Ronnie O’Sullivan’s cue tip fell off for the third time in two days, but a rapid repair allowed him to continue his run as he beat Rod Lawler 4-0 to reach the last 16 of the BetVictor Welsh Open.
The World Champion’s tip broke loose twice during his match against Ross Muir on Tuesday, and once again tonight it was rolling across the table after he played a shot during the third frame. Tournament director Paul Collier replaced the tip and the match resumed, O’Sullivan wrapping up the result having scored breaks of 100, 62 and 58 over the four frames.
“I’ll get the cue sent to John Parris, it needs a new ferrule,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport. “Hopefully it will be ready for Thailand and the other important tournaments coming up. Every shot I play I think the tip will fall off, I’m expecting to see it rolling around the table. It will come off again. I am not cueing badly. I think I am doing really well, I am working on my mindset, irrespective of how I play. I am just staying within my mind.”
The world number one is through to the last 16 of a ranking event for the third time this season but must reach the final in Llandudno to qualify for next week’s Players Championship.
O’Sullivan’s next opponent will be Ben Mertens, the promising Belgian 18-year-old playing his first season on the pro tour.
I fell sorry for both players yesterday. Of course what is happening is very difficult for Ronnie, but I think if affected Rod as well. Rod really struggled yesterday. The two know each other for 30 years or more, Rod turned pro in 1990. The go along well, they know each other’s family. It was a very awkward situation for both. Ronnie looked frustrated and, as he admitted, the tip was on his mind all the time and he got the job done eventually and all credits to him for that.
The world number one went on to win the match 4-0 nonetheless, but he admitted afterwards that he offered to concede the game to avoid any more interruptions for him to fix the faulty tip.
“I did say to Rod, you can have the match when I was 2-0 up,’ O’Sullivan told Eurosport. ‘I said to (tournament director) Paul (Collier), there is no point me keep having to come up here and putting the tips on. I am happy to give the match to Rod.
‘I don’t think Rod wanted to play either to be honest. I felt for Rod. He is a good lad.
‘I will send the cue away and get it done. It needs a new ferrule. Hopefully it will be ready for Thailand (Six Reds World Championship) and the other important tournaments for me.
My cue, every shot I am playing I think the tip will fall off. I am surprised it didn’t fall off in a couple of blacks that I played in that last frame.
‘I was expecting to see the tip roll across the table. It will come off again. I will try to stick it on again. There is nothing else you can do.’
It’s very honest from Ronnie to offer to concede the match under the circumstances. The situation was no fun for his opponent or the fans. And it was just as great from Rod to refuse it, knowing that Ronnie actually was playing the better snooker. The two of them were a credit to the sport yesterday evening.
Tonight Ronnie will play Ben Mertens. Ben is in his first season, this will be his first “Last 16” outing and he has just scored his highest break as a pro yesterday, a 130. Ronnie and Ben have played once before. Ronnie prevailed by 4-3, but Ben had come back at him from 3-0 down. Given the tip situation I have to make Ben favourite.
The second round of the 2023 Welsh Open – the last 64 round – concluded yesterday afternoon in Llandudno and it has thrown a few unexpected results. Indeed Neil Robertson, Ding Junhui, Stephen Maguire, Kyren Wilson, Jordan Brown, Matthew Stevens and Mark Williams all bowed out at that stage.
Dominic Dale scored one of his best results of recent years as he shocked Neil Robertson 4-0 in the second round of the BetVictor Welsh Open, ending the Australian’s chances of qualifying for next week’s Players Championship.
Robertson came into this week 18th on the one-year ranking list and potentially needing a deep run to climb into the top 16, but today’s defeat means he won’t be in Wolverhampton to defend a title he won a year ago. It has been a disappointing season so far for the player who captured four titles in 2021/22. This term he is yet to reach a ranking final.
The world number four scored just 35 points in the first three frames today as Dale took control, making breaks of 71 and 56. Robertson had a chance to pull one back but his hopes ended when he missed the black off its spot at 29-42 in frame four.
“You have to give all credit to Dominic, he played incredibly well today,” said Robertson. “It doesn’t mean anything (to miss the Players Championship). I have won 30 major tournaments in my career. It doesn’t impact my preparation for the next event. It means I can have more time on the practice table and watch (son) Alexander’s football over the weekend.”
Dale, who reached the semi-finals of the recent BetVictor Shoot Out, said: “You have to put the top players under pressure and today I managed to do that. It’s easy to get hammered and look like an idiot when you play someone like Neil. I have always been a bit of a showman and natural exhibitionist and if you can’t perform in front of an audience like this then you are not cut out for sport.
