Essex favourite Ali Carter defeated Mark Williams 9-6 in the BetVictor English Open final in Brentwood to land the seventh ranking event win of his career.
The Captain, who is a qualified pilot, defeated Ding Junhui in yesterday afternoon’s first semi-final and had some unorthodox preparations for today’s title match. Carter took to the skies and flew his plane in the evening, whilst Williams was slugging it out in a classic last four clash with Shaun Murphy, which he won 6-5.
Carter’s previous triumph came at the BetVictor Championship League in Leicester back in 2024, but this is his first full knockout ranking title on English soil. It was greeted with joyous scenes in front of a delighted near capacity crowd in his home county.
Victory for Carter sees him pocket the £100,000 top prize and get his hands on the Steve Davis Trophy for the first time. He skyrockets from 25th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings to 16th, putting him in line for automatic qualification for snooker’s Triple Crown events. Williams moves from ninth up to eighth position.
Defeat means 51-year-old Williams is denied the chance to beat his own record as snooker’s oldest ever ranking event winner, which he set aged 50 at last year’s Xi’an Grand Prix. However, he does become the oldest ranking event finalist in 40 years, since Rex Williams competed in the 1986 Grand Prix title match.
They came into this evening with Williams holding a 5-3 advantage, but Carter hit back quickly when play resumed. Breaks of 64 and 57 restored parity, before Carter claimed the 11th to lead for the first time in the match at 6-5.
Williams strung together a run of 60 in the next to make it 6-6, but Carter immediately regained the initiative by winning the 13th. He then claimed a tense 41-minute frame, after depositing a clutch green to the right-hand centre to go 8-6 up and one from the title.
With the finishing post in sight, Carter surged over the line with contributions of 38 and 54 to claim victory. He clenched his fist in celebration after securing a momentous win.
“It doesn’t feel real at the moment. It hasn’t really sunk in,” said 47-year-old Carter. “I’ve not won as many titles as someone like Mark Williams, but it is great. The boys know I can play, that is for sure.
“In all my ranking events I’ve never beat one of the all-time greats in the final, to do that today makes it extra special. Not being detrimental to the other players I’ve beat it has been lower ranked players than me. To play Mark Williams and win in front of my home crowd is a dream come true.
“I was flying my aeroplane last night. I was getting in it, running the check list, starting it up and going out flying for half an hour. I was getting away from it all. That was nectar for me.”
Williams said: “I tried my best. I played alright in patches. I didn’t play too well tonight, but Ali put pressure on me and I didn’t handle it very well. He deserved to win. It was a great game and I enjoyed it. I tried my best. The crowd has been unbelievable all week. The conditions have been good, tough at times, but good. Well done and good luck to Ali.”
I have nothing to add really. I’m not Ali’s biggest fan because of a few things he did and said in the past, but then, of course, I did and do not know what kind of personal challenges he may have been facing at the time. He fully deserves this win and huge praise for it.
Flying his plane at night may seem a bizarre way to prepare for a snooker final, but, it is an exhilarating experience, I suppose, and one that reminds you of both your frailties and your strengths. One of the books that most fascinated me as a teenager is “Vol de nuit” by Antoine the St-Exupéry, written in 1931, and it’s, among other things, about a pilot, Fabian, working for Argentine’s airmail, who is caught in a cyclone, and, unable to control his plane, knowing he won’t reach his destination and land, decides to use his last fuel to fly higher , above the cyclone turmoil, and experiences a final moment of absolute and complete peace whilst facing his own death in a stunning star studded night sky.
There were a few upsets in the first round of the 2026 Englisg Open, a round that concluded yesterday.
Notably, Zhao Xintong lost by 4-2 to Oliver Lines, Neil Robertson lost by 4-3 to 25 years old rookie on tour Luo Zetao, Ross Muir got the better of top 16 member Xiao Guodong and 18 years old rookie Wang Zinbo beat Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, ranked 17th, by 4-2.
2019 World Champion Judd Trump admitted that only a week ending with silverware can be deemed a successful one, after getting his BetVictor English Open campaign underway with a 4-0 win over Jordan Brown in Brentwood.
