Yesterday was the first day at the 2023 English Open and it delivered…

It is played in Brentwood, in Essex, a hot bed of snooker, and it attracted a huge crowd all day. This image was shared by Phil Haigh, probably taken from the media room or some place close to it above the arena.

There were quite a number of upsets as well …

Ronnie however wasn’t amongst the “upset cases” as, despite being injured and visibly in pain, he booked his place in the second with a 4-0 win over Andrew Pagett. My report about that match is here.

Here are the reports by WST:

The morning session:

Allen Equals Centuries Record

Mark Allen became the second player to win a best-of-seven frame match with four consecutive century breaks as he thrashed Mostafa Dorgham 4-0 on the opening morning of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.

Allen rattled in runs of 104, 127, 114 and 104 as he wrapped up victory in just 51 minutes. He becomes the only player to win a best-of-seven contest with four straight centuries, other than Neil Robertson who did so at the 2013 Ruhr Open. This is the second time that Allen has made four consecutive tons in a match, a feat achieved by only seven other players. The Northern Irishman goes through to face Wu Yize on Tuesday afternoon.

“I couldn’t have been any lower in confidence before I went out to play, I was hitting it sideways on the practice table,” said Allen, who won three ranking titles last season. “(Coach) Chris Henry was standing next to me and we were actually laughing about how far I was missing the balls by. It just shows the importance of going out with the right mindset, because I didn’t let that practice session get to me. My performance was pretty flawless.

“I have been low on confidence but I know I can still play the game. It has been a while since I won a tournament, I haven’t had that winning feeling since that World Grand Prix in January. I am getting found out when I come up against someone who plays very well. I had a good chat with my mental coach Paul Gaffney this morning which really helped, it freed me up.”

Ding Junhui is not expected to appear in any Wallace and Gromit movies but he did arrive in the wrong trousers this morning, before grinding out a 4-3 victory over Ma Hailong. China’s Ding turned up wearing his usual brown snooker suit with bow tie and waistcoat, having forgotten that in the BetVictor Home Nations Series, the dress code is black shirt and black trousers.  His friend was quickly despatched to Marks & Spencer on Brentwood High Street to buy the correct uniform.

By the time Ding was ready to play, he was late for the start of the match and had been docked the opening frame. The 14-time ranking event winner then fell 3-1 behind, but battled back to take the last three frames.

“I totally forgot that I needed a black shirt and trousers for this tournament,” admitted 36-year-old Ding. “My memory is not good! I didn’t think about it. Once I was playing I tried to just concentrate on the match. Luckily Ma’s safety was not that good and he gave me enough chances to win.”

Ding escaped the “upset” largely help by his young opponent who found it hard to “close” the match. Ma’s game deteriorated as the match went on. It’s never easy for young Chinese players to face Ding (and everything he represents for snooker in China).

There were two more matches played during that session: Robert Milkins beat Robbie Williams by 4-1 and Ryan Day beat Ashley Hugill by 4-2.

Afternoon session (minus the Ronnie part)

Sanderson Lam scored the best win of his career as he beat Neil Robertson 4-2. World number 73 Lam has enjoyed a fine start to the season having won at least one match in every ranking event so far, but today’s victory, on the main televised table, was a career highlight. Robertson, meanwhile, is yet to go past the last 64 of a ranking event this season and lies well outside the top 16 of the provisional end of season list.

Leeds-based Lam, who now meets Stuart Carrington, said: “It was a relief to get over the line, it was looking like 3-3 so I was proud of the way I finished the match. I was a bit lucky today that Neil wasn’t at his best, because he is a great player. I am practising hard on my weaknesses, and analysing matches that I lose. I am enjoying the game and winning gives you confidence.”

John Higgins edged out Marco Fu 4-3 in a contest which came down to the last five balls. Higgins got the better of a safety exchange on the green, potting it to to a baulk order and adding the points he needed to set up a tie with James Cahill on Tuesday morning.

