Latest news with #BenMertens
The Irish Sun
09-08-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters chaos with ALL matches postponed after ‘technical issues'
It comes just days after the Shanghai Masters was suspended for the same reason BALLS UP Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters chaos with ALL matches postponed after 'technical issues' THE Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters was hit by a major 'technical issue' that saw EVERY match postponed. A problem with the scoring system on Friday night forced a halt to the action. Advertisement 1 Ben Mertens in action at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters Credit: Getty World Snooker Tour said: "During the evening session of Friday August 8th at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, we have experienced technical issues. "We have therefore postponed all matches in this session which were yet to start until Saturday morning. "These matches will commence at 10am on Saturday and play to a finish in an untelevised session. "We are now working on resolving the technical issues before play resumes. Advertisement READ MORE ON SNOOKER Present day future World's youngest ever snooker star, 14, secures first professional win "We would like to thank all of the players involved for their understanding." Play resumed on Saturday after the issue was resolved. The chaos comes just days after the Shanghai Masters was suspended MID-MATCH. A broken scoreboard brought the semi-final between Kyren Wilson and Zhao Xintong to a stop and saw both players forced to walk off. Advertisement BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Wilson complained to the referee that he could not see the score. The 2024 world champion, 33, called out: 'Zhao, can we wait? Can we wait, yeah?' When the referee came over, the Warrior said: 'It's no good. Advertisement Snooker fans baffled as star who's not won a match all year knocks in staggering 147 break 'I would rather wait for the scoring (to return). It's not good for the fans because the fans can't see the score.' Shall we say how long it takes?' Wilson went on to win the match and beat Ali Carter in the final.
Scottish Sun
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters chaos with ALL matches postponed after ‘technical issues'
It comes just days after the Shanghai Masters was suspended for the same reason BALLS UP Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters chaos with ALL matches postponed after 'technical issues' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters was hit by a major 'technical issue' that saw EVERY match postponed. A problem with the scoring system on Friday night forced a halt to the action. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Ben Mertens in action at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters Credit: Getty World Snooker Tour said: "During the evening session of Friday August 8th at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, we have experienced technical issues. "We have therefore postponed all matches in this session which were yet to start until Saturday morning. "These matches will commence at 10am on Saturday and play to a finish in an untelevised session. "We are now working on resolving the technical issues before play resumes. "We would like to thank all of the players involved for their understanding." Play resumed on Saturday after the issue was resolved. The chaos comes just days after the Shanghai Masters was suspended MID-MATCH. A broken scoreboard brought the semi-final between Kyren Wilson and Zhao Xintong to a stop and saw both players forced to walk off. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Wilson complained to the referee that he could not see the score. The 2024 world champion, 33, called out: 'Zhao, can we wait? Can we wait, yeah?' When the referee came over, the Warrior said: 'It's no good. Snooker fans baffled as star who's not won a match all year knocks in staggering 147 break 'I would rather wait for the scoring (to return). It's not good for the fans because the fans can't see the score.' Shall we say how long it takes?' Wilson went on to win the match and beat Ali Carter in the final.