“At the end of the match I shook his hand because I’m a big friend of Neil, I love his style of play and I said to him ‘never forget what a fantastic player you are’ because I know he’s not getting the results he wants at the moment, there is just two or three percent of his game he needs to find and he’ll get back to winning tournaments.
“This is a fantastic event and I’d love to see it come back to North Wales, maybe to that other place called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!”
…
Lawler made a tremendous 73 clearance in the deciding frame to score a 4-3 win over Matthew Stevens, who was unlucky not to land on a red when he split the pack at 59-0.
Defending champion Joe Perry won his ninth consecutive match in this event, beating Mark Joyce 4-1 with top breaks of 107 and 92. Luca Brecel top scored with 100 in a 4-0 win over Elliot Slessor while Cao Yupeng enjoyed a whitewash victory over Ding Junhui in a Chinese derby.
Mark Williams, the only home player to win the BetVictor Welsh Open having lifted the trophy back in 1996 and 1999, saw his hopes of a third title end with a 4-3 reverse against Jak Jones.
World number 53 Jones beat the player ranked 46 places higher and is one of only three Welsh players left in the field in Llandudno, alongside Dominic Dale and Daniel Wells. Cwmbran’s 29-year-old Jones is through to the last 32 of a ranking event for the third time this season and will now face Jordan Brown or Julien LeClercq.
Three-time World Champion Williams made a break of 122 to lead 2-1, but Jones took the next with a run of 52, then converted a long double on the final pink in frame five to lead 3-2. Williams made it 3-3, but an excellent run of 73 gave Jones control of the decider. Masters runner-up Williams battled for snookers and got one of the two he needed on the last red, but then failed to escape from a snooker himself and offered the handshake.
“I’m really pleased with the win because Mark is still one of the best players in the world, it’s a big win for me,” said Jones. “In the last frame even when I made 73 I knew I wasn’t over the line and then he put me right under pressure so I was relieved to come through in the end. It was a great atmosphere out there. It’s a big opportunity for me now but the matches are all difficult.”
Defeat for Williams means that his place in next week’s Players Championship is in the balance. He is 15th on the one-year ranking list so must hope he is not nudged out of the top 16 over the next few days.
The 47-year-old said: “In night matches I get really tired quickly and that’s something I have got to look at. I am eating the right food but maybe I need more exercise. I was trying my best out there. I have practised more for this tournament than I have for the last 12 months. But I need to get fitter.”
BetVictor English Open champion Mark Selby came through a tough battle against Si Jiahui, winning 4-3 with a break of 124 in the fifth frame and an 85 in the decider.
David Gilbert has been arguably the player of the week so far, having made two centuries and seven more breaks over 50 in his two matches. He beat BetVictor Shoot Out champion Chris Wakelin 4-2 with top runs of 82, 110 and 59. Like Williams, Wakelin must watch results over the coming days to find out whether he has a place in the Players Championship in Wolverhampton.
Kyren Wilson suffered a 4-2 defeat against China’s Pang Junxu, a result which ends Wilson’s hopes of overtaking Ali Carter at the top of the BetVictor Series rankings and earning a £150,000 bonus at the end of the week.
That’s interesting quotes by Willo. He’s never come across as a fitness fan. As you will read hereafter, John Higgins is considering seeing a mental coach. That was a big no-no only a few years ago. The “Class of 92” looks determined to stay at the top for some more years! I guess that a few “kids” out there must be cursing them silently!
Jak Jones is a very solid player and I’m surprised that he hasn’t done better on the tour so far. I first saw him play at SWSA, in the Pink Ribbon, when he was about 16. He really impressed me back then.
John Higgins continues to see the green shoots of renaissance in his game as he scored a second consecutive 4-0 victory at the BetVictor Welsh Open, beating Martin Gould to reach the last 32.
Four-time Crucible king Higgins has had a poor season by his standards; he is yet to reach the quarter-finals of a ranking event so far this term and came into this week in 60th place on the one-year ranking list. But the Scot looked sharp in winning his BetVictor Championship League group last week, and has carried that momentum to Llandudno, beating Alexander Ursenbacher and now Gould without conceding a frame.
“It was good scoring today, that’s what I’ll need to produce for the rest of the tournament if I want to go deep,” sad 47-year-old Higgins, who made breaks of 89, 68, 97 and 66 today. “My focus is just trying to hit the ball more solid and play as well as I can. There are big events coming up – I’ve got the Championship League Winners’ Group, the Six Red event and the WST Classic so I have got time to get my game ready for Sheffield.