Local favourite Ali Carter saw off Jamie Clarke 4-1 with top runs of 85, 128 and 62 while Ryan Davies won the battle of the English amateur wild cards, beating Bradley Cowdroy 4-2.

There were two more matches played in the afternoon. Surprisingly, no word in the above report on Jack Lisowski 4-1 win over Matthew Stevens. Less surprisingly, given WST UK centric nature, nothing either about Yuan Sijun 4-2 victory over Tom Ford.

Evening session

Lucky Luca Avoids Moody Upset

Teenage ace Stan Moody showed glimpses of his potential in the opening round of the BetVictor English Open and had chances to beat the World Champion, but Luca Brecel eventually came through 4-3 in a dramatic finish.

Tour rookie Moody, who turned 17 last month, came from 2-0 down to take three frames in a row, notably making a 121, the highest break of his pro career so far. At that point he had Crucible king Brecel on the ropes, and Moody had a chance for victory in frame six but missed a tricky red to a top corner on 30, allowing his opponent to level at 3-3.

A tense decider lasted 36 minutes and came down to a long battle on the colours. Moody trailed 42-46 when he made a safety error on the pink, handing a relieved Brecel the chance to pot it and progress to second round match with Andy Hicks on Tuesday afternoon.

“From 2-0, Stan played really well, the way he did that was incredible,” said Brecel, who has a chance to take over from Ronnie O’Sullivan as world number one this week, though he must at least reach the quarter-finals. “I had to dig deep and I was lucky not to go out because he missed a red at 3-2. I needed to find something.

“I have had a good start to the season, I reached the final in Shanghai and played well in Germany. I have just put a new tip on my cue and I have new chalk, I am trying to improve now.

“Stan has definitely got the talent, he did some great things today. I was impressed. If you are good enough you will make it, if you are not good enough, you will never make it. Sometimes I look at players and they change their diet or their lifestyle, but nothing happens. If Ronnie ate rubbish and sat on the couch all day, he would still win tournaments.”

China’s Liu Hongyu, another tour rookie, came from 3-1 down to beat Shaun Murphy 4-3. Liu trailed 57-0 in the deciding frame but battled back to take it with runs of 43 and 24.

Matthew Selt made it a clean sweep for Essex on day one in Brentwood as all three players from the county earned victories – following earlier wins for Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter. Former Indian Open champion Selt beat Michael White 4-3 in a high quality encounter which included two centuries and five more breaks over 50. Runs of 135, 54, 69 and 79 helped Selt into the last 32.

BetVictor European Masters champion Barry Hawkins saw off Anthony Hamilton 4-1 with a top run of 62. Judd Trump made a 102 in a 4-0 whitewash of Sean O’Sullivan, and now meets Scott Donaldson.

There were two more matches played that evening, imcluding another upset as Oliver Lines beat Kyren Wilson by 4-3. Ricky Walden also progressed win a 4-2 victory over Hammad Miah.

Stan Moody did indeed show very good things yesterday evening, partly aided though by a rather sloppy and inconsistent Luca. Obviously he can play. Whether he currently can cope with the grinders on the tour, I’m not sure, but that, of course, is normal for a 17 years old. It’s something most young professionals find difficult. Stan is still to win a match this season.

Meanwhile, on another table, another rookie, Liu Hongyu, sent Shaun Murphy – Stan’s mentor – out of the tournament. Liu is only 19, he is in his first year as a pro, just like Stan, but he has already seven wins to his credit, one draw and 4 defeats…

Ronnie beat Andrew Pagett by 4-0 in his first “ranking match” of the season, despite a lack of preparation and suffering from tennis elbow again…

These are the scores:

Here is the report shared by Eurosport:

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN BATTLES ELBOW PAIN TO BEAT ANDREW PAGETT AT ENGLISH OPEN …

BY BEN SOUTHBY

Ronnie O’Sullivan suffered the effects of his tennis elbow injury, but did not let it stop him from beating Andrew Pagett in the opening round of the English Open in Brentwood. However, 2021 champion Neil Robertson is out after his tournament came to a shock early end as he was beaten by Sanderson Lam. Mark Allen and John Higgins also progressed to round two.

Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Andrew Pagett 4-0 to reach the second round of the English Open in Brentwood, despite nursing an elbow injury.

Hours after winning a race against the clock to arrive in Essex in time following an exhibition match with Jimmy White in Hong Kong, the 2017 champion started his campaign brightly as breaks of 69 and 62 helped him progress.

Following his whitewash win, O’Sullivan opened up on the severity of his tennis elbow issue to Eurosport’s Alan McManus.

O’Sullivan began to visibly struggle with the pain in the fourth frame and was relieved to put an end to the match as soon as possible.

“That’s the first shot I felt it,” O’Sullivan said as he reviewed one of his power shots in the final frame. “Until then it was alright, and then I thought ‘here we go’.

“A couple of times I had to play a shot with power, long red, and I was just like ‘eugh’. I was trying to squeeze it and do the exercises which you’re supposed to do, but I was happy to just get over the line.”

O’Sullivan pipped a tight opening frame, which Pagett had for the taking until he accidentally went in-off when firing home a difficult brown, paving the way for O’Sullivan to step in and remove the blue.

Pagett returned to the table needing a snooker and both remaining balls but, following a short tactical battle, O’Sullivan delicately potted the pink to put the frame to bed.

With that, Pagett’s chances always looked poor. 

O’Sullivan mustered a break of 69 to take control of the second frame and it was the same story in the third as O’Sullivan raced ahead to quell any hope of a Pagett comeback.

The Rocket would have been pleased to have wrapped up the fourth frame as quickly as he did as the elbow pain started to increase, as he benefitted from some sloppy Pagett play. 

O’Sullivan will have a day’s rest before facing Jackson Page in the second round on Wednesday.

The first frame was really poor from both. Pagett of course is not that used to play on the television table and, as we know, Ronnie didn’t have the best preparation. Knowing that he had that exhibition in Macau, and wanting to minimise the risk of his cue be being damaged, delayed or lost in transport, he had left it in China. To his own admission he had barely practiced, and of course he only arrived back in the UK in the morning. Ronnie though improved significantly from frame 2 on, without playing anywhere near is best. There were signs already that he might not be 100% right as he massaged his arm a few times. In frame 4, he played one power-shot that clearly put him in a lot of pain. He managed to finish the match, but clerly, as he said “It’s no good” …

Here are two videos shared by Eurosport on their YouTube Channel

And here is the report by WST … although it doesn’t add much

O’Sullivan Endures Pain To Give Pagett The Elbow

Playing in a ranking event for the first time this season, Ronnie O’Sullivan eased to a 4-0 win over Andrew Pagett in the opening round of the BetVictor English Open, but admitted that he still suffers from the long-term effects of tennis elbow.

World number one O’Sullivan won the invitational Shanghai Masters earlier this month, but pulled out of the recent BetVictor European Masters and British Open for medical reasons. So today’s fixture was his first in a ranking event since the World Championship in April and he secured victory with top breaks of 69 and 62. The Rocket now meets Jackson Page at 1pm on Wednesday at the Brentwood Centre …

The pain of tennis elbow has plagued O’Sullivan for around 18 months and still flares up regularly. “I have tried resting it,” the 47-year-old told Eurosport after today’s match. “It will be ok once I take painkillers. I don’t want to keep taking them, but I need to in order to be able to commit to shots with power.

“I might need another cortisone injection which would be my third one, but I don’t really want to do that either because it weakens the muscles. It started last year when I went to the gym and lifted too many heavy weights – after that I couldn’t pick up a cup of tea. From that moment it has been very weak and it gets worse whenever I aggravate it.”

O’Sullivan was also asked about last night’s British Open triumph for Mark Williams, a fellow member of the renowned Class of ’92. He replied: “Every time either Mark or John (Higgins) win something then I think ‘I’m still in the game.’ It shows we can still compete. Even with one arm, my eyes are going and I am nearly 50, I’m still performing ok!”