The Ace in the Pack has enjoyed a winning start to the season after lifting silverware at the Shanghai Masters. However, he recently lost his world number one spot to 2025 Crucible king Zhao Xintong.
31-time ranking event winner Trump was visibly frustrated after suffering a 6-3 loss to eventual winner Jak Jones in the semi-finals of last week’s British Open. However, breaks of 87 and 68 helped him ease to a bounce-back win this evening. Next up he faces Ashley Carty.
“Any time you can win as comfortably as that is good. You want to save as much energy as possible. This is a busy part of the season. We’ve been playing pretty much every week for the last month and a half. You want to conserve energy and breeze throughout the opening rounds,” said 37-year-old Trump.
“It is a difficult sport to play because nine times out of ten you are going to go home unhappy every week. There are a lot more lows than there are highs in snooker. It is difficult but I think I’ve got better at managing it. I feel a lot of the time I’m not at my best so it can be disappointing. This season I feel pretty good so it hurts that much more when you do lose.“
Weshman Mark Williams reaffirmed his desire to continue competing indefinitely after scoring a 4-3 win over Thailand’s Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon.
Fellow Class of 92 members Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, who aren’t competing this week, have recently discussed their plans to step away from the sport in the coming years. However, Williams says he has no plans for hanging up his cue.
51-year-old Williams said: “The other two have said they are going to finish in a couple of years, I’m going to be carrying on for whatever it is. I’ll be playing as much as I can.
“I’ll be playing in the amateur game or anything. You don’t have to worry about me. The other two, my compadres, say they will retire in a couple of years and that is good news for the rest. I’m going to carry on, even when I go down the rankings.
“We aren’t the players we used to be. John is nowhere near as good as he was. Ronnie is a patch on what he used to be. They put a time limit on it and I’ve accepted I’m nowhere near as good as I was.“
Last week’s losing British Open finalist Mark Selby scored a narrow 4-3 win over Ricky Walden to seal his progression. Next up the Leicester cueman faces China’s Zhang Anda.
Jamie Clarke was a 4-3 winner over David Gilbert, while Barry Hawkins overcame Lyu Haotian 4-2.
Mark Williams stance may surprise some but there is a story behind it. When, in 2014, he lost in the World Championship qualifiers, he felt very low and wanted to retire. His wife, Joanne, told him firmly that this wasn’t an option, that there is only so much golf he can play and that she wasn’t having him “sitting around the house” all day, day after day. Mark listened to her and his resurgence as a top player was/is remarkable. He always gives Joanne credit for it as well.
Oliver Lines scored a stunning 4-2 win over world number one Zhao Xintong in a day of shocks at the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.
…
It’s a first victory for the Yorkshireman against China’s first ever World Champion Zhao, with their only other meeting at the 2022 Welsh Open ending in a 4-1 defeat. Recent times have seen Lines working alongside coach and former German Masters winner Anthony Hamilton.
In what was a high quality affair this evening, 31-year-old Lines stood up against a fine display of break building from his illustrious opponent. Zhao composed contributions of 102 and 100 to leave the tie locked level at 2-2. However, it was Lines who made 71 and 84 to take the next two frames and book his place in the last 32 against Yuan Sijun.
“You know you have to raise your game. You try not to think about it, but you know if you don’t play somewhere near your best then you are going home,” said world number 53 Lines.
“When you come away it is nice to have a coach in your corner that really wants you to win. When I was going back to my seat I could see him in the corner of my eye just giving me a nod of encouragement.“
Chinese tour rookie Luo Zetao scored a surprise 4-3 win over world number four Neil Robertson to seal his progression.
25-year-old Luo earned his place on the circuit earlier this year thanks to his performances on the CBSA Tour. Robertson came within a match of the world number one spot in Wuhan last month, losing a winner-takes-all clash with Zhao. He joins him in an early exit this week.
Luo top scored with 112 in today’s win and will now face compatriot Gong Chenzhi, who overcame former European Masters winner Jimmy Robertson 4-3.
