Latest news with #SnookerMasters
Arab Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Arab Times
Chinese players miss out on quarterfinals at Snooker Masters in Jeddah
JEDDAH, Aug 14, (Xinhua): All four Chinese players, including Zhao Xintong and Ding Junhui, failed to advance to the quarterfinals at the 2025 Snooker Masters after suffering defeats in their last-16 matches in Jeddah. World Championship winner Zhao Xintong once again faced Chris Wakelin after having faced each other at both the World Championship and the Shanghai Masters. Wakelin fired a century break in the third frame to establish a 3-1 lead by the mid-session interval. After the break, Zhao found his scoring touch, producing breaks of over 50 in four consecutive frames to move 5-3 ahead. However, Wakelin capitalized on Zhao's errors to win the next three frames, sealing a 6-5 comeback victory. Ding Junhui's clash with Barry Hawkins was equally dramatic. Ding fell 0-2 behind early on, but recovered with a 113 break in the third frame and went on to take four frames in a row. However, Hawkins fought back from the brink of defeat to force a decider and edged past Ding 6-5. Facing China's Chang Bingyu, seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan displayed remarkable composure and competitive strength, overturning a 2-5 deficit to claim four straight frames for a 6-5 victory. In another match, Kyren Wilson met China's rising star Si Jiahui for the second time since last month's Shanghai Masters. Fresh from winning the Shanghai title, Wilson maintained his strong form, defeating Si 6-3 once again.
Metro
4 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Defending champion Judd Trump stunned in Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters opener
Judd Trump has fallen at the first hurdle of his Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters defence, beaten 5-3 by Oliver Lines on Tuesday in Jeddah. The world number one won the first edition of the tournament last season in Riyadh, memorably beating Mark Williams 10-9 on the final black in an epic final. The 35-year-old could not replicate that success this time round, though, beaten by the world number 68 in his opening match. Lines had won three matches to come through the tiered draw to this stage, beating Liam Pullen, Matthew Selt and Noppon Saengkham impressively. The form and confidence he built up over that trio of wins clearly helped him against the reigning champion, someone he is good friends with and had practiced with over his career. Trump came into the match as heavy favourite, despite Lines' hat-trick of victories in Saudi Arabia, and started well enough as he won the first frame. The Yorkshireman showed that he is in good touch in the next, though, knocking in a 125 and then claimed the next two to go into the interval 3-1 ahead. That could have been an unhelpful pause in the game for Lines, but not so as he returned to make a 71 and go one frame from victory. The 30-year-old was playing well but the former world champion was not, struggling to keep hold of the cue ball and missing multiple blacks off the spot. Lines started to feel the pressure of the winning line somewhat, missing chances to win the match in the sixth and Trump clawed back to 4-2 behind. Things started to look a bit ominous as the Ace made a 102 to win the next and looked very good doing it, but Lines managed to compose himself again, knock in a fantastic break of 100 and win the match 5-3. 'I was starting to get a bit edgy towards the end. I felt great the whole game and you get 4-1 up and start searching for the winning line. At 4-1 up I could barely feel my legs!' Lines told TNT Sports. The guaranteed £30,000 for the last 16 is Lines' biggest financial win of his career, crediting his good form to work on the practice table with former pro Andy Lee. 'I've been putting a lot of hard work in, I've just started working with Andy Lee and I'm really enjoying it,' he said. 'He's really calm and I think it's rubbing off on my game.' Lines plays either Ali Carter or Gary Wilson in the last 16. Earlier in the first session of the day in Jeddah Shaun Murphy made light work of Thepchaiya Un-Nooh with a 5-1 victory. More Trending The Thai star had been in brilliant form in beating Jordan Brown and Jak Jones in the earlier rounds, making a 147 against Brown. However, the Magician was in fine fettle as he made breaks of 125, 66 and 118 along the way, with Thepchaiya making a 96 in the one frame he won. Murphy goes through to the last 16 where he will take on Mark Williams after the Welsh legend beat Yuan Sijun 5-3. More to follow… MORE: Ronnie O'Sullivan opponent ready to channel hero Mark Selby in Saudi Arabia MORE: Ronnie O'Sullivan says three players are 'level above' at Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters MORE: Top 16 learn Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters opponents and hopefully bring crowds
Asharq Al-Awsat
12-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Jeddah to Host World Pool Championship, Snooker Masters in July, August
Jeddah is scheduled to host two rounds of the World Pool Championship and the Snooker Masters Championship in July and August. The events are part of a strategic partnership between the Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation and Matchroom Sport, in collaboration with the World Nineball Tour (WNT) and the World Snooker Tour (WST), and under the supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Sport. The World Pool Championship, returning for the second consecutive year, will be held from July 21 to 26 at the Green Sports Hall in Jeddah. It will feature the world's top 100 players competing for a total prize pool of $1 million. The Snooker Masters Championship, ranked as the fourth most prestigious tournament on the professional snooker calendar, will be held from August 8 to 16. It will bring together 128 professional players from around the world, along with 16 Saudi players. The total prize pool for the event will be two million British pounds, making it the second most valuable event in terms of prize money on the 2025 World Snooker Tour. The tournaments are part of the Ministry of Sport's ongoing efforts to boost the Kingdom's global presence in specialized sports, in line with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 to empower the sport sector and expand its economic and social impact.
