Latest news with #JuddTrump
The Sun
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Is Ronnie O'Sullivan playing Championship League and Shanghai Snooker Masters?
CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE is back on our screens, marking the return of snooker after the World Snooker Championship. Ronnie O'Sullivan was a semi-finalist at the tournament, losing to eventual winner Zhao Xintong. The Rocket famously smashed his cue in the Championship League back in January, beginning a hiatus from the sport. He began his 2025 World Championship against Ali Carter, who is out of Championship League in the group stage of the 2025 tournament. The tour has been on a break for the summer, meaning none of the top stars in the sport have been in action as of late. SunSport can reveal when O'Sullivan will be returning to action. Is Ronnie O'Sullivan playing Championship League Snooker? No, Ronnie O'Sullivan will not feature at Championship League Snooker. O'Sullivan's last competitive match was a 17-7 loss against Zhao Xintong in the World Snooker Championship semi-final. O'Sullivan famously smashes his cue into pieces back in January at Championship League snooker. The Rocket is not alone in missing Championship League, with World No 1 Judd Trump and world champion Zhao Xintong both missing the tournament. Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby also skip the tournament, with Ali Carter returning to unsuccessfully defend his title, crashing out in the group stage. When is Ronnie O'Sullivan returning to action? According to manager Jason Francis, Ronnie O'Sullivan will return to action at the Shanghai Snooker Masters. O'Sullivan is set to miss Championship League Snooker, and will return to action in Shanghai. The Shanghai Snooker Masters is set to take place between July 28 and August 3. The Rocket will be playing for his share of £825,000.
Metro
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Metro
2025 Shanghai Masters Snooker draw, schedule and prize money announced
Judd Trump will head to the Shanghai Masters as defending champion (Picture: Getty Images) The world's best players contest the Shanghai Masters next month, with the draw throwing up some cracking contests in the high profile non-ranking event. The world's top 16 qualify for the tournament, joined by the next four highest ranked Chinese players and four amateur wildcards. The 24-player draw means the top eight in the world go straight into the last 16, while players ranked 9-16 have to face the Chinese qualifiers. The Shanghai Masters was first held in 2007 but it was a very different ranking tournament back then, switching to the invitational format in 2018. Almost a Chinese version of London's Masters, it has become a fantastic early-season event which always attracts the biggest names in the game. Ronnie O'Sullivan has especially enjoyed it, winning four editions of the event on the spin from 2017-23, either side of a gap over Covid. Judd Trump goes in as the defending champion this time round after he beat Shaun Murphy in last year's final. Ronnie O'Sullivan is the most successful player at the Shanghai Masters (Picture: Getty Images) When is the Shanghai Masters? The tournament runs from July 28 to the final on August 3 at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium. It will be the second trophy handed out of the 2025/26 season after the Championship League comes to a conclusion on July 23. Shanghai Masters draw and schedule Monday July 28 UK times Round One 02.30: Barry Hawkins vs Wu Yize 02.30: Si Jiahui vs Wildcard 07.00: Zhang Anda vs Yuan Sijun 07.00: Chris Wakelin vs Wildcard 12.30: Neil Robertson vs Pang Junxu 12.30: Shaun Murphy vs Wildcard Tuesday July 29 Round One 02.30: Mark Allen vs Wildcard 02.30: Xiao Guodong vs Lei Peifan Round Two 07.00: Kyren Wilson vs Si/Wildcard 07.00: Mark Selby vs Murphy/Wildcard 12.30: Ding Junhui vs Zhang/Yuan 12.30: Judd Trump vs Robertson/Pang Wednesday July 30 Round Two 07.00: Mark Williams vs Allen/Wildcard 07.00: John Higgins vs Xiao/Lei 12.30: Zhao Xintong vs Wakelin/Wildcard 12.30: Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Hawkins/Wu Shanghai Masters Prize Money Winner £210,000 Runner-up £105,000 Semi-finals £70,000 Quarter-finals £35,000 Last 16 £17,500 Last 24 £10,000 Judd Trump won his first Shanghai Masters title last year (Picture: Getty Images) Trump's brilliant 2024 win Trump made a tournament record 10 centuries on his way to the trophy last year, beating Mark Williams, Si Jiahui, O'Sullivan and Murphy along the way. Speaking after winning the title last year, he said: 'The age of the crowd in China is so much younger than the rest of the world. I always enjoy playing in front of a fanbase where I can inspire the next generation. I think that is why my record in China is so good,' said Trump. 'I want to win as many big tournaments as possible this season. This is probably one of the top five events on the calendar. To win this one early on is an amazing start. I would like to replicate what I did last season and get close to five wins or even more. I couldn't have dreamed of a better start.'