“This is a great place to come, I have brought my wife down so we could spend Valentine’s Day together and do a bit of sight-seeing. I am relaxed and enjoying it.”
Higgins, who faces Sanderson Lam next, recently admitted that he has considered working with a sports psychologist for the first time in his career. He added today: “When you are struggling mentally with the game, you look for little nuggets or bits of advice from players who have been there and done it. It’s a tough sport. I have always been one of the guys on the tour who has always kept myself to myself, and sometimes it can get on top of you.”
Judd Trump was far from his best in a 4-2 win over Louis Heathcote, but did enough to set up a third round meeting with amateur Daniel Wells. From 2-1 down, Trump made a vital 34 clearance in the fourth frame to pinch it on the black. In the next, Heathcote was on a break of 62 when his attempted red with the rest finished short of a corner pocket, and again Trump punished him with a 65 clearance. The Masters champion then got the better of a safety battle on the final green in frame six and wrapped up the contest.
“Louis will be super disappointed because he created some good chances for himself but missed the crucial balls,” said Trump, who was runner-up to Joe Perry in this event last year. “I am getting out of jail a bit but also making the tough clearances that maybe I have been missing. Similar to the Masters, it looked like I was going out but made those important clearances under pressure. At the start of the season I might have lost that 4-3.”
Ali Carter remains on target to win the £150,000 BetVictor Series bonus at the end of this week, and his 4-1 win over amateur Ian Martin kept him £9,000 ahead of second-placed Mark Allen. “It’s in the back of my mind of course,” said BetVictor German Masters champion Carter, whose top break today was 124. “It’s in my hands now but it’s also in Mark (Allen’s) hands. All I can do is try to win the tournament. Hopefully the money will drop into my account. But if it doesn’t then I’m still in a good place – I’m in the Players Championship, more than likely the Tour Championship and a seed for the Crucible.”
Allen, who needs to at least reach the semi-finals for a chance of over-taking Carter, eased into round three with a 4-1 win over Mitchell Mann. He now faces Andy Hicks, who beat Wu Yize 4-3 by clearing from the last red to snatch the deciding frame on the final black.
Jack Lisowski top scored with 93 in a 4-0 win over Ryan Thomerson, while Barry Hawkins top scored with 70 as he beat Ben Woollaston 4-0, strengthening his position in the race to the Players Championship. Hossein Vafaei fired runs of 102 and 133 in a 4-1 victory over Ken Doherty.
Judd Trump got out of jail indeed as he honestly admitted. Louis Heathcote should probably have won this match. I hope that he has the opportunity to “debrief” what happened with his coach or someone who is in his corner because he can’t lose matches like that if he hopes to climb to the top.
The two young Belgian rookies won their match against strong opponents. Ben Mertens beat Jackson Page and Julien Leclercq beat Jordan Brown. For the first time, three Belgians reached the last 32 stage of a ranking event.
The third round – last 32 – started yesterday evening. I’ll report on that round later, probably tomorrow. But the trends continues as there were more “casualties” amongst the to players already: the defending Champion, Joe Perry, Mark Selby and David Gilbert all lost their last 32 match.
Ronnie beat Ross Muir by 4-3 in the second round of the 2023 Welsh Open in Landudno but is was quite the adventure! Ronnie started with a century but right at the end of frame 1, his tip came off. Ronnie of course got a 15 minutes break to fix the issue. He came back, with his tip reattached, but only a few minutes into frame 2, the tip came off again. There was another 15 minutes break and play resumed but you could see that Ronnie wasn’t confident in his shots anymore. He lost the next two frames. He recovered however and went 3-2 up. In frame 6 however, there was more chaos. Ross has trapped Ronnie in a tough snooker. Ronnie failed to hit a red on his first two attempts, trying to just graze the pack on his return to baulk. He didn’t come very close either time. Before the third attempt, the referee Luise Kraatz, warned him, indicating that he could see a red full ball at the edge of the pack. Ronnie didn’t feel confident to play the same shot again and whacked into the pack … hitting the pink first and losing the frame on the “three miss rule”. Ronnie said afterwards that he could not see another shot and went for the fluke. That was probably true but surely there was a lot of frustration being released in that shot as well. Anyway … Much to his credit, Ronnie regrouped, played a good decider and eventually won the match! He will play Rod Lawler tonight … no doubt his patience will be tested again. Rod is a very good player, very reliable but … very, very slow!