Metro
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Metro
The players who had dream and nightmare first weeks of the snooker season
The snooker season got underway in low-key fashion over the last few days, but it has already seen some players make an ideal start to their campaign and others face early worries. The Wuhan Open qualifiers begun on June 22, with the British Open qualifying starting straight after on June 25. Both qualifying events were held at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester behind closed doors, so they won't necessarily live long in the memory, but could prove vital in the world rankings over the season. Winning the opening match in the Wuhan Open is worth £4,500 and the winner of the event will pick up a very healthy £140,000. The British Open is a small step down, with £3,000 won in the first round and the champion claiming £100,000. A number of players have started in perfect fashion, winning both their qualifiers and will be booking their trips to Wuhan and Cheltenham. Others will already be reckoning with gaps in their calendar when those events come round after suffering back-to-back defeats over the last week. There was a dramatic and brilliant start to the campaign for Marco Fu, the 47-year-old who has really struggled for results in recent years but still has some of the old magic in there. He had a really tough draw against Chris Wakelin to get to Wuhan but knocked in three centuries to win 5-3, then bounced back from 3-0 down to beat Stephen Maguire 4-3 and make the British. Louis Heathcote also picked up two wins from tricky draws, impressively downing Wu Yize 5-2, then edging out Jordan Brown 4-3. There was also a brace of victories for Stan Moody, the 18-year-old who continues to make great strides in the game, beating Antoni Kowalski to reach Wuhan and then Zhou Yuelong to make it to Cheltenham. 12-times women's world champion Reanne Evans has started the campaign ideally, with wins over David Lilley and new professional Lan Yuhao. There was also a pair of victories for the likes of Liam Davies and Jackson Page, two young British stars who will hope to move up a level this season. Zak Surety also kept up the good form he finished last season in, with wins over Gong Chenzhi and Zhao Hanyang, while Ben Woollaston, Lei Peifan, Matt Selt, Joe O'Connor, Noppon Saengkham, Matthew Stevens, Jak Jones, Ben Mertens, Xu Si, Chang Bingyu and Jack Lisowski all landed two victories. A number of players came away with a win and a defeat from the two sets of qualifiers, which they will be able to live with, but two losses will sting for those who came away without a victory. Ricky Walden was a notable name to lose on both outings, beaten 5-4 by David Grace to miss out on Wuhan, then downed 4-2 by Joe O'Connor in the British. The 42-year-old is down at number 49 on the end of season rankings and these early setbacks will be a concern. Fan Zhengyi is another to have gone winless in two games, losing 5-3 to Ben Mertens and then 4-2 to Robert Milkins. The former European Masters champ remains an unpredictable force, capable of brilliance but really lacking consistency. A number of the players who won their way onto the professional circuit through Q School, Q Tour or other routes had difficult starts and are still looking for their first victories of the campaign. Liam Pullen may well be the most frustrated of them after both his matches went to deciding frames and he lost both, beaten 5-4 by Jimmy Robertson and then 4-3 by Mertens. While it can't be considered a nightmare as he chose to do so, Luca Brecel is also winless so far after failing to turn up for his Wuhan Open qualifier and then pulling out of the British Open. The early-season