Snooker exhibition

2023/24 Peak Showdown Exhibition in Lhasa – Day 2

Monique Snooker, Snooker exhibition ,

Ding Junhui came back from 5-1 down to beat Ronnie by 6-5 at the Peak Showdown exhibition today.

Congratulations Ding!

Here is the trophy ceremony. Ronnie didn’t look disappointed or unhappy in any way. It seems that there was a good crowd in attendance.

Without sound but… beautiful traditional dresses …

And thank to Kalacs, the last two frames before the MSI. Ronnie scored a 80 and a 119 to lead 3-0.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QGyRVchFg2A

And the last balls of the match…

Both players had recovered from altitude sickness and were feeling well. The presenter – a Chinese version of Johnny Depp 🤔 – had introduced Ronnie as the “39 ranking event winner” … the fans on Weibo were not impressed.

It transpired on Weibo that there had been plans to stream the exhibition, but it wasn’t possible because of contractual restrictions. Once again, I don’t understand. This is an exhibition, absolutely nothing is happening on the Main Tour, the Seniors Tour or the Q-Tour during the New Year extended week-end. What harm would it do to authorise it?

And of course … on this first day of 2024, I’m wishing all of you, and those dear to you, the very best for the year ahead: health, peace of mind, success in your endeavours and joy in your life!

2023/24 Peak Showdown Exhibition in Lhasa – Day 1

Monique Snooker, Snooker exhibition ,

Ronnie and Ding are in Lhasa, Tibet for a two days exhibition.

Today, both professionals faced amateurs, who had come through a qualifying event to earn the honour to play legends of their sport.

In the afternoon, Ronnie played the runner-up of the qualifying event, Geng Yuan. Ronnie won the match by 5-1, despite struglling with altitude illness. Nice to se Zhou Ying in the white gloves there.

A nice shot by Ronnie, particularly appreciated by the fans
A 83 by Ronnie to lead 3-1 at the MSI
Ronnie appreciates his opponent’s skills
The end of the match

Ronnie suffered from altitude sickness and needed oxygen after the match

But still signed autographs …

If Weibo’s automatic translation is to be trusted, Ronnie was in tears at one point. Must have felt really sick

Ding Junhui played the winner of the qualifying event, Wu Jinduoji, in the evening. He won easily, by 5-1.

A great 134 by Ding in frame 5.
The end of the match.

Tomorrow evening (in Lhasa), Ding and Ronnie will play each other. Hopefully, Ronnie will feel a bit better.

28 December 2023 – Wynn Macau Masters – Semi-finals … and more exhibitions’ news

Monique Snooker, Snooker exhibition ,

It’s semi-finals day in Macau…

In the afternoon match, Mark Williams beat Judd Trump by 6-2.

I didn’t find much details about the match. Mark Williams had a century of exactly 100, and finished the match with a one-hand shot. 😊 Mark youngest son, Joēl, who shows some very promising talent at snooker tried himself at the table and stated that he wants to play in the event next year … the future is bright! 🙂

Ronnie was sat in the audience and watched the game

In the evening match Jack Lisowski beat Marco Fu by 6-2

Jack Lisowski made a dream start and lead 3-0. Although Marco Fu subsequently scored breaks of 89 and 95 to reduce the gap to 2-3, it was in vain: Jack won by 6-2 and advanced to the final where he will face Mark Williams. (according to CCTV Sports on Weibo)

In an interview with CCTV after his first round win over Ronnie, Marco Fu revealed that his daughters are learning to play snooker. He insisted on the importance to attract more kids to snooker and for young players to find enjoyment in their sport.

Mark Williams and Jack Lisowski will compete in the final tomorrow for the £150,000 championship prize! Not bad eh?

Some information about the exhibition in Lhasa, Tibet

Ronnie and Ding will head to Lhasa, capital of Tibet, for an exhibition.

There will be three matches played actually.

On December 31st 14:30 (local time): Ronnie O’Sullivan vs qualifying event runner-up Geng Yuan
On December 31st 19:30 (local time):Ding Junhui VS qualifying event champion Wu Jinduoji
These matches will be best of 9 frames.

On January 1st, 2024 19h30 (local time): Ding Junhui vs Ronnie ·O’Sullivan
This match will be best of 11 frames.

