Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump did not attend the press media day held at the Crucible ahead of the World Snooker Championship. They could potentially face fines from the governing body. O’Sullivan opens the tournament against He Guoqiang on Tuesday.
Last update: April 17, 2020 6:27 PM
Ronnie O’Sullivan did not attend the World Snooker Championship press conference.
Shaun Murphy has criticized Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump for not doing more to promote their sport after they missed the official media day on the eve of the World Snooker Championships in Sheffield.
O’Sullivan and Trump could face fines from the sport’s governing body for failing to attend the traditional pre-tournament event where the top 16 seeds gather for photos and interviews with media and broadcasters.
Murphy said: “I think it has become normal for them not to show up for these types of things. It’s a real shame and perhaps both of them could have done a little more to help promote the game over the years.
“To be tagged publicly and to find out that two of the biggest stars in the game weren’t here on opening day, I think it could cause an image problem for those two guys. It’s weird.”
O’Sullivan and Trump are scheduled to compete in Tuesday’s tournament against He Guoqiang and Gary Wilson, respectively.
O’Sullivan recently announced his intention to compete in the tournament from his home base in Ireland, while President Trump has been training in Thailand.
O’Sullivan, who could surpass Stephen Hendry and become champion a record eight times, refused all media requests in the build-up.
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Shaun Murphy placed 147th in the Paddy Power Perfect Challenge for the second year in a row!
Zhao Xintong will begin the tournament on Saturday morning against qualifier Liam Highfield, hoping to overcome the so-called “Curse of the Crucible” and become the first champion on the pitch to successfully defend his crown.
Mark Allen begins his elusive journey to his first world crown against China’s Zhang Anda on Saturday morning, while former champion Mark Williams will begin his match against first-time Polish qualifier Antoni Kowalski on Saturday afternoon.
Allen, a two-time semi-finalist who often boasted of being deceived at the Crucible, said he would take confidence from his recent form as he looks to improve on his poor record at the tournament following two successive second-round losses.
“I feel like I’ve been playing well lately and I’m probably more confident than I was six weeks ago,” Allen said.
“I came here on the back of very good results and a good season.
“I’m trying to take inspiration from Kyren (Wilson), who didn’t have the best season and then came away with a pretty comfortable win here. Ultimately, if I play my best snooker, I’ll have a chance, and I’ll always believe in that.”
The first day’s schedule concludes with matches for China between Xiao Guodong and Zhou Yuelong, while former finalist Barry Hawkins faces former two-time finalist Matthew Stevens, who is competing in the Crucible for the first time since 2022.
Full 1st round draw (up to 19 frames):
- Zhao Xintong (China) (1) vs Liam Highfield (England)
- Ding Junhui (China) (16) vs David Gilbert (England)
- Xiao Guodong (China) (9) vs Zhou Yuelong (China)
- Sean Murphy (England) (8) vs Pangyi (China)
- John Higgins (Scotland) (5) vs Ali Carter (England)
- Ronnie O’Sullivan (England) (12) vs He Guoqiang (China)
- Chris Wakelin (England) (13) vs Liam Pullen (England)
- Neil Robertson (Australia) (4) vs Junsu Fang (China)
- Kyren Wilson (England) (3) vs Stan Moody (England)
- Mark Allen (Northern Ireland) (14) vs Zhang Anda (China)
- Barry Hawkins (England) (11) v Matthew Stevens (Wales)
- Mark Williams (Wales) (6) vs Antony Kowalski (Poland)
- Mark Selby (England) (7) v Jack Jones (Wales)
- Wu Yijie (China) (10) vs Lei Peifan (China)
- Xi Jiahui (China) (15) vs Hossein Bafai (Iran)
- Jude Trump (England) (2) vs Gary Wilson (England)
