opinion

The 2025 English Open – Day 5 … and an interesting interview with Neil Robertson

Monique opinion, Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament ,

This is WST report on what happened in Brentwood yesterday

BetVictor English Open Day Five

Shaun Murphy produced a phenomenal burst of 457 unanswered points to beat Zak Surety 4-0 at the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.

The Magician was on the cusp of a historic display and total shutout. He fired in three century runs of 125, 135 and 133 in the opening three frames to blitz to the verge of victory. However, two misses in the fourth did allow Surety to get eight points on the board.

Murphy was aiming to join Neil Robertson, who was the only other player to win a best of seven with four centuries and denying his opponent a single point. The Australian achieved that feat in 2013 against Ahmed Saif.

Although Murphy didn’t achieve that feat, it was an emphatic triumph for the Englishman. He recently lost his place in the top 16 of the Johnstone’s Paint World rankings for the first time in 19 years. On this evidence it won’t be long until he’s back, he now faces Fan Zhengyi.

Murphy said: “One of the negatives of me also having a broadcast career is that I am aware of these types of moments or stats. I know that 4-0 with four centuries and without my opponent scoring a point is special.

“It is the performance that you dream of. When you practise for all of those hours you dream of playing like that in front of a crowd like tonight.”

Mark Selby scored a comprehensive 4-1 win over Liam Highfield to get his bid for a third English Open crown underway.

Selby’s victory in 2022 saw him beat Luca Brecel 9-6 in the final. It was a momentous triumph for the Leicester cueman, who was battling mental health struggles away from the table and hadn’t lifted silverware for 19 months on it.

Today’s encounter saw Highfield claim the opening frame, before breaks of 52, 101 and 103 helped Selby to four on the bounce and the win. He now plays Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan.

Selby said: “It was huge to win in 2022. There would have been positives if I’d lost the final, but I’d probably not have seen it that way. When you lose a final it is raw and tough to take. Having won that and turned a corner was a huge asset for me mentally. I think going forward it was important to my snooker career.”

Belgium’s 2023 World Champion Luca Brecel scored a nerve shredding 4-3 win over Iranian number one Hossein Vafaei. Next up for Brecel is Si Jiahui.

Robbie Williams stunned Kyren Wilson 4-2 to book his progression and a meeting with Pang Junxu.

As always all the detailed results are available on snooker.org

I don’t have much to add as, for once, the matches featuring in the report are those I watched. Kyren Wilson had a bad day in office and Robbie Williams can play. Of course he can … all those who qualified for the main tour can play at a very high level

Other than that, Phil Haigh shared a very interesting interview with Neil Robertson

Neil Robertson hopes player power brings more transparency from snooker chiefs

Neil Robertson hopes increased player power can help provide more transparency on how snooker is funded.

The Professional Snooker Players Association (PSPA) has emerged as an independent players’ union, with four-time world champion John Higgins as its chairman and with a string of big names involved.

It is early days for the new association, but they have outlined a number of issues they want to address with World Snooker Tour (WST) and the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), mainly surrounding player welfare.

There is concern that the PSPA will clash with the established powers that be, including WPBSA Players, the existing players board, of which Robertson is a member.

However, the Australian has dismissed the idea of infighting becoming an issue between the players and welcomes the new association.

‘I don’t see that happening,’ Robertson said of potential clashes. ‘The (WPBSA) Players board is very small. It’s myself and a handful of others.

‘As far as I know, there’s meant to be a meeting between us to see how we can move things forward and do the right things for the players and for the game. Watch this space, I suppose.’

On whether he could be a member of both WPBSA Players and the PSPA, he said: ‘I’m not too sure what I am allowed to do or not allowed to do, but I’m not completely opposed to the idea at all. I think the Players Board is very good for what it does, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I think the players should have more power.’

Robertson was motivated to join WPBSA Players to help resolve a number of issues he sees in the game, one of the most significant being more transparency on revenue streams in the sport.

The former world champion feels players should be made aware of the finances surrounding television and sponsorship deals, so they can better understand the way the sport is funded.