2024 World Champion Kyren Wilson scored a 4-1 win over Poland’s Mateusz Baranowski to book a mouth watering clash with Wuhan Open winner Chang Bingyu.
Wilson said: “It was quite hard as he is a really lovely lad. I just met him and he was saying how excited he was and that this was his first time on the TV table. I had that in my mind, but you have to be ruthless, focus on yourself and I managed to finish the game off quite strongly.“
Strangely missing from this report is the match between Zhou Yuelong and Stan Moody. Moody was 3-1 up in this match, and at the MSI, neither player had scored a 50+ break. Then, after the MSI, Zhou won the next three frames to win the match, and between them, him and Moody, they scored five breaks over fifty in the process … don’t ask, I didn’t see the match 😳. And maybe it’s not that strange that it’s missing from the report as it finished quite late. It wasn’t the last match to finish on the (next) day though … the last match, that finished just one minute later, saw Joe O’Connor whitewash Florian Nūssle in a match that feature no break of note.
Jak Jones enjoyed the best moment of his career as he stunned Mark Selby 10-6 in the final of the Unibet British Open.
…
Former Crucible finalist Jones knocked out Judd Trump in the semi-finals on Saturday and again proved that he relishes the big occasion as he outplayed four-time World Champion Selby in an enthralling contest in Cheltenham.
From 5-5, Cwmbran’s 33-year-old Jones pulled away to win five of the last six frames to land the Clive Everton Trophy and a top prize of £100,000. Selby has a formidable record in ranking finals having won 26 of his previous 39, but this time it was his opponent who showed class and composure in the concluding phase.
The result continues a fabulous start to the season for Jones as he won his first title in July at the Championship League, and now becomes the 46th player in snooker history with multiple ranking crowns to his name. He jumps from 31st to 22nd in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings and flies up to third on the one year list.
Highly promising in his junior days, notably winning the European under-19 Championship in 2010, Jones has moved gradually along snooker’s long learning curve, but now has the experience and self belief to beat the toughest opponents. His run to the World Championship final in 2024 was a huge leap forward, despite defeat to Kyren Wilson, and the Welshman is now breaking new ground.
This week’s superb run has come despite distractions at home as his wife Inna is due to give birth to their second son within the coming days. Seemingly unflappable under pressure, Jones has maintained his focus on the table all week and can now enjoy the celebrations.
Selby had looked to build on his best ever start to the season having won the China Open three weeks ago, but misses out on a 27th ranking title. After a trio of events in the Far East and then 4-3 scorelines in each of his first three matches this week, perhaps fatigue caught up with the 43-year-old and he uncharacteristically faded in the last session. Banking £45,000, he moves up from fourth to second in the rankings, behind only Zhao Xintong.
Tied 4-4 after the first session, Jones took the opening frame tonight with breaks of 44 and 30, then Selby hit back with a run of 100 for 5-5. For the sixth time, Jones went ahead, compiling a break of 65 in frame 11, and Selby looked set to level again until he overcut a routine red to a top corner on 66 in the 12th. It came down to a safety exchange on the green and Jones laid a tough snooker, creating the chance for him to clear and gain daylight for the first time at 7-5.
Trailing 56-45 in frame 13, Jones potted the penultimate red from long range but was unlucky to see the cue ball drop into a centre pocket, and Selby capitalised to halve his deficit. In the next Selby was 18-13 down when he under-hit an awkward black to a top corner, playing with the extended spider rest, and Jones punished him with 53 for 8-6. Soon Jones was three up with four to play thanks to a run of 62.
Early in frame 16, Jones potted six reds with blacks before a tricky red to centre on 48 hit the far jaw. Selby clawed his way back, taking it to the colours, but a tough final green stayed out, and that proved his last shot as Jones slotted in green, brown, blue and pink.
“The Championship League felt good, but obviously this is a completely different level, it’s a major tournament,” said Jones. “I’m over the moon. I felt I dragged Mark down a little bit throughout the day. I just kind of battled away and made a few 50 and 60 breaks. But to beat someone like Mark, who’s an all-time great and has won everything in the game, is incredible.