Ronnie O’Sullivan narrowly avoided another upset as he beat amateur Ross Muir 4-3 in an incident-packed contest. World Champion O’Sullivan opened with a run of 108 but his cue tip came off at the end of that break, and again during the next frame, each time requiring a 15-minute interval for the tip to be repaired. Scotland’s Muir then went 2-1 ahead, before runs of 58 and 78 restored O’Sullivan’s lead at 3-2. At the end of frame 3, Ronnie had come back at the table: he didn’t try to get snooker but wanted some table time and to get a feeling of the tip. That showed that he does care and is trying his best.
Early in frame six, O’Sullivan twice missed the reds when playing safe, and was warned by referee Luise Kraatz that another foul would lose him the frame, under the three misses rule. He slashed wildly at the pack, hit the pink first and sent the cue ball off the table, leaving the score at 3-3. But the world number one then dominated the decider with breaks of 23 and 42 to earn a meeting with Rod Lawler.
O’Sullivan said: “I don’t know why the tip fell off, but after the second time it was always in the back of my mind on every shot, that it could come off again. What excites me now is winning the battle. Every player goes through the emotions, ups and down. It’s how you deal with them. If you want to win tournaments and have a successful career you have to learn how to be resilient, battle hardened and know how to stay in the match sometimes.”
Asked about the incident in the sixth frame, he added: “I didn’t see another shot. I was snookered on virtually every ball. I could have tried to come off two cushions but if I had missed the reds it was end of frame. Or I could try to get a fluke, so I tried that but hit the pink.”
Here are some images shared on social media including by Ronnie himself
When in Llandudno, Ronnie loves to go running up the nearby mountain. The sceneries are beautiful and the weather more often than not is sunny, but cold. Ronnie shared some images of his yesterday run as well.
A few videos were shared on Eurosport YouTube channel
The first day at the 2023 Welsh Open in Llandudno featured the last 128 held-over matches. Most matches were won by the highest seeded player. The three exceptions were: Jackson Page’s win over Stuart Bingham, Stuart Carrington’s win over Ryan Day and Liam Davies’ win over Noppon Saengkham.
The main television table appeared to play heavy, especially in the morning and afternoon.
Ronnie was far from his best – he clearly isn’t match sharp – but still whitewashed Oliver Lines. My report on that match is here.
Neil Robertson started the BetVictor Welsh Open strongly with a 4-1 victory over Andrew Higginson, boosting his hopes of qualifying for next week’s Players Championship.
The Australian remains 18th on the one-year ranking list and will need to win at least one more match to get into the top 16 and earn a place in Wolverhampton, where he won the title last year. But Robertson insists his only target is to go all the way to the £80,000 top prize and Ray Reardon Trophy this week at Venue Cymru.
“I’m here to win the tournament, I wouldn’t be happy just to get through whatever round it is to get into the Players Championship,” he said. “That’s what I’m here for – to try to win the event. I have a lot of happy memories here and I love the town – it always seems to be sunny in Llandudno! I want to be here as long as possible.”
In a repeat of the 2007 Welsh Open final, Robertson started strongly today, making a break of 129 to go 2-0 ahead. Higginson pulled one back and led 52-7 in frame four, but Robertson took it with a 54 clearance and then won frame five on the colours to set up a last-64 tie with Dominic Dale.
He added: “It was a really tough first round draw because whenever I have played him in the past he has been in the top 20 or 30 in the world and he has beaten me a couple of times – that’s the Andrew Higginson I know. I made a good clearance to go 3-1 up and got a bit lucky in the last frame. The scoreline doesn’t reflect how close it was. Dominic will be another tough game, he seems to play well against the top players.”
World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan eased to a 4-0 success against Oliver Lines with top breaks of 51, 58 and 91 and now meets Ross Muir on Tuesday afternoon.
Mark Williams, who was the last Welsh winner of this event back in 1999, impressed in a 4-2 win over Michael White. From 2-0 down, Williams made tremendous clearances of 70 and 76 to draw level at 2-2, then got the better of two scrappier frames to earn a meeting with Jak Jones.
“Michael was cruising at 2-0, then he missed an easy red on 62 in the third frame. I made two good clearances because I could easily have lost 4-0,” said Masters runner-up Williams. “If I need a clearance under pressure I can pull it out. I think Michael will be kicking himself because that was a golden opportunity to beat me. The venue here is great, it was full this afternoon and it will be full tonight.”