Mark Williams became the second oldest snooker ranking tournament winner yesterday evening as he beat Mark Selby by 10-7, to become the 2023 British Open Champion. This is Willo’s 25th ranking title.

Congratulations Mark Williams!

Here is the report by WST:

Wonderful Williams Claims Gold In Cheltenham

Mark Williams became the second oldest winner of a ranking title by defeating Mark Selby 10-7 to claim victory at the Cazoo British Open in Cheltenham.

At 48 years and 194 days, Williams moves ahead of Joe Perry into second place in the list of oldest ranking event winners. Perry was 47 when he won the Welsh Open in 2022. The oldest player to win a ranking event remains Ray Reardon, who was 50 when he won the Professional Players Tournament in 1982.

It’s the third time Williams has won the British Open. His last came in 2021, when he beat Gary Wilson in the title match and his first came in 1997 after victory against Stephen Hendry in the final.

Williams now has 25 ranking event wins to his name. Only Steve Davis (28), John Higgins (31), Stephen Hendry (36) and Ronnie O’Sullivan (39) have won more.

Today’s encounter was the fifth time England’s Selby and Welshman Williams have met in a final. Williams has won three of those encounters, but trails 13-12 in the overall head-to-head record.

The afternoon session saw Williams end with a 5-3 advantage, but not before Selby reeled him back from 5-1 down to remain in contention heading into this evening.

When play commenced, four-time Crucible king Selby cranked up the heat with a break of 112 in the opening frame to reduce his arrears to a single frame. The next two frames were then traded, before Williams won a tight 12th to head into the mid-session 7-5 in front.

Williams took the first after the interval to move 8-5 ahead, but at that point Selby summoned his typical battling qualities and mounted a comeback charge. A 54-minute 14th frame was in the balance when Williams left the arena for a toilet break, when he returned he played a loose safety and it allowed Selby to take charge and cut the gap to 8-6.

A break of 68 from Selby made it 8-7 and he was in pole position to move level when he led the 16th frame 56-0. However, having not potted a ball for 39 minutes, Williams crashed in a long red and cleared with 69 to move one from victory.

Selby left Williams needing a snooker in the next, but he got it and made 37 to win on the black. He clenched his fist in celebration after getting over the line for a momentous victory.

“Just to compete with him, over two sessions and first to ten in a big tournament, is unbelievable for me. At 48 (years old), that has to be up there with my best wins ever,” said three-time World Champion Williams.

“I don’t think many people gave me much of a chance beating him first to ten over two sessions to be honest. I think all day I competed with him and probably outplayed him in the safety department to be honest with you. That is really good for me because he is the best in the world at it.

“I was more than happy with 24 ranking titles. If you want me to be truthful, I didn’t think I was going to get off it. I’m on 25 and that is an unbelievable feeling. Maybe I’m a bit too harsh on myself. Maybe I do deserve to pat myself on the back a bit. Off the back of this maybe I’m a bit better than I give myself credit for as a snooker player.

“I’m going to keep going until I can’t play anymore. How long I can keep going at this level, I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to see where I am at 50. I’m 49 in a few months time, so I’m not far away and I’ve just won a tournament. Let’s just enjoy the ride while I’m still going.”

Selby said: “He played amazing today. I can’t remember him missing too many long balls. Some of the balls he potted, he was doing that all the time when he was at his peak. He was rolling back the years today. It wasn’t to be. I felt I was fighting against it all day.”

I’m very happy for Willo. He’s an endearing person, father and husband. When he wins, he always involves his family, and whenever possible, his coach and friend Lee Walker. Lee may not have had a glittering professional career, but he certainly has a special talent: he’s able to help others to reach their highest potential. I had a professor like that at University: Paul Libois. Paul Libois himself never gained any official big “prize” in mathematics, but he guided and stimulated some of the very best mathematicians of the 20th century, most notably Pierre Deligne and Jacque Tits. He had that talent to stimulate his students and to make hard work a pleasure. I was probably his last student when I was working on my doctoral thesis, and I will always be grateful for what he brought out of me. Lee is like that for Willo and he fully deserves to be next to him, at the table, and on the picture, whenever Mark lifts a trophy.