“It’s definitely the best day of my career. Winning a ranking event is better than coming runner-up in a World Championship. To finally win a big tournament like this – I thought it might not happen. It’s an unbelievable start to the season for me, so I’m buzzing. It has been tough for 15 years, I have been battling away but haven’t really achieved that much, so to start winning titles feels amazing.”
Selby said: “Jak played great from start to finish, he scored well and his safety was good. He was the best player on on the day. I felt it was only a matter of time before he started winning titles.“
Jak is due to play in the 2026 English Open this afternoon, but, likely, he will now turn most of his attention to his family as his wife, Inna, is due to give birth to their second child in the coming days. I’m wishing the whole family the very best. I hope that Inna has an easy delivery and, above all, that the child and the mother come out of this healthy and well. Nothing else really matters much in such moments. I’m sending the whole family my very best wishes. 🙏
Both semi-finals today will feature a former World Champion and prolific ranking events winner against a far less experienced1 opponent as Liam Highfield will play Mark Selby and Jak Jones will play Judd Trump, although Jak of course has reached the final at the Crucible, but he also currently has other things on his mind with the imminent birth of his second child. Let’s just hope that he doesn’t need to abandon the competition mid match because baby has decided to show up a week earlier than scheduled 😉.
World number 69 Liam Highfield, who turned pro in 2010, reached a ranking event semi-final for the first time by beating Stan Moody 5-2 at the Unibet British Open.
…
Stoke’s 35-year-old Highfield will face Mark Selby over a possible 11 frames on Saturday from 1pm for a place in the final in Cheltenham. China Open champion Selby built on his fine start to the season by crushing Jack Lisowski 5-0.
Highfield’s career was at a crossroads in 2024 when he was relegated from the tour, but his enthusiasm for snooker did not waver and he regained his card a year later by winning the EBSA European Championship. Since then, with the help of experienced mentor Anthony Hamilton, he has shown the best form of his life, notably reaching the Crucible last season and making his first official 147 during the qualifying rounds of this week’s event.
And in Cheltenham he has conceded just six frames in his four matches, making three centuries and ten more breaks over 50. He took the opening frame today with a run of 73 before 19-year-old Moody – who was also seeking a first ranking semi – levelled with a break of 87. Highfield regained the lead with a 74 then dominated frame four for 3-1.
Moody got the better of a scrappy fifth, then frame six came down to a safety exchange on the final blue. Trapped in a snooker, Moody played a rash hit-and-hope escape, handing his opponent the chance to slot the blue into a centre pocket for 4-2. A run of 56 in the next proved enough for Highfield to continue his best week on the baize.
“It’s a bit surreal after so many years on tour, struggling away in the qualifiers, it’s nice to have a day in the sunshine finally,” said Highfield. “I’ve been playing well all week, pretty much all season so far. I’ve been scoring heavily and my safety’s been tight. When you’re doing those couple of things, if you pot the odd long ball, you’ve got a chance in every match.
“In the sixth frame, we were both feeling it at that stage in the match. He was trying to get back into it and I was trying to get two ahead. I settled down, got my chance in the last and got over the line. Any time I play Mark Selby I’d feel excited and nervous anyway, whether it’s a semi-final or any other match. So I’ll go out and try to savour it, and try to just play some snooker.”
Selby is into his 71st ranking event semi-final and remains on target for his second ranking title of the season and 27th of his career. The Leicester cueman took advantage of an out-of-sorts display from home favourite Lisowski today to score a comfortable victory.
A break of 82 gave world number four Selby the opening frame, and he added the second with 43 and 40. In the third he enjoyed a slice of fortune, escaping from a snooker on the last red and fluking a snooker in return. Lisowski failed to hit the red, left a free ball, and Selby took the chance to clear for 3-0. He added the next two with a top run of 64 as he maintained his superb recent record in this event, having finished runner-up 2023, lifted the trophy in 2024 and reached the semi-finals last year.
