
Having gone back to the cue he was using last season, Judd Trump looked close to his best as he saw off Mark Williams 4-0 in just 48 minutes to reach the semi-finals of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
World number one Trump decided at the start of this season to switch to a new cue, with a titanium ferrule rather than the traditional brass, but is yet to win a title so far in 2025 and admitted after defeat to Mark Selby in last Sunday’s Champion of Champions final that the experiment had come to an end. So he reverted to his previous cue tonight and completely outplayed an out-of-sorts Williams, finishing the tie with back to back century breaks.
Trump will now meet Zhao Xintong on Friday evening and on the same night he could lift his first trophy since the 2024 UK Championship. He lost 4-3 to Williams in the same round of this event last season and now has the chance to reach the final for the first time.
The opening frame was a cagey affair but went Trump’s way, then the 36-year-old took the second in two scoring visits, before rattling in runs of 100 and 102.
“It is hard to play your best when you are trying to find the right cue, but I’m out there battling,” said 2019 World Champion Trump. “There is still going to be a bit of changing until I find the right cue, it is not perfect at the moment.
“We are all fortunate just to play snooker for a living. Sometimes it’s tough when things are not going your way, but I will keep trying and at some point it will all click again. It’s an incredible atmosphere here and a very nice arena to play in. Each time we come to Saudi Arabia, the arenas are the best we get to play in.”
World Champion Zhao produced one of his best performances of the season so far to beat in-form Shaun Murphy 4-2. If the Chinese ace can beat Trump he’ll be into a final for the first time since the Crucible in May.
Murphy came from 49-0 down to take the opening frame with a 79 clearance before Zhao hit back with 62 for 1-1. In frame three, Murphy led 58-0 when he missed a red to top corner and his opponent punished him with a run of 69.
A superb 101 from Murphy made it 2-2 and he had first chance in frame five but could only make 17 and Zhao’s 73 saw him regain the lead. In the sixth, Murphy again was in first but on 40 he failed to convert a plant on a red and that proved his last shot as Zhao cleared with 88.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 