After a string of big names were beaten on Tuesday, it was a much better day for the favourites on Wednesday at the Wuhan Open as the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and Mark Allen all progressed to the last 16.

Trump enjoyed a brilliant day as he won two matches, beating Oliver Lines 5-2 and then Matt Selt 5-0, continuing his fine form from last week when he won the English Open.

He was playing twice as he won the title in Brentwood on Sunday, so his opening match in Wuhan was delayed, but the hectic schedule did not slow him down, picking up comfortable back-to-back victories.

‘It’s always going to be difficult, you never know how you’re going to react over here,’ Trump told WST, after setting up a last 16 meeting with Barry Hawkins.

‘If you come maybe a week in front you don’t know how you’re going to sleep. I didn’t sleep great last night but I just tried to turn up.

‘Obviously it helps if you’ve just won an event, you’re maybe a little more excited to play, a bit more confident and that certainly helped.

‘I think I played pretty well, considering the travel. I don’t feel like Matt turned up really, he really struggled. In the end I just did what I needed to do, I potted some good balls to get in, created chances, putting him under a bit of pressure. He struggled, but overall I couldn’t ask for anymore.’

Asked if he managed even the smallest of celebrations after Sunday night, Trump said: ‘No, not yet. If I have one drink I have to have 50, I can’t have one. I’ve just come here with no expectation and I think that always helps, when I don’t put pressure on myself.

‘Anything I do here is a bonus really, there’ll be time after this one to have a celebration and hopefully the further I can get into the tournament I can gain some momentum, get the sleep right and push on and try and do well here as well.’

O’Sullivan had a much tougher time on the table, needing a deciding frame to edge past Pang Junxu 5-4.

The Chinese star made a century to go 4-3 up, but O’Sullivan knuckled down and made breaks of 117 and 64 to pinch the contest and set up a last 16 meeting with Yuan Sijun.

Mark Allen also needed all nine frames to battle past Si Jiahui in an epic clash, which looked like it was going to be one-sided but was anything but.

Allen claimed the first three frames but then lost the next four to Si, who continues to impress, but the Northern Irishman regathered to take the last two and take on either Jack Lisowski or Sam Craigie next.

There were also notable wins for the likes of Ali Carter over Stuart Bingham, Tom Ford over Rob Milkins and Liam Highfield over Zhou Yuelong on Wednesday, while Irish youngster Aaron Hill impressed in thrashing Martin O’Donnell 5-1.

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The five players threatened with disciplinary action if they play in a Macau exhibition during the Northern Ireland Open are all missing from the draw for the Belfast event.

Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Ali Carter have all agreed to play in an exhibition event in Macau while the World Snooker Tour ranking event is ongoing in Belfast.

WST have stated that if players do choose to play elsewhere while sanctioned tournaments are on then they will be in breach of their players contract.

A statement on Tuesday night from WST named the five players in question not choosing to play in Belfast and stated: ‘As a result, if these players decide to participate in the exhibition in Macau, the WST will have no alternative but to refer them to the WPBSA Disciplinary Committee for breach of their player contract, and this has been clearly communicated to the players.’

The draw for the 2023 Northern Ireland Open has now been made and Brecel, Selby, Higgins, Un-Nooh and Carter are indeed all missing from it.

Despite those notable absences, there is no shortage of big names in the ranking event, with the likes of defending champion Mark Allen, world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan and newly crowned British and English Open champions Mark Williams and Judd Trump all playing.

Brecel, Selby, Higgins and Carter are all top 16 players who are missing the trip to Northern Ireland, but the only other member of the elite group who will not be involved is Ding Junhui, who is also not in the draw.

The other top 16 members who will be playing in Belfast are Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Kyren Wilson, Robert Milkins, Jack Lisowski, Barry Hawkins and Hossein Vafaei.

Ryan Day, who originally appeared on the poster for the Macau event, is playing in the Northern Ireland Open, taking on Ma Hailong in qualifying.

Northern Ireland Open qualifiers run from 17-20 October in Sheffield before the main stages run from 22-29 October in Belfast, which is when the world’s top 16 will be involved.

Notable first round games include Allen facing Ben Mertens, Ronnie O’Sullivan meeting Ahmed Aly ElSayed and Neil Robertson playing Chinese youngster Wu Yize, just as he did at the Crucible this year.

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Five players have been threatened with significant disciplinary action by World Snooker Tour if they choose to play in a big-money exhibition in Macau over the upcoming Northern Ireland Open, a ranking event held in Belfast.

Current world champion Luca Brecel, former Crucible kings Mark Selby and John Higgins, and both Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Ali Carter planned to miss the Northern Ireland Open to play in Macau later this month.

The players were warned that they were breaching their contracts with WST by playing in a non-sanctioned event during a professional tournament and now that threat has been confirmed.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, WST confirmed: ‘If these players decide to participate in the exhibition in Macau, the WST will have no alternative but to refer them to the WPBSA Disciplinary Committee for breach of their player contract, and this has been clearly communicated to the players.’

Former World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn, who is now the honorary president, slammed the players in question and warned them that a fine, ban or even expulsion could follow.

‘Players can give their side, and it almost sounds like they are being bullied,’ Hearn told The Mirror. ‘Every player has the choice whether to play in an event or not, there is no bullying whatsoever. But these players are under contract.

‘You don’t have to enter or play the Northern Ireland Open. But you are not allowed to play in something else.

‘That is 100 per cent legally enforceable. So all of these players going to Macau are just selling their souls and themselves down the river for an extra few quid.

‘I am disappointed in how selfish they have been, and how small-minded. I expect these five will be referred for disciplinary action by WST. And then we’ll see whether they get fined, banned or thrown out.’

The draw for the Northern Ireland Open is due to be published on Wednesday, which will confirm which players have entered the event.

Selby, Higgins, Un-Nooh and Carter have all been in China this week playing in the Wuhan Open, although only Carter remains in the competition by Wednesday morning.

Brecel withdrew from the Wuhan event after playing in the English Open last week, opting instead for a holiday in Spain and Portugal.

World Snooker Tour’s statement on Tuesday set out why they intend to take action against any players choosing to play elsewhere during a tournament they have sanctioned.

The statement read: ‘The WST is disappointed to hear that a number of players under contract with the WST have elected not to play in a WST event, preferring instead to play in a non-sanctioned event in Macau thereby being in breach of the terms of their player contract.

‘It is important to stress that WST players do not have to enter all WST events, they have the freedom to choose, which has always been the case. This level of freedom is unlike any other sport where players have voluntarily opted to enter contracts with their club/organisation. However, with this level of freedom we do make clear in our player contracts that a player must not do anything that is detrimental to the WST or a WST event. It is without doubt that playing in a non-sanctioned event instead of playing in a WST event is detrimental to that WST event.

‘Given the exhibition event in Macau directly clashes with the final stages of the Northern Ireland Open, a player’s participation in it would constitute a breach of their player contract given that to compete in Macau, the player would not be available to compete in the Northern Ireland Open thereby devaluing the Northern Ireland Open.

‘Unfortunately, despite engaging in email correspondence and phone calls intended to best explain our position and enable the players to make informed decisions, five players (four of whom are ranked within the top 16) have decided not to compete in the Northern Ireland Open and have withdrawn their entry in order to play in Macau. These players are Mark Selby, John Higgins, Luca Brecel, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Ali Carter, none of whom will therefore appear in Belfast.

‘As a result, if these players decide to participate in the exhibition in Macau, the WST will have no alternative but to refer them to the WPBSA Disciplinary Committee for breach of their player contract, and this has been clearly communicated to the players.

‘Taking necessary action in these circumstances protects WST events on behalf of the fans who attend and follow our events through television and social media, our sponsors/commercial partners, broadcasters/streaming partners and most importantly, the other 125 members of the WST.

‘WST has always been and will continue to be supportive of a player’s earning opportunities outside of the WST provided that these do not distract, devalue, or conflict with the WST or a WST event. Players and promoters have ample opportunity to play in and host non-sanctioned events during gaps in the WST calendar. The WST does not therefore support any clash with a WST event and would consider a player’s decision to prioritise a non-sanctioned event clashing with a WST event to be a breach of their player contract, as this would undoubtedly result in sizeable financial implications to the WST including loss of broadcast income, and sponsorship and ticket sales revenue let alone losses due to any reputational damage.’

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The first edition of the Wuhan Open is proving to be extremely unpredictable after a string of upsets on thesecond day of the Chinese event.

Throughout the day the favourites fell, with Mark Selby the first to go in the morning session, followed by Neil Robertson, Ding Junhui and John Higgins.

Selby was edged out 5-4 by Xu Si, who brilliantly knocked in a break of 125 to win the match, while Ding was dismissed 5-0 thanks to a sublime performance from Yuan Sijun which included breaks of 120, 102 and 100.

Higgins was on the wrong end of a surprisngly one-sided result as well, beaten 5-1 by Martin O’Donnell, a man the four-time world champion as recently as Friday in the English Open at Brentwood.

Meanwhile Robertson’s poor early-season form continued as he was downed 5-3 by Liam Highfield, despite showing a flash of his brilliant best with a break of 140 along the way.

The Thunder from Down Under has won just three matches in ranking events so far this campaign and spoke out about his form struggles on social media, saying he struggling badly with missing friends and family back in Australia, having not returned to his homeland for a lengthy period of time.

‘I don’t normally do posts like this but Just want to address my fans who are a bit confused with results,’ Robertson wrote. ‘Everything is fine just missing Australia a bit and have a big trip planned towards the end of the year where I’ll miss the last few events. I should have gone last year after my best ever season and mentally paid the price.

‘Nobody will know how hard it is being from the other side of the world (I don’t expect them too☺️) in the blink of an eye your brothers who were your best friends are suddenly 20 years older as well as other family members. It will be 4 years since I’ve seen them and can’t wait to go home it must be said.

