Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the upcoming Masters, citing medical reasons.
The announcement came just days after the tournament opener, when reigning champion O’Sullivan was due to start his match against John Higgins on Sunday.
The seven-time world champion won a record eighth Masters title after defeating Ali Carter 10-7 at Alexandra Palace in January last year in a heated battle of words between the two.
However, a statement from the World Snooker Tour said he would be replaced by 17th seed Neil Robertson, who missed out on the 16-man spot by the narrowest of margins after missing the Masters for health reasons.
“Neil Robertson will replace Ronnie O’Sullivan in the draw for the next Johnston’s Paint Masters,” the statement began.
Last year’s champion O’Sullivan was scheduled to face John Higgins in the opening round on Sunday afternoon, but withdrew for medical reasons.
Ronnie O’Sullivan withdraws from Masters for health reasons, announced in statement
“Higgins will now face Robertson, who was ranked 17th at the seeding deadline after the Victorian Plumbing British Championships.
“Johnston’s Paint Masters will be held at Alexandra Palace, London from January 12th to 19th.”
It follows an unusual week for the Rockets, who missed the Champions League event following a number of bizarre gestures in their penultimate group game.
The snooker legend lost three of his four matches on Wednesday and appeared to have problems at the tip of the cue on a number of occasions and there were moments when the seven-time world champion’s emotions almost got the better of him. Ta.
He was also seen slamming his cue down on the table after missing a pot. O’Sullivan immediately apologized to the referee and his opponent after the incident.
He then fired a white ball to the red team, which his opponent Robert Milkins won 3–2.
In another notable incident, after failing a routine pot of the blue, O’Sullivan appears to perform the sneaky motions of squatting, spreading his legs, sticking out his tongue, and moving the cue back and forth from his hips. It looked like.
The Rockets were scheduled to play Ali Carter in their final group game on Thursday afternoon, but opted not to play.
Commentator Dave Hendon said: “Ronnie O’Sullivan, who we saw earlier, was obviously frustrated with Robert Milkins. He won’t play in the final match against Ali Carter, so he decided to withdraw from the tournament. was lowered.
“That means all the games he played have been forfeited, so he has zero points.
“Effectively it’s now a six-man group. Still, the top four will advance (to the semi-finals) and only one player will be relegated (other than O’Sullivan).”
More to come.