Joe Perry made a successful start to the defence of his title, beating Mark King 4-1 with a top break of 62. He said: “I didn’t know how I would feel as defending champion because I haven’t experienced it that many times. So to get off to a perfect start was nice. I settled pretty fast and that helped me to relax and get on with the job. I’ve got a few friends here with me. This is one of my favourites venues on the tour so in between matches I can get out into the town and enjoy the sights.”
Jackson Page made a 131 in a 4-1 defeat of Stuart Bingham while David Gilbert beat Marco Fu 4-2 with runs of 87, 60, 87, 77, 58 and 113. Shaun Murphy made a 134 in a 4-0 win over Victor Sarkis, while John Higgins top scored with 135 as he white-washed Alexander Ursenbacher.
Mark Allen has unquestionably been the player of the season so far, but sent a warning to his rivals that he is still trying to improve his game, after firing two centuries in a 4-1 defeat of Alfie Burden at the BetVictor Welsh Open.
The Pistol has already won the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open, UK Championship and World Grand Prix this season, but is not resting on his success and has been working relentlessly on his game in the build up to this week’s tournament in Llandudno. Breaks of 97, 105 and 101 helped Allen to a comfortable win today, setting up a second round tie with Mitchell Mann on Wednesday morning.
“I am always searching to get better, to find a way to improve,” said the world number three. “I had a few days enjoying myself after winning the World Grand Prix, since then I have just been practising. I have been trying something new technically and today was the first time I have brought it into a match. That unsettled me a bit but as the game went on I found my rhythm and really enjoyed it.
“If my A game comes then I’ll win events, but it’s encouraging that in the last few months I have won tournaments without it. I want to go for my shots and score heavily, but it also gives me confidence to know that I don’t have to do that to win. At the UK Championship and the World Grand Prix, it was two long hard weeks where I battled for everything. It wasn’t pretty but I got the job done.”
Allen is also in with a chance of winning the £150,000 BetVictor Series bonus at the end of this week, though he must at least reach the semi-finals to stand a chance of eclipsing Ali Carter in the series rankings.
He added: “Ali has a bit of a lead after winning in Germany, I can’t control what he does. I am just trying to enjoy the event and the bonus is a million miles from my thoughts at the moment.”
Wild card Liam Davies, age 16 from Newport, came from 3-1 down to score a superb 4-3 victory over Noppon Saengkham, taking the deciding frame with a break of 122. Davies has just returned from Australia where he competed in the WSF Junior and Open Championships, narrowly failing to gain a tour card. But he shrugged off that disappointment, as well as jet lag, to get the better of Saengkham and earn a tie with Robbie Williams.
“It was an unbelievable match, neither of us really made any mistakes,” said Davies, who last year became the youngest player ever to win a match in the World Championship. “By the time we got to 3-3, he was under pressure. Australia was a stunning experience though my snooker wasn’t great. I really struggled with my game there so it’s nice to bounce back tonight. I put too much pressure on myself out there, I have to remember that I’m only 16 and I should just enjoy it rather than trying to get on the tour. I feel so at home out in the arena, I am so relaxed and confident, as if I am practising.”
Judd Trump eased to a 4-0 victory over David Grace with a top break of 68 while Jack Lisowski set a new target for the £5,000 high break prize as he beat Zhang Anda 4-0 with 85, 138 and 71.
Mark Selby won a ranking event match for the first time since his BetVictor English Open triumph in December, as he came from 2-0 down to beat Jamie O’Neill 4-2 with top runs of 124, 69 and 85.
Stuart Carrington edged out British Open champion Ryan Day 4-3 while Luca Brecel fired runs of 60, 81, 79 and 50 as he beat Sean O’Sullivan 4-1.
Mark King was really, really poor. He is under pressure to keep his tour card and struggled badly. That was sad to see.
Once Mark Williams came back at him Michael White crumbled really. There were very high expectations on him as a junior. Too much probably. Now I don’t believe he will ever fulfil his potential.
Judd Trump didn’t play particularly well but did enough to beat David Grace by 4-0. After the match, Judd said that the table was playing “heavy”, which was probably true, although, from what I saw it was already playing better than in the afternoon.
Mark Selby was all at sea at the start of the match but Jamie O’Neill made so many mistakes and gave him so many chances that, eventually, Mark found his game. He finished the match well.
The quotes by Liam Davies are interesting because they clearly show what a difference pressure makes. They are the perfect “explanation” as to why amateurs should NOT be allowed to play on the main tour ever IMO. Noppon is not in any danger to lose his professional status but this defeat puts an end to any hope he might have had to make it into the Players Championship.