Semi-finals day in Cheltenham served us two very different matches. The afternoon match clas close, closer than the scores suggests. The evening match was as one-sided as it gets. Here are the reports by WST.

Mark Williams 6-3 Hossein Vafaei

Williams Reaches Landmark Final

Mark Williams is through to the 40th ranking final of his glittering career, after defeating Iran’s Hossein Vafaei 6-3 in the semi-finals of the Cazoo British Open in Cheltenham.

The Welshman is a two-time British Open champion, having won the title in 1997 and 2021, beating Stephen Hendry and Gary Wilson in the respective title matches.

Williams will now play either Mark Selby or Xiao Guodong tomorrow over the best of 19 frames. There will be a £100,000 top prize and the Stephen Hendry Trophy on the line.

Today’s result marks a third ranking semi-final loss against Williams for Vafaei. He also lost out at the 2017 China Open and the 2019 China Championship. The 29-year-old will have to wait in his pursuit of a second ranking title to add to his 2022 Shoot Out triumph, where he defeated Williams in the final.

Williams opened up by taking the first two frames this afternoon, before Vafaei reeled him in to restore parity at 2-2. The fifth frame saw Williams regain the lead and a 41-minute sixth went the way of the 24-time ranking event winner on the black to make it 4-2.

Vafaei responded with a sublime break of 135 to reduce his arrears. Both players started to miss unexpected balls and appeared to be under pressure. However, it was Williams who eventually fired in breaks of 62 and 71 to get over the line and seal his place in Sunday’s final.

“I played alright in patches. When it got to 4-3 I was gone. I don’t know what it was. I was shaking a bit and he had me, he just let me off towards the end,” said 48-year-old Williams.

“I’m quite good at holding my expressions in but I was totally gone. I was shaking a bit, which never happens to me. If I had to play like that all the time then I wouldn’t win many games.

“It was a big game for me. It is another final and I don’t know how many more times I am going to get to the final of these big competitions. These ITV competitions are massive.”

Vafaei said: “To be honest with you I am in shock. Sometimes this game can shock you like that. The impossible can become possible. Two of the shots I missed, I don’t know how I did it. It was shocking. I won’t sleep tonight. 100%.

“Onto the next one. There are many tournaments. I had a great week in Cheltenham. Thanks to all of the fans supporting me and sorry if I let them down. I will try my best for the next time.”

Overall this was a good match. It featured 7 breaks over 50, including a marvellous 135 by Hossein Vafaei in frame 6, that was his 100th career century. It is true though that there were quite a few unexpected misses as well from both. I’m not sure how much of it was because of the players being tense or because of the conditions.

Mark Selby 6-0 Xiao Guodong

Selby Sets Up Williams Showdown

Mark Selby thrashed Xiao Guodong 6-0 to make the final of the Cazoo British Open in Cheltenham, where he will face off against Welshman Mark Williams.

Victory sees Selby through to the 34th ranking final of his career, where he will be gunning for a 23rd title. Selby and Williams have met in four previous finals and have won two each. Tomorrow’s clash will be contested over the best of 19 frames, with the winner picking up £100,000.

Selby has started the season strongly, having already made the semis of the European Masters. The four-time World Champion was runner up at the Crucible at the end of the last campaign, when he lost a classic final with Luca Brecel 18-15. He will be hoping to go one better tomorrow.

The result will feel sadly familiar to Xiao, who has already tasted a whitewash defeat in a Cheltenham semi-final. The Chinese cueman was beaten 6-0 by Ali Carter here in the last four of the 2019 World Grand Prix.

