Scottish Open snooker 2024 LIVE RESULTS: Ronnie O’Sullivan WITHDRAWS hours before match, Kyren Wilson in action today
SNOOKER lovers are in for a treat this festive period as some of the world's best are competing at the 2024 Scottish Open - and the action is underway in Edinburgh.
Ronnie O'Sullivan was due to take on Xing Zihao in his tournament opener tonight, but the Rocket withdrew from the event just hours before he was due to play.
Defending champion Gary Wilson went crashing OUT in just the first round, while Scottish star John Higgins overcame Ian Burns 4-2 to go through.
- Start time: From 10am GMT
- Live stream: discovery+
- TV channel: Eurosport
- Explainer: What is the prize money?
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Follow ALL the action from the Scottish Open with our live blog below...
Ding Junhui 1-0 Mark Davis
We're now into the 38th minute of this second frame... A complete contrast to the first.
Si Jiahui 2-0 Ma Hailong
Si extends his lead in the second match, winning the second frame 83-32.
Ding Junhui 1-0 Mark Davis
This frame has been a much more tightly contested one. Ding currently leads 46-37.
Si Jiahui 1-0 Ma Hailong
Si takes the first frame!
Ding Junhui 1-0 Mark Davis
Davis takes a 15-5 lead in the second frame but completely misses two reds and Ding steps up to the table.
The Brit could be left to rue that missed chance.
Si Jiahui v Ma Hailong
We're still on the first frame in the second match.
Si currently holds a 41-11 lead.
Ding Junhui 1-0 Mark Davis
It doesn't get much better than that! Ding dominates to take the first frame with a huge score of 137-0.
Ding Junhui v Mark Davis
Ding storms ahead to take a 70-point lead in the opening minutes, and he's still up at the table.
He's already on course for a century break.
We're underway!
Both matches have now started. Day two is officially underway!
Morning session
This morning's games are about to get underway!
Here's a reminder of who's playing...
- Si Jiahui v Ma Hailong
- Ding Junhui v Mark Davis
Allen admits lack of practice
Mark Allen reckons he hasn't practised his new style enough - after blasting his 4-1 victory over He Guoqiang.
Northern Ireland's world no 5 won the last two frames impressively but rated much of his performance "awful".
Allen told Eurosport: "I felt just really on edge on what I’ve been trying to work on, and I just gave up on it, to be honest, when I was out there.
"I thought, ‘I haven’t done enough on the practice table’.
"I think you have to trust it and I just reverted back to type and tried to play a bit faster and it went in, but there’s no guarantee that it’s going to work next time."
Credit: Getty Everything you need to know
Read everything you need to know about this week's Scottish Open here:
Ronn the mark
Dennis Taylor reckons Ronnie O’Sullivan has lost his fear factor – and for it to return he needs to reunite with someone like mind coach Steve Peters.
Taylor, 75, told Betway: “It’s a mental thing with Ronnie and Steve Peters was around and did wonders for him. He’s won plenty of world titles.
“I don’t see Steve Peters around and Ronnie needs something like that to get him into the right mind.
“Sometimes when Ronnie walks into the arena, you just sense with the expression on his face that he’s not quite there with it.
“But when he’s got that snooker face on and goes out there, he’s so difficult to beat.
“He’s been losing and people aren’t frightened like they used to be [playing him] and they still have to play well.
“I think once he gets himself mentally fit again, he’ll be back in the winner’s circle.”
Yesterday's results
- Gary Wilson 2-4 Long Zehuang
- Zhang Anda 4-3 Stan Moody
- Ali Carter 4-2 Graeme Dott
- David Gilbert walkover Robbie Williams
- John Higgins 4-2 Ian Burns
- Joe O'Connor 4-1 Lyu Haotian
- Barry Hawkins 4-2 Alexander Ursenbacher
- Chris Wakelin 4-0 Scott Donaldson
- David Lilley walkover Mark Williams
- Ryan Day 4-1 Anthony McGill
- Wu Yize 4-1 Farakh Ajaib
- Xiao Guodong 4-1 Xu Si
- Mark Allen 4-1 He Guoqiang
- Stuart Bingham 4-0 Jimmy Robertson
- Jak Jones 4-1 Jamie Jones
No Ronnie
Ronnie O'Sullivan withdrew from the Scottish Open last night.
He was due to face Xing Zihao in the opening round this evening.
Xing will now be given a bye to the second round.
O'Sullivan, 48, could be deciding to keep fresh for the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, which takes place from December 18-20.
It is the final event of the year and O'Sullivan will enter the competition as defending champion, having won the inaugural tournament in March.
There is £250,000 in prize money on offer and the world number four has previously shared how much he loves playing in the Gulf state.
Credit: PA
Chalked off
The biggest stars in snooker are in Edinburgh this week for the Scottish Open.
But the fall-out from last week's UK Championship is very much rumbling on.
This afternoon's matches
1pm
- Noppon Saengkham v Ricky Walden
- Kyren Wilson v David Grace
- Jack Lisowski v Jordan Brown
- Robert Milkins v Jackson Page
2pm
- Pang Junxu v Dean Young
- Mark Selby v Stuart Carrington
- Luca Brecel v Julien Leclercq
- Stephen Maguire v Matthew Selt
7pm
- Zhou Yuelong v Yuan Sijun
- Hossein Vafaei v Lei Peifan
- Shaun Murphy v Daniel Wells
8pm
- Tom Ford v Antoni Kowalski
- Neil Robertson v Fan Zhengyi
Good morning, snooker fans!
We've got these matches to look forward to this morning. Play starts at 10am.
