Defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan pulls out of the Masters at short notice with replacement named
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Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the upcoming Masters tournament at Alexandra Palace at short notice “on medical grounds”.
O’Sullivan was the defending Masters champion after beating Ali Carter in the final last year and was due to face long-time rival John Higgins in the opening match of the tournament on Sunday afternoon but has pulled out just 48 hours beforehand.
The much-anticipated clash was set to kick off the 50th anniversary of the Masters in style, with snooker legends O’Sullivan and Higgins having enjoyed a rivalry stretching back more than three decades, since they both turned professional at the same time in 1992.
The Masters is one-third of snooker’s triple crown of biggest events – along with the UK Championship, won by Judd Trump last month, and the World Championship in April – and sees the top 16 ranked players in the world compete for a £350,000 top prize.
O’Sullivan will be replaced by two-time Masters champion Neil Robertson, who was ranked 17th at the seeding cut-off, and the Australian will now face Higgins on Sunday afternoon instead.
A short statement on the World Snooker Tour website, read: “Neil Robertson has replaced Ronnie O’Sullivan in the draw for the upcoming Johnstone’s Paint Masters.
“Last year’s champion O’Sullivan was due to face John Higgins in the opening match on Sunday afternoon, but has withdrawn on medical grounds. Higgins will now face Robertson, who was ranked in 17th position at the seeding cutoff after the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship.”
O’Sullivan has been competing at the invitational Championship League event in Leicester this week as a warm-up for the Masters but withdrew midway through his group.
The 49-year-old lost three of his four matches on Wednesday and was visibly frustrated as he appeared to be having trouble with the tip on his cue. He returned to complete the group stage on Thursday morning but was furious during his match against Rob Milkins.
Having missed a simple pink in the fourth frame, the seven-time world champion whacked his cue on the table after missing the pot and then, in the next frame, smashed the cue ball into the pack of reds, spreading them everywhere and enabling Milkins to clear up for a 3-2 win.
He then withdrew from the event rather than playing his next match against Carter that afternoon. Reports from the venue also stated that O’Sullivan smashed his cue into pieces and left it in a bin before departing.
Dominic Dale said on commentary: ‘He actually smashed up his cue, he was so displeased with his performances and so he’ll be playing with a new cue at the Ally Pally.’ However, he has now withdrawn from the Masters meaning he’ll have plenty of time to source a new cue before his next event.
This is far from the first event O’Sullivan has withdrawn from at short notice this season, while he also chose not to play in the Masters back in 2020.