Ronnie beat Oliver Lines by 4-0 to book his place in the first round proper (L64) at the 2023 Welsh Open in Llandudno this afternoon.
Here are the scores
That looks like an easy win but the truth is that Ronnie wasn’t match-sharp at all especially in the first 2 1/2 frames. His safety wasn’t great and his long potting wasn’t good either. When in the balls though he didn’t miss. It looked for all the world that Oli Lines was going to make it 2-1 and then this happened …
He is now set to take on Ross Muir in the last 64 and the 47-year-old is hoping to win the tournament for the fifth time in his career. Reflecting on his performance against Lines, O’Sullivan admitted he was not at his best.
“Sometimes you can lose focus but part of the skill of having a good temperament and mindset is being able to re-focus and get back into it,” he said.
“You can’t be concentrated all the time, but you have to choose your moments when to be good and when to relax a bit, switch it on and off like a dimmer switch. Sometimes you have it turned up full blast, sometimes halfway and sometimes very low.
…
“So it’s about learning to adjust and playing about with the dial. Sometimes just winning your own mental battles in your head allows you to play better at some point during a match.
“I never panic. I am lucky, I have played loads of matches and won, tournaments even – so playing badly and winning is a good trait.”
“I just enjoy playing,” he told Eurosport. “I enjoy whatever situation the game throws at me, deal with it as best as I can. It’s just another game of snooker at the end of the day.
“I just try to focus on my own game. I’m not sure what was going through his head. All you can do is just focus on what you have got to do and hopefully make it difficult for your opponent.
“I’ve just been playing the game for so long that you learn to re-focus, get going again. It’s like getting on a bike. Just keep going, keep pedalling and see where it takes you.”
O’Sullivan needs to reach the final of this week’s tournament in Llandudno, in order to book a place in next week’s Players Championship.
On his chances, he admitted: “I enjoy whatever situation the game throws at me, deal with it as best as I can. It’s just another game of snooker at the end of the day.
“I would like to be on it but it is highly unlikely I will make that tournament next week. I’ve booked in a couple of exhibitions for next week [in case] because I don’t want to not play.
“If I don’t make it at least I’ve got something else to do and can look forward to going to Thailand for the Six-Red World Championship.”
WELSH OPEN: RONNIE O’SULLIVAN ADVANCES TO SECOND ROUND AFTER SCRAPPY WIN AGAINST OLIVER LINES IN LLANDUDNO
Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Oliver Lines 4-0 in the opening round of the Welsh Open at Venue Cymru in Llandudno on Monday afternoon. The Rocket, who wasn’t at his deadliest, rallied to victory without reply to reach the second round.
Ronnie O’Sullivan proceeds to the next round of the Welsh Open after beating Oliver Lines 4-0 in the first round in Llandudno.
Despite the resounding scoreline, O’Sullivan wasn’t at his sharpest on the day, but took advantage of Lines’ continuously poor positional play to reach the second round.
He took a while to find his rhythm, but once he did he fired a break of 91 in the fourth frame to eliminate his compatriot.
Jimmy White – on Eurosport punditry duty – said: “[He’s] definitely not match sharp, but he still produced.”
O’Sullivan had the chance to take charge early on when Lines missed the black after putting away the first red of the match, but a disappointing ricochet off the black from O’Sullivan led him to play a loose safety ball to spread the pack.
From there Lines notched up a 34-12 lead, but as White had analysed in the Eurosport studio pre-match, he became too tactical as he ran out of position early in the break.
His break lasted to 33 and led to a snooker behind the yellow, which O’Sullivan struggled to wriggle out of without leaving a red on. But despite Lines’ effort to follow up with a blue to the middle left, he made a hash of the open pack of reds.
O’Sullivan took control of the first frame, making intelligent use of the yellow, blue and pink to finish off the final two reds and nick the opener with a 51 clearance up to the black.
Again Lines struggled to make a demanding impact at the beginning of the second frame. His positional play wasn’t up to scratch and opted for a safety shot after he wasted an opportunity to push the scoreboard following a miss on the black.
He won the safety face-off to take a 26-1 lead and develop another break, tucking away an excellent black to the bottom left but is unlucky when no pottable reds emerge.
With the frame still up for grabs, O’Sullivan notched up a break of 30 up to the pink to secure the second frame and take a 2-0 lead.