The city is at an altitude of 3,656 m. That’s very, very high. Ding already hinted at the fact that he might suffer from “altitude sickness”. Altitude sickness is caused by ascending too rapidly, which doesn’t allow the body enough time to adjust to reduced oxygen and changes in air pressure. Symptoms include headache, vomiting, insomnia and reduced performance and coordination. Ding already hinted at the fact that he might play quite slowly… Ronnie may suffer as well of course… and really should avoid smoking while he’s there.

27 December 2023 – Wynn Macau Masters – Day 2 – Group B

Monique Snooker, Snooker exhibition ,

Afternoon match – Jack Lisowski beat Kyren Wilson by 6-2

It was an extremely high scoring affair! Here is the report by CCTV (google translation)

Wynn Macau Masters – Lisowski feels hot and advances to the semi-finals

Source: CCTV | 2023-12-27 16:26:15

　　CCTV News: On December 27, Beijing time, in the third focus match of the quarterfinals of the “Wynn Presents-2023 Macau Snooker Masters Invitational”, Lisowski defeated Wilson 6-2 and became the third player in this tournament. A player who has advanced to the semi-finals, Mark Williams and Trump have already advanced.

　　Game 1 (0-101): Lisowski started well, scoring 101 points on a single stroke to take away the game, with a total score of 1-0.

　　Second game (0-128): Lisowski was in hot form, but still did not give Wilson any chance to win directly with 128 points in a single stroke again, with a total score of 2-0.

　　The third game (8-125): Wilson had the upper hand at the beginning, but when hitting the pink ball, he tried to explode the red ball pile but used too much force and handed the ball to Lisowski who still maintained his touch. Fiery once again directly took away the game with 125 points in a single stroke, with a total score of 3-0.

[Picture] Wynn Macau Master Selisovsky feels hot and advances to the top 4

　　The fourth game (34-102): After a few tentative shots at the beginning, Wilson, who was lagging behind, seemed to be inspired to hit many beautiful shots in a row, and received bursts of applause from the scene. However, Lisowski, who was in hot form, once again broke 100 in a single stroke and won the game. The total score was 4-0 and entered the intergame break.

　　The fifth game (153-0): Lisowski’s condition dropped after the break, but Wilson hit a single shot of 143 to regain the game, with a total score of 4-1.

　　Game 6 (7-91): Both sides made frequent mistakes at the beginning, and then entered a tug-of-war. But in the end it was Lisowski who won the game, with the total score coming to 5-1.

　　Seventh game (130-0): Entering the match point game, Wilson recovered and scored 130 points in a single shot to regain the victory again, with a total score of 5-2.

　　Eighth game (7-120): After adjustments, Lisovsky finally broke 100 in a single shot again and won the game with a total score of 6-2!

The players had a short practice together before the match

And some pictures of the match from the same source:

Evening Match – Marco Fu beat Ronnie by 6-2

In evening match, Marco Fu started very strongly. He scored breaks of 100, 101, and 101 to lead by 3-0. Ronnie himself scored breaks of 136 and 115 but that’s as good as it went for him. Marco Fu eventually won comfortably by 6-2 and advanced to the semi-finals where he will face Jack Lisowski.

Ronnie’s 115 break in frame 7

More to come when available…

Also, it transpired that Ronnie isn’t just a player there in Macau, he’s in fact one of the event’s promoters, with more events to come …

I very much doubt that WST will be happy with that and I wonder how they will react.

26 December 2023 – Wynn Macau Masters – Day 1 – Group A

Monique Snooker, Snooker exhibition ,

Two matches were played today at the 2023 Wynn Presents Macau Masters.

In the afternoon match, Mark Williams beat Si Juahui by 6-3.

Mark Williams started strongly and lead 3-0. In frame four, Si scored a break of exactly 100 to go into the MSI 3-1 down. Willo’s domination continued after the MSI and he won the match by 6-3.

In the evening, Judd Trump beat Ding by 6-1.

In the evening, it’s Ding Junhui who got to the better start. He scored a break of 72 points to win the first frame. From there though, Judd Trump took complete control of the match. He won the next 6 frames and scored breaks of 100, 106, 106, 114, defeating Ding Junhui 6-1.

Trump will play with Williams for a place in the final on Thursday (28 December 2023)

All the pictures above were shared on Weibo. The pictures of the Trump v Ding match were taken by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Jinjia.