The Sun
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘Blessed' – Snooker icon reveals new business venture after becoming third world champ to take residency in Hong Kong
SNOOKER star Neil Robertson has revealed he has taken up residency in Hong Kong. The 2010 world champion has been based in Cambridge with his Norwegian wife Mille and their two kids in recent years. 3 3 But on his Asian switch, Robertson said he was "very honoured that my whole family and I have obtained Hong Kong identity cards". The Aussie continued in a post written on Chinese social media site Weibo: "This is not only a significant moment for me personally, but also an honour for our entire family. " Hong Kong has always been my blessed land. "I have achieved many great successes here and have forged a deep friendship with this city. 'This identity will make it easier for me to travel to Hong Kong more frequently and expand business cooperation. "Regarding future development plans in Hong Kong, I have made full preparations and will share them with you soon.' Robertson has followed in Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump 's footsteps by having a property in the nation. The trio have moved following the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, which aims to attract "highly skilled or talented persons" to Hong Kong to boost the economy. O'Sullivan's residency was confirmed in 2019 and Trump followed just months later. The world No1 is dating Hong Kong figure skater and TV presenter Maisy Ma.
South China Morning Post
06-06-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Former world champion Neil Robertson the third snooker star to become Hong Kong resident
Former world snooker champion Neil Robertson revealed on Friday that he and his family had acquired Hong Kong residency. The Australian, who made the announcement on his official Weibo account, becomes the third high-profile player to take advantage of the city's Quality Migrant Admission Scheme. England's seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan and world No 1 Judd Trump have both previously become residents. In a post in simplified Chinese, Robertson wrote that he was 'very honoured that my whole family and I have obtained Hong Kong identity cards'. He added: 'This is not only a significant moment for me personally, but also an honour for our entire family. Hong Kong has always been my blessed land. I have achieved many great successes here and have forged a deep friendship with this city.' Neil Robertson called Hong Kong 'my blessed land' in a Weibo post. Photo: Dickson Lee In 2017, Robertson triumphed at the non-ranking Hong Kong Masters when he beat Mark Selby, Marco Fu Ka-chun and O'Sullivan at Queen Elizabeth Stadium.
Wales Online
03-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Mark Allen makes £100,000 point as he issues proposal to snooker bosses
Mark Allen makes £100,000 point as he issues proposal to snooker bosses Rather than offering snooker's elite their chance at another massive payday, Mark Allen has controversially called for the World Snooker Tour to scrap its latest idea Mark Allen has been praised for calling to scrap one of the World Snooker Tour's latest big ideas (Image: Getty Images ) Snooker star Mark Allen has shown his solidarity with the sport's less celebrated players in response to one of its latest big ideas. That's after advocating for a prize fund to be shared among lower-ranking competitors rather than offering another opportunity for the elite to increase their earnings. The World Snooker Tour (WST) has revealed the 'century of centuries' initiative will return in the 2025/26 season. This scheme, which debuted in the 2024/25 season, awards a £100,000 jackpot to the first player to achieve 100 centuries. The inaugural winner was world No. 1 Judd Trump, who reached his 100th century of the season at the Crucible in April. The Bristolian therefore added a substantial sum to his already considerable wealth, mopping the floor with the competition. However, Allen believes the money would be better spent supporting those further down the rankings. And his call for revolution has been championed by many fans who agree it would be a better spend of the funds. Snooker journalist Phil Haigh commented on the renewal of the 'century of centuries' campaign, suggesting it incentivises top players to participate in as many tournaments as possible. Yet considering Trump's recent dominance, Haigh questioned whether the initiative might simply become "a 'Can Judd Trump Buy Himself Another Car?' campaign." Article continues below In response, Allen suggested on X (via the Daily Express): "Why not take the 100k and run a side event during one of the players series tournaments for those not qualified? I think there's loads on offer for the top players as it is." Judd Trump won the inaugural 'century of centuries' prize fund (Image: Getty Images ) The remark puts the WST under scrutiny to reassess its player reward system and consider how many players can realistically benefit from such funds. There's an onus on the organisation to reward its biggest stars, but many smaller-profile players may struggle to maintain a career at all without lower-scale prizes on their level. To put the figures into perspective, only twice before this season has anyone completed 100 centuries in a season. Neil Robertson was the first to do so in 2013/14 before Trump managed the feat six years later in the 2019/20 campaign. 'The Ace In the Pack' has significantly outperformed his rivals in this area this season. He has racked up 107 centuries to date for the 2024/25 campaign, with Mark Selby trailing behind as his nearest competitor on just 73. While it's true such substantial rewards may encourage all players to participate regularly and perform at a high level, Allen's concern for those lower down the pecking order is warranted. And it points to his moral fibre that he's willing to forgo potential winnings in an effort to see his peers thrive as a whole. Article continues below Allen has been lauded for thinking of snooker's smaller-profile stars (Image: Getty ) Many supporters concurred with 'The Pistol' and praised him for considering the underdog. Despite an unexpected second-round departure at this year's World Snooker Championship, Allen pocketed a £45,000 bonus for making the 15th maximum in Crucible history. "Well said Mark, couldn't agree more," wrote one snooker fan in response to Allen's comment. And another replied: "Well said. Among fans nobody cares about whether Judd, Ronnie, yourself or whoever wins this cash. It's a sideshow."