Selby took the first two frames this evening with breaks of 64 and 94. The third looked to be going the way of Xiao, but he crucially spurned a regulation yellow and allowed Selby to clear and move 3-0 ahead. He was soon four to the good after a break of 123 in the last frame before the interval. When play resumed Selby made light work of getting over the line and took the following two frames to complete the rout.

“I felt like I didn’t put a foot wrong from start to finish. Long game was good, safety was good and when I got in I was quite clinical. I’m over the moon with how I played,” said 40-year-old Selby.

“You can’t rattle him (Mark Williams). He’s so laid back. He doesn’t take things too seriously and is one of the all-time greats. You know that you are always going to be in a tough match whenever you play him. You have to be on top of your game to come through.

“It would be amazing to win. I’ve started off well this season. Even if I don’t win, although I’ll be disappointed, I’ll be happy with where my form is at. It would be nice to win the trophy tomorrow night and get the monkey off my back of everyone saying that I’ve not won an ITV event.”

I only watched the three first frames of that match. When Xiao missed that yellow I called it a day, not because I hated Selby as some would assume – I don’t hate him at all, I quite like the person he is – but because I was feeling very tired and in terms of “suspense” the match offered zero interest.

The detailed results are on snooker.org, as always.

Those are WST reports on quarter-finals day in Cheltenham:

Afternoon session

Wonderful Williams Blows Fan Away

Mark Williams produced a sublime afternoon of snooker to thrash China’s Fan Zhengyi 5-1 and make the 64th ranking semi-final of his career at the Cazoo British Open in Cheltenham.

The Welshman won the British Open title two years ago, when he defeated Gary Wilson in the final. That was his 24th ranking event victory, but he is yet to add to that tally. Next up three-time World Champion Williams faces Iran’s Hossein Vafaei in the last four.

Williams and Vafaei have previously met in two semi-finals at the 2017 China Open and the 2019 China Championship, with Williams winning on both occasions. However, Vafaei was victorious in the Shoot Out final against Williams two-years ago.

This afternoon’s match lasted just over an hour, as Williams blew his opponent away. He fired in breaks of 138, 68, 61 and 109 on his way to the comprehensive victory. The world number 10 finished the match with an incredible 97% pot success rate. Afterwards he revealed that as well as prospering on the baize himself, he has been enjoying watching 10-year-old son Joel competing in the Welsh Junior ranks.

“He had a 94 in a lineup a few days ago. When he makes 100 I’ll put it on my Twitter for people to see. He loves it. I took him to North Wales for a junior competition and Ireland a couple of months ago. He loves it. He hasn’t won many games yet but he is rapidly improving. To be honest I am enjoying it,” said 48-year-old Williams.

“I know now how hard it must have been on my father taking me everywhere. He did that for me all of my career on much less of a budget. Money was tight back then so I appreciate what he was doing for me back 30 years ago. It must have been so difficult because I know how much it costs taking my boy around. I do appreciate it.”

Vafaei earned his progression with a 5-2 defeat of tour rookie He Guoqiang. The Iranian is now through to the sixth ranking semi-final of his career. If he goes all the way he will earn a second title, following his Shoot Out victory in 2021.

Evening session

Selby Pips Lisowski In Thriller

Mark Selby edged out Jack Lisowski 5-4 in a thrilling encounter to book his place in the semi-finals of the Cazoo British Open in Cheltenham.

Victory sees four-time World Champion Selby move two wins away from a first ever British Open title. Selby is set for his 61st appearance in a ranking event semi-final, where he will face China’s Xiao Guodong.

The Leicester cueman has now won his last three meetings with Lisowski. That includes a clash at last season’s British Open, when he compiled a brilliant 147 break.

Another agonising loss for Lisowski means his quest for a maiden ranking event win continues. The 32-year-old has been runner-up on six occasions and has now lost six semi-finals.

