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.
Ronnie was beaten 6-3 by Chang Bingyu this morning, and I can’t say I’m surprised. Chang has played very all week, and Ronnie hasn’t been anywhere near his best. Actually, the way he played, it’s an achievement that he reached the semi-finals … The little pen “magic” wasn’t enough today 😔 …
Chang Bingyu scored his first ever win over seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, prevailing 6-3 to make the final of the Wuhan Open.
The 24-year-old possesses a vast amount of talent and announced himself on the world stage last season. A superb run to the Scottish Open final saw him fall one match shy of a maiden ranking crown, losing out to Chris Wakelin. He also made 147s at UK Championship and World Championship qualifying to scoop a massive £147,000 bonus.
Chang’s previous two meetings with O’Sullivan had ended in defeat, losing 4-1 at the 2020 Scottish Open and 6-5 at last season’s Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. The Chinese cueman’s win today sees him progress to a second ranking event final.
Standing in the way of Chang and a maiden ranking crown will either be world number one-elect Zhao Xintong or back-to-back defending champion Xiao Guodong, who contest this evening’s second semi-final.
O’Sullivan exits after a week where he has admitted exasperation with his form due to what he describes as a “disease” within his game. However, despite his troubles he still managed to score wins over the likes of Stephen Maguire and Mark Selby.
After claiming the first this afternoon, Chang followed up with 73 to win the second before O’Sullivan replied with 82 to make it 2-1. The next frame saw O’Sullivan clear from blue to black to steal and head into the mid-session all square at 2-2.
When play resumed, Chang took the first two frames and establish a 4-2 advantage. O’Sullivan pulled one back but it was to no avail. Breaks of 69 and 48 saw Chang run out the victor and book his place in the title match.
Chang said: “Every time I play against Ronnie, it’s a pleasure. He probably wasn’t in the best form today, and I managed to take some of the opportunities that came my way. I think my safety play was probably better right from the start today, and I could clearly feel that my safety game was much better than it had been before.
“Last year in Saudi Arabia, I was 5-2 ahead but ended up letting him come back and win the match. My safety play probably wasn’t as good then as it is now. When I was ahead and he started pulling a few frames back, my mindset wobbled a little. Today I also had some of that, but I tried my best to stay calm.”
50-year-old O’Sullivan said: “The disease came back big time today. If I’m honest I don’t think I will ever get over it. I will see out the next 18 months and see how we go. I don’t want to throw the towel in just yet. I’ve committed to playing until then. I want to give myself a chance. I’d hate to finish my career on performances like that.“
Nobody goes on forever, and we, fans, must accept that. Me, as a Ronnie fan, I will try to enjoy his good moments in the future, knowing they may not come that often anymore, and I will cherish them all the more for it.
Wuhan Open Day Two: Zizins Conquers World Champion Wu
Latvia’s first snooker professional Artimijs Zizins scored the biggest win of his life so far, defeating World Champion Wu Yize 5-4 in front of a packed crowd at the Wuhan Open.
Zizins turned pro in 2024, when he successfully ran the Q School gauntlet at the first time of asking. The 20-year-old reached the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time in his career a few months ago at the World Open. He will now face Stephen Maguire to reach the same stage here in Wuhan.
A dramatic encounter this afternoon swung back and forth. Zizins made a brilliant start, crafting breaks of 58, 85 and 85 to lead 3-1 at the mid-session interval.
When play resumed, a three-frame burst from home hero Wu, which included breaks of 129 and 87, moved him one frame from victory at 4-3. However, Zizins showed his steel with 80 to force a decider.
A thrilling finale saw both players spurn opportunities to get over the line. Ultimately Wu failed to deposit the black whilst seeking position on the final yellow. Zizins cleared to the pink to secure a famous win.
An elated Zizins said: “There are no words for how I feel. I began on the World Snooker Tour two years ago, now I am playing the World Champion on table one in a full arena and winning. It felt unbelievable. I’m just beginning my journey and I was nervous. Hopefully I can experience this more and get better.“
2025 World Champion Zhao Xintong was in action on the other table in what was a bumper afternoon session of action, with over 3,000 fans watching on. He enjoyed contrasting fortunes to compatriot Wu, thrashing Gao Yang 5-0 to progress.