- Si Jiahui v Ma Hailong
- Ding Junhui v Mark Davis
Rocket pulls out - 24 hours ahead of tonight's match
Ronnie O'Sullivan has pulled out of the Scottish Open, writes KEALAN HUGHES.
The seven-time world champion was set to face Xing Zihao of China in the opening round in Edinburgh this evening.
Credit: PA Xing will now be given a bye to the second round.
O'Sullivan's decision to withdraw came just 24 hours before he was scheduled to play. He has not been in action since a first round exit in the UK Championship against Barry Hawkins, who reached the final.
The Rocket appeared frustrated during the match as he punched the table, but praised his opponent following the defeat.
He said: "Barry played a good match and deserved his win, so I have to give all the credit to him. 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."
O'Sullivan, 48, could be deciding to keep fresh for the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, from December 18-20.
Today's schedule
There's no Ronnie O'Sullivan - but there is world champion Kyren Wilson and four-time Crucible king Mark Selby.
Neil Robertson, the 2010 world champ, is also in action.
Planned start times
10am
Si Jiahui v Ma Hailong
Ding Junhui v Mark Davis13:00
Noppon Saengkham v Ricky Walden
Kyren Wilson v David Grace
Jack Lisowski v Jordan Brown
Robert Milkins v Jackson Page14:00
Pang Junxu v Dean Young
Mark Selby v Stuart Carrington
Luca Brecel v Julien Leclercq
Stephen Maguire v Matthew Selt19:00
Zhou Yuelong v Yuan Sijun
Hossein Vafaei v Lei Peifan
Shaun Murphy v Daniel Wells
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Xing Zihao W/O20:00
Tom Ford v Antoni Kowalski
Neil Robertson v Fan ZhengyiAll yesterday's results
- Zhang Anda 4-3 Stan Moody
- Gary Wilson 2-4 Long Zehuang
- Ali Carter 4-2 Graeme Dott
- David Gilbert W/Ov Robbie Williams
- Joe O’Connor 4-1 Lyu Haotian
- John Higgins 4-2 Ian Burns
- Chris Wakelin 4-0 Scott Donaldson
- Barry Hawkins 4-2 Alexander Ursenbacher
- Mark Allen 4-1 He Guoqiang
- Ryan Day 4-1 Anthony McGill
- Judd Trump W/O Ishpreet Singh Chadha
- Stuart Bingham 4-0 Jimmy Robertson
- Xiao Guodong 4-1 Xu Si
- Wu Yize 4-1 Farakh Ajaib
- Jak Jones 4-1 Jamie Jones
- Mark Williams W/O David Lilley
Hawkins learns from studying Rocket
Barry Hawkins overcame Alexander Ursenbacher 4-2 and revealed how learning from Ronnie O'Sullivan has helped his break-building.
Hawkins notched two centuries in reaching the Scottish Open last 32 - with impeccable control of the cue ball.
Credit: PA He told Eurosport: "If you screw off the flat pack, you are maybe going to lose the cue ball to the side cushion. There were more opportunities to flick balls out and keep control of the cue ball.
"It is something you pick up over years and years of playing.
"A lot of players would maybe have screwed off the side of the pack, but you don’t need to play it hard and you will stay on the black and not lose the cue ball.
"You learn from Ronnie, he is the best in the world at it.
"Just keep hold of the cue ball as much as you can and you have more opportunities to win the frame in one visit."
Controversy over 'missed ball' foul
Referee Proletina Velichkova sparked controversy by calling a foul against He Quoqiang in his 4-1 loss to Mark Allen.
The Chinese ace drifted the red down from the baulk end, off the far cushion and back up to safety.
He felt sure the cue ball had touched the red on its way past.
And although one slow-motion TV replay suggested he might have been wrong, another angle showed the red clearly moved when the white went by it
Velichkova went to check her decision - and to the surprise of commentators confirmed her verdict.
She told He: "It didn't look like you hit it. You can double check yourself but I've looked three times."
But at least the incident - and the four-point foul - had little affect on the match as Allen eventually won comfortably.
Here's the shot that caused some debate as the cue ball passes the red Allen admits lack of practice
Mark Allen reckons he hasn't practiced his new style enough - after blasting his 4-1 victory over He Guoqiang.
Northern Ireland's world no 5 won the last two frames impressively but rated much of his performance "awful".
Allen told Eurosport: "I felt just really on edge on what I’ve been trying to work on, and I just gave up on it, to be honest, when I was out there.
"I thought, ‘I haven’t done enough on the practice table’.
"I think you have to trust it and I just reverted back to type and tried to play a bit faster and it went in, but there’s no guarantee that it’s going to work next time."
Credit: Rex Recap of results as Wilson exits but other big names win
Gary Wilson, Scottish Open winner for the past two years, slumped out 4-2 to Long Zehuang this afternoon.
But most of the other big names or favourites got through to the last 32.
Ryan Day rounded off his victory over Anthony McGill with three brilliant frames.
- Zhang Anda 4-3 Stan Moody
- Gary Wilson 2-4 Long Zehuang
- Ali Carter 4-2 Graeme Dott
- David Gilbert W/Ov Robbie Williams
- Joe O'Connor 4-1 Lyu Haotian
- John Higgins 4-2 Ian Burns
- Chris Wakelin 4-0 Scott Donaldson
- Barry Hawkins 4-2 Alexander Ursenbacher
- Mark Allen 4-1 He Guoqiang
- Ryan Day 4-1 Anthony McGill
- Judd Trump W/O Ishpreet Singh Chadha
- Stuart Bingham 4-0 Jimmy Robertson
- Xiao Guodong 4-1 Xu Si
- Wu Yize 4-1 Farakh Ajaib
- Jak Jones 4-1 Jamie Jones
- Mark Williams W/O David Lilley