It was home favourite Lisowski who took the opening two frames this afternoon, before a break of 98 saw Selby get his first frame on the board to make it 2-1. Lisowski had a great chance to take the fourth, but missed a regulation pink with the rest and Selby took the frame to ensure parity at the mid-session with the scores at 2-2.

When play resumed, Selby fired in a stunning contribution of 132 to move 3-2 ahead and gain the lead for the first time in the match. However, Lisowski levelled immediately with a break of 70.

A break of 95 saw Selby move one from victory and he had a chance to get over the line in the eighth. He missed a red with difficult bridging to a top corner and Lisowski pounced with 64 to force a decider. Both players had chances in the final frame before a stalemate resulted in a re-rack. Selby eventually made a decisive contribution of 65 to secure victory.

“He is a quality player and if he keeps playing how he has been then it is only a matter of time. He’s too good not to win a ranking event and when he does win one I think he will win a few. When I’m not in a tournament, I think he will go on and win a few. He’s a great lad and he is great for our game,” said 22-time ranking event winner.

“Everyone keeps reminding me that I’ve not won an ITV event yet. No pressure. I’m just taking one game at a time and not looking too far ahead. I’ve got Xiao tomorrow. It is going to be a tough match.”

Xiao earned his place in the semis with an impressive 5-3 win over Tom Ford, which included a tournament high break of 140. It will be his first appearance in a ranking event semi-final since the 2020 Gibraltar Open. The world number 37 has previously made the last four here in Cheltenham, at the 2019 World Grand Prix when he lost out against Ali Carter.

The only match I watched yesterday was He Guoqiang v Hossein Vafaei. He Guaqiang started in impressive fashion, winning the first two frames, but as the match went on, his game deteriorated and his confidence seemed to have vanished. It was the opposite for Hossein, who started slowly but played very well, and scored heavily, especially after the MSI.

In other news …

This article was shared by Kalacs in the comments section

Ronnie O’Sullivan risks English Open trouble as Rocket back in UK just hours before match

Ronnie O’Sullivan faces a race against time to get back for his English Open match.

By Hector Nunns

Ronnie O’Sullivan faces a race against time on Monday to make the first match of his home English Open tournament in Essex. The world No 1 has been having treatment in Spain this week for a tennis elbow injury that flared up during his recent Shanghai Masters victory in China.

And from there the Rocket, a record seven-times world champion, will be jetting off to Macau to play in a lucrative exhibition against veteran pal Jimmy White. But O’Sullivan is not due to arrive back via Hong Kong until early Monday morning, just a few hours before he is due on table at 1pm to face Andrew Pagett in Brentwood.

O’Sullivan, 47, has made no secret of the fact he will be spending as much time as possible in China in the next couple of years, where he regularly receives six-figure sums as appearance money. He has already withdrawn on medical grounds for two events this season – the European Masters in Germany, and then this week’s British Open in Cheltenham.

But unless there are further medical issues or problems with delayed or cancelled flights, O’Sullivan is still planning to appear near his home in front of many of his most devoted fans.

O’Sullivan said: “I am arriving back Monday morning flying from Hong Kong to Heathrow and landing about 7am. And then I am due to be playing a match at 1pm in Brentwood.

“So listen, I’ll turn up and give it a go and see how we get on although clearly that isn’t ideal.” He is due to return to resort city for the big-money Macau Masters starting on Christmas Day at the five-star Wynn Palace Hotel, along with Judd Trump, Mark Willliams and Ding Junhui.

…

That won’t please a lot of fans, but I’m afraid that we have to accept that, having won everything, having nothing to prove in the sport, Ronnie’s motivation to win everything isn’t probably what it once was and his priorities have changed.

He went to Spain indeed and took the opportunity to visit his long time friend Mike. Mike was a familiar face on tour some years back, often accompanying Ronnie at tournaments.

This is WST report about what happened in Cheltenham yesterday

Selby Through After Cruel Blow For Gilbert

Mark Selby edged a late night thriller, as David Gilbert bowed out in the cruelest possible fashion on the final black to lose 4-3 in the last 16 of the Cazoo British Open in Cheltenham.