Lines produced more excellent snooker at the beginning of the third frame but when he tried putting himself in a frame-winning position with a side spin into the pack, somehow found the gap between all of the balls and was left stranded by the green pocket.
It turned into a scrappy frame when O’Sullivan came up short after following up a simple red with a blue to the middle right, and Lines saw the cue ball fly into the pocket for a foul.
Both players struggle to find any sort of rhythm, but it was O’Sullivan made room to chalk up a superb 68 clearance and move within a frame of victory.
In the fourth frame, O’Sullivan finally found his groove as he racked up a break of 91 to land the fatal blow and ease into the second round.
Plus some images shared by Ronnie himself on twitter:
The draw has been made in Thailand for the Pathum Thani 2023 6 reds World Championship
The whole ceremony is available on YouTube:
The actual draw is made by the legendary Thai MC Twitath Warintrakom and is toward the end of the video.
Group A
Stephen Maguire (1) – Scotland
Ding Junhui (16) – China
Zhang Anda – China
Mink Nutcharut – Thailand
Group B
Barry Hawkins (8) – England
Luca Brecel (9) – Belgium
Jimmy White – England
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh – Thailand
Group C
John Higgins (5) – Scotland
Hossein Vafaei (12) – Iran
Ken Doherty – Ireland
Poramin Danjirakul – Thailand
Group D
Judd Trump (4) – England
Ricky Walden (13) – England
Ma Hailong – China
Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn – Thailand
Group E
Mark Selby (3) – England
Ali Carter (14) – England
Chris Wakelin – England
Dechawat Poomjaeng – Thailand
Group F
Mark Williams (6) – Wales
Mark Allen (11) – Northern Ireland
Andres Petrov – Estonia
Sunny Akani – Thailand
Group G
Shaun Murphy (7) – England
Stuart Bingham (10) – England
Mahmoud El Hareedy – Egypt
Noppon Saengkham Thailand
Group H
Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) – England
Jimmy Robertson (15) – England
Stan Moody – England
James Wattana – Thailand
This is a really diverse field and it’s great to see the two laureates of the recent WSF Championships, Stan Moody and Ma Hai Long, in this draw. Thailand is the host and, as such, has one player in each group. I’m happy to see Sunny Akani in the draw as well as Thai National Icon James Wattana.
It promises to be and enjoyable event.
2023 Welsh Open
The 2023 Welsh Open starts tomorrow in Llandudno. Fraser Patrich has withdrwan and is replaced by Andrew Higginson. Andrew will play Neil Robertson tomorrow afternoon. The two of them met in the Final of this event in 2007. Andrew was 8-6 in front in that match, but lost by 9-8 eventually. He had made a 147 earlier in the tournament. The maximum came in his quarter-final against Ali Carter.
A number of top players have work to do there if they wish to play in the 2023 Players Championship. As it stands, Neil Robertson and Barry Hawkins need to win at least two matches in Wales. Ronnie needs to reach the final, John Higgins needs the title. It’s 80000 (pounds and points) for the winner but only 17500 for the losing semi-finalists…
Ronnie has an exhibition scheduled during the Players Championship but it comes with a message from Jason Francis stating that the event could be rescheduled at short notice.
Ronnie’s first match is against Oliver Lines and that’s a bit of a banana skin, especially over best of 7.
John Higgins first opponent is Alex Ursenbacher, with Martin Gould to follow should he win. Ronnie and him could meet in the QFs, should they both get that far.
Neil Robertson beat Zhou Yuelong 3-1 in the final of Group Six of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational at the Morningside Arena, Leicester to earn a place in next month’s Winners’ Group.
…
Australia’s Robertson will join the winners of the first five groups – Jack Lisowski, Stuart Bingham, Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson and John Higgins – plus the winner of Group Seven in a strong line-up for the Winners’ Group on March 1st and 2nd, when the trophy and a place in the 2023 Champion of Champions will be on the line.
Breaks of 67 and 107 put Robertson 2-0 ahead, before China’s Zhou pulled one back with a run of 73. World number four Robertson, whose only title so far this season came at the BetVictor World Mixed Doubles alongside Mink Nutcharut, compiled breaks of 31 and 62 in frame four to seal his place in the Winners’ Group.
Earlier in the semi-finals, Zhou beat Xiao Guodong 3-2 thanks to a superb 63 clearance in the deciding frame, while Robertson came from 2-1 down to edge out Matthew Selt 3-2, making a 111 in frame four and a 52 clearance in the fifth.
