Latest news with #PangJunxu
BBC News
23-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Maguire wins 2025 Championship League
Stephen Maguire has won the first ranking event of the season, beating Joe O'Connor 3-1 in the final of the 2025 Championship League in Leicester. It is the 44-year-old Scot's seventh career ranking title from 15 finals and his first since winning the 2020 Tour Championship. The tournament, which takes place over three stages and began at Leicester Arena on 30 June, reached its finale on Wednesday, with just eight of the 128-strong field remaining. Maguire booked his spot in the final after topping Group 2 in a best-of-four frame round-robin. The 15th seed beat Matthew Selt (3-0) and Ben Mertens (3-0) before losing to China's Pang Junxu (3-1). Leicester-born O'Connor, seeded 16th, only dropped two frames to finish first in Group 1, beating Ricky Walden (3-1), Xu Si (3-1), and Tom Ford (3-0). In the best-of-five frame final, Maguire took a 2-0 lead before O'Connor pulled one frame back with a 99-point break. However, Maguire produced a match-winning 89 to secure the title with a frame to spare.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
When does Ronnie O'Sullivan play next at the World Snooker Championship?
Ronnie O'Sullivan is into the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Snooker Championship for a record-extending 23rd time after a routine 13-4 win over Pang Junxu in the second round. The 49-year-old hadn't played competitively since January and has pulled out of recent tournaments, including the Masters, to focus on his mental health and wellbeing and it was unclear whether he would participate in the World Championship in Sheffield. He decided to take part in the competition, in what is his 33rd consecutive appearance at the Crucible, and made light work of old rival Ali Carter in the first round, running out the 10-4 winner. The Rocket carried on where he left off and was scarcely tested by Pang, needing just one frame to win when the session resumed on Monday night and wrapping proceedings up with a break of 95. Here's everything you need to know about Ronnie O'Sullivan's next match: The World No. 5 returns to action on Tuesday 29 April in the afternoon session when he takes on Si Jiahui in the second round. The session begins at 2.30pm BST. Coverage of the match will be shown on BBC Two from 1pm and TNT Sports who have broadcast rights for the whole tournament this year. TNT's coverage begins at 2.30pm when the session starts. Ronnie O'Sullivan needs one more world title win to take the record outright from Stephen Hendry, who shares his current tally, and match his number of wins at the other two Triple Crown events: the Masters and the UK Championship. 'The Rocket' won the first of his world titles in 2001 before drawing level with Hendry's collection with a seventh crown in 2022. He already holds the most Triple Crown titles of any player with 23 across his career, though has not necessarily enjoyed his recent time on the baize. First-round matches at the World Snooker Championship are the best of 19 frames. Second round and quarter-final matches are played over a maximum of 25. Semi-final matches are best of 33 frames. The final is the best of 35 frames. The winner will receive £500,000 and there is total prize fund of £2,395,000. Winner: £500,000 Runner-up: £200,000 Semi-finalists: £100,000 Quarter-finalists: £50,000 Last 16: £30,000 Last 32: £20,000 Last 48: £15,000 Last 80: £10,000 Last 112: £5,000 Highest break (qualifying stage included): £15,000
Daily Mirror
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ronnie O'Sullivan gives concerning interview after World Championship win - 'It's horrible'
The Rocket breezed into the quarter-finals at the Crucible with a 13-4 victory of Pang Junxu, sealed on Monday night, but was extremely downbeat on his display and recent form Ronnie O'Sullivan sealed his place in the World Championship quarter-final - but is far from happy. O'Sullivan rifled in a break of 95 to complete his victory over Pang Junxu 13-4 on Monday night, needing just 17 minutes of the evening session to win the single frame he needed to make the last eight. However, the seven-time world champ admitted he feels 'horrible' at the table right now and was extremely downbeat post match. Rating his form as 'probably two out of 10', O'Sullivan, who will face another Chinese opponent, Si Jiahui, in the last eight said: 'I wasn't bothered about getting it over quickly – I need all the table time I can get. 'I think I've dragged them (my opponents) down to a poorer level. I think they expected me to play better and were maybe shocked that I didn't, but I don't think Si will fall into that trap, and that's what makes him dangerous.' O'Sullivan only decided to play against bitter rival Ali Carter the day before his Crucible opener but insists he is feeling 'so unconfident'. And he insisted he's not having problems with a new cue, and that his issues are all stemming from himself. Speaking to the BBC The Rocket said: "The [new] cue is fine – it's just me. I've given up even trying to find out what it is. You try so many things to work it out and you either have to accept it or not. "I don't think I could've accepted how I was playing for a while. So I'm just going to try and coach my way out of it, give myself two years and just give it a good go. "I feel so unconfident. It's like, horrible. It's horrible even when you're playing alright. I got messed up by a coach and I am just trying to unravel it but I just don't think I can. "I know I'm probably not normal and have accepted that as well. If either player I played had played well I would have got beat because I've played poorly. They've let me off the hook. It's difficult. It's difficult. "I hit a safety shot there in that frame and caught it so thick. I can't even see where I'm hitting it, it's just guesswork. "Then I try it again and a different shot comes off. On the balls I was alright but there are so many parts to the game. It's hell to be honest. I just want to enjoy it. I don't care about winning – that's just a bonus. "But I just want to be part of a good game."