Four-time World Champion Selby said: “I felt better today than I did in my previous matches. The third frame was a big moment because he would have been back in the match at 2-1. I know what a talent Jack is and I had to keep him at bay so I tried not to take too many risks. If his shots are going in he’s a world beater, that’s the way he plays and he’s great to watch.“
Judd Trump may have relinquished the world number one position, but he gave a timely reminder of his enduring class with a 5-1 victory over new incumbent Zhao Xintong to reach the semi-finals of the Unibet British Open.
…
Trump had a two-year spell as top dog in the rankings until he was eclipsed last month by 2025 World Champion Zhao, and the Englishman admits he was highly motivated tonight to land a blow on his rival. He was by far the superior player as he marched into the last four of this event for the first time. On Saturday from 7pm he will face Jak Jones over a possible 11 frames – the 76th ranking semi-final of Trump’s career and he is hoping to win a 32nd title. He’s also aiming for a second trophy of the season having landed the invitational Shanghai Masters last month.
Breaks of 101 and 57 helped Trump to a 2-0 lead before Zhao pulled one back with a run of 100. China’s Zhao failed to pot a ball in the next two frames as his opponent compiled runs of 51, 54 and 72 for 4-1. In frame six, Zhao had the chance to start a fight-back, but he missed an awkward pink to centre on 18, and Trump’s break of 49 sealed the result.
“It was a big game, I have not been that up for a game for a while,” said 37-year-old Trump. “You always have something to prove when someone takes the limelight and you want to prove to everyone you’ve still got it. I wouldn’t say it was a grudge game, but there was a bit more on the line than normal.
“Sometimes I need that kind of rivalry, or someone there just to really get me back on the practice table and get that determination back. When you get older and you’ve been around so long, you can be a bit flat. These are the kind of games you can really get up for.
“I always enjoy being the underdog and I could feel that inside today. It’s always nice to beat the player that’s number one. The atmosphere tonight was much better, there was a lot more cheering and support out there.“
Jones got the better of a fierce battle against Aaron Hill, winning 5-4 to reach his fifth ranking semi-final. The world number 31 from Cwmbran made the perfect start to the season by winning his first ranking title at the Championship League and is now just two wins away from a second.
After losing the opening frame, Hill took the next two with breaks of 63 and 67, and he had a clear chance in the fourth but missed the final green to a baulk corner and that allowed Jones to square the tie at the interval. A run of 94 from Jones put him 3-2 ahead and he snatched a 45-minute sixth with a 35 clearance.
Hill took the next two frames in just 17 minutes with breaks of 47 and 78 to set up the decider, and he had first scoring chance but made just 14 before missing a red to a top corner. Jones, who was runner-up to Kyren Wilson at the Crucible in 2024, spotted a four ball plant and executed it perfectly, enjoying a slice of fortune as he landed position on the pink. The 33-year-old Welshman went on to make 70 to clinch the tie.
“It was really tough, Aaron is such a good player,” said Jones, whose wife Inna is due to give birth to their second child next week. “We were both under pressure. It was a big frame to go 2-2 when he missed the green because my head was gone at that point. Then from 4-2 he started walking around the table with confidence, so I was very happy to get the chance in the decider and make a good break. Judd has been the best player of the last ten years so it will be very difficult.”
I watched the Highfield v Moody game and one could see that both players were feeling the pressure as none of them has that much experience in matches of such importance. Clearly working with “the Sheriff” has been beneficial for Highfield. Anthony Hamilton may not be everyone’s cup of tea but he’s a very, very knowledgeable person when it comes to snooker2, and is very clever on and off the table. He probably wouldn’t be the best coach for a young aspiring player, but Liam has been on and around the tour for years and is mature enough to be able to fully benefit from “Ants” advice.
I mean experienced at the semi-finals stage of a ranking event ↩︎
and not just when it comes to snooker BTW, he’s a bit special but very clever ↩︎
Judd Trump has never been past the quarter-finals of the Unibet British Open but hopes he can improve that record this week and he started strongly by coming from 2-0 down to beat Dylan Emery 4-2 in the opening round in Cheltenham.