Zhao knows that if he can equal or better Neil Robertson’s performance this week, then he will put himself in a strong position to end the event as world number one. Robertson kept his own hopes alive with a 5-1 defeat of Ben Mertens.
For Zhao, breaks of 107, 118, 75, 82 and 67 helped him to victory this afternoon and set up a meeting with former Crucible finalist Jak Jones in the next round. Though he admits that is a lifelong target, he’s currently looking at things with a bigger perspective.
Zhao said: “When I was very young, becoming world number one was probably my biggest dream. But now that I’m at this stage of my career, I think it’s better to just let things happen naturally. If you play well and something is meant to be yours, then it will be yours.“
Current world number one Judd Trump knows he must win the title to stand a chance of remaining at the summit of the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. He scored a 5-0 whitewash win over Yuan Sijun this evening and now plays either Si Jiahui or Dylan Emery.
Seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan earned a hard-fought 5-2 win over Ashley Carty, but says he’s been missing producing his top form in recent times.
The Rocket recently admitted that the 2028 World Championship may be his last and has stated that his main remaining ambition is to capture a record-breaking eighth Crucible crown. However, defeats to Kyren Wilson at the Shanghai Masters and Noppon Saengkham at the China Open have meant both of his appearances this season have ended at the second hurdle.
The first two frames this morning were shared, before a break of 59 saw O’Sullivan steal the third on the black. He then dominated the fourth to lead 3-1 at the mid-session interval.
Carty pulled one back after play resumed, but he couldn’t build any momentum and 50-year-old O’Sullivan claimed the next two on the bounce to emerge a 5-2 victor and book a meeting with China’s Yao Pengcheng.
O’Sullivan said: “My performance was pretty bad really. You have to call it out. I’m not going to lie. I’m not going to try to delude myself and say there was some good stuff. It has been pretty bad for a long time, so I expect to play pretty bad every time I go out there. I know I don’t have anything to prove and that is what everyone keeps telling me. However, for my own selfish reasons I miss playing well and dominating the table, beating anyone who is in front of me. I miss that feeling, but there is nothing I can do about it.“
Regarding Ronnie’s match … here are the scores :
Whaterver Ronnie says, there was some good stuff in there, but, it can be denied, there were some really unexpected mistakes as well. Ronnie always sets very high standards for himself and, right now, he is is not able to play at the level he wants to play at. He looked extremely frustrated at times during this match, but he didn’t allow his frustration to “overpower” him and he tried his best from start to finish. That alone is a huge positive, and he deserves credit for it … but himself won’t see it that way of course, certainly not right after the match anyway.
Here are some images from that match, most shared on weibo.
Next for Ronnie is Yao Pencheng who whitewashed Jack Lisowski… with theese scores …
Well THAT looks seriously scary and if the guy can sustain that level … he should win a tournament soon.
Having written that … I haven’t seen the match, it wasn’t shown on HBO Max, and Jack, of course, plays a very open game. Safety is not his main strength and that’s an understatement 😎 …
All the same, it means that, in that form, Yao punishes most, if not all, of his opponents’ mistakes and scores heavily when in. That’s a worrying prospect for whoever has to face him.
And last but not least, as a mainland European snooker fan, I’m over the moon for Artimijs Zizins 🥰1
And I do like Wu Yize very much, I really do but … ↩︎
The Wuhan Open in China runs from August 23-29. All matches up to and including the quarter-finals are best of nine frames, the semi-finals are best of 11 frames and the final is best of 19 frames. All times BST.