‘Like I say, everything is going great with practice and preparation and very much like the result today, over the past 12 months most of my opponents have played the match of their season/career. Big results are incoming but patience is the key.’

Not suffering an upset on Tuesday in Wuhan was Ronnie O’Sullivan who comfortably beat Mark Davis 5-1 to progress to the last 32 where he meets Pang Junxu.

Ali Carter impressed by knocking in a tournament high break of 145 in a 5-1 win over Jamie Clarke, while Stuart Bingham appeared to return to some form after an under-par spell by beating Dan Wells 5-1 with breaks of 132, 93, 73, 66, 64 and 61.

Judd Trump gets his Wuhan campaign underway on Wednesday morning and will play twice if he wins in his first outing against his pal Oliver Lines.

The 34-year-old won the English Open on Sunday in Essex so saw his opening contest in China delayed till Wednesday, with the winner of Trump vs Lines taking on Matt Selt on Wednesday evening.

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Judd Trump produced a brilliant comeback to beat Zhang Anda 9-7 in the final of the English Open, remarkably changing the tip on his cue after the first session of the match in Brentwood.

The former world champion found himself 7-3 behind against Zhang, who was competing in his first ever ranking event final at 31 years old.

Trump had been open about tip trouble earlier in the week, saying: ‘My tip is terrible. Just trying to get this event out of the way if I can, I might have to re-tip it in this event, but it’s not ideal.’

Finding himself 5-3 down following the afternoon session, the Englishman opted for the change and, despite Zhang winning the next two frames, it eventually paid off as Trump reeled off six on the spin to lift the trophy.

‘I was struggling with my tip and I lost two of the frames in the first session because of that,’ he said. ‘After the session I decided to change it and (tournament director) Paul Collier put on a great new tip.

‘I stayed at the venue from 4pm to 7pm just practising with the new tip, I didn’t go back to the hotel at all. I feel rewarded now because I could have just decided it wasn’t my day, or not played with the new tip. I have never had to do that during a match before.’

Zhang looked set for a surprise first ranking title when he built a substantial lead in the final and Trump was thoroughly impressed with the man who beat Ronnie O’Sullivan on his way to the showpiece.

‘Zhang played well until 7-3 and put me under a lot of pressure, it was only when he missed a couple that I started to turn it round,’ said Trump.

‘After he beat Ronnie I knew he was comfortable to get over the line against anyone. He looked at home, I was just hoping that something drastic was going to happen because he was looking like the best player in the tournament.

‘I had to stay patient and dig in because losing in a final is not a nice experience when you have to watch your opponent pick up a trophy.’

Mighty Mouse had never been to a semi-final before his week in Essex, so to reach the final and push Trump nearly all the way was still an excellent result for him, he was just caught by the ‘monster’ of a comeback from the Ace.

‘When I was 7-3 up I missed a blue in the middle pocket and Judd came back like a monster,’ said Zhang.

‘I’m still really happy with this week for myself.’

Trump takes his ranking title tally to 24 with his win in Essex, putting him clear in sixth on the all-time list, which is led by Ronnie O’Sullivan on 39.

Stephen Hendry (36), John Higgins (31), Steve Davis (28) and Mark Williams (25) are the only other players ahead of Trump in ranking event wins.

The 34-year-old heads straight to China to play in the Wuhan Open and try to win a 25th title this week.

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A string of top players are opting to play in lucrative exhibitions in China instead of the Northern Ireland Open this month, despite World Snooker (WST) threatening them with legal action.

John Higgins, Mark Selby, Luca Brecel, Ali Carter and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh are all heading to Macau for an exhibition event, snubbing the opportunity to play in the ranking tournament in Belfast.

The Daily Mail report that WST the five players were told they were breaching contracts, sent emails and letters warning them of disciplinary action, but the snooker stars believe the threats are baseless as they have not entered the Northern Ireland Open in the first place.

There is also a Shanghai exhibition event set for 17-19 October, during the Northern Ireland Open qualifiers, and featuring the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams, Judd Trump and Ding Junhui.

These top 16 players would not have to play in the qualifiers, so there is no clash for them, but WST initially tried to block players from competing in them before changing that position and instead asking players not to promote the Shanghai event on social media.

O’Sullivan has hit out at WST attempts to stop players competing in the Chinese events, saying it is ‘b****cks’ that scare tactics are being used.

‘Players are just trying to earn money, it is their choice,’ he said. ‘And they are realising their value. They are trying to restrict us. Those involved in Shanghai were sent letters advising them not to play.

‘I know for the tournament in Macau players were also sent even stronger threatening letters telling them it was in breach of their contract. That with an opportunity to play in an official tournament, they were turning it down and choosing to go somewhere else, and it was damaging for the sport.

‘It is b****cks, trying to scare players like that. It’s wrong and I am glad they have taken a strong stance. This is about players being able to earn what they can, and choose how and when they play. They can enter a tournament – but they don’t have to.

‘They used to try and tell me what to say, until I got a really good lawyer who kicked back at them. If they want to play silly games, we can all play silly games.’

Chinese events returned to the WST calendar this season, having been missing since 2019 due to the Covid pandemic and while it was great news for snooker chiefs to have the tournaments back, unforeseen issues have arisen for the powers that be.

Scheduling has already been criticised by players, with the Wuhan Open beginning on Monday 9 October, the day after the English Open finished in Brentwood, with the busy calendar leading to the likes of Brecel and Williams withdrawing from the new Wuhan event.

With the big-money International Championship running from 5-12 November, top players are opting to head out to China early, skip the Northern Ireland Open from 22-29 October, play in exhibitions and prepare for the event in Tianjin City.

The draw for the Northern Ireland Open is yet to be done and there will be no shortage of players involved as top-up amateur competitors will be brought in to replace those who have not entered.

Trump, who won the English Open on Sunday, beating Zhang Anda 9-7 in the final, said earlier in his campaign in Brentwood that it is great to have a lot of tournaments to play in, but no players have to compete.

‘It could be looked on that some of the top players are a bit ungrateful, but even if the top players don’t go in things, it’s an amazing opportunity for lower-ranked players,’ he told Metro.co.uk.

‘Similar to tennis and golf, you don’t get the top players in each week, it’s just more opportunity for everyone else and they’re still brilliant tournaments.

‘It’s beneficial to have all these tournaments on, we don’t have to play in them if we don’t want to, I think that’s probably the best way to look at it.’

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‘Every time I play John, it just seems to be full of drama,’ says Judd Trump of John Higgins, and both men are expecting more of the same when they meet again on Saturday in the English Open semi-finals.

The pair have had a number of memorable tussles over the years, none more so than the two World Championship finals they have played together.

Higgins beat a young, gung-ho Trump in the 2011 Crucible final, before the Ace came of age to produce one of the finest performances ever and win the 2019 final in Sheffield, leaving the Wizard in his wake.

At 48 years old, Higgins has seen it all, but clashing with Trump is something that still gets the juices flowing and he can’t wait for the challenge this weekend.

‘I love these occasions, absolutely love it, especially playing Judd,’ said the four-time world champion.

‘He’s been a breath of fresh air for our game for so many years. He brings out the best in me and I think I bring the best out of him.

‘He produced probably the best ever performance anyone’s ever produced against me in the World Championship final.

‘It wasn’t great for two days when I was sat glued into my chair! But you obviously sat in awe, because you know how incredibly difficult this game can be sometimes. You sat there thinking it was a special performance. He’s got that in his locker.

‘We’ve had battles in big, big tournaments and I’m sure this semi-final will be the same.’

The two men have already produced a dramatic, close contest this season as Trump won the last two frames to pip Higgins 6-5 in the European Masters semi-finals in August.

The Englishman knows what he is up against in the Scot and expects another tight game in Essex.

‘He’s an amazing player,’ said Trump. ‘I think there have been times where he was at his absolute peak and I was just below it and he was winning all of them and then you could say the opposite and I was winning all of them.

‘Now, I think he’s coming back to somewhere near his best again and I’m not at my absolute peak as well so it’s a very level game with us at the moment. It’s always normally really close between us and it’s sort of just fractions and the odd ball here or there.

‘Every time I play John, it just seems to be full of drama with deciding frames and everything. It’s a game I always look forward to.

‘I think John is back to somewhere near his absolute best. He looks like he’s scoring really heavily and he’s looking really dangerous again.’

There is very little in the head-to-head record between the two, but Trump has had the upper hand in recent years, since that blistering performance at the Crucible four years ago.

‘It’s good to have that belief in yourself that your record’s good against someone as good as John,’ he said.

‘It also puts a bit in his mind. For him to get over the line he knows maybe he hasn’t done it as often as he used to or hasn’t done it in a while.

‘It can be tricky. The more you beat someone the more it’s an indentation in their confidence and it definitely helps with your own positive mindset.’

The rivalry resumes at 1pm in Brentwood.

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World champion Luca Brecel and British Open champion Mark Williams have both withdrawn from the Wuhan Open which gets underway on Monday.

Graeme Dott and Dave Gilbert have also opted out of the new Chinese event, which begins the day after the ongoing English Open comes to an end in Brentwood.

Williams and Brecel were both beaten on Thursday evening in the Essex event, while Dott lost on Wednesday night in a remarkable game in which he led 3-0 and by 70 points in the fourth frame, only to lose 4-3 to Ricky Walden.

Brecel was edged 4-3 by Ding Junhui, while Williams was beaten by the same scoreline by Liu Hongyu in a match which started after 11pm and finished close to 1.30am on Friday.

The three-time world champion posted on social media on Friday: ‘Crazy, how can you start a game at 11.10pm finish at 1.30am and expect to perform any good.’

Gilbert withdrew earlier in the week than the others and has been replaced by Daniel Womersley in the opening round against wildcard Gong Chen Zhi.

Due to time and visa constraints, the other three opponents will all receive walk-overs, meaning Zihao Xing progresses from his held-over qualifying match to round two where he faces Michael White, while Zhang Anda and Noppon Saengkham will now meet each other in round three.