‘The main thing is players want a lot more transparency with what’s going on,’ he said. ‘When there are these massive deals that are happening, the TV deals etc, I think that the players are certainly within their rights to find out how much these deals are actually worth.

‘When Barry Hearn took over, we were just so grateful to be playing the sport again and to be playing in a lot of tournaments. But that doesn’t mean that the players should be blind to all these deals and sponsorship deals that are coming into these events.

‘That’s probably one of the big issues is that the players just want to know, okay, the prize money breakdown is this. How much was actually contributed by the promoter or the sponsor?’

Another major alteration that Robertson wants to see is around scheduling of tournaments as he feels the calendar should be organised with geography more firmly in mind.

Chinese events are not played consecutively on the calendar, chiefly because promoters want them separated in order to stand out and be more prestigious, but Robertson feels other factors are more important.

‘The scheduling, long-term, is something I want fixed,’ he said. ‘I don’t want us bouncing all over the world. There’s jetlag, but not only that, players are having to pay out double or triple the travel expenses that we really need to. That could be condensed.

‘I’m sure we could get a situation where the calendar is better structured in and around the Asian events and then we work our way back to the UK.

There’s no reason to fly to Shanghai and all of a sudden you’ve got a week gap out of nowhere. Then you go into Saudi and then you go back to UK, then you’re going back to China again. Then you’re going back to UK and then you’re going back to China again.

‘It’s too much and there aren’t many sports which put that kind of demand on players. Just because a promoter says that they want it this way, I don’t think is really enough.

‘These kinds of things we’re trying to get done and change. A bit more empathy towards the players and their travels and all these sorts of things.’

The “bold” highlight is my doing because I feel this is very important ant it’s something I have been saying for years. The players health and wellbeing should come first and bouncing back and forth through time zones isn’t contributing positively to them. and Also, if one does not want to have weeks of “qualifiers” one after another, and then months without a thing for some players, it would force WST, WPBSA and China to accept that events are played in one go, from round one with all 128 players involved at or close to the main venue. Just like the current English Open is right now. That is how it should be. And I will add, there should be a “Mainland Europe” group of events as well, with Belgium, Germany and Poland as obvious candidates to host some tournaments. Scandinavia should certainly be considered too.

…

2025/26 Predictions…

Monique opinion, Professional snooker, Snooker

The 2025/26 Snooker season is upon us. It starts on Sunday, that’s tomorrow. WST asked snooker journalists to make their predictions about what the seaon could bring and who will thrive.

Here is the result:

25/26 World Snooker Tour Season – Journalist Predictions

There’s just two days to go until the new snooker season kicks off and to whet your appetite we’ve asked some of the sport’s top journalists to dust off their crystal balls and take a peak into the future. Here’s how they see the upcoming campaign panning out…

Most Likely Maiden Ranking Event Winner

David Hendon – Elliot Slessor

I think there’s a strong argument that of the nine opponents Zhao Xintong faced in the World Championship, Elliot played the best against him. He is much improved in general, having worked hard on his temperament. Now up to 29th, if he keeps that top 32 position he won’t have to qualify for the Home Nations events and in theory will get slightly better draws in the other tournaments. He’s been in four semi-finals and there’s no reason he can’t go further.

Phil Haigh – Wu Yize

Two finals last season and debuts in the Players and Tour Championship at just 21 years old. He gained a lot of useful experience over the last year, is in a great spot in the rankings and could well lift his first chunk of silverware this campaign.

Shane MacDermott – Wu Yize

I think Wu will be lifting silverware this season. The Talented 20-year-old flew up the rankings as he enjoyed his best ever campaign last term, reaching two Home Nations finals. There is no reason why he can’t go one better this season.

Neil Goulding – Jack Lisowski

For someone with so much ability, it’s about time Jack now does the business on the biggest stage. Six times a ranking event runner-up tells its own story, so hopefully this season he goes one step better. If he does he would be a popular title-winner on the tour.

Michael McMullan – Wu Yize

He went close twice last season, in two very different finals. There’s so much to like about his game, even including the confident way he strides around the table, and I think he’ll be very comfortable with the situation when it comes to getting over that finish line for the first time.