Sunday 23 August
Round 1 (Held Over)
02:30 Hammad Miah v Wildcard #1 Gao Yang v Wildcard #2 Ben Mertens v Wildcard #3 Jiang Jun v Wildcard #4
Round 2 (Held Over)
07:00 Chris Wakelin v Jordan Brown Xiao Guodong v Wang Xinbo Mark Williams v Robbie Williams
12:30 John Higgins v Liu Hongyu Ding Junhui v Liam Davies Judd Trump v Florian Nuessle
Monday 24 August
02:30 Si Jiahui v Jiang / wildcard Neil Robertson v Mertens / wildcard Barry Hawkins v Miah / wildcard Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ashley Carty
07:00 Mark Selby v Fan Zhengyi Shaun Murphy v Alfie Burden Wu Yize v Artemijs Zizins Zhao Xintong v Gao / wildcard
Mark Selby won his first ranking title of 2026, and 26th of his career overall, as he came from 4-2 down to beat Noppon Saengkham 10-6 in the final of the China Open in Taiyuan.
Underdog Saengkham looked the stronger player in the early stages but crucially missed chances to take a first session lead, and Selby grew in stature as the day progressed. The 43-year-old from Leicester becomes the first player to win the China Open on four occasions and has now won a record eight ranking titles in China.
Banking a top prize of £250,000, Selby earns his first ranking title since the UK Championship last December and now lies in seventh place on the all-time list, level with Neil Robertson.
Most ranking titles Ronnie O’Sullivan 41 Stephen Hendry 36 John Higgins 33 Judd Trump 31 Steve Davis 28 Mark Williams 27 Mark Selby 26 Neil Robertson 26
Selby jumps from ninth to fifth in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings and could even climb to the number one position if he goes on to win the Wuhan Open later this month.
It’s a fantastic start to the season for Selby, who suffered a loss of form in the early part of 2026, culminating in a World Championship second round defeat in a scrappy affair against Wu Yize. The cue he had used for 20 years had seen its better days and the tip size had whittled down to 8.5mm. Over the summer, he decided to take the gamble of having a new cue made, with an increased tip diameter of 9.2mm. While he insists that he is still coming to terms with the switch, it has already paid dividends. Throughout the week in the Shanxi province he looked in control of his game and was rarely in danger of defeat, conceding just 13 frames in five matches.
Popular Saengkham was nicknamed the Dark Horse by Chinese fans as he enjoyed the best week of his career, knocking out Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Shaun Murphy and Zhou Yuelong to reach the final. The 34-year-old Thai couldn’t build on an early advantage today, but the £100,000 cheque is the biggest of his life and boosts him 18 places to a ranking of 27th. It’s his second defeat in a ranking final having lost to Gary Wilson at the 2023 Scottish Open.
Tied at 4-4 after the first session, Selby took the opening frame tonight with a break of 58. In the next he trailed 37-1 when he crashed in a long red and cleared with 90 to go two clear for the first time at 6-4, and he soon extended that advantage with a run of 69 in frame 11. Selby trailed 29-6 in a fragmented 12th, but when his opponent missed a long red he took the opportunity to construct an excellent 52 to lead 8-4 at the interval.
Having lost six frames in a row, Saengkham ended that sequence with a break of 71, and he had a golden chance to close the gap again in the crucial 14th but on 68, leading by 36 points, he missed the last red to a top corner. Selby laid two excellent snookers, the first to gain the penalty points he needed and the second to create the opening to clear for 9-5.
Saengkham continued to battle and a break of 61 pulled one back, then he had two early chances in the next but could muster only 27 points. A tactical exchange ended when Selby clipped in a superb pot on a red to centre, setting up a match-winning 57.
I have not much to add really. I watched the match “in chunks” … as the stream was regularly interrupted when my Internet stopped working, then rebooted 1… until the next interruption. This was extremely frustrating but I persisted. At least I could see the last balls being played … but not the trophy ceremony 🏆.
Noppon will be disappointed, of course, but he should be proud of what he achieved over the week.
Mind you, he played in this event as a qualifier and “only” beat three former World Champions in Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Shaun Murphy on his way to the title match.
Very well done Noppon, your time will come!