I have also added more pictures and videos to yesterday’s post

24 December 2023 – More exhibitions’ news and results

Monique Snooker, Snooker exhibition ,

Mark Selby has won the 2023 Melco Style Presents Macau Masters, beating Ali Carter in the final.

Congratulations Mark Selby

All the results are on snooker.org

and here is the Final, filmed by a spectator from 2-2 on. Thanks Kalacs!

Here are some images of the event, shared on weibo:

Tomorrow, the 2023 Wynn Presents Macau Masters will begin with an exhibition match between Ding and Ronnie.

Today, the launch of the 2024 Wynn Hong Kong Masters took place. The event is scheduled for March 2024.

Some quotes emerged on weibo

Jack Lisowski: “I have good friends living in Hong Kong, so it feels like home… Hong Kong is my favorite city. Although I also like Sydney, I prefer Hong Kong. ” He also pointed out that he knew that the Hong Kong Masters held at the Coliseum last year was full of people. “It is the most atmospheric table tennis competition. Table tennis is very popular in Hong Kong. I can’t wait to participate. My goal is to win“.

Ronnie: At yesterday’s press conference, O’Sullivan revealed that he particularly likes to visit Asia, and believes that both the promotion of events and the attitude of fans are better than those in the UK: “The events in China have done a good job in publicity, and you will feel It’s a special game; but games in the UK always feel not very special. I want to participate in the best games …“

Ronnie traveled with his friend Robin Huxley, who often accompanies him at events and has also invited another friend, Pete Cohen. Pete is a mind coach who helped Ronnie during some of the most difficult periods of his career, notably between 2002 and 2004. Pete also supported Ronnie during the 2007 Masters. Pete shared this video on his facebook page, with this comment:

🎤 Christmas With The Rocket 🚀, Ronnie O’Sullivan in China 🇨🇳Being in the presence of Ronnie O’Sullivan, also known as “The Rocket,” is truly a privilege. His unmatched skills, precision, and strategic gameplay are a sight to behold. I witnessed firsthand the level of dedication and passion he brings to the game of snooker when I worked with him a few years ago. His humility and down-to-earth nature are truly remarkable, making this experience even more memorable.I am grateful for the opportunity to spend time with Ronnie O’Sullivan at Christmas as this is first during the festive period as my wife passed away earlier this year.

As for now… it’s Merry Christmas to all of you from me !

The 2024 German Masters Qualifiers and more about exhibitions in China

Monique Professional snooker tournament, Snooker, Snooker exhibition ,

The 2024 German Masters qualifiers finished yesterday and, with a slightly longer format, there weren’t that many upsets. All the results are on snooker.org.

Upsets

  • Ding Junhui lost by 5-2 to Yuan Sijun, despite Yuan being docked the first frame after the interval because he was late. I didn’t see the match, and Yuan is a very good player but that scoreline is really surprising.
  • Jack Lisowski lost 5-3 to Zak Surety. Zak is a solid player and played solid snooker. Jack was his inconsistent self. Brilliant at times, missing unexpectedly at other times. After all these years, Jack still has no B-game. His collaboration with Ebdon has – so far - not bring any improvement, rather the opposite. Someone on social media said that Jack has a “potting brain”, but not a “snooker brain”. Nail on the head.
  • Stuart Bingham was beaten by 5-1 by Liam Pullen. Stuart was not able to build any substantial break until the last frame where he had a 58, and even that wasn’t enough. Liam punished his mistakes and scored heavily. He had four breaks over 50 in the match. He impressed me. Stuart was playing without his glasses. It’s not easy to get used to glasses when you never needed them until your mid forties. Glasses change your perception of distances. But then. playing in a blur is no good either…
  • Gary Wilson lost by 5-4 to Scott Donaldson. Not really a big upset. Scott is a very good player and Gary had maybe a bit of a hang-over after his Scottish triumph. That match was decided on the last black.
  • Ashley Carty beat Noppon Saengkham by 5-2. Now, like Gary, I think that Noppon suffered from some fatigue after his efforts in Edinburgh. He won the first frame, but wasn’t at the races at all for most of the match. From 4-1 down, Noppon pulled one back and made a break of 65 in the next, only for Ashley – who reached the Crucible in 2020 – to steal it with a 75!