For the first time in two years, Trump comes into an event without the world number one status, having been knocked off the top of the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings by Zhao Xintong last week. Down to number five, Trump may feel he can keep under the radar with less pressure and get back to winning ways as he seeks a first title in seven months.
Underdog Emery started well tonight with breaks of 107 and 125 in the first two frames, but Trump stormed back to take the next four with a top run of 111.
“Overall I played OK,” said Trump, who now meets Ricky Walden in the last 64 on Wednesday. “I don’t know what it is about this tournament but I have never done that well. I had a good game against Shaun Murphy in the last 16 last year and just missed out, otherwise in this event I have played poorly. I’m trying to rectify that. In this format you have to get off to a quick start otherwise you’re under pressure.
“I like the random draw for this event, it adds more excitement for people watching on TV. There are good match-ups early on and the draw can open up for players further down the rankings. Personally in any tournament I never know who I’m playing until my brother tells me when I’m about to go on. In the past I would sometimes look too far ahead in the draw and that got me into trouble. So now I don’t look until the last minute and try not to think about who I’ve got.”
Murphy made a strong start to the defence of his title as he saw off Reanne Evans 4-0 with top breaks of 63 and 87. Mark Williams, short of sleep having returned from the Wuhan Open just hours earlier, was thumped 4-0 by David Gilbert.
World Champion Wu Yize edged out Liu Hongyu 4-3 while John Higgins top scored with 92 in a 4-1 win over Hossein Vafaei. Chris Wakelin came from 3-1 down to edge out Luca Brecel 4-3, while Kyren Wilson enjoyed a 4-1 success against Florian Nuessle.
Mark Selby made a 126 in the deciding frame to beat David Lilley 4-3, while world number two Neil Robertson went down 4-1 against Pang Junxu.
Local favourite Jack Lisowski came through a dramatic opening test against Mitchell Mann at the Unibet British Open, winning 4-3 on the final black to reach the last 32.
Lisowski lives in Churchdown, just a few miles away from Cheltenham Racecourse, and the popular potter is sure to draw plenty of support if he can forge a deep run this week on home turf. He was pushed all the way by last year’s quarter-finalist Mann but finished strongly to set up a tie with Ishpreet Singh Chadha in the third round.
“It’s always good to play in front of my home crowd and it would be amazing to win it,” said Lisowski, who landed his first ranking title at the Northern Ireland Open last season. “I’m playing OK but I know I’ll have to get better.”
After losing the opening frame, Lisowski made a 104 for 1-1, then Mann compiled runs of 75 and 71 to go 3-1 ahead and he had chances to seal victory but couldn’t take them. Breaks of 88 and 53 helped Lisowski recover to 3-3, then in the decider he trailed 64-34 but laid a snooker on the last red which set up the chance for a 33 clearance.
Liam Davies enhanced his reputation as one of snooker’s best young British talents as he beat Barry Hawkins 4-2. The 20-year-old Welshman knocked out Ding Junhui and Gary Wilson on his way to the last 16 of the recent Wuhan Open, and he took another scalp tonight as breaks of 91, 64, 74 and 95 helped him to a fine win over world number ten Hawkins.
“I’ve been working with the psychologist Dr Tom Bates and that has really helped me keep the right attitude in matches,” said Davies. “When I get into positions to win I am trying to take them in one chance rather than scraping over the line. It’s a massive part of sport, particularly in snooker when you have a long time sitting in your chair and negative thoughts can creep in.”
Kyren Wilson enjoyed an impressive 4-1 win over Crucible king Wu Yize, while Zhang Anda edged out Chris Wakelin 4-3 after getting the better of a safety battle on the last red in the deciding frame.
Championship League winner Jak Jones was in superb form in a 4-0 win over last year’s runner-up Anthony McGill, knocking in breaks of 118, 131, 53 and 84. Chang Bingyu, who landed his first ranking title just three days ago at the Wuhan Open, kept his hot streak going with a 4-1 win over Chatchapong Nasa.