Nick Metcalfe – Si Jiahui

It’s tempting to go for Jack Lisowski, of course it is. The man has been knocking on the door for so long, it must be off its hinges by now. But I’ll say Si here. The brilliant 22-year-old is still something of an enigma, but any player who looks that at home at the Crucible is more than capable of landing a trophy soon enough. You hear so much stuff during the madness that is the World Championship, and a lot of information isn’t easily retained. But I clearly remember Shaun Murphy saying on television that Si has shown us to a large extent what he’s made of, now it’s about making the next step and translating that into winning silverware. I fancy the world No.15 will do just that in the 25-26 season.

Surprise Package Of The Season

David Hendon – Zak Surety

I’m going to predict Zak will end the season in the top 32. There was a spell at the Crucible against Ding Junhui when he made four centuries in five frames and looked completely unstoppable. He had the near miss at the World Open against John Higgins but in general is massively improved and hopefully can carry that confidence forward.

Phil Haigh – Xu Si

Xu could well be the next Chinese star to emerge from the pack after his best season to date. He’s always looked great and made three maximums but hasn’t quite made the step up to join the elite. This could be his season to do just that.

Shane MacDermott – Anthony McGill

I firmly believe McGill will rediscover the form which saw him reach the top 16 a few years ago. A proven ranking-event winner, I expect McGill to have a big campaign after a couple of poor seasons and propel himself back up the rankings.

Neil Goulding – Si Jiahui

At 22 one of the brightest young talents on the circuit, the Chinese potter is all set for a big season. Already shown in glimpses just what he’s capable of, notably reaching the German Masters and Wuhan Open finals in the past couple of seasons. I expect Si to kick on this season and land himself a ranking crown.

Michael McMullan  – Stan Moody

It seems almost inevitable that one or two Chinese players will suddenly emerge and do something special at some stage of the season, but in terms of moving up to the next level it could be the season for Moody. I’d actually say he’s progressed even faster than we might have reasonably expected when he first came to our attention a few years back, and he’s probably at that stage now where one really deep run could see him kick on in a major way.

Nick Metcalfe – Aaron Hill

It’s a sixth season on tour for the likeable Irishman and he’s making all the right noises about going up to the next level. The 23-year-old joined Phil Haigh and I on the Talking Snooker podcast recently and I was struck by his sheer ambition. He’s aiming for the top, no question. Fergal O’Brien is Hill’s coach these days, and what a man that is to have in your corner. Hill is in the world’s top 50 now, reached the German Masters quarter-finals this year and looks just the type to surprise us all with a really strong campaign. 

Star Player Of The Season

David Hendon – Judd Trump

This depends to a degree on your definition of star player. Kyren Wilson won four ranking titles last season and didn’t win Player of the Year. I think we take Judd Trump for granted too much, as if it’s just inevitable he will win three or four titles a year. What he’s done for the last few seasons has been remarkable. The other players certainly respect it. Based on the great run he’s been on you have to think that if anyone will win multiple titles, it will be him – but this doesn’t make it easy. There’s also an argument that whoever wins the World Championship is ultimately the star player of the year.

Phil Haigh – Zhao Xintong

After he cruised to a World Championship win it is hard to see Zhao not winning more trophies this year. He can forget about defending his title as the Crucible Curse will get him, but expect two, three or even more titles before that.

Shane MacDermott – Mark Allen

One of the game’s most consistent winners in recent years, the Pistol has all the attributes to have a big say during the 2025/26 season. His own harshest critic, one title and five semi-finals last term were not enough for Northern Ireland’s No.1 and he is desperate to keep adding to his title tally.

Neil Goulding – Judd Trump

There’s so many superlatives you can use to describe Judd – and all of them are richly-deserved. He dazzled last season with three titles and reached no fewer than three other finals and five semi-finals. His appetite for success – and to add to his 30 ranking titles – shows no signs of diminishing.

Michael McMullan – Zhao Xintong

We’ve seen quite a few first-time world champions retreat back into the pack when the following season begins, but the ones you expect to thrive on it generally do, and I’d certainly put Zhao in that category. If he wins another tournament early on, I could definitely see him winning a few more as the season goes on, much as Kyren Wilson did in the same situation last time round.