action continues on Monday with the start of the Championship League, a sprawling event which runs all the way until July 23. Many of the big names are not playing in the tournament so there is a good chance for some of the lower-ranked players to either continue a strong start to the campaign or turn around a difficult one. Ishpreet Singh Chadha 5-1 Yao PengchengElliot Slessor 5-4 Oliver LinesRicky Walden 4-5 David GraceChris Wakelin 3-5 Marco FuAnthony McGill 2-5 Jimmy WhiteWu Yize 2-5 Louis Heathcote Matthew Selt 5-4 Sunny Akani Xu Si 5-1 Chris TottenJak Jones 5-0 Oliver BrownJamie Jones 5-4 Liu WenweiBarry Hawkins 5-1 Julien LeclercqNoppon Saengkham 5-0 Robbie McGuiganZhou Yuelong 5-2 Lan Yuhao Stan Moody 5-2 Antoni Kowalski Mark Williams 5-0 Chatchapong NasaMark Davis 4-5 Liam DaviesJoe O'Connor 5-4 Jiang JunBen Woollaston 5-1 Ken DohertyMark Selby 5-1 Alexander UrsenbacherMichael Holt 5-3 Liam GrahamDavid Gilbert 5-1 Cheung Ka Wai Haris Tahir w/o Luca Brecel Daniel Wells 4-5 Chang BingyuStuart Bingham 2-5 Liam HighfieldSanderson Lam 1-5 Zhao HanyangZhang Anda 5-2 Steven HallworthJimmy Robertson 5-4 Liam PullenLei Peifan 5-3 Ng On YeeAaron Hill 5-1 Sam Craigie Kyren Wilson 5-0 Connor Benzey Liu Hongyu 5-3 Ian BurnsJack Lisowski 5-3 Amir SarkhoshRyan Day 5-1 Jonas LuzShaun Murphy 5-0 Michal SzubarczykJordan Brown 5-1 Duane JonesGary Wilson 5-2 Gao Yang Lyu Haotian 5-3 Bai Yulu Martin O'Donnell 1-5 Haydon PinheyTom Ford 5-2 Mateusz BaranowskiDavid Lilley 4-5 Reanne EvansNeil Robertson 5-0 Leone CrowleyHe Guoqiang 1-5 Artemijs ZizinsYuan Sijun 5-1 Xu YichenLong Zehuang 3-5 Dylan Emery John Higgins 5-2 Huang Jiahao Scott Donaldson 5-4 Mitchell MannPang Junxu 5-4 Hatem YassenThepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-0 Fergal QuinnZak Surety 5-1 Gong Chenzhi Fan Zhengyi 3-5 Ben Mertens Jackson Page 5-3 Ross MuirAli Carter 5-2 Florian NuessleRobert Milkins 1-5 Wang YuchenSi Jiahui 5-2 Bulcsu ReveszStephen Maguire 5-1 Kreishh Gurbaxani Matthew Stevens 5-2 Sahil Nayyar Chang Bingyu 4-2 Kreishh GurbaxaniJak Jones 4-1 Gong ChenzhiNoppon Saengkham 4-1 Liu WenweiLiam Davies 4-2 Jimmy WhiteMartin O'Donnell 4-1 Sahil NayyarOliver Lines 4-1 Stuart CarringtonUmut Dikme 4-3 Michal Szubarczyk Anthony McGill 4-3 Dylan Emery Ashley Carty 4-2 Alexander UrsenbacherBen Mertens 4-3 Liam PullenMitchell Mann 4-3 Wang YuchenMatthew Stevens 4-2 Huang JiahaoYuan Sijun 4-3 Jamie JonesDavid Lilley 4-2 Liam GrahamJoe O'Connor 4-2 Ricky Walden Antoni Kowalski 4-0 Chris Totten Reanne Evans 4-1 Lan YuhaoLei Peifan 4-0 Mateusz BaranowskiRobert Milkins 4-2 Fan ZhengyiLeone Crowley 4-0 Hatem YassenMatthew Selt 4-0 David GilbertXu Yichen 4-2 Oliver BrownStan Moody 4-2 Zhou Yuelong Jackson Page 4-2 Elliot Slessor Gao Yang 4-2 Fergal QuinnMarco Fu 4-3 Stephen MaguireHe Guoqiang 4-0 Farakh AjaibSunny Akani 4-0 Steven HallworthXu Si 4-0 Florian NuessleRyan Davies 4-3 Jimmy RobertsonHaris Tahir 4-3 Ken Doherty Long Zehuang 4-3 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Bulcsu Revesz 4-1 Robbie WilliamsScott Donaldson 4-2 Ishpreet Singh ChadhaRobbie McGuigan 4-2 Lyu HaotianAmir Sarkhosh 4-1 Mink NutcharutJack Lisowski 4-3 Liam HighfieldIulian Boiko 4-2 Connor BenzeyBen Woollaston 4-2 Julien Leclercq Allan Taylor 4-2 Chatchapong Nasa Zak Surety 4-2 Zhao HanyangLiu Hongyu 4-0 Ng On YeeCheung Ka Wai 4-1 Jonas LuzIan Burns 4-1 Michael HoltStuart Bingham 4-2 Ryan DayLouis Heathcote 4-3 Jordan BrownSam Craigie 4-1 Yao Pengcheng Bai Yulu 4-2 Artemijs Zizins MORE: Sam Craigie feared for snooker career after neck surgery but now feels better than ever MORE: Snooker chiefs reveal fines for Ding Junhui and Seniors champ for disciplinary issues MORE: Three major World Snooker Tour events move to new TV channel
