Ronnie O'Sullivan stunned by three snooker rivals who are ‘a level above everyone at the moment'
The seven-time world champion plays in the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters today against Joe O'Connor.
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The biggest names in the sport are all in Jeddah to battle it out for the £2million prize pot, with the winner pocketing a whopping £500,000.
O'Sullivan has predicted where the cash will go ahead of the second ranking event of the year.
The Rocket said: "Kyren Wilson is strongest at the moment, closely followed by Judd Trump and Zhao Xintong is the world champion.
"Those three are a level above everyone at the moment.
"There are seven or eight others behind them who are very good and experienced who can win this week. It's a very strong field."
Last year's inaugural tournament at the Green Halls saw Trump beat Mark Williams 10-9 in a thriller.
O'Sullivan loves the new event and believes snooker is growing in Saudi Arabia.
He has even opened an academy in the capital Riyadh.
O'Sullivan said: "It's an amazing event and I'm really excited to be here. The future is very strong here. This is big tournament.
"We have the Riyadh Season event and the academy in Riyadh. Youngsters will learn the game and get better.
Snooker fans baffled as star who's not won a match all year knocks in staggering 147 break
"I will be interested to see in ten years how it looks because maybe we'll have one or two professional players from Saudi."
Meanwhile, O'Sullivan's opponent this evening, O'Connor, is relishing the challenge.
He said: "I am playing solid this season, though I feel there are plenty of gears to come. I have been taking chances and not missing easy balls.
'This could be the season where I do really well and lift my first trophy. I come to every tournament trying to win it."
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