Ronnie O’Sullivan will play no part in this year’s English Open after opting out of the tournament for a second consecutive year. His opponent, Liam Davies, has been handed an automatic bye into the next round, with the event set to take place at the Brentwood Leisure Centre.
It means the last time the seven-time world champion appeared in his home tournament was in 2024, while O’Sullivan has won the tournament just once. In recent years however, the Rocket has opted to focus on events outside of the UK.
That includes O’Sullivan’s only appearance since the World Championship back in May, when he reached the second round og the Shanghai Masters last month. O’Sullivan had beaten Liu Linhao in the opening round, but was knocked out of the tournament by 2025 world champion Kyren Wilson.
The pair played out a 10-frame epic in the best-of-11 contest, with Wilson winning the contest 6-4 in frames. O’Sullivan is however expected to feature in the China Open, which gets underway next month, with the Englishman having been drawn against Jackson Page in the opening round.
O’Sullivan reiterated his commitment to trying to win an eighth World Championship title earlier this year, insisting he was going to give it a go for another few years. He remarked: “I’d love to win another World Championship. I’ve got two attempts at it.
“Three years previous, I wasn’t cueing well enough, so I feel like if I can find a bit of cueing find some form at Sheffield… if I don’t do it this season or the next season, then it’ll definitely never happen.
“But I’m pleased with my career. I’m happy with how things have gone, and I just want to try and enjoy these next two years.
“I’ll reassess it in 2028 and if things are really going well, and I’ve surprised myself, then maybe you can extend it but you have to be realistic. I’m definitely not going to be playing qualifiers put it that way.”
But former snooker star Alan McManus believes he has to start playing more often if he wants to achieve that dream. He told TNT Sports: “I’ve said it before, this game, not just his, but it has to be a lifestyle choice.
“You can pick and choose your moments to go away and have two or three or four months off in the summer. But when you get down to the bones of it, that is the way that it is. It’s a lifestyle choice, and it is Ronnie’s choice and that is fine.
“But, if he wants to win this thing again and I think we all know he does, maybe he could change one or two things going forward next year. I hope he does.”