I have no idea why this happens but it’s been that way for about a week now. Maybe the island’s infrastructures aren’t strong enough when about 100000 tourists are added to the 15000 “locals”. Anyway… I will contact my Internet provider when the big “Marial” holiday is over. ↩︎
Tomorrow’s final at the 2026 China Open will be competed between Mark Selby and Noppon Saengkham. As of today, Mark has competed in 38 ranking finals, winning 25 of them. Noppon, on the other hand, has reached a ranking final only once before, at the 2023 Scottish Open, where he lost by 9-5 against Gary Wilson. The difference in experience between them is huge … a chasm actually. Needless to say, Mark is a huge favourite. But Noppon has shown so much heart and determination this week … Noppon you can do this!
Anyway … here are the reports by WST on the semi-finals
Noppon Saengkham made a magnificent total clearance in the deciding frame as he moved closer to a first ranking title by beating Zhou Yuelong 6-5 in the semi-finals of the China Open.
Thailand’s 34-year-old Saengkham is enjoying the best week of a pro career which started in 2010 as he knocked out all-time greats Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Shaun Murphy then kept his run going today by edging out China’s Zhou in a fierce battle. With the help of coach Peter Ebdon, Saengkham has found new belief and confidence, and his attacking style has paid dividends.
The world number 45 will face the biggest match of his life on Sunday when he takes on Mark Selby or Stuart Bingham, with first to ten frames to lift the trophy and bank the £250,000 top prize. Saengkham has reached just one ranking final before, at the 2023 Scottish Open when he was runner-up to Gary Wilson. He is already sure of £100,000, by far his biggest pay-day, and will leap 18 places to 27th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings if he loses the final, and could go as high as 17th if he wins.
Saengkham started strongly with breaks of 44 and 43 to take the opening frame, then compiled a run of 86 for 2-0. Zhou fought back by taking the third with breaks of 49 and 56, then he got the better of a scrappy fourth for 2-2. Frame five came down to a battle on the last red and Zhou was unlucky to go in-off into a centre pocket attempting safety, handing his opponent the chance to convert the red from distance and clear to regain the lead. In the sixth, Zhou led 51-8 when he under-cut a tricky red to a top corner, playing with the long rest, and again Saengkham punished him with a 56 clearance for 4-2.
A fragmented seventh went Zhou’s way, then in frame eight Saengkham trailed 26-19 when he knocked in a long red to set up a break of 56 for 5-3. A run of 99 from Zhou halved his deficit, then Saengkham had a match-winning chance in the tenth but ran out of position on 32 and had to watch his opponent make 74 for 5-5. Early in the decider, Saengkham stroked in a superb long red, then crashed into the pack off the black to open up the reds, and never looked out of position in a fantastic break of 134.
“Last night I couldn’t sleep, I went to sleep at 6am and woke up at 10am. I was thinking about everything,” said Saengkham, who won the world under-21 title in 2009. “At 5-5 I still believed I could do it, I just wanted one chance. From 5-3 I didn’t make many mistakes. I told myself that if I had one chance I had to go for it. You need a big heart if you want to win big.
“This is one of the biggest tournaments and it’s my first time to earn £100,000, or even £250,000 – it’s very big for me. Maybe it will buy a house in the UK. Hopefully tomorrow can be my day, it’s a big dream for me. I will need to make a good start because I will be nervous, I will have to control myself. If I play Mark Selby it’s a dream because he is my hero. But Stuart Bingham would also not be an easy game.“
Zhou, who is left waiting for a first ranking title, said: “I didn’t play particularly well at the start, and there were a lot of mistakes from both of us. When you keep making mistakes, it’s difficult to find your rhythm and really get into the match. He produced a century break at the end, which was not easy, and I hope he can go on to achieve a good result. Overall, he has performed extremely well in this tournament, and beating world champions one after another has given him a lot of confidence. These days, any player in the world’s top 32 is capable of beating anyone, it just depends on how consistent you are during the tournament.
“The form and level of all the Chinese players is very high at the moment, and everyone is competitive. It’s a little disappointing that there won’t be a Chinese player in the final this time, but everyone is improving and we can look forward to seeing how they perform in the upcoming events. When I was behind in this match, I didn’t panic. I never gave up and kept trying to play every shot as well as I could. That was important for me.“
Mark Selby reached his first ranking final in China for eight years as he beat Stuart Bingham 6-2 to set up a clash with Noppon Saengkham at the China Open in Taiyuan.