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Ronnie O'Sullivan claims he is in 'HELL' despite breezing into quarter-finals at the Crucible - but the Rocket insists his opponent could 'put me away'
Ronnie O'Sullivan says he is in 'hell' despite racing into a record-extending 23rd World Championship quarter-final. The seven-time Crucible champion hit a break of 95 in the first frame of last night's session to complete a resounding 13-4 second-round win over Pang Junxu. But fifth seed O'Sullivan, who meets 2023 semi-finalist Si Jiahui in the last eight on Tuesday, insists he is still out of sorts on his return from a three-month break. 'I feel so unconfident, it's horrible,' said the Rocket. 'It's hell. Feeling wise, this is the worst I've ever felt. 'I don't know where my back arm is, I don't know where my left arm is, sometimes I can't even see where I am hitting it. It's just guesswork. 'I've completely overachieved as far as this tournament is concerned. 'I've won this tournament many times before playing what I consider badly, so it can be done. 'But when you're nearly 50 and you're struggling to bend down and do your shoelace, it gets a bit hard. 'The next round is a big acid test because he buried me in Saudi Arabia this year. 'The players I played in the first two rounds had enough chances to put me away and didn't - but I think this guy will.'
The Sun
28-04-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
What happens if World Snooker Championship matches finish early tonight?
THE World Snooker Championship is approaching the business end of the competition. Just two quarter-final spots remain, but that will all change tonight. Both second-round matches taking place during Monday's evening session are within one frame of conclusion, which could mean a very early finish at the Crucible. What happens if World Snooker Championship matches finish early tonight? A Big Break-style exhibition will be staged at the Crucible tonight if there are fewer than four frames on both of the two tables. There is an unusual predicament in store for the evening session on day 10 of the World Snooker Championship. On table one, Ronnie O'Sullivan will play his third session with Chinese qualifier Pang Junxu and he leads 12-4. The Rocket only needs one more frame to reach a record-extending 23rd world championship quarter-final. Over on table two, 2023 world champion Luca Brecel – who flew by private jet from Belgium to the UK on Saturday on the day of his match – is 12-4 up over Ding Junhui. Likewise, the Belgian Bullet only needs one more frame to book his spot in the last eight following two outstanding sessions. Fans attending this evening will not be eligible for a ticket refund, whatever happens on the baize. There is the chance that both contest are over within one frame and way before 8pm. Unless Pang and Ding win four frames in a row – and therefore force a mid-session interval – then the divide will go up and special entertainment will take place. Ken Doherty, the 1997 world champion, the popular Jimmy White and Dennis Taylor – on the 40th anniversary of his 1985 Black Ball Final success – will take to the arena for trick shots and frame play. The trio have a combined age of 193 and are on site in Sheffield due to broadcaster duties. John Virgo, who co-fronted the BBC show Big Break between 1991 and 2002, might also be part of the activity.