The tournament resumes on February 27th and 28th with Group Seven, when Ronnie O’Sullivan and Shaun Murphy will join the action, alongside Zhou, Selt, Xiao and Robert Milkins.
The 2023 BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational carries a prize fund of £205,000. Players earn £100 per frame won with significant bonuses for their final group position and increased prize money in the Winners’ Group. The bottom two players in each group are eliminated, while the remaining players finishing in the top five have the chance to compete in the next group.
I have removed the link to the “Table Results” from the above text because it’s both incomplete and erroneous on the event official website.
Ma Hai Long won the 2023 WSF Championship earlier today.
China’s Ma Hai Long beat Stan Moody 5-0 in the final to win the 2023 WSF Championship at the Mounties Club in Sydney, Australia.
The 19-year-old was already assured of qualification to the World Snooker Tour prior to the final, with opponent Moody having already gained his professional card following his victory at last week’s Junior Championship, but underlined his credentials with a dominant display to claim the biggest title on snooker’s amateur calendar.
He becomes the fourth winner of the title since its inaugural staging in 2018 and the third from China, to follow in the footsteps of Luo Honghao and Si Jiahui, who also both claimed whitewash successes in their respective finals.
With both players assured of their professional status next season, a free-flowing match was anticipated by many observers, only for the opening exchanges to prove hard fought as Ma established an early 2-0 lead with a top run of 40 in a little under an hour.
A student of the CBSA Academy, Ma visibly gained confidence as the match progressed, limiting England’s Moody to just 15 points during the following two frames and a match high break of 78 helping him to within a frame of glory.
After the resumption of play following the mid-session interval it was Moody who threatened to extend the match into a sixth frame, but a miss on the final red would prove costly as Ma produced a classy clearance to secure the title.
“I was very excited to play in this final,” said Ma. “Even though I was already guaranteed the World Snooker Tour card, that was always in the back of my mind and I just wanted to take one ball at a time and to get the win.
“I know that in the history of this event, players from China have been very successful and as a young player I did not want to let China down. Not only for myself, but the other young players in our country.”
Ma was competing in his first major international tournament following the COVID-19 pandemic and showed his determination throughout the week, regularly coming back from behind in frames to secure victory. Having enjoyed the experience and claimed the ultimate prize, he is now already looking forward to competing on the professional circuit and will be moving to the UK.
“I have won frames from needing three or four snookers in the past,” explained Ma. “I drew inspiration from that and in such a big event like this wanted to never give up.
“I am now very excited to join the professional tour and meet players like Mark Selby, to play him in a big competition. I cannot wait to play in the tournaments that I have seen on television and to play in the famous snooker venues around the world.”
Both Ma and Junior champion Moody were presented with their trophies by dignitaries including WSF President Jason Ferguson, General Secretary Maxime Cassis, WSF Treasurer Mike Peachey and Frank Dewens, President of the Australian Billiards and Snooker Council.
Congratulation Ma Hai Long!
On a personal note, I was very happy to see Peggy Li refereeing again, and getting the final.
Here is the final, with Jason Ferguson himself in commentary
Now … a bit of rant… After Stan Moody beat Liam Davies in the semi-finals, Chris Henry came up on facebook saying that in his opinion Stan should not have been allowed to play in the main WSF event, after winning the junior event, because, having secured his tour card, he was under no pressure hence gaining unfair advantage on his opponents. I completely disagree with Chris’ position on this. Stan made the trip, and that certainly didn’t come cheap, with long haul flights, accommodations, and entry fees. It was experience to be gained and another big title possibly to be won. Why would he be deprived of the opportunity? That would be punishing him for being successful. If Liam and his other opponents can’t deal with that pressure, I wonder how they will deal with the jungle that is the main tour.
Eventually, Stan was beaten comprehensively by Ma. Ma, of course is older, he’s 19. The much fancied Hong Yu Liu, who had reached the QF stage losing just one frame was beaten by Ma at that stage, as was former pro, 18 years old Gao Yang, who reached the semi-finals. All three of them, from what I saw, are currently better and more mature players than any of the young Brits involved in the event. But, of course, the extremely UK centric organisation of the main tour doesn’t favour them at all. That has to change.
There is hope though for a return of the Chinese events next season. It was already announced that the Shanghai Masters is on the cards, but, of course, it’s an invitational with a reduced field.
He becomes the fourth winner of the title since its inaugural staging in 2018 and the third from China, to follow in the footsteps of Luo Honghao and Si Jiahui, who also both claimed whitewash successes in their respective finals.