Nick Metcalfe – Kyren Wilson

It’s a bit Eeny, meeny, miny, moe this between Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson. I see no reason why the top two players of the 2024-25 season won’t be riding high at the top of the game again. I think I’ll lean towards Wilson. He beat Trump in three tournament finals last season after all, and in a funny way may feel he has a little something to prove again after his exit to Lei Peifan on the opening day of the World Championship. Trump is of course just a phenomenal star of the game, and I fancy he’ll win multiple titles yet again. But I reckon Wilson will win more.

World Number One At The End Of The Season

David Hendon – Judd Trump

It just feels like he’s too far in front to be caught, unless Kyren Wilson or Zhao Xintong won all of the really big tournaments. Even then, Trump would have to have a poor season.

Phil Haigh – Judd Trump

A boring answer, but Judd Trump is in a great position to hold onto his number one spot after big-money wins in Riyadh and York last season. He’ll win at least a couple of tournaments and go deep in many more because he always does, so will be tough to dislodge.

Shane MacDermott – Judd Trump

Judd’s been the standout performer for the best part of a decade on the World Snooker Tour. His lead at the rankings summit is well deserved and he still possesses an insatiable hunger for trophies. With closest challenger Kyren Wilson having to defend the £500,000 he pocketed at the 2024 World Championship, I cannot see anyone toppling the Ace in the Pack. 

Neil Goulding – Judd Trump

The Juddernaut loves being snooker’s number one – and with Ronnie O’Sullivan now in the twilight of his illustrious career, 30-year-old Trump is the perfect potter to pick up the Rocket’s mantle. Expect a battle with arch-rival Kyren Wilson for the moniker, but I expect Judd to prevail. He’s already miles ahead in the current stands and one-year list and a firm favourite to finish top of the pile again next season.

Michael McMullan – Judd Trump

Judd not only had a really good 24/25 season, he did well in the right events from a ranking point of view. With a good lead in terms of points carried forward, and no reason to believe his thirst for titles has dried up at all, why wouldn’t you back him to still be number one this time next year?

Nick Metcalfe – Kyren Wilson

It’s a tough one this. Trump won in Saudi Arabia last year and that sealed his place at the top for a long while to come. I’m conscious he could quite easily do that again and this question becomes redundant. But while I’m banging the Wilson drum, why not go the whole hog and say that Kyren will top the rankings come next spring. You just know from listening to him in interviews lately how much it would mean to him to be the world number one. He has obviously got a lot of ground to make up. But if anyone can do it…

What do I makes of these “predictions”? … well here goes

Half of the journalists in the “panel” chose Wu Yize as a candidate to win a maiden ranking title. I would love that but I’m not sure he’s ready just yet. He’s come close but in those tournament where he made the very latter stages I had the feeling that the occasion overwhelmed him a bit and that he wasn’t able to produce the level that got him there. He’s still very young, of course. Si Jiahui is a more likely candidate in my opinion. Neil Goulding’s choice is more “wishful thinking” than realistic IMO. I like Jack a lot but I have given up every hope that he will win an event, except, maybe, the Shoot-out.

Making predictions about the “surprise package” of the season is a bit of an “oxymoronic” activity IMO. If you can predict it, it’s not a real surprise… hum… I’ll pass.

“Star player of the season” should not be solely judged on results. By definition “stardom” is closely associated with being recognised and loved by the general public. Typically “stars” have some sort of charisma about them, some flair or charm that captures fans imagination. Judd and Zhao have that, Kyren and Mark (Allen) not really IMO.

As for ending the season as number one… well … Judd Trump, with 1193200 points is 471400 points ahead of the second player in the provisional rankings at the end of the season. Neil Robertson who is 6th in that same list is on 472 050 points in total. Ronnie, who is 17th has 194500, nearly a million points less than Judd. Let that sink … Judd may still be number one at the end of the season even if he doesn’t play at all. That illustrates the absurdity of the money list system.