With the clock just shy of 12:45am, the players found themselves battling it out on the last ball. Gilbert eventually took on a long range black to the green pocket, but the white tracked towards the top left corner and fell to end the match.

Selby progresses to face home favourite Jack Lisowski in the quarters tomorrow evening in what is set to be a showpiece clash. Lisowski came from behind to edge out 1999 British Open champion Fergal O’Brien 4-2.

“It was cruel really. He’d probably rather have messed a safety up or something than lose like that. It isn’t nice to lose that way when you’ve been playing a frame for that long. I felt that I could have won 4-1, 4-2 or 4-3. It was a horrible match from start to finish,” said four-time World Champion Selby.

“I played Shaun Murphy in the last 16 of the English Open last year and he missed a black off the spot to beat me 4-2. I managed to turn the match around, win 4-3 and went on to win the event. Sometimes you think your name is on the trophy, but it is only the quarter-finals so I’m not getting carried away.”

Lisowski is hunting his maiden ranking title and beat Matthew Selt, as well as O’Brien, in what was a long but successful day. Afterwards he admitted he had very little left in the tank.

Lisowski said: “I was tired tonight. I played so well against Matt and felt like I was bang on it. As soon as we started playing tonight I felt tired and different. My concentration wasn’t quite there. It was a contrast today. I managed to hang in there this evening and finish the game out somehow.”

Iranian number one Hossein Vafaei is through to his ninth ranking quarter-final after defeating Scotland’s 2006 World Champion Graeme Dott 4-2.

The world number 17 is now just three matches away from capturing a second ranking crown, having beaten Mark Williams in the final of the 2022 Shoot Out final to claim his first.

Vafaei now faces either He Guoqiang in the last eight. He missed two match ball blacks before eventually seeing off Barry Hawkins 4-3 on the last ball.

Mark Williams scored a superb 4-2 win over Ding Junhui to seal his progression. The Welshman lost the first two frames, but produced a four-frame burst to turn the tie on its head and get over the line. He now plays Fan Zhengyi, who beat Hailong Ma 4-1.

Tom Ford booked his last eight slot with a 4-1 win over Scott Donaldson. His opponent will be Xiao Guodong, who defeated Ali Carter 4-2.

WST has also published the draws for the quater-finals and semi-finals

The draw for the quarter and semi-finals of the Cazoo British Open has been made.

…

Quarter-Final Draw

He Guoqiang vs Hossein Vafaei
Tom Ford vs Xiao Guodong
Mark Selby vs Jack Lisowski
Mark Williams vs Fan Zhengyi

Semi-Final Draw

 Mark Williams/Fan Zhengyi vs He Guoqiang/Hossein Vafaei

Mark Selby/Jack Lisowski vs Tom Ford/Xiao Guodong

The quater-finals will be played today over a best of 9 format, the semi-finals, played tomorrow, are best of 11.

Mark Williams played very well indeed, but, as so often, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy watching Ding. He had won the first two frames easily. As soon as he lost the third frame, his body language and facial expression suggested that he wasn’t confident and almost resigned to lose. Maybe though, the problem actually is in the eyes of the beholder rather than with Ding. Thoughts anyone?

Now… really He Guoqiang deserves better than two sentences in this report. He Guoqiang is in his first year as a professional. He lost his first match heavily, he was beaten 5-0 by Ross Muir in the European Masters qualifiers. That was back in July. He has since played 7 more matches, winning 6 of them. His only defeat came at the hands of Jack Lisowski in the 2023 International Championship qualifiers. In the 2023 Wuhan Open qualifiers, he beat Kyren Wilson by 5-4, having trailed by 66 with 67 on in the decider. Yesterday, he beat Barry Hawkins by 4-3, on the final black. Those results are saying a lot, both about his abilities and his temperament. He won’t be showcased on the main table though … unless he reaches the final here, or, maybe, if he dons a Shaun Murphy mask ?