Interesting matches …

Which matches are interesting is, of course, a matter of personal interests and preferences. Here are mine

  • Si Jiahui beat Lyu Haotian by 5-4 from 4-0 down. This was a case of ”the MSI changing the course of the match” if there ever was one. Lyu completely dominated the first four frames, he scored breaks of 83, 64, 89 and 112 to lead 4-0. Si completely turned the tables after the MSI, winning the five last frames with breaks of 123, 87, 98 and 103. It was a scoring fest, it was strange and fascinating.
  • Ben Mertens beat Rory Thor by 5-3. This match was as hard fought as it gets. The were on table 4 and I guess the conditions weren’t optimal. There was on one break over 50 in the match, a 51 by Ben in frame 1. Every frame was scrappy and close. It was hard work from start to finish. This is not the kind of match young players relish. Most of them can’t handle it. Ben only turned 19 last October. It’s a very, very good win for the lad.
  • He Guoqiang beat John Astley by 5-4. He is a bit older than Ben, he’s 23, but he is in his first season. Beating a solid, experienced player like John Astley, is a very good result. It’s all the most remarkable because He trailed by 3-4 and forced the decider by winning frame 8 on a re-spotted black. To do that you need a good head and solid nerves. BTW, that frame, frame 8, was the only one in the match that didn’t feature a 50+ break. Great entertainment and quality.
  • Tian Pengfei beat Reanne Evans by 5-4, from 4-2 down. Now, I wanted Reanne to win this one and she was absolutely gutted to lose. Despite the loss, I’ll say that this is probably the best she’s played in a ranking match on the main tour as a professional. Tian is a seasoned pro, a very good player. Reanne pushed him really hard. I hope this gives her some confidence. It should, and the fact that she was so upset is also a sign that she really believes that she could have won this one. That’s positive.

Exhibitions in China…

The Melco Style presents Macau Masters is underway, the group stage was played to a finish and all the results are on snooker.org. There, you will also find the links to two short videos showing the last balls of John Higgins 147, and Mark Selby’s 147. Yes, they were seriously at it. Higgins nearly made two 147 on the day, he missed the last black!

Note that the event is neither televised, nor streamed. The videos were filmed by fans in the audience.

We already know that Ronnie and Ding will play in the Wynn presents Macau Masters. This will start just after Christmas. But there are posts on Weibo hinting at a Lhasa Peak Showdown Exhibition, played on 31 December 2023 and 1st of January 2024 as part of the “Ding Olympic Games” feast. That’s all I found about it for now.

Finally, it seems like the Hong Kong Masters will return in March 2024.

Here is the automatic translation of the article (with some correction by me were there were obvious errors1):

  1. Most notably and vey obviously, this will NOT be a table tennis tournament 😂 ↩︎

O’Sullivan will lead five major players to visit Hong Kong in March and join hands with Marco Marco for a decisive battle at the Queen Elisabeth Stadium

The “2024 Hong Kong International Snooker Stars Challenge” will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium from March 25 to 26 next year. A total of five world-class players, including “Rocket” O’Sullivan, will take part in the competition. At the same time, Hong Kong snooker star Marco Fu will once again perform in front of the home audience. The six players will also attend the tournament this Saturday (23rd), and it is expected that relevant details of the competition will be announced.

The event invited O’Sullivan, who won the UK Championship for the historic eighth time last month, “quasi-god” Zhuo Linpu, “golden left hand” Williams, British star Lisowski and Chinese supernova Si Jiahui, will come to Hong Kong to meet the host player Marco Fu and compete for the championship. In addition to Lisowski and Si Jiahui, the other three foreign players will visit Hong Kong again after the “Hong Kong Snooker Masters 2022”.

Last year’s Hong Kong World Snooker Masters attracted more than 8,000 spectators, setting a record for the largest attendance in the history of snooker. Marco Marco’s 147 break against Higgins in the final game of the semi-finals became a classic scene of the tournament. The championship was won by O’Sullivan after defeating Marco. Six players, including Marco Marco , will attend the tournament press conference in Tsim Sha Tsui this Saturday. They will then transfer to Macau to compete in the ” 2023 Macau Snooker Masters Invitational Tournament” that will last for four consecutive days on Christmas

This event is scheduled right after the World Open, so Ronnie might actually be motivated to play in the event… as he’s due to travel anyway.