Stephen Hendry’s Top Five

Monique opinion, Professional snooker ,

Stephen Hendry was asked about his snooker “Top Five” and here is his answer, as shared by WST:

Hendry Names All-Time Top Five

Stephen Hendry names his all-time top five players in the latest episode of Snooker Club podcast. Download the episode NOW on Apple, Spotify, Linktree or wherever you get your podcasts.

Seven-time World Champion Hendry was asked to pick his top five. He said: “I’ll put Ronnie O’Sullivan top, obviously because of the success he has had, but also for his cue ball control which is the best I’ve ever seen. 

“He is an artist with the cue ball, I love watching him making breaks, maybe when the black and pink are out of commission and there are balls on cushions, when he is at his best he still finds a way to clear the table. Also his safety game – he never plays a safety shot plain ball, he is always using side to manipulate the cue ball. And under pressure, his bottle is unquestionable. 

“After that, it’s very close between Mark Williams and John Higgins, I’d prefer to have them joint second. I’ll go with Mark just because of his recent record against John at the Crucible. He is a freak of nature, he has the best temperament of any sportsman I have seen. He maybe hasn’t got the cue power of others, but he has great touch and he is just a brilliant potter. 

“Third is John – maybe the greatest match player of all time. If I had to pick a player to clear up from 50 behind with five reds left, I’d take John. He has made over 1,000 centuries and his scoring is phenomenal.

“Mark Selby is fourth, he is one of all time greats. In terms of ball striking, not many are above him, the work he gets on the cue ball. He has the tactical game and he can win when not as best. I hated playing him, he’s so tough. 

“In fifth could be Judd Trump because of what he has won and his centuries, but he only has one world title. So I’m going for Steve Davis based on his utter domination of the 1980s. People will say that the players weren’t as good back then, but I don’t care. He’d still be in the top 16 today. He was the ultimate winning machine and I learned a lot from him.” 

Stephen Hendry (2).jpg

Judd will not be happy. He will say that he treats every event with the same respect and all credits to him for doing that but the World Championship with its longer format remains the benchmark by which a player is judged by someone like Hendry and one can’t argue with the fact that it poses a unique challenge.

The 2025 Tour Championship Day 5 and some more thoughts about the Ronnie situation

Monique opinion, Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament, Talking point , ,

Yesterday, John Higgins beat Barry Hawkins to book his place in the 2025 Tour Championship final.

Here is the report by WST:

Higgins Into 58th Ranking Final

John Higgins remained on target for a second ranking title within five weeks as he enjoyed a superb 10-7 victory over Barry Hawkins in the semi-finals of the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship.

From 5-5, Higgins pulled away to win five of the last seven frames, making three centuries to come out on top of a high quality contest. The Wizard of Wishaw is into the 58th ranking event final of his career, just six short of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record of 64. He will aim for a 33rd ranking title when he meets Mark Selby or Ding Junhui on Sunday at Manchester Central, with first to ten frames to capture the trophy and a top prize of £150,000.

After winning the Players Championship in 2021, Higgins went four years without a ranking title, and feared his days at the top table were over, particularly as he struggled to get over the line at the business end of key matches. But landing silverware at the World Open in China last month has made all the difference for the Scot, who turns 50 in May. One of the all-time greats, Higgins is now playing outstanding snooker, mixing heavy break-building with his granite tactical game, and most importantly he is finishing matches strongly. In this form, he will be one of the leading contenders at the Crucible. 

Having shared the afternoon session 4-4, Higgins took the opening frame this evening with a break of 66 to lead 5-4, before Hawkins levelled with a 125. The Englishman had two scoring chances in frame 11 but managed only 12 points and Higgins punished him with 73. Early in frame 12, Hawkins went for a thin cut red to centre but completely missed the object ball and went in-off, handing Higgins an opening which he took advantage of with a sumptuous 144 total clearance, his best of the season and the new target for the £10,000 high break prize.

A safety exchange with two reds on the table in frame 13 was resolved when Higgins escaped from a snooker but left Hawkins the opportunity to clear and close the gap to 7-6. A superb 130 from Higgins restored his two frame cushion, then he dominated a fragmented 15th frame for 9-6.