The back-to-back scheduling of the events has come in for criticism from players, with Williams saying earlier in the week in Brentwood that he would have to look at managing his calendar.

‘It’s much better than not being busy, but the scheduling, I think they’ll probably have to try and do something about it because if you have a good run here there’s no way you can make China in time,’ Williams told Metro.co.uk.

‘Even if they push your game back a day it’s not really going to make any difference. All the travelling, you’ve got no chance of doing well.

‘Of course you would have to pick and choose events. If they’re back-to-back you’re going to get a bit jaded, you need a few days off to recharge and it’s something you’ll have to look into. There’s a lot of tournaments between now and Christmas.

‘I’ve never done it before, I’ve never missed tournaments to try and get ready for another one, but maybe it’s something at my stage I’ve got to have a look at.’

Players withdrawing from the event after the draw has been made, and with qualifying matches already played, face a fine for doing so, although they can be appealed if medical reasons are relevant.

With the English Open continuing to the final on Sunday, it is yet to be seen if any of the remaining players withdraw from the Wuhan Open shortly before it starts.

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Zhang Anda has hit form impressively at the English Open, enough to oust Ronnie O’Sullivan from the tournament, and he intends to keep hold of the winning feeling.

The world number 57 stunned the Rocket in the last 16 on Thursday night, winning 4-2 thanks to breaks of 80, 97, 50 and 116 to set up a quarter-final clash with compatriot Zhou Yuelong.

O’Sullivan started well, with a break of 80 in the opening frame, but seemed to lose focus in the second half of the match and not always play the most sensible of shots.

Zhang was very happy to capitalise, though, and adds another fine win to his collection, having beaten Ben Mertens, Anthony McGill and Elliot Slessor to make the last 16.

‘I played well tonight, my break building was good and I did not make serious mistakes,’ he said. ‘I felt a bit nervous at the beginning but I was pretty settled after the first frame. I took some extra time lining up the last few shots, thinking about the winning line.

‘From 2-1, Ronnie missed a few and went for a couple of shots when he could have played safe instead, which offered me chances.

‘I have won matches recently in qualifiers, playing well, so generally I feel good. The best players are used to the feeling of winning as a habit. I’m getting a bit of that and want to keep this going.’

O’Sullivan’s fellow Class of 92 legends were both in action on Thursday as well, with Mark Williams losing out 4-3 in a late night scrap with Liu Hongyu, while John Higgins looked great in beating Oli Lines 4-1.

The Scot made huge breaks of 145, 132, 91 and 71, with Lines knocking in a 96 in the frame he won.

The Wizard of Wishaw is feeling good ahead of a quarter-final meeting with Martin O’Donnell, saying: ‘It is amazing what a few wins can do for your confidence. I’m over the moon. It was a great performance, I hit the ball well.’

World champion Luca Brecel was edged out 4-3 by Ding Junhui, while Judd Trump kept his title hopes alive with a 4-2 win over Yuan Sijun.

‘I felt like I didn’t really do a lot wrong,’ said Trump. ‘He played really well the first couple of frames, he scored heavy, put me under pressure again.

‘It seems that anyone now, you leave them in and they’re one visit, every single time. You’re constantly under pressure from the get-go, you’re battling, but I just tried to dig in, hope he made a mistake and he did.

‘I was quite happy with how I played.’

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Mark Allen admits he is a ‘little bit lost’ with parts of his game as he struggles to return to the brilliant form he showed last season.

The Pistol was the star of last season, winning the UK Championship, Northern Ireland Open and World Grand Prix alongside reaching a British Open final and World Championship semi.

Things have not been as rosy for him so far this campaign, though, yet to reach a quarter-final and not finding his best form with any kind of consistency.

The 37-year-old showed kicked off the English Open this week with a 4-0 win overMostafa Dorgham, making four centuries, but his campaign ended in the last 32 to Matt Selt on Wednesday night.

Speaking at the Brentwood event, Allen admitted that he is struggling with some technical problems in his game that weren’t there last season.

‘I still feel like I just need to work on a few things, a few kinks in my technique that weren’t where they were this time last year,’ he said.’I’m working hard to try and change it, it’s just not quite there yet.’

On the cause of the problems he explained that it was time off over the summer and not being able to call upon his former coaches Terry Griffiths and Joe Shortt anymore.

‘Just the summer break,’ he said. ‘I always come back super rusty. I took nine weeks off after the World Championship and I’m someone that needs to practice all the time.

‘That nine weeks, as much as I needed it, it hasn’t helped me at the start of the season. I feel like I came back with some real bad habits, some real basic stuff.

‘But I don’t have Griffiths in my corner anymore, he’s not about the circuit and the only other person I would turn to in technical terms was Joe Shortt and he died over the summer, so I feel like I’m a little bit on my own and a little bit lost with that at the moment.’

The world number three sounds like he could do with some guidance, but is not convinced that there is anyone he trusts to offer it to him.

‘With the greatest respect to the coaches that are about, I don’t know if I’d trust them the same as I’ve trusted Terry and Joe over the years, I’ve known them since I was 12 years of age,’ he said. ‘I don’t know if I’d have that same trust in other coaches.

‘It’s just about me trying to find ways of remembering what Terry and Joe have taught me over the years. I’ve got loads of email notes from Terry, I’m reading them to see if anything hits home as I’ve done it before.

‘I’m just a bit lost with it at the minute, I know there’s something wrong but I can’t put my finger on what yet.’

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Mark Williams took his ranking title tally to 25 on Sunday night at the British Open and says the only thing he is still aiming to do in snooker is be in the top 16 at 50 years old.

The three-time world champion remains one of the finest players in the game at 48 years old, proving it once again as he beat Mark Selby 10-7 in the final in Cheltenham to lift the British Open title for a third time.

The Welshman does not look like he’s nearing the end of his career but he is not setting himself goals to achieve before he does hang up his cue, other than one.

He wants to be in the sport’s elite top 16 when he hits 50, and given he is world number nine and in fine form after turning 48 in March, it looks like a goal that is very achievable.

‘There’s nothing, I’ve got nothing left to achieve or I’m trying to do. Just see if I can be in the top 16 when I’m 50, that’s the only aim really,’ Williams told Metro.co.uk.

‘If someone said to me today they can coach me at snooker and guarantee I’d be number one in 18 months, or a golf pro tell me I can get to scratch in 18 months, I’d pick the golf pro. I’d rather try and get to scratch than ever try and get back to number one.’

The record of oldest ranking event winner is held by fellow Welsh legend Ray Reardon who claimed the 1982 Professional Players Tournament at 50 years and 14 days, so that could be within Williams’ reach, but he is not overly fussed.

‘It’s different eras, they didn’t turn pro till they were 30-odd then,’ he said. ‘I’ve still got another two years before I get to his age to try and win one. The chances are very slim. If I’m around I’ll try, but the chances are very slim.’

Williams’ win on Sunday was thoroughly impressive, scrapping it out with Selby in an intense tactical battle and coming out on top.

He has won much longer matches than the 17 frames they played in Cheltenham, but he says it may have been the toughest game he has ever played.

‘That’s probably the hardest match, hardest final ever, between me and him. Neither of us gave an inch,’ he said,

‘It felt like the average frame was 40-45 minutes, it was taking forever. Balls were going on cushions, he was playing containing safeties, then I was, neither of us gave an inch.

‘I am proud of myself because maybe I didn’t out-safety him or out-play him, but I definitely competed with him. On some of the safety exchanges I was getting the upper hand and was getting the better of him. There’s not many people that can out-play Selby in the safety and tactical department, but I definitely competed with him 100 per cent.’

Williams is not one to show much emotion after a win or a loss, but there was a hint of it after beating Selby, partly because of recent nail-biting defeats in big matches, memorably in the World Championship and Masters semi-finals in 2022.

‘It was a big win for me, I’ve lost in a lot of finals and semi-finals closely,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t sure if I was going to win another tournament, so when that black finally went in, it wasn’t a massive celebration but I gave it a little bit of a clenched fist. I was happy!

‘I didn’t have doubts [about being able to win big matches], even when I was losing I was playing quite good stuff, just losing in the last frames.

‘Judd [Trump] in the semi-finals of the Worlds, that was an excellent match. He fluked two balls to beat me. Cross-doubles, he might have played one but he didn’t play the other one. So I was only a couple of shots away from nearly beating Trump over first-to-17 and he’s one of the young ones. Even though I lost I’m doing something right if I’m still competing with them.’

Williams has often downplayed his achievements, often saying he should not be put in the same bracket as his Class of 92 rivals Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, but his win on Sunday may have changed his tune a touch.

‘After winning I said I deserve to pat myself on the back and give myself some credit because I never really do,’ he said. ‘Maybe I am a lot better than I think I am, as a snooker player. Maybe I deserve to be called one of the better players around, maybe I should give myself more credit to look at what I have done and say, I am better than what I think.’

MORE : Judd Trump still looking for confidence in search for top form

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Judd Trump admits that his confidence is not what it was as he battles to return to his best form, but feels he is getting close.

The 34-year-old was undoubtedly the best player in the world during the 2019/20 season when he was reigning world champion and won a record six ranking events over the campaign.

It has hardly been disastrous since then, reaching the Crucible final last year and winning the Masters at the start of 2023, but it has certainly proved tougher for Trump to take home trophies over the last couple of seasons.

The Ace is still going deep in events, reaching the European Masters final already this season, but fell short against Barry Hawkins in Nuremberg.

Trump says there is nothing wrong with his game, but it is an elusive bit of belief that he is missing as he bids to return to the top of the mountain.

‘Yeah the game is there, just the confidence isn’t quite, but I’m not a million miles off,’ he told Metro.co.uk at this week’s English Open.

The world number five has only lost three matches so far this season, to Hawkins in Germany, Mark Selby at the Shanghai Masters and surprisingly to Hammad Miah in the opening round of the British Open.

He says that 4-3 defeat to Miah is exactly the kind of thing that is hampering his belief, as close, tricky matches are inevitable, but at his peak he found a way through them.

‘You’ve just got to win more games and get through the tough ones,’ he said on how he can regain confidence. ‘A couple of times this season I’ve already won deciding frames or come back to win.

‘Losing to Hammad in the last one, they’re the ones you want to get through, any time someone has won 3, 4, 5, 6 events in a season they’ve always won the deciders, the close ones and built confidence from there.

‘It’s absolute fractions, the difference between dominating the season and being just another decent performance. Just cut out the little mistakes and really believe under the utmost pressure.’

Trump is dealing with a couple of equipment issues, which isn’t helping his confidence levels, with concerns over his tip and doubts over his chalk after switching to Taom last season.

‘My tip is also terrible, I’m just trying to get this event out of the way if I can, I have miscued a couple of times.

‘I’m tempted to go back to the chalk I was using before, I don’t feel like the one I use now works very well, there’s a lot of miscues. Certain venues, it seems like when it gets a bit humid the chalk doesn’t quite take. Maybe that’s to do with the confidence in the tip, though.

‘Maybe I need to use one chalk in some tournaments, and one in another, there’s nothing wrong with that.’

Trump is into the last 16 at the English Open where he plays Yuan Sijun on Thursday evening.

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Judd Trump is targeting the Northern Ireland and Welsh Opens to skip this season as he aims to get some rest and peak for the biggest events in the sport.

The return of Chinese events to the calendar this season has been a huge boost for snooker, giving players more opportunities to play and win prize money.

The consequence is obviously a much busier schedule, which is on show at the moment, with the British Open last week in Cheltenham, the English Open this week in Brentwood and the Wuhan Open next week in China.

Trump is playing in all three tournaments, but is already eyeing up a week off later this month during the Northern Ireland Open and again in February for the Welsh.

The 34-year-old is hoping to rack up enough wins early in the campaign to secure qualification for the World Grand Prix, Players Championship and even Tour Championship, then allowing him to take time off when he wants to later in the season.

Speaking at the English Open, Trump told Metro.co.uk: ‘This is about putting myself in a good position early on, which I didn’t do last season, I was chasing. It was the same the year before, I was chasing points trying to get in the big ones as a top 8, top 16 on the one-year list.

‘This year is a little bit different, it would have been nice to have won the European Masters, but I got to the final so I’m still in a good position for the top 16, top 32 already.

‘It’s a bit more relaxing when you’re not chasing. It gives yourself more opportunities to take tournaments off if you want. It would obviously be nice to do well here, really cement my place near the top and there’s so many events, it would give me chances to have time off before the big ones.

‘There’s probably a good chance i’ll miss Northern Ireland and maybe the Welsh, depending on how I do. At this moment in time it’ll be those two. I’ll wait and see what I do here this week.’

There is another hat-trick of huge events in November and December after the Northern Ireland Open, which Trump is hoping to peak for, having learned from experience that flying straight from a Chinese event to Belfast can be tough.

‘It’s just because of what comes after certain events that I’d take them off,’ he said. ‘We’ve got the International Championship, Champion of Champions and UK Championship all in a row. Three massive events that you want to do well in.

‘You don’t want to go there off the back of China to Ireland. I did it before after the [2017] Shanghai Masters final and I think I lost to Stuart Carrington in the first round in Northern Ireland. I didn’t want to be there, you don’t want to be in that mindset going into any tournament.’

The 2019 world champion is certainly not complaining about taking time off during the season, seeing the ability to do so as a sign that the calendar is in good shape.

‘I think obviously it’s amazing to have all these events on,’ he said. ‘It could be looked on that some of the top players are a bit ungrateful, but even if the top players don’t go in things, it’s an amazing opportunity for lower-ranked players.

‘Similar to tennis and golf, you don’t get the top players in each week, it’s just more opportunity for everyone else and they’re still brilliant tournaments.

‘It’s beneficial to have all these tournaments on, we don’t have to play in them if we don’t want to, I think that’s probably the best way to look at it.’

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Ronnie O’Sullivan was at his brilliant best in the second round of the English Open on Wednesday, beating Jackson Page 4-1 in under an hour, knocking in three centuries along the way.

It was a hectic start to the competition for the Rocket as he landed in the UK from China on Monday morning and travelled straight to Brentwood to play his first round match, which he won 4-0 against Andrew Pagett.

The world number one was not at his best in that contest, but he sparked into life against Page, with breaks of 122, 109 and 105, with his opponent making a 109 himself in the frame he won.

The 47-year-old said that on his day off on Tuesday he hit the practice table harder than he normally would, trying to replicate the form of Mark Williams, who won the British Open on Sunday night.

O’Sullivan, who had been struggling with tennis elbow on Monday but appears to now be feeling better, told Eurosport: ‘I worked hard on my game yesterday, I did four hours, normally I only do a couple. But I thought I’d play twice a week, do four or five hours and then the other five days I’ll not play snooker. That’s all I need.

‘I just went through the pain barrier yesterday, it felt alright. I’m always tweaking and working on things, trying to hit the ball sweetly.

‘Working hard at my game, just trying to find some consistency, trying to find the Mark Williams secret, whatever that is.’

Asked on Monday about Williams’ win over Mark Selby in the Cheltenham final, the Rocket was delighted to see his Class of 92 rival doing so well.

‘Yeah, brilliant,’ he said. ‘Every time one of them does well, I think okay, well I am still in the game. Every time John [Higgins] and Mark do brilliantly, I think happy days. It means we can still compete. Even with one arm, my eyes going, getting nearly 50. I am still performing alright, you know.’

It was Williams’ protege that O’Sullivan despatched on Wednesday afternoon, but he had some kind words for Page, who he tipped to win tournaments in the future.

‘I think he’s a brilliant player, he reminds me of Luca Brecel. Got great cue power, fantastic snooker brain, fantastic talent, great for the game. He’ll win tournaments, that’s for sure,’ said the Rocket.

‘I think he’s got to wait for the top guys to dip a little bit. Robertson, Selby, Trump, Ding, if I’ve left anyone out I’m sorry…I’m forgetting Higgins, Williams. How do you get amongst them and win tournaments?

‘He’s learning on the job, once that bracked of players start losing a little bit, he’s going to have his time. It’s hard to break through but he’s a much better player now than he was four or five years ago.’

O’Sullivan moves into the third round where he will take on either Si Jiahui or Fergal O’Brien.

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Mark Selby was tired and frustrated with scheduling before defeat to Martin O’Donnell at the English Open, for which he faces a fine for an early concession.

The four-time world champion played the British Open final over two sessions on Sunday, losing out 10-7 to Mark Williams in Cheltenham before heading to Brentwood for the English Open.

Selby was due to play on Monday but his first round match was rescheduled for Tuesday afternoon, which he won to set up a second round meeting with Martin O’Donnell later on Tuesday evening.

World Snooker Tour described the 40-year-old having to play twice in the same day as ‘the best possible option in the circumstances’.

However, a visibly shattered Selby was beaten 4-2 by O’Donnell and conceded in the last frame after he missed a blue off the last red, despite not being at the snookers-required stage, which will result in a fine.

After beating Xing Zihao on Tuesday afternoon, the Jester from Leicester admitted he was struggling with fatigue after his exploits last week.

‘I feel alright, but tired, I know that,’ Selby told Metro.co.uk. ‘Long night the other night against Mark, obviously a tough final. Mentally and physically tiring.

‘They are long days concentrating and only having a day to turn around and come here to start again in the first round is quite tough. It felt flat out there, probably because I was more fatigued than anything else, but I felt flat.’

Following the conclusion of the English Open this coming Sunday, the Wuhan Open begins on Monday in China, which has concerned players who had hopes of doing well in Essex and having to be in Wuhan very shortly after.

While Selby’s defeat to O’Donnell means that is no longer an issue, he is not impressed with the scheduling of events and says it is inevitable that players will end up pulling out of tournaments in future.

‘I’m not moaning about too many tournaments, it’s just the scheduling,’ he said. ‘We were moaning when there weren’t enough tournaments and now there are obviously a lot, which is great. But it’s the scheduling.

‘You do well in one tournament and then you’re getting punished for the next. You get to the final here, at best they move your game in China to Tuesday night and you’re not going to get there till Tuesday day. Physically what chance have you got?

‘You’re doing well in one and sacrificing another. It gives the players no choice but to pull out of a few tournaments. That’s not us moaning but they’re basically giving us no choice.

‘You want to go to a tournament knowing you’ve got the best chance of winning and having done the best preparation, and obviously you’re not going to be.

‘At the end of the day it’s not down to me and whatever the players say doesn’t seem to get acknowledged and whatever World Snooker want to do, they do.’

Former world champion Neil Robertson has also spoken out against the intense schedule, describing it to The Sun as ‘insane’ and ‘unacceptable’.

World Snooker Tour responded to the Australian’s comments with a statement reading: ‘This season we have brought four huge events in China on to our calendar.

‘This has been a massive boost for the tour and has increased prize money by several million pounds.

‘China is a highly significant growth area and the players will expect us to maximise those opportunities in the future.

‘A packed calendar can cause scheduling issues in any sport – for example the Formula One roster regularly jumps between continents.

‘Broadcasters in each territory often prefer events to be spread out rather than back-to-back.

‘But we work with our partners and broadcasters to find the best solutions and we always listen to feedback from the players.’

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Ronnie O’Sullivan says he is not bothered about rankings or silverware anymore, but it is the love of snooker and competition that keeps him playing.

Still going strong at 47 years old, the Rocket sits top of the world rankings, but that might not last much longer given that he has already opted not to play a number of ranking events this season.

The world number one is playing at the English Open this week, but could see either Luca Brecel or Mark Allen overtake him in the rankings, depending on how the three men perform in Brentwood.

Having first reached the top of the rankings over 20 years ago, O’Sullivan sounds like he could not care less whether he holds onto his spot or not, but does remember when it meant a huge amount to him.

The seven-time world champion understands why Brecel and Allen will be desperate to topple him, as neither have reached the pinnacle before, but having achieved so much in the game, he can no longer get excited about such things.

‘If I cared I would have probably played in all of the events to try and keep my world No.1 spot. I am not bothered,’ said O’Sullivan.

‘I have been No.1. It doesn’t mean anything. It did when I first got to No.1. I was really buzzing. But it doesn’t mean anything to me.

‘Obviously, I get why Mark Allen and Luca Brecel really want to get to No.1 because if you haven’t been No.1, to get there is a massive achievement.

‘A lot of the time I am quite flippant about my wins and what I have done in the game and I realise, what it is, is that I have had to go back 20-30 years and think about what it was like when I won the UK Championship. I was over the moon when I won the UK. Win the UK now and I am like, that’s done, move on.

‘I have to remind myself what it was like when I got to No.1 and it was one of the best feelings of my life. I don’t want to sound like I don’t appreciate success but once you have done everything there is to do, you don’t really get excited by it.

‘I still love the game. I still love competing. That is what inspires me to keep playing.’

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Shaquille O’Neal had an introduction into the world of snooker last week as he had an unlikely meeting with legends of the baize Ronnie O’Sullivan and Jimmy White.

The trio were all in Macau, where the Rocket and the Whirlwind were playing an exhibition and Shaq was DJing at an event called the Wynn Signature – 2023 Hypercar Exhibition.

Snooker’s world number one was excited to meet the basketball legend after getting into the sport recently.

‘Yeah, Shaq was good. I love Shaq,’ O’Sullivan said. ‘Seen a few clips of him on YouTube and he seemed like quite a good character. When I met him, I was like, ah, I really like this guy before I had even met him.

‘Obviously, he’s a superstar, an NBA legend, and just to meet him…because I like my basketball, after watching a few of the Netflix series. I had got into the sport. Yeah, he’s a great guy and it was great to meet him in Macau.’

Shaq may not have been as excited to meet Ronnie, but he soon learned how well-known the world number one is in China.

‘You know, it’s quite funny because we were all standing there. You had the people at the hotel, the CEO, the CFO, Shaq, then me and Jimmy White,’ explained O’Sullivan.

‘You had quite a big crowd of people all there. They introduced each one. There was a little clap. Shaq got a little bit of reception. When they introduced my name, I got just as loud as Shaq. Shaq was looking down like that. “Who is this dude?”

‘He came up to me, “hey man, are you alright?” I said, “I’m cool.” It was quite funny. But he was cool. A really nice guy. A good guy.’

O’Sullivan has been doing plenty of travelling of late, flying between China and Spain before returning to the UK on Monday morning and heading straight to Brentwood to play in the English Open.

He won his opening round match 4-0 against Andrew Pagett after a hectic schedule but said the win was really a bonus, playing snooker for fun, while the exhibition trip is what he considers his main job.

‘Listen, I have been doing this for about eight years,’ said the 47-year-old. ‘I play snooker for fun and I work for a living. So my exhibitions and all my other stuff, my sponsors, that is work.

‘I need to do that because I don’t want to be dependent on prize money, getting a few results, I just couldn’t survive. I wouldn’t enjoy my snooker.’

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John Higgins is not getting down over the painful defeats he has suffered in recent years, saying he has been dealing with stinging losses his whole career, so it is nothing new at 48 years old.

The four-time world champion is still going strong as he edges closer to 50, ranked number 10 in the world and already turning in some good performances so far this season, notably reaching the European Masters semi-finals.

It was at the Nuremberg event that he suffered a tough loss, though, losing 6-5 to Judd Trump in the semis after leading 5-4.

He also squandered a 5-2 lead over Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Shanghai masters, losing 6-5 to the Rocket from a commanding position.

Higgins is still winning plenty of matches, but these kind of defeats have been memorable in recent years, losing out in the 2021 Northern Ireland and English Opens in deciding frames after leading, then spurning a 9-4 lead in the 2022 Tour Championship final to lose 10-9 to Neil Robertson.

The Scot is off and running this week at the English Open, beating Marco Fu and James Cahill to make the third round, and he says the disappointing losses of late are nothing new and not getting him down…at least not for long.

‘You’re never okay dealing with them, you’re always a little bit pig sick when you think about it for a couple of days after,’ he said. ‘But listen, I’ve had painful defeats throughout my whole career, it’s not just now.

‘People might be thinking it’s just in the later part of my career, but I’ve had painful defeats in semi-finals of the Worlds, Nigel Bond in the [1996] British Open, my whole career I’ve had them.

‘But I’ve also had great moments as well. I’m not getting too downtrodden with the latest defeats because it’s happened my whole career. And of course I’ve done it to other people too, you take the rough with the smooth don’t you?

‘I should have beat Ronnie probably in Shanghai. I should have beat Judd maybe in Germany, thin lines, I never took my chances, but you live and learn.’

Next up for Higgins is either David Lilley or Mark Davis in the last 32 of the English Open and if it is Davis, the Wizard will be looking to even up a surprising head-to-head record.

Not too many have winning records against the four-time Crucible winner, but Davis does, claiming victory in 10 of their 18 career meetings in all competitions.

‘At certain points of your career certain players can have the upper hand on you a few times,’ Higgins said. ‘Maybe for Mark who has not often been in the top 16, you might not think he’d have that good a record against me, but generally he’s always played really well.

‘Whenever I’ve watched him I’ve thought, “How is he not higher? How is he not doing better?” It’s just one of those things.’

After Mark Williams won his 25th ranking title on Sunday at the British Open, Higgins is trying to take his tally to 32 this week in Essex, but he is not getting hung up on adding more silverware to his collection.

‘I’m fed up of answering that, to be honest,’ Higgins said on what it would mean to win his first ranking title for over two years. ‘No, it would mean a lot, but it’s just one of those things.

‘You come and try and play well and hopefully get your hands on it, but it’s difficult. I’ve won enough in my career, I suppose I’m lucky enough, if I was to never win another trophy it would be disappointing but I’m still trying, that’s all I can do.’

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Cao Yupeng continued his remarkable run of whitewash wins at the English Open on Tuesday and has credited being on the football pitch for his brilliant form on the snooker table.

The 32-year-old has hit an impressive purple patch, winning his last four matches without dropping a frame, most recently beating Dave Gilbert 4-0 in Brentwood on Tuesday morning.

This follows whitewash wins over Ashley Hugill, Mink Nutcharut and Jiang Jun at the International Championship, English Open and Wuhan Open qualifiers respectively, leaving him 19-0 over his last four matches.

After downing Gilbert in Essex Cao told Metro.co.uk: ‘When I got to 2-0 today I just thought, maybe 4-0 today as well! But then I tried not to think like that, just concentrate on every shot, don’t think about 4-0 and whatever, just concentrate on the game.

‘The last few matches I’ve got a very good feeling and actually I’ve not been practicing really hard, I just want to keep the feeling like this.’

The two-time ranking finalist has traded in practice on the table for playing football, which he believes has helped him look forward to matches more and sharpen up body and mind.

Asked what might have brought about his fine form, he said: ‘Playing more football. Last season I didn’t play very well, I practiced too much and put pressure on myself too much.

‘At the start of this season I joined a football team and every week I play three or four times and practice less. When I come to the tournament and matches I feel like I want to play, not that I hate snooker.

‘I play with a university team in Sheffield, all Chinese players, but sometimes we play with English players as well. I played three or four years in China, but when I came to the UK it wasn’t easy to find a team.

‘My body and mind and everything feels stronger after playing football.’

A winger and occasional centre-forward, Cao’s team is Manchester United and favourite player Marcus Rashford, but admits: ‘It’s not a good season this season, so I don’t want to watch it!’

Cao is into the last 32 in Brentwood, where he plays Oliver Lines or Martin Gould, and is aiming to keep up his run of perfection, saying: ‘I hope so! I just keep trying.’

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Sanderson Lam scored one of the biggest wins of his career on Monday as he knocked Neil Robertson out of the English Open, continuing his sparkling form so far this season.

The 29-year-old has been on and off the main tour since first turning professional in 2015 but this season he appears to have found a new level of performance and consistency.

Beating former world champion Robertson 4-2 in Brentwood on Monday was the best win of the campaign so far, but there have been plenty to choose from, yet to lose a first round match in any event and fast climbing the rankings.

The Yorkshireman has not reinvented his game to garner greater results, but has changed a number of small things in his practice routine and wider life to improve his chances. Changes that are clearly working.

On his recent string of wins, Lam told Metro.co.uk: ‘They just keep coming! Hopefully it carries on.

‘I’ve played a lot of top players, beating Neil is up there, one of the best players in the world. I’m a bit speechless really.

‘I read a book called Atomic Habits by James Clear and that’s given me so much confidence. The little bad habits I did have, turning them into good habits.

‘It’s just things in general. In practice it’s about doing quality rather than too much. In my diet, if I eat something bad, make sure I do a bit of exercise. I’m still enjoying my walking, getting up on a morning and walk for three miles round Harrogate, it’s really therapeutic before practice.’

Confidence from preparing properly has led to wins and that breeds more confidence, which is making the man known as Panda a dangerous animal on the table.

‘When I get in in matches now I feel like I’m going to do a lot of scoring, whereas before I was making unforced errors which cost me,’ he said. ‘That led to losing and losing your confidence.

‘These little wins give you so much confidence and then you’re going in with a lot more self belief and that feels a lot better.

‘Even against players like Neil I just go and play the balls and I’m feeling confident. Neil wasn’t on his game today so I was a bit lucky, but a win over a player like Neil is still great.

‘Hopefully now I can go into the latter stages of competitions, really knuckle down. When I’ve got on [the tour] in the past, I’ve fallen off, this is the first time I can feel like I can really kick on. Get in that 64, get in that 32 and start winning more good matches against good players. I’m delighted.’

Lam is back in action in Brentwood on Tuesday afternoon against Stuart Carrington in round two.

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Mark Allen is continuing his push for more coverage and help for players to get sponsorships, as World Snooker Tour respond to his official complaint on the matter.

The world number three has been frustrated that he has not been pushed harder by WST after his superb season last time round, when he won the UK Championship, Northern Ireland Open and World Grand Prix.

After expressing his annoyance on social media about his lack of coverage from official channels, Allen said: ‘I have made an official complaint to World Snooker.

‘I just think it’s not the first time. Some of the decisions they have made over the years are not right. It’s not just me that I am talking about. There are other incidents.

‘Obviously, the complaint I have made is about me and my situation and some of the scenarios that have arisen in the last few years.’

Speaking at the English Open this week, Allen confirmed that the process is ongoing, saying: ‘I’ve had a written response and it’s up to me now to come back, but I’ll keep that in-house.’

The Pistol explained that the situation has nothing to do with a bruised ego, but simply because it is difficult for snooker players to get hold of sponsors and any investors want to see the greatest return possible for their money.

‘I didn’t make a complaint for me, I made it for my sponsors because they’re the ones who brought it up. “Why are you not getting the coverage that other players who are lower-ranked are?” That’s the only reason,’ he said.

‘I’ve dealt with it throughout my career so another set back or two from the governing body is not going to bother me in the slightest.

‘At the end of the day you win snooker matches and snooker tournaments that takes care of everything financially, but sponsors are a huge help, they take the pressure off. If you can get sponsors every year it takes pressure off on the table, but ultimately to keep your sponsors you need coverage. They’re not here to just give money away, so I’ve done it for them.

‘You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to get sponsors. You see the amount of top guys who don’t have logos on their waistcoats.

‘It’s a sign of the times unfortunately, but I don’t feel like World Snooker help us in any way. I say in any way, they do help, but I think they could help more.’

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After his incredible victory at the World Snooker Championship this year, life was always going to change dramatically for Luca Brecel and he admits that is proving difficult to deal with.

The 28-year-old had never won a match at the Crucible before this year, then surged to the title, beating the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby and Mark Williams along the way.

A professional for over a decade and a three-time ranking event winner before that Crucible crown, it wasn’t overnight success, but the world title did fire the Belgian Bullet into a new level of fame.

One of the more relaxed and chilled out characters you will meet in professional sport, Brecel admits the huge rise in attention has even been getting to him, making it hard to concentrate on his snooker.

‘It’s so busy for me now, it’s crazy,’ Brecel told Metro.co.uk. ‘After I won the Worlds the next six weeks were not so busy actually. I was like, is this it? And then after 8-10 weeks it started coming: the interviews, exhibitions, all sorts of requests and so much attention.

‘I didn’t expect it because I thought it was gone after the Worlds but now it’s just crazy. It’s too much for me, actually.

‘That’s why it’s tough for me to focus or get up for this one [the English Open], or for any tournament really. It’s really, really tough, I need to say to myself not to miss this opportunity to play well or win a tournament. I’m just way too busy.’

Brecel was speaking after narrowly beating teenager Stan Moody 4-3 in the opening round of the English Open, relieved to win after not finding anything like his best form.

He explained that it is not just his time that he is finding tricky to manage since the world title win, but also that of his family and girlfriend.

‘It’s everything, from everywhere, every day, something new,’ he said. ‘I say no to 50 per cent, so if I would do everything I would explode, I think.

‘It’s trying to find the balance, also for my girlfriend and family because they get sucked into it and I don’t want that. I want them to have their own life and life with me. So it is tough finding a balance, I must say for me and my partner, but we’re trying to work it out.

‘I’m a world champion now and this is the year I have to try and make the most of that.

‘It comes from everywhere, but Belgium, yeah it is big. A lot of TV requests, interviews in newspapers, a lot of fun things, it’s good I do love doing it. Podcasts with famous people in Belgium, all over the world, Hong Kong, USA to play snooker, Canada, everywhere. It is a maybe too much but enjoyable also.’

Brecel may be feeling the strain off the table, but is not bothered by pressure on the baize, in fact he reckons he could do with more intensity in his games.

His remarkable victory in Sheffield has accomplished such a huge life goal that he now sees many games as a free hit, which is not necessarily a good thing.

‘I feel less pressure [since winning the Worlds]. The monkey is off my back,’ he said. ‘I always wanted to win the Worlds and I have done it, then straight away I got to the Shanghai Masters final so that was confirmation of playing well and having improved.

‘Now it feels like practice, I come here and there’s absolutely no pressure. For me there’s not much pressure but sometimes that’s a bad thing because it’s hard to get up for these games, it sounds stupid but it really is.

‘I need that buzz sometimes to get going, I only get it when I’m in the last 16 or quarter-final, I start going, but it’s something I need to learn or work on because I could have easily lost today, I should have lost actually. But it’s really tough mentally, this game sometimes.’

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Ding Junhui believes he is ‘far away’ from tournament-winning form, admitting that he is getting annoyed with himself during matches as he searches for his brilliant best.

The Chinese icon had an eventful start to his English Open campaign on Monday, turning up with the wrong clothes and being docked a frame as someone dashed to M&S for him to buy a black shirt and trousers.

The delay saw him docked a frame in his opening round game against Ma Hailong, but he recovered to win 4-3 and set up a second round clash with David Grace.

The 14-time ranking event winner is looking to return to the heights he has reached in the game over his immense career so far, but having not won a ranking title since the 2019 UK Championship, he does not feel at all close to his peak.

The 36-year-old still shows plenty of flashes of brilliance, but felt that a last 16 defeat to Mark Williams at the British Open last week proved to him that he is a long way from top form.

‘No. Far away from there,’ Ding said on reaching his best. ‘I’m trying to get there, the last tournament I played against Mark Williams, I don’t think I’m getting near. There’s still a lot of work to do.

‘I think it’s concentration, I need more concentration. Sometimes I lose it and it kills the match.’

The former world number one has looked visibly frustrated during matches of late, notably irritated during a win over Si Jiahui at the Shanghai Masters, despite comfortably claiming a 6-2 win.

Ding admits that he is probably too hard on himself but is frustrated that he cannot hit the heights that he knows he is capable of.

‘Sometimes I’m annoyed with myself,’ he said. ‘I don’t know, maybe I just push myself too hard sometimes, I don’t let myself have mistakes. Maybe sometimes I can’t do the levels I want.

‘Even when I do okay, I’m leading but maybe not playing that good. Sometimes I need to calm down in the match, I need to control my emotions.’

Ronnie O’Sullivan has often said that he would rather play well and lose than play poorly and win, but Ding doesn’t go that far, saying he would rather deal with these frustrations and remain in the tournament.

‘For his side maybe it looks like that, for my side I prefer winning with any form,’ he said.

‘I’m always happy with winning, you can stay in the tournament and do something to change or improve a little bit for your next match.’

Ding has the chance to improve in the second round of the English Open against David Grace at The Brentwood Centre on Tuesday morning.

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Ronnie O’Sullivan reckons UK events on the World Snooker Tour are ‘like a car boot sale’ and says the whole tour should be moved to China.

The Rocket is playing in his first UK event of the season this week at the English Open in Brentwood, after jetting in from an exhibition in Macau over the weekend.

He landed on Monday morning and travelled straight to Essex where he beat Andrew Pagett 4-0 in the opening round, but the world number one was not impressed with the surroundings at The Brentwood Centre.

Speaking after his win he said: ‘I think it’s important to have good tournaments. I am not saying this is a terrible tournament. But the venues…people walking up and down in the crowd.

‘I’d like to see someone get hold of a good promoter, get hold of the tournaments and make them a bit better. Nothing has really changed in 12 years. You just go through the motions in a lot of these tournaments. I don’t want to be ultra-critical but also sometimes the truth needs to be told.

‘I don’t know if you have had a walk around this venue or been in the toilets and had a look around. It’s not the greatest. It’s not the most inspiring place to come and play snooker but it is what it is.’

O’Sullivan reckons tournaments in the UK have not been up to scratch since the end of tobacco sponsorship in 2005, comparing them to a car boot sale.

‘They don’t care here. They just don’t care anymore,’ he said. ‘When we had tobacco sponsors, they were amazing, they really went out of their way to make all the players feel special.

‘Don’t just ask me, go and ask [Stephen] Hendry, go and ask some of the players who played then with tobacco sponsors. Just don’t take my word for it.

‘Every event was like a special event. Now, it’s just, I don’t know what it is. It’s like a car boot sale. I have always said, it’s like a car boot sale. It hasn’t changed in 12 years. You think it would have got better but it hasn’t.

‘I don’t want to sound too down on it but it is what it is. It’s quite hard as a player to turn up at tournaments like this and feel like you want to try. Know what I mean? But you do try because you have pride in performance. It’s not easy.’

Asked whether he would like to see more events moved abroad, O’Sullivan said he isn’t fussy where it is, as long as tournaments meet standards that he feels need to be met.

‘I’d go anywhere,’ he said. ‘I would say to whoever is putting the tournaments on, there has to be a criteria, there’s a level that they have got to come up with.

‘We should make them accountable. This [the English Open] to me isn’t good enough. So someone should be in here judging them, saying “well, this isn’t suitable”. Like health and safety come in and say, this isn’t good enough for a pro tournament.

‘There should be a certain standard that we all….us as players, we have standards we have to adhere to. The promoters should have standards that they have to adhere to. There should be a certain level where it can’t drop.

‘If the tournaments are going to be like this, then have every tournament in Asia, have every tournament in Saudi.’

The seven-time world champion suggested that the UK problem may not be just snooker-related, but a wider malaise in society that is seeing standards fall across the board.

‘It’s probably not even snooker,’ said the 47-year-old. ‘I wouldn’t even travel British Airways or Virgin, they have even gone so down the pan. You go Cathay Pacific, you go China Eastern, it’s a different level.

‘I don’t know, maybe we are just falling apart as a country. Brexit. Everything has gone to pot. Maybe they are cutting corners so much that I don’t know, maybe it is just done over here.

‘Maybe they do need to go to places where they have money. There is no money over here to put on events otherwise I am sure they would. Go to China. Have the whole tour in China. You could still have the World Championships here if you want. But take everything out there. Keep us out there. I don’t really want to play in these events, you know.’

O’Sullivan has skipped the majority of tournaments so far this season, only playing the Shanghai Masters before his trip to Brentwood this week, winning the invitational event in China.

Asked what it is he prefers about the Asian events, he said: ‘They just make an effort. The crowds, they have a two-table set-up, so you are not playing in a four-table thing where people are moving around. I know it might sound silly but just having a crowd down the side just makes you engage more.

‘For me, if you go to Asia, you go to all those fantastic venues, they look after you really well; courtesy cars to and from the games; there is security, so you get to your match and get away without being driven mad.

‘In Asia, they go that extra bit for you. It’s little things like that as a player that mean something to you. The game’s the game. That never changed. But just how you get treated as a player. It means more. Who doesn’t want to be treated well? Who doesn’t want to be spoilt? For me, you get that when you are in Asia.

‘Obviously I know there is a travelling thing, but I am prepared to do that now. Just travel to all those tournaments, play in them, try to make them count as they are the bigger events as well. Then if we come home, and I feel like playing in some of these UK events, I will. If I don’t, then I will just take some time out, recharge.’

World Snooker Tour responded to O’Sullivan’s comments on the growth of the sport in recent years.

The statement read: ‘Our UK events have grown massively over the past decade. At the Masters in London for example, ten years ago we were selling less than 500 tickets for certain sessions, while now most sessions are selling out the 2,000-seat arena.

‘We are a global tour and in the UK it’s important that we bring events to many different regions so that fans across the home nations have the chance to see live snooker. Our choice of venues is based on many factors including size and backstage facilities for the players.

‘The facts speaks for themselves as our overall ticket sales have increased by 300% over the past ten years, or if we discount the World Championship then that figure is 700%. We are setting new records for sales at every venue year after year. Today the arena in Brentwood was sold out well in advance. 

‘We have focussed on the fan experience to make it a great day out for people of all ages. And for the players, overall prize money has increased and is set to hit record levels this season. We always listen to feedback from the players but we feel we are making significant steps forward as a global sport.’

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Luca Brecel narrowly got the better of Stan Moody in the first round of the English Open on Monday night and the world champion had some words of advice for the teenage talent afterwards.

The 17-year-old looked like he was going to secure his first win as a professional in some style be knocking off the world champ, but the Belgian Bullet came from behind to pip him 4-3 late in the deciding frame.

Moody impressed earlier in the match, knocking in his highest break as a pro, 121, and putting the world number two under serious pressure as an early exit from Brentwood loomed.

However, Brecel did enough to get over the line and offered some advice to the rising star after his narrow win.

‘I think he struggled in the beginning but when I was 2-1 up he played two great frames and put me under pressure,’ Brecel told Eurosport.

‘You can see what a talent he is, once he gets going he’s really good. Maybe just some experience and some tactical knowledge.

‘Maybe the only difference between me [when I was 17] was I’m a bit quicker on the shot and round the table. He sometimes overthinks it a bit but apart from that he’s a good potter, a good break-builder.

‘He’s only 17 so still plenty of time, especially in snooker you can play until you’re 50, still a lot of time.’

On what the teenager can do next, Brecel said it is simply about getting your head down and continuing to work at the notoriously difficult game.

‘Obviously just keep playing and trying,’ said the Bullet. ‘It is a very difficult game. He missed a few, maybe he needs to be a bit more sharp but this is a very difficult game and it’s tough out there.

‘When you lose obviously it’s always a blow. I can deal with it but it’s still a blow and a blow for your confidence so it’s going to be difficult.

‘He played some really good stuff, some bad stuff, same as I did. I didn’t play as good as he did, maybe he deserved to win, but he’s only 17 so just don’t think about it too much.

‘Keep going, try to improve because the results will take care of themselves then.’

Brecel was once the rising teenage talent on tour, becoming the youngest player ever to appear at the Crucible in 2012 when he was just 17 and he remembers how different the game was for him then.

The 28-year-old says he feels no pressure compared to those days, when he was consumed by the game, having now proved everything he needs to by winning the World Championship earlier this year.

‘It was totally different. Now it feels like practice, I come here and there’s absolutely no pressure,’ he said.

‘I’m not even thinking about the game when I come to England. When I was younger I was thinking about it a week before, feeling pressure. What could happen, what will happen.

‘He’s probably the same now. Maybe too focussed on the game, which is good, because he’s still young and you need to be a bit obsessed by it, but now it’s obviously totally different for me. I’ve not got anything to prove to myself.

‘Now it’s just about trying to enjoy it. It sounds strange but today I didn’t play well and didn’t enjoy it, even winning doesn’t feel good, I really need to improve for my next game because if I don’t then I’m going to lose.’

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Ronnie O’Sullivan flew into the UK from Hong Kong, struggled with an elbow problem but was still not surprised that he beat Andrew Pagett 4-0 in the opening round of the English Open.

The Rocket had been playing an exhibition with Jimmy White in Macau over the weekend and only landed back in England on Monday morning, before travelling over to Brentwood for the start of the English Open.

Explaining his hectic schedule before the match to Eurosport, he said: ‘Literally just got back this morning. I flew out Friday afternoon. Had a couple of days in Macau, which was great.

‘Just got in this morning. I feel alright. I haven’t picked my cue up since Shanghai [Masters]. I actually left it in China because I had something in my cue case and they wouldn’t let it through customs..

‘I didn’t want to miss my flight, so I left my cue in China. Went to Spain on holiday for a week after China which was nice. I haven’t played, but the season starts to get going now so plenty of tournaments to get stuck into.’

The world number one wasn’t at his immense best, but it was enough to whitewash Pagett after jetting in from Asia, and he was not surprised to score the victory despite his travels, remembering a run to the final of the 2017 Champion of Champions followed by a win at the Shanghai Masters just days later.

‘Not really,’ he said. ‘I got to the final in Coventry once and travelled Monday morning, arrived in China Tuesday morning, won that match and ended up winning the tournament. So I wasn’t surprised I could do it.

‘I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel, but I wasn’t that bothered, I was just trying to get some table time this week and get some practice. Every match I win is a bonus.’

O’Sullivan was in pain during the match with the Welshman, as a problem with tennis elbow continues to cause him problems.

Painkillers and possibly another cortisone injection could be on the menu for him in the coming days.

‘It’s no good really. I’ve tried resting it. I’ll get back on the painkillers. It’ll be alright once I take the painkillers. Long-term I don’t want to keep taking them,’ O’Sullivan explained.

‘I might have to have another cortisone, which will be my third one, which I don’t really want to do because it weakens the muscles apparently.

‘They’re only meant to be emergencies which I’ve used on two occasions, so if I have to have another one I will, but maybe I’ll try some acupuncture or some really good physio.

‘It started in 2022, I had it before in 2021 but it was alright. I went in the gym, lifted too many heavy weights and literally couldn’t pick a cup of tea up. From that moment onwards it’s been very weak. The injections sort it out, but I aggravate it and it goes back to not so good.

‘Tennis elbow, it’s called, so hopefully get someone good to rehab it. I’ve got to do something.

‘I’ll take the painkillers for this tournament and hopefully they’ll allow me to hit the ball as firmly as I want, because playing with a sore arm, you’re trying to hit the ball, you don’t quite commit to the shot.’

The Rocket is back in action on Wednesday against Jackson Page in round two.

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Shaun Murphy was on the wrong end of one of the best clearances he has ever seen as Jack Lisowski produced a miraculous break of 63 to win their memorable contest 4-3 at the British Open.

The FA Cup style draw threw up the heavyweight contest in the second round in Cheltenham and it did not disappoint, with both men producing brilliance.

Lisowski came out of the gates very quickly with breaks of 108 and 67 before Murphy surged back and into the lead with efforts of 111, 79 and 111 again.

Jackpot struck back with a 101 to force a decider and there was plenty more drama and world class snooker still to come.

The Magician made 62 before just losing position and playing safe, not quite safe enough though, with Lisowski sinking a fantastic long red and then a seriously tricky black, going on to make 63 and pinch the frame and match on the final ball.

‘It’s one of the best best of sevens I’ve ever been involved in. What a match, what a finish, what a talent, what a player,’ Murphy told ITV after the agonising defeat.

‘I think if you were teaching young players and showed them a freeze-frame of where I left him for the long red and told them that that was my last shot, I don’t think they’d believe you.

‘I was begging him to go for the long red and begging him to try to pot the black. It was one of the best clearances I’ve ever seen.’

On how he felt when he came to the table, Lisowski said: ‘I was just thinking I’m bang in trouble, what’s the shot here?’

Lisowski felt he had little choice but to take on the two incredibly difficult pots and was glad he showed the bottle, which he feels he is criticised for lacking at times.

‘Sometimes people say, “ah he’s going to bottle it again.” At 2-0 up I was thinking, maybe I have bottled this because I was playing really well,’ he said.

‘I go on Twitter sometimes and think, “Oh God.” My concentration really went at 2-0.

‘Those two shots, what are they 1 in 10? To do that at 3-3 and then dish them up. Yeah…nice.

‘It [social media criticism] doesn’t get me down because I’ve been having it since I was 19. Over 10 years, I’m numb to it now. But I felt it at 2-0 myself, I lost my concentration, I was disappointed. I’ve got bottle, but it’s the concentration.’

Murphy wasn’t too down after a fine performance, saying: ‘If I play like that for the rest of the season I think I’ll be in the winners’ enclosure a couple of times. There are lots of positives to take.’

Lisowski will play either Matt Selt or Zak Surety in the last 32.

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Judd Trump and Neil Robertson were both beaten on Tuesday afternoon at the British Open in Cheltenham, blowing the draw even more wide open.

With world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrawing before the tournament began and world champion Luca Brecel beaten by Ding Junhui on Monday, big names are falling early.

Trump suffered a significant surprise in the second round, beaten 4-3 by Hammad Miah in a dramatic, high-quality contest.

The score was 2-2 with four centuries scored, as Miah opened up with a 126, Trump made 125 and 124 before the underdog responded with a 101.

The current Masters champ went one frame from victory but the world number 113 dug deep and scrapped through two close frames to score one of the biggest wins of his career.

The 30-year-old has sprung this surprise before, beating Trump by the same scoreline at the 2015 Ruhr Open, but that was long before the Ace was the force he has become on the table.

‘It feels amazing to pot the final long black, I’m very happy with myself,’ Miah told WST after the win.

‘If I’m playing more of the older legends, I used to feel a bit fazed because I grew up watching them, but with Judd, I’ve beaten him before, these guys aren’t much older than me, it doesn’t faze me as much. I have beaten him before, so I had confidence.’

Robertson’s loss was less of a surprise as he was downed by World Championship semi-finalist from just a few months ago, Si Jiahui.

The 21-year-old made a name for himself at the Crucible and continues to do so with wins like this, beating the former world champion 4-1, finishing the game off with a high break of 107.

Another big name fell on Tuesday afternoon in Stephen Maguire, but it was hardly a shock as he was beaten 4-2 by three-time world champion Mark Williams.

Julien Leclercq and Scott Donaldson also progressed to the last 32 in Cheltenham on Tuesday afternoon, with the Belgian beating Jamie Jones 4-0 and the Scot downing compatriot Liam Graham by the same scoreline.

There was drama earlier as Dave Gilbert scraped through into the last 32, edging out Lyu Haotian 4-3 with the Chinese missing the final pink while clearing up in the seventh, allowing the Farmer to nick the frame and match.

The FA Cup style draw used for the British Open means the opponents of Tuesday afternoon’s winners are yet to be decided, with the draw to be made later on Tuesday evening.

Thanks to the random draw there are some big names facing off in the second round, with Jack Lisowski facing Shaun Murphy and Robert Milkins taking on Barry Hawkins in the last 64 on Tuesday night, while Mark Allen and Kyren Wilson meet in the same round on Wednesday.

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Nearly 20 years after his professional career ended, and coming up to 40 since his Crucible masterpiece, Joe Johnson is still working hard at his game and loving the challenge as much as ever.

The 71-year-old will forever be an iconic figure in snooker thanks to his World Championship win in 1986 having never previously won a match at the Crucible.

The biggest tournament in the sport proved to be his only ranking title, and while he will not be changing that record in his eighth decade, he is still competing.

The Yorkshireman will be playing at The 900 from 25 September, the one-frame event played under a shot-clock which he had a crack at in its first edition last year and thoroughly enjoyed.

‘I played alright actually,’ Johnson told Metro.co.uk of his first efforts in The 900. ‘I made a great clearance to win the first match so I was overjoyed really.

‘It suits me down to the ground, those 20 seconds [on the shot clock]. That was one of my failings when I was on the tour, people used to slow me down and it used to get to me abit. You can’t do that in this, you’ve got to get on with it and that suits me.’

When suggested to Johnson that his trademark long-potting skills were still very much on display, he said they should be, given the amount of work he still puts in on the table.

‘I practice it hard,’ he said. ‘I practice every day and I practice long-potting every day. It’s not as good as it used to be, but it’s alright.

‘I play every day except Sundays. I love the practice. I invite people to come and play me for the afternoon. I’ve got half a dozen of them that come on a regular basis. Good amateurs who push me. I don’t play anybody who hasn’t made century breaks.

‘Monday-Friday I practice by myself beforehand and then play someone. Saturdays I like to keep a full day to practice by myself.

‘I don’t practice all day. 10am-1pm and the rest of the day, whatever the wife’s got planned for me.’

It is an incredible dedication to the game which he has put unfathomable hours into over the vast majority of his life, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

‘When I first started out I’d play 10 or even 12 hours a day,’ he said. ‘Start at 10 in the morning, come out at 11 at night, just play all day long, so I was bound to get better.

‘I started that at about 14. I used to go to the local billiard hall at weekends, I was at school in the week, but my mum and dad had a liberal club, so I used to sneak in there when all the members had gone and I used to get practice there as well.

‘I went on to work on the gas board but came off that in 1979 and after that I played 7 or 8 hours a day then, continuous.

‘I never really practiced all day. I played all day, maybe for a little bit of money, so it kept me involved. I didn’t really practice all that much, I wish I’d practiced then like I do now. A bit like Jimmy White now. He still plays well, he still makes maximums. As do I, now and then.’

Luca Brecel sprung a huge surprise to claim the World Championship this year having never won a match at the Crucible before, doing it in buccaneering and flamboyant style.

Unsurprisingly it reminded many people of Johnson’s success, including the man himself, who downed some very big names along the way, just like Brecel.

‘Yeah it did,’ said Joe. ‘It was very much like it. I’d never won a match at the Crucible.

‘I’d never beaten [Terry] Griffiths in my career. He’d beaten me in the Egnlsih Amataur final, UK Championship twice, he got to me, he was a slow player but really good with it. It was very difficult to play against him, especially if you were like me and wanted to get on with things. He had my number, so that was my big win in the quarter-finals.

‘I’d always had pretty good results against Tony Knowles and I’d never lost to Steve Davis as an amateur, so I had no fears over Davis.’

Brecel beat the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams on his way to setting up a final with Mark Selby, and Johnson admits that he didn’t see the upset coming even thought he’d sprung a similar surprise all those years ago.

‘No, no one thought he’d win, and I didn’t either,’ Joe said of Luca. ‘Nobody gave me a chance either, absolutely not. Not even me mum and dad, it was one of those. Nobody expected me to win, I don’t think I expected to win but he didn’t have that fear that he had over a lot of players.

‘I think Luca’s biggest win was against Si Jiahui, that was incredible. It was good to beat Ronnie from 10-6 down but to win from 14-5 down in the semi-finals, and being outplayed I might add, what he found from somewhere I don’t know.

‘He’s an inspirational player a lot like what I used to be. I felt like if I got on top of somebody it was hard for them to get free. Luca’s such a talented player.’

Johnson works at Eurosport with the man Brecel downed in the Crucible quarter-finals, O’Sullivan, and the Rocket has had some kind words for the veteran of late.

‘Since YouTube has come out I’ve watched a lot of old videos,’ O’Sullivan said on BBC Radio 2 after this year’s World Championship.

‘I didn’t realise how good a player he was. He didn’t win anything else apart from the World Championship, but then made the final the next year.

‘I said to him: “Joe, you were a proper player”. And he went: “really?”. I said “yeah”. Because I call people proper snooker players or they’re not.’

On the Rocket and his comments, Joe said: ‘The greatest player ever isn’t he so it’s a pleasure to work with him, it really is.

‘He’s said some wonderful things about me just after the World Championship which was tremendous, he didn’t have to say that. He did an interview and bigged me up, if you like.

‘He said it was his favourite final, which I find incredible, but it was certainly my favourite final.’

Johnson may have been blown away by Brecel and his attacking brilliance in Sheffield this year, but he thinks the Bullet has to add more strings to his bow to remain at the top. Just as the Rocket has done.

‘I don’t think that’s sustainable actually,’ Johnson said of Brecel’s method of all-out-attack. ‘Ronnie himself was like that but he had to change to become Ronnie O’Sullivan, the complete player.

‘I think Luca’s got that ability but he hasn’t got the consistency that Ronnie O’Sullivan’s got. I’m sure he’ll get it because he’s such a great player.’

Johnson will be hoping his own swashbuckling style can take him to glory in The 900 when he plays in Group Two of this year’s event, from 25-27 September.

MORE : Jack Lisowski on facing Judd Trump, brilliant Luca Brecel and the best Ronnie O’Sullivan

MORE : Ronnie O’Sullivan withdraws from British Open due to ‘medical reasons’

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Ronnie O’Sullivan will not be playing at the British Open next week in Cheltenham, withdrawing from the event due to ‘medical reasons’.

The world number one won the Shanghai Masters last week impressively, beating Ali Carter, John Higgins, Mark Selby and then world champion Luca Brecel in the final.

However, he will not be playing his scheduled match with Jimmy Robertson in Cheltenham on Monday.

A World Snooker Tour statement on Thursday read: ‘Ronnie O’Sullivan has pulled out of next week’s Cazoo British Open for medical reasons.

‘The world number one was due to face Jimmy Robertson in the opening round on Monday, but instead he has been replaced in the draw by Steven Hallworth.’

It is a recurring theme for the Rocket, who withdrew from the European Masters in August, with ‘medical reasons’ cited then as well.

O’Sullivan is due to be back in action at the English Open on 2 October in the opening round of the English Open in Brentwood.

After not playing in the Championship League and withdrawing from the European Masters and now British Open, O’Sullivan is yet to play any ranking tournament so far this campaign and his world number one spot will be up for grabs next week in Cheltenham for Luca Brecel and Mark Allen if they can go deep in the event.

Brecel is just £5,000 behind the Rocket in the world rankings, so the Belgian Bullet will be eyeing up that world number one spot for the first time in his career.

Allen is much further behind and would need the £100,000 top prize to topple the Rocket in the rankings.

MORE : Jack Lisowski on facing Judd Trump, brilliant Luca Brecel and the best Ronnie O’Sullivan

MORE : Ronnie O’Sullivan says he’s ‘preparing for death’ after Shanghai Masters triumph over Luca Brecel

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

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