Ding Junhui fired runs of 86 and 82 in a 4-0 defeat of Sean O’Sullivan, while Elliot Slessor enjoyed a 4-1 success against Jamie Clarke. Thailand’s Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon came from 3-1 down to beat Ali Carter 4-3, making a 76 in the decider.
Iulian Boiko scored the best win of his career so far as he beat Ding Junhui 4-1 to reach the last 16 of the Unibet British Open in Cheltenham.
Ukraine’s gifted Boiko is into the random draw for the last 16, with that round to take place on Thursday evening. It’s his deepest run in a ranking event, other than an appearance in the semi-finals of the Shoot Out last season.
“It’s by far my best win. To beat a legend of the game like Ding, it’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Boiko, who scored breaks of 67, 51 and 55 during a fine performance at the Centaur Arena.
“I found something in practice a month ago. I started playing really well and scoring heavier, which is really important in today’s game. I have been working on the tactical side for a couple of years, but now it’s time to work on my scoring. My position wasn’t great today, but I potted everything to keep the breaks going. There are still things I can improve, but maybe I can play even better.
“I love this venue. The atmosphere is great, it’s nice to play in front of the fans in a big arena, and it feels different to the qualifiers. It’s really inspiring, especially to play with someone like Mark Selby on the next table. If I can beat Ding, then I can beat anyone if I play well.“
Local favourite Jack Lisowski scored his second consecutive 4-3 win as he thrilled his fans with a fabulous fight-back from 3-1 down against Ishpreet Singh Chadha, storming through the last three frames with breaks of 91, 120 and 112.
Mark Selby played all 14 of a possible 14 frames in his two matches today but came through with two 4-3 victories. The China Open champion edged out Lei Peifan 4-3 in the morning session, making a break of 72 in the deciding frame, then in the evening he knocked out Jackson Page with a top break of 113. Selby has now won his last 18 best-of-seven frame matches in this event, nine of those by a 4-3 scoreline.
Wuhan Open champion Chang Bingyu saw his winning sequence ended by a 4-1 defeat against Jak Jones, who fired breaks of 111 and 72. Latvia’s Artemijs Zizins reached the last 16 of a ranking event for the second time as he saw off He Guoqiang 4-1.
Earlier in the day, defending champion Shaun Murphy was beaten 4-2 by David Gilbert, who knocked in breaks of 117, 78, 65 and 87. He now meets Liam Davies in the last 32 on Thursday afternoon. Judd Trump saw off Ricky Walden 4-2 with a top run of 96 and now faces Elliot Slessor. John Higgins edged out Noppon Saengkham 4-3 to earn a tie with Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon. World number one Zhao Xintong saw off Daniel Wells 4-2 – his next opponent is Michael Holt.
I haven’t much to add. The event is actually not that easy to “follow” … especially for someone living in Greece. A lot of short matches, played in parallel, and a very late finish too. It was nearly 3h 30′ this morning here in Greece when the last of “yesterday”‘s matches finished … just as well it ended on a 4-0 score… 😉. And no, I didn’t stay up to watch it.
O’Sullivan fights to cure ‘disease’ that has plagued his game
Xinhua, September 1, 2026
Seven-time snooker world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan says he has a “disease.”
It is not a medical diagnosis. It is how he describes a technical problem he has spent nearly four years trying to cure, one he says has robbed him of the power, direction and confidence that once made him the dominant player in world snooker.
“I call it a disease because it feels like the method that I took on has ruined me,” the 50-year-old said after reaching the semifinals of the World Snooker Wuhan Open last week. “I‘ve got no cue power, got no sense of direction. I don’t know where the balls are going.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan of England competes during the first round match between Ronnie O’Sullivan of England and Liu Linhao of China at the World Snooker Shanghai Masters 2026 in Shanghai, east China, July 27, 2026. (Xinhua/Chen Haoming)
His latest withdrawal from the British Open, which begins Monday in Cheltenham, came for medical reasons. But just days earlier in Wuhan, O’Sullivan was still wrestling with the technical problem that has increasingly defined this stage of his career.