A missed red to centre was costly for Higgins in the 16th as his opponent made 99 to claw one back. But Hawkins’ break-off in frame 17 left a red close to a centre pocket, Higgins swept over the line with a 107.

“I would love to win this one and be a multiple champion this season, before we go to Sheffield,” said four-time Crucible king Higgins. “In the first session, Barry was hitting the ball well and looking superb, if he had gone 4-2 up he then could have gone 5-3 or 6-2, he was freezing me out. I was delighted to be 4-4, then I knew had to play better tonight, and I thought I played great.

“It was an amazing atmosphere, it reminds me of Alexandra Palace on a smaller scale. It’s an incredible venue and Manchester is a great city. I’m sure Sunday will be even better and I can’t wait.“

Hawkins, who had knocked out Shaun Murphy and Judd Trump, said: “It was a good match, I just had a few loose shots and John punished me heavily, he looked at the top of his game. It has still been a good week but I am disappointed right now.“

It was a good match but I’m deeply unhappy about the outcome. Those who know me, or read this blog regularly, know why. And, no, that’s not going to change ever unless new elements come to light that radically change my perspective on what happened in 2010.

Regarding the second semi-final, due to be played today, I don’t have a “favourite”. I like both players. I would be delighted to see Ding lift the trophy tomorrow but I think that Mark Selby is better equipped to stop Higgins.

Some more personal thoughts on the Ronnie situation …

This is nothing new but for clarity, here is what Ronnie said about his plans, as reported by the BBC :

“I don’t know yet. I haven’t made my mind up, I’ll probably make a decision on maybe 17 or 18 April,” O’Sullivan said on TNT Sports.

“I don’t know when I’m due to play my first match, so I’m going to try and leave myself as much time as possible.

“I’d love to be able to go there and play. I’d love to be able to have the confidence to be able to get my cue out and go and play snooker.

“I just need to give myself as much time as possible to see where I’m at with it, and see whether it’s something I’m going to be able to do.“

…

“It’s been a real struggle,” he added. “I’ve tried to play my way through. I’ve had moments and glimpses where I thought: ‘OK, this is OK.‘

“But on the whole, probably three-and-a-half years out of the last four have been pretty terrible for me and that’s kind of took its toll.

“I kind of got a bit tired. It kind of ground me down to the point where I kind of lost the love for the game.

“That’s why in January, I snapped my cue just in temper, in frustration. I don’t really want to feel like that, so I’ve taken time out. I am just gonna try and fix what I think is the problem before I come back to play serious snooker again.”

So? Ronnie won five titles last season and still feels like he’s been awful for the best part of the last four seasons? That may sound crazy but that’s what depression does to those who suffer from it and it rarely really goes away completely. Mark Selby has been open about that as well. Also, in my opinion, the collapse of his 13 years long relationship with Laila Rouass hasn’t helped. People close to them have reported that, despite the difficulties, there was still a lot of love between them. I’m not sure that, if true, this is making things easier. When a relationship ends in acrimony and bitter resentment, it’s ugly, but it makes it easier to walk away and start anew.

For me, the situation is this: Ronnie is struggling with depression, badly, and feels unable, psychologically, to cope with the demands of his sport. Also the huge expectations that always weigh on him whenever he plays aren’t helping. If that’s the case, not playing is the sensible decision, and definitely far better than walking out mid match like he did at the 2006 UK Championship against Hendry. Nobody wants to see that again.

Many fans are complaining and brandishing the “what if there is an empty session?”. I understand their concerns but as seed number 5, Ronnie is likely to be scheduled to play his first session on the third or fourth day of the tournament, or even earlier but that has happened only once recently. That leaves a bit time for WST to deal with the situation IF necessary. Usually, during the first week, most sessions feature a match that is in its first session and one that is in its second session. When one table “finishes”, the curtain is lifted and the whole Crucible can watch the other table. The only possible “disaster” scenario would be that the match due to finish during Ronnie’s scheduled “first session” is so one sided that only a couple of frames remain to be played. It could happen, of course, but it doesn’t happen that often and given the quality of the qualifiers this year, I would be surprised if we had many one-sided matches in the first round this time.