Selby is on the brink of becoming the first player to win the China Open on four occasions as he previously lifted the trophy in 2015, 2017 and 2018 and is currently tied with Mark Williams on three titles apiece. On Sunday he’ll take on underdog Saengkham, the world number 45, over a possible 19 frames with the silverware and £250,000 top prize at stake. The contrast in experience is underlined by the fact that Saengkham will be aiming for a first ranking title while Selby will be looking for a 26th, which would bring him level with Neil Robertson in seventh place on the all-time list.
Showing signs of the form which won him four world titles in his prime years between 2014 and 2021, Selby has conceded just seven frames in four matches this week to reach the final. The 43-year-old Englishman remains on target for a first ranking title since the UK Championship last December and he’s into a 39th ranking final – his first in the Far East since winning the 2018 China Championship.
Currently ranked ninth, Selby will move up to seventh if he loses the final and fifth if he wins, while victory would also bring him into the race for the world number one spot after the Wuhan Open.
Selby took the opening frame with breaks of 41 and 34 before Bingham levelled with a 130 – doubling his tally of centuries for the tournament. A run of 74 saw Selby regain the lead and he had a scoring chance in the next but ran out of position on 14 and Bingham took it with 36 and 42 for 2-2.
After the interval, Selby regained the lead with a 102, his fourth century of the tournament, then in frame six Bingham trailed 46-22 when he went for a risky plant on a red to corner and missed the target, gifting his opponent the chance to go 4-2 ahead. Selby got the better of a fragmented seventh frame to extend his advantage, and clinched the result on the next with a break of 72.
“I played ok tonight, not as good as yesterday but I didn’t do a lot wrong,” said Selby. “Stuart looked good up until 2-2, then after that the bits of run didn’t go his way. I seem to be punishing my opponent’s mistakes and you need to do that to compete for tournaments. I have hit the ball well and felt good on the practice table all week, and trusted myself out there.
“Noppon is in the final for a reason, he’s playing very well and he’s beaten Judd, Ronnie, Shaun Murphy and Zhou Yuelong. It will be tough. I played him the World Championship in 2020 and beat him 13-12 – he played unbelievably well over three sessions so I am expecting something similar to that. I’ll give it my all as I do in every match. It’s great to be back in a final here in China.“
Bingham, who had hoped to win a first title since the 2020 Masters, said: “I am disappointed but I didn’t take my chances and you have to do that against Mark. I enjoyed it and tried to play with a smile on my face but a few shots here and there didn’t go my way. I’ll take the positives from getting to the semi-finals but I wasn’t good enough tonight.“
I will be in Noppon’s “camp” tomorrow.
I know that some see me as a Selby hater. I DO NOT hate Mark Selby, actually I quite like him, and, above all, I admire him for how much courage he showed in adversity as a very young man, nearly a boy still. His mother left the family, left him behind, when he was only 8 years old. His father died when Mark was only 16. Mark had promised him that he would be a snooker World Champion one day. He kept that promise and more … But the way he played at times, especially in his early career, often made me want to pull my hair off. He was wearing his opponents out … and the watching fans with them too .
I just really like Noppon. I met him at tournaments, always polite, always amiable, always humble and nearly always smiling. If anything Noppon is too humble for his own good.
The 2026 Shanghai Masters concluded yesterday. Judd Trump won the title for the second time. In the final, he faced Kyren Wilson, the defending champion. Kyren will be disappointed not to have defended his title, especially after reaching the final. But he should be proud all the same as he came very close and defending a title is never an easy task nowadays.
This tournament is for the elite only and that makes the task even more difficult.
World number one Judd Trump won the Shanghai Masters for the second time in his career, overcoming defending champion Kyren Wilson 11-6 to claim the title.