Arab News
11-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Jeddah to host World Pool Championship and Snooker Masters this summer
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia's sporting calendar continues to expand with the announcement that Jeddah will host two major cue sports events in July and August 2025, the World Pool Championship and the Snooker Masters. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The tournaments are part of a landmark ten-year strategic partnership between the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation and Matchroom, in collaboration with the World Nineball Tour (WNT) and the World Snooker Tour (WST). The events are being organized under the supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Sports and are set to feature top international players from around the world. Returning to the Kingdom for the second consecutive year, the World Pool Championship will take place from July 21 to 26, 2025, at the Green Halls in Jeddah. The tournament will gather the world's top 100 players competing for a total prize pool of $1 million. Among the headline names are current world champion Fedor Gorst of Russia, 2023 champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz of Spain, and five-time US Open winner Shane Van Boening of the United States. Following shortly after, the Snooker Masters will run from August 8 to 16, bringing together 128 of the world's top professionals alongside 16 emerging Saudi talents, who will participate via special wild card invitations. With a total prize pot of £2 million ($2.66 million), the tournament ranks as the second most lucrative event on the 2025 World Snooker Tour calendar and is widely regarded as the fourth most prestigious event in the sport. Commenting on the announcement, Nasser Al-Jaweeni, President of the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation, said: 'We are pleased to launch this partnership that places the Kingdom at the heart of global billiards and snooker, reflecting international confidence in Saudi Arabia's organizational capabilities and offering an opportunity to develop local talent and nurture a new generation of Saudi players.' Emily Frazer, CEO of Matchroom Sport, praised the Kingdom's efforts. 'We are proud to return to the Kingdom as part of this inspiring partnership. Last year, we witnessed outstanding organization and an exceptional experience for the players, which raised professional standards and opened doors for the next generation of talent,' she said. Steve Dawson, Chairman of the World Snooker Tour, described the hosting of the Snooker Masters as a landmark moment. 'Saudi Arabia's hosting of the Snooker Masters marks a significant milestone in the sport's history. The impact was evident from the very first edition, and we're all excited to see Saudi players rise through the ranks in the years ahead,' he said.
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter end feud with mutual respect after World Snooker Championship clash
Ali Carter has hailed Ronnie O'Sullivan as "the greatest player of all time", seemingly putting an end to their long-standing rivalry. The pair were pitted against each other in the first round of the World Snooker Championship . Their match was highly anticipated due to their tumultuous past. In the 2024 Snooker Masters final, O'Sullivan triumphed over Carter to secure his eighth title, but the match is most remembered for a heated exchange between the two players. O'Sullivan labelled Carter a "nightmare", while Carter accused the seven-time world champion of "snotting all over the floor". In the 2025 World Championship, O'Sullivan claimed a decisive 10-4 victory over Carter. However, the atmosphere between the two seemed amicable, with handshakes exchanged before and after the match, and a friendly conversation at the conclusion. Despite his early departure from the tournament, Carter had only praise for O'Sullivan. He said: "We all make mistakes in the past. We've all said things that maybe we shouldn't have done, you reflect on that and at the end of the day I'm playing the greatest player of all time." When questioned about O'Sullivan's performance, especially considering he had only one win in 2025 before the Crucible, Carter responded: "He could have 10 years off and still come here. He's just a freak natural, we all know that and that's why we all love watching him." Carter's respectful and dignified remarks underline that despite some tension between him and O'Sullivan, it doesn't overshadow his genuine admiration for the Rocket. O'Sullivan returned the favour with some kindness of his own, even seeming to express some remorse for his previous comments about the Captain. The snooker icon told TNT Sports: "Me and Ali are fine. I was probably going through a bad time myself, he was probably going through a bit of a bad time, and you just sort of say things that you think, 'Why did I say that?' It's just heat of the moment stuff. "I practised with Ali when he was a kid, 13 or 14, and I thought 'This kid's going to be special'. I spent a lot of time playing, picking balls out for him. He's a good lad." In the second round, O'Sullivan will be up against Chinese sensation Junxu Pang, who defeated fellow Chinese player Zhang Anda in his first round match. Not much was expected from O'Sullivan, who hadn't competed since his loss to Robert Milkins in the Championship League, back in January. O'Sullivan withdrew from the German Masters and Welsh Open at the last minute earlier this season, in addition to cancelling a match against John Higgins in Finland. He entered the Crucible with subdued expectations: "I had no expectations so there were no nerves, I didn't expect to perform well based on the past three or four years. I just wanted to make a game of it." The snooker star reflected on his form, noting the fortune he had in the game: "Ali had his chances yesterday, on another day he would been 6-3 up [after the first session], and again today he had a couple of chances. I cued a lot better than I did yesterday."