David Hendon speaks about what he saw from Ronnie at the CLS, and his withdrawal from the Masters

Monique opinion, Professional snooker tournament, Snooker, Talking point , ,

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.

And, yes, it’s a concern.

Snooker News – 8 January 2025 … and more rant

Monique opinion, Professional snooker tournament, Snooker ,

The 2025 Championship League Snooker Invitational continued on Monday and yesterday with Group 2.

The group was won by Si Jiahui, and Jak Jones, the runner-up made his first professional 147.

Here is the report shared by WST:

JONES JOINS 147 CLUB, BUT SI WINS GROUP

Jak Jones made the first official maximum break of his career at the BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational on Tuesday, however he finished runner-up in Group Two to Si Jiahui.

…

Jones’ perfect break came in the third frame of a 3-0 victory over Chris Wakelin during the group phase, in which he also made breaks of 81 and 119. Wakelin failed to score a single point in the fixture as Crucible runner-up Jones showed his break-building calibre. It’s the 209th maximum in snooker history and seventh of the 2024/25 season so far.

China’s Si finished top of the group table with five wins out of six, followed by Ali Carter, Jones and Wakelin who all notched three wins. In the semi-finals, Si came from 2-1 down to beat Wakelin 3-2, making breaks of 94 and 77 in the last two frames. Jones saw off Carter 3-1.

Welshman Jones took a 2-0 lead in the final, but Si stormed back to 2-2 with runs of 101 and 94, then got the better of the decider to book his place in February’s Winners’ Group. Before that, the 22-year-old can look forward to a debut in next week’s Johnstone’s Paint Masters, and Si will head to Alexandra Palace full of confidence with a series of wins under his belt.

Group Three gets underway on Wednesday with World Champion Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan joining the action.

Broadcast Information
Fans can watch the action unfold globally, with comprehensive live coverage available on two tables throughout the tournament. Table One will be streamed live on the Matchroom Pool YouTube channel and available to UK viewers as well as on Rigour in China and Viaplay in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and Iceland. Table Two will be streamed live on the Matchroom Multi Sport YouTube channel, accessible to fans worldwide.

All results are available on snooker.org.

I’m coming out once again regarding WST “broadcast” information… and It’s not just about this event. I live now in Greece. Table 1 is geo-blocked in Greece despite the fact that there is no other way to watch it without a vpn. Next week the Masters will be played. Again I will have no means to watch it without a vpn. We have a television, with 40+ different channels available but only BBC news is part of the available packages. 1HBOmax is now the replacement platform for the ES player … but again, I need a vpn to use it because it’s not available in Greece. Vpns don’t come for free and you must know how to set them up. Over the last years WST policies, and broadcasters policies have made it increasingly difficult and costly for me to watch the snooker. IF the people in charge at WST really want the sport to be truly “global” and grow in new regions, these policies have to change. They won’t develop a growing interest in the sport if more and more people are prevented to watch it unless they have some IT stuff knowledge and are willing to pay. Quite the opposite, they will lose viewers in places were it used to be easily accessible.

  1. Some more channels are available via satellite TV. However, on top of the associated costs, there are restrictions on that too. In most traditional villages, satellite plates are not allowed. ↩︎

Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry assess Ronnie’s form and motivation ahead of the UK Championship

Monique opinion, Professional snooker ,

Steve Davis

‘So be it’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan claim made as snooker legend gears up for UK Championship

Ronnie O’Sullivan is bidding to win a record-extending ninth UK Championship, with snooker legend Steve Davis admitting that different rules apply to the Rocket.

By Nick Murphy

Steve Davis has dismissed any doubts over Ronnie O’Sullivan’s drive and determination as he aims for a ninth UK Championship crown.

The Rocket has skipped several tournaments this season, including the Wuhan Open, the British Open and the Northern Ireland Open, all due to medical reasons. He’s since returned to the baize at the International Open and the Champion of Champions, ahead of his latest appearance at the Barbican.