Trump’s triumph avenges a 10-9 defeat at the hands of Wilson 11 years ago in the 2015 Shanghai Masters final. The tournament was a ranking event back then and was Wilson’s maiden title. It was only the pair’s third clash and marked an early chapter in what has proved to be a great snooker rivalry.
They’ve now played each other 26 times on the World Snooker Tour, with Trump’s victory today giving him a 14-12 advantage in their head-to-head record. Their previous meeting came in the 2025 Players Championship final, when Wilson prevailed 10-9.
Trump’s first victory in Shanghai came in 2024, when he beat Shaun Murphy 11-5 in the final. That came having lost finals to John Higgins in 2012, Wilson in 2015 and Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2017.
The result moves the Ace in the Pack’s invitational tournament tally to ten, which sits alongside a ranking title total of 31. However, with his projected end of season ranking sitting in sixth position, he will need to continue this form in the coming ranking events to retain top spot.
Trump looks well placed to do just that, having beaten World Champion Wu Yize 10-6 in the semis, whitewashed John Higgins 6-0 in the quarters and overcome Barry Hawkins 6-4 in the last 16.
Defeat for 34-year-old Wilson ends a gallant defence of his crown. Last year the Warrior overcame Ali Carter in the title match, but it wasn’t to be back-to-back wins. He leaves Shanghai having registered wins over O’Sullivan, Mark Williams and Zhao Xintong, which he will hope can serve as a platform for success this season.
The afternoon session was dominated by 2019 World Champion Trump, who emerged with a 7-3 advantage and a stranglehold on proceedings. He compounded Wilson’s troubles when play started this evening, taking the opener to move 8-3 ahead.
Wilson replied with a classy 103 break to reduce his arrears, before taking the 13th on the colours to trail 8-5. The next frame proved to be pivotal. It came down to the colours and Trump eventually deposited a mid-range brown and cleared to steal on the black. A break of 51 in the 15th then saw Trump again win on the black and move one from the win at 10-5.
A stunning break of 134 from Wilson kept the match alive. However, it was a short-lived reprieve. Runs of 34 and 43 from Trump in the 17th were enough to get the job done and secure the £210,000 top prize.
“He’s beaten me in the last few finals. It was nice to start the season in that kind of manner and get one over on him,” said 36-year-old Trump. “This tournament is amazing. I love coming to Shanghai. It is the first tournament of the year and it is a bit unknown how you are going to play.
“Especially with the challenge of Xintong and Wu Yize, this rivalry is important for us. I think Kyren struggled a bit in the ranking events last season. I did alright, but there are people just behind now. You want to show them that you are still the best in the world and it is important to be winning big events like this.
“I love being world number one. It is something I am very happy about. If I am going to drop down the rankings a bit, it is always nice to win these prestigious invitational tournaments like the Shanghai Masters.
“The last time I won Shanghai I had a great season after that. You need to win tournaments like this to test yourself against he best. It also gives you the most confidence if you do win them. It was important to get off to a good start. I’ve done that, I just need to do the rest now.“
Wilson said: “It should really have been 5-5 after the first session. That is how good Judd Trump is. If you give him a chance he will punish you and when he smells blood he goes for the kill. I made it too difficult tonight, but I kept fighting.“
As a Ronnie fan, I was disappointed to see him exit the tournament in the second round. Of course I was … but then, he wasn’t outplayed and went out to the defending champion and runner-up, Kyren Wilson. The worrying aspect of Ronnie’s defeat is how it happened, how he appeared to run out of steam in the last frames, and how physically unfit he looked. Lets hope he addresses those issues promptly because there wasn’t much wrong with his game itself for most of the match.
And I honestly don’t believe that moving to Dubai has anything to do with it. Similar “episodes” have happened throughout his career, when he was living in Essex. The worry though is that “coming back” becomes more difficult as players age. Fatigue is a factor and mental scars is another factor.
I would love to see Ronnie win another World title and definitively get ahead of Hendry, but, realistically, I don’t believe he still has it in him for a number of reasons., most notably because of the quality of the opposition. That said, we have been there before and he has proven us wrong…
As we say in french “tant qu’il y a de la vie, il y a de l’espoir.”
