Latest news with #SnookerMasters
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."
Wales Online
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Ali Carter makes Ronnie O'Sullivan feelings crystal clear as rivalry takes another twist
Ali Carter makes Ronnie O'Sullivan feelings crystal clear as rivalry takes another twist Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter's feud appears to be over after the pair faced off at the Crucible in the 2025 World Snooker Championship first round Ronnie O'Sullivan shakes hands with Ali Carter (Image: Getty Images ) Ali Carter has hailed Ronnie O'Sullivan as "the greatest player of all time", signalling a potential end to their well-documented rivalry. The pair were set to face off in the opening round of the World Snooker Championship, an encounter that had fans buzzing due to their contentious past. Their fiery relationship was under the spotlight again following their match-up at the 2024 Snooker Masters final, where O'Sullivan triumphed over Carter to claim his eighth title. However, it was their physical altercation and verbal spat during the game that lingered in people's memories, with O'Sullivan branding Carter a "nightmare" and Carter criticising O'Sullivan for "snotting all over the floor". In their latest clash at the 2025 World Championship, O'Sullivan secured a resounding 10-4 win against Carter. Despite this, the atmosphere between them seemed amicable, with handshakes exchanged both before and after the match, and a friendly conversation following the conclusion. Article continues below Carter, despite being knocked out early, expressed respect for O'Sullivan, reflecting on past conflicts. He remarked: "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 his single victory in 2025 prior to 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," reports the Mirror. Carter's respectful and honourable remarks underline that despite some tension between him and O'Sullivan, it doesn't overshadow his genuine admiration for the Rocket. In return, O'Sullivan also extended some cordiality, seemingly expressing remorse for his past comments about the Captain. Speaking to TNT Sports, the snooker icon said: "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 is set to face Chinese sensation Junxu Pang, who triumphed over his fellow countryman Zhang Anda in the first round. Not much was anticipated from O'Sullivan, who hadn't competed since his defeat to Robert Milkins in the Championship League back in January. Article continues below O'Sullivan, who previously withdrew at the eleventh hour from the German Masters, the Welsh Open and an exhibition in Finland against John Higgins in January, confessed to having modest expectations for his performance at the Crucible. Nonetheless, O'Sullivan's light-hearted approach might render him a more formidable opponent. He remarked: "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." He also reflected on the match against Ali, saying: "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."