Davis isn’t the slightest bit worried about O’Sullivan’s hunger as he looks to add another UK Championship trophy to his collection, two decades on from his first. And he’s suggested the Essex potter, who takes on Barry Hawkins in the first round in York, is in a league of his own when it comes to managing his tournament schedule.

“I think it’s worked well for Ronnie the last couple of years he’s been doing it,” Davis revealed in our UK Championship snooker preview, out now. “He doesn’t have anything to prove, so he doesn’t need to play in every event. There is a problem with getting enough ranking points so that he stays at the top end of the game.“

“I don’t think Ronnie would want to be in a situation where he has to qualify for the Crucible. He has to play in events to stay in the top 16 if that’s still a motivating force. But different rules apply to Ronnie, he’s absolutely paid his dues within the game,” reports the Express.

“It’s not that he doesn’t love the game. He’s been playing for so long and it’s incredible what he’s done, but if he doesn’t want to play in events because he’s got other things to do or that makes him stronger in the main events then so be it.“

Davis continued: “I think that’s great. The worst thing is if you’re playing events because you feel like you have to and you’re just going through the motions. That’s not the right mental state to be turning up in a tournament for, you’re unlikely to get the best out of yourself.“

Although the World Championship isn’t until well into 2025, the conversation inevitably shifts to O’Sullivan’s pursuit of an eighth snooker title. Davis doesn’t think that surpassing Stephen Hendry’s record is O’Sullivan’s primary driving force, despite how much he’d love to achieve the milestone.

“I do feel that he’d love to get an eighth, that would be something that would give him a buzz,” Davis concedes. “But in order to do that you’ve got to remain relevant and competitive. If it is the case that it’s the only thing on his mind, it would be difficult to play for the rest of the season.“

“It’s proof that he’s still entering tournaments that he still loves the game.”

Stephen Hendry

Stephen Hendry issues blunt Ronnie O’Sullivan verdict ahead of UK Championship defence

Stephen Hendry has given his verdict on Ronnie O’Sullivan’s chances of enjoying more Triple Crown glory as The Rocket prepares to begin his defence of the UK Championship

By Mark Whiley

Stephen Hendry insists it would be “stupid” to write off Ronnie O’Sullivan at the UK Championship.

By his own admission, The Rocket’s powers are on the wane and he has skipped several tournaments already this season, citing medical issues. However, it’s still less than year since O’Sullivan won eighth titles at the both the UK Championship and Masters, taking his overall Triple Crown tally to an incredible 23.

An eighth world title, which would see him go out on his own ahead of Hendry, continues to elude him and looks less likely as each year passes. However, Hendry argues that more major tournament success for O’Sullivan cannot be ruled out if he can get somewhere close to his brilliant best.

“On his day, when he plays his best, he’s still the best player in the world,” Hendry told Mirror Sport ahead of tournament, where he will be on punditry duty for BBC.

“But those unbelievable performances are becoming fewer and farther between. It would be stupid to write him off because if he plays at his best, he will do it [win the big tournaments]. But there’s no doubt it’s going to get harder the older he gets.

“You’ve got Judd Trump, who’s turning into a winning machine and Kyren Wilson is having an incredible season as world champion. There’s so many great players out there. If Ronnie plays his best, he probably still is the best player. But he doesn’t do it that often.”

With other interests in the game, Hendry, who retired for a second and final time earlier this year, feels O’Sullivan’s competitive juices have faded. The five-time UK champion added: “He’s always looked at other things beyond [competitive] snooker.”

“He’s got an academy in Saudi Arabia, he does a lot of exhibitions in China which makes him a lot of money. So maybe the competitive side is not as high up in his priorities as it used to be.

“It’s going to be interesting to see if he apples himself to tournaments likes the UK Championship, the Masters and the World Championship.”

Personally, I have no great expectations. I expected Xiao Guodong to cause Ronnie problems in the CoC and was proved right. That said Ronnie played better than I expected and Xiao went on to reach the final. So, maybe, that defeat isn’t as significant as I thought it was right after that match.

Barry Hawkins is a very, very solid match player but hasn’t a great record against Ronnie. We can only wait and… hope.