Ronnie O’Sullivan is warming up for a return to competitive action by taking on world champion Zhao Xintong in a ‘spectacular’ exhibition.
The Rocket has been playing a relatively light schedule so far this season, competing at the Shanghai Masters, Saudi Arabia Masters and Xi’an Grand Prix so far this campaign.
The 49-year-old has looked in good form when he has played, with quarter-final runs in Shanghai and Xi’an, while he only narrowly lost out in the Saudi final, 10-9 to Neil Robertson.
His next competitive assignment is at the International Championship in Nanjing, China, where he takes on Allan Taylor in the opening round on Sunday.
O’Sullivan is getting warmed up for that with a high profile exhibition match with Zhao on Friday at Wynn Macau, the five-star hotel in the Chinese special administrative region.
In a social media video, the Rocket said: ‘I’m happy to be back at the Wynn Macau on October 31.
‘This time I’ll be sharing the table with one of the most exciting talents in snooker, Zhao Xintong. It’s going to be a spectacular match. Don’t miss out. See you all very soon.’
Clearly in very different circumstances, but it will be a rematch of their Crucible semi-final earlier this year, which Zhao won 17-7.
It is a departure from the plan O’Sullivan set out for himself at this year’s World Championship, when he said he would no longer play in exhibitions, which he suggested were a distraction from tournament success.
‘I am going to give myself two years,’ the seven-time world champion said. ‘There will be no more exhibitions or distractions off the table.
‘I will help out at the academy in Saudi Arabia, I enjoy the work I am doing there and hopefully we can do something similar in the UK because my true love is to help people and give back.
‘That helps me to learn from other people. Otherwise it will just be tournaments and getting fit.’
The world champion is searching for form
Zhao has been much more active than the Rocket so far this season, but has been struggling for results since winning the World Championship title in May.
A semi-final run at the Shanghai Masters at the start of the campaign was encouraging but he has struggled in ranking events since then, with just one appearance in a last 16.
This month he was beaten early at the Xi’an Grand Prix by Robert Milkins and 4-0 in the opening round of the Northern Ireland Open by Jordan Brown.
He explained that he has been struggling with illness, though, with medication affecting his vision at the table.
‘Now it’s better. A few days ago the body was not very good, I was not well, but I just keep trying to get better. It was very tough today,’ Zhao told Metro after defeat to Brown in Belfast.
‘I don’t know how to say in English, I’ve got some medicine, but the medicine makes me not concentrate.
‘When I put my hand on the table, I’m a bit dizzy. When I have long pots I can’t see anything. Now it’s better, but maybe in a few days later it will be alright. I tried to play well, but it was hard.’
The 28-year-old starts his International Championship campaign against Oliver Brown on Sunday in Nanjing.
International Championship schedule
Sunday November 2
UK times – Round two unless noted
1.30am
Neil Robertson vs Ken Doherty
Sam Craigie vs Jimmy Robertson
Tom Ford vs Daniel Wells
Bai Yulu vs Wang Xinzhong (Wildcard round)
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh vs Xi Jiarui (Rd 1)
Zhou Yuelong vs Wang Xinbo (Rd 1)
6am
Yuan Sijun vs Ricky Walden
He Guoqiang vs Stuart Bingham
Jiang Jun vs Chris Wakelin
Mark Selby vs Liu Hongyu
Xiao Guodong vs Mahmoud El Hareedy (Rd 1)
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Allan Taylor (Rd 1)
Zhao Xintong vs Oliver Brown (Rd 1)
11.30am
Zhang Anda vs Michal Szubarczyk
Wu Yize vs Lyu Haotian
Martin O’Donnell vs Gary Wilson
Wang Yuchen vs Si Jiahui
Ding Junhui vs David Grace (Rd 1)
Robbie Williams vs Bai/Wang (Rd 1)
Judd Trump vs Dylan Emery (Rd 1)
Barry Hawkins vs Zhou Jinhao (Rd 1)
Monday November 03
1.30am
Ryan Day vs Hossein Vafaei
Oliver Lines vs John Higgins
Xu Si vs Stephen Maguire
David Lilley vs Kyren Wilson
6.30am
Ding/Grace vs Michael Holt
Pang Junxu vs Liam Highfield
Elliot Slessor vs Ben Mertens
Xiao/El Hareedy vs Zak Surety
Trump/Emery vs Matthew Stevens
Zhou/Wang vs Noppon Saengkham
Ben Woollaston vs Jak Jones
11.30am
Shaun Murphy vs Williams/Bai/Wang
Un-Nooh/Xu vs Dave Gilbert
Scott Donaldson vs Mitchell Mann
Huang Jiahao vs Hawkins/Zhou
Louis Heathcote vs Jack Lisowski
Sanderson Lam vs O’Sullivan/Taylor
Liu Wenwei vs Lei Peifan
Fan Zhengyi vs Zhao/Brown
International Championship huge for two players
The 2023 International Championship produced something of a shock final as Zhang Anda beat Tom Ford to get his hands on the trophy, the first ranking title of his career.
The world rankings are based on prize money over a two-year rolling system, meaning the winnings from 2023 will fall off the rankings after the event next week.
Zhang landed £175,000 for winning the tournament while Ford claimed £75,000 for his runner-up spot.
Unless both make a deep run again, they will be facing a significant fall down the rankings, with Zhang facing losing his top 16 spot ahead of the upcoming UK Championship, which would be a blow.
Zhang faces Polish teenager Michal Szubarczyk and Ford takes on Daniel Wells on their last 64 matches in Nanjing.
There have been two withdrawals since the qualifiers, with Mark Williams out through illness and Ali Carter due to personal reasons.
Opponents Anthony McGill and Aaron Hill get byes to the last 32 as a result.