Last Thursday, in an all-English quarterfinal against four-time world champion Mark Selby at the Wuhan Open, O’Sullivan fell 2-0 behind before winning three frames in a row. Selby leveled at 3-3, but O’Sullivan finished the match with breaks of 80 and 129 to win 5-3.
Sky Sports called it “his most impressive performance of the season yet.” O’Sullivan called it ugly.
“To be honest, I don’t really have much hope to regain the kind of level that I was at before,” he said at the news conference afterward. “But as it stands, it’s pretty ugly out there for me, and maybe ugly for you guys to watch me play.“
The next day, the difference between what O’Sullivan saw and what others saw became even more striking.
In the semifinal, he faced China’s 24-year-old Chang Bingyu, whom he had coached about a decade ago.
This time, O’Sullivan seemed to lose his connection with the table. Several important shots caught the edge of the pocket and bounced away. At one point, a frustrated O’Sullivan swung his cue through the air, then sat down and shook his head. He eventually lost 6-3.
“Just embarrassing,” he told Xinhua. The “disease” in his game, he added, had “come back big time.“
According to O’Sullivan, the problem dates back six years. At 44, he could have relied on decades of experience and continued playing largely as he always had. But he didn’t. Instead, he decided to learn a technique called “SightRight,” a coaching method designed to help players align their eyes correctly with a shot.
“A lot of people kind of thought it was good,” O’Sullivan said. “It kind of turned against me after three or four years of doing it. So I’m trying to unlearn that, which is really hard to do.”
For most players, experience is supposed to provide something to fall back on when a shot goes wrong. But O’Sullivan said he has lost that safety net.
“As a player, you always have some anchors to hang onto,” he said. “I used to have four or five where if one wasn’t working, I’d try another one, and then that would just get me going. But at the moment, I just have nothing. I haven’t for four years, so it’s just been like a nightmare.“
O’Sullivan has not won a ranking title since January 2024. His seventh world championship came in 2022. Before Wuhan, he had won only one match at each of the Shanghai Masters and China Open this season. He even described himself as a “very poor snooker player.”
Yet there are contradictions in that diagnosis. A player who says he has no sense of direction remains No. 14 in the world, while a player who calls his own technique ugly can still beat some of the biggest names in the sport.
For Wuhan spectator Chen Can, the O’Sullivan he watched was very different from the player O’Sullivan described.
“He beat Carter 5-2, downed Yao Pengcheng 5-1, knocked out Maguire 5-2 and defeated Selby 5-3,” Chen said. “I feel he still has it. His attacking game is still smooth, and he can adjust quickly when he is in trouble.“
Some British fans commenting online offered a simpler diagnosis, saying O’Sullivan “can’t cure it. It’s called ‘age’.”
But O’Sullivan does not buy that explanation. At an age when many players have long since retired, he is still taking his game apart and trying to rebuild it.
“I’ve been trying to do it for a year. I thought I was there, but I wasn’t, and now I’m kind of back to the drawing board,” he said.
He has also sought advice from Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry, who told him they continued playing for perhaps a decade after entering similar slumps.
“I give myself 18 months, maybe, to get into the 2028 world championships, to see if I can get somewhere back to how I used to hit the ball,” he said. “If I hit the ball half decent, then I can still win tournaments.“
An eighth world title in 2028 would give O’Sullivan the outright record for modern-era world championships, moving him beyond Hendry’s seven.
“I’ll try my hardest,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
I had wondered for some time when this would come out. I eventually did. Not that I knew anything, but Ronnie has always been an instinctive player and trying to “rationalise” his game” was always unlikely to work well for him. I hasn’t.
Also, the “sightright” method was all the rage a few years back from now but It seems to have disappeared from the headlines for some time now, and I haven’t heard any player mentioning it nor have I spotted Steve Feeney at any event for quite a while.
Hopefully Ronnie can rediscover his fluency and starts enjoying his snooker again. Win or loose … but just rediscover joy in his game.
