Stars gear up for Saudi Arabia Masters - all you need to know

The top-16 players successful nan world get nether measurement connected Tuesday successful nan caller Saudi Arabia Masters, which is nan astir lucrative tourney successful snