Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the Scottish Open on the eve of his slated opening match against Xing Zihao.
The Rocket’s decision came as a stinging blow to fans attending the Edinburgh event, who were informed over the weekend that world No. 1 Judd Trump and three-time world champion Mark Williams would also be absent.
Xing will receive a bye to the second round, as will Ishpreet Singh Chadha and David Lilley, who were due to face Trump and Williams respectively.
The star-studded field has been weakened by the three high-profile withdrawals, although the likes of Kyren Wilson and Mark Allen will still be keen to put on a show in Scotland.
O’Sullivan is yet to explain his call to skip the tournament, but it will give him more time to recover before the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, which begins on December 18. The 48-year-old has previously been clear about the favourable treatment he and his fellow pros get in the Middle East and China compared to UK-based tournaments.
« Saudi Arabia has really raised the bar, » said O’Sullivan during the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in September. « This is the best event on the tour.
« I’ve never seen so many happy snooker players. Everyone is excited to be here, we want to compete, play well and put on a really good show for the Saudi Arabian fans.
« All the top players are about to enter the event and hopefully everyone’s going to watch some of the best snooker they could possibly see. The tables, the facilities, the venue that’s been put together; this tournament deserves to watch the best snooker ever seen. It really is that good. »
Deep tourmament runs have been hard to come by for O’Sullivan since making it to the semi-finals of the Xi’an Grand Prix in August. The seven-time world champion has won just one of his last four competitive matches, and he suffered a first-round exit against Barry Hawkins at the UK Championship last month.
Hawkins went on to make the final, where he lost to Trump, while O’Sullivan vowed not to let the defeat get him down. « Barry played a good match and deserved his win, so I have to give all the credit to him, » said the Rocket.
« He played well, was solid and took his chances. I’m just enjoying playing, that’s the important thing. I try to not look back on it and on to whatever the next event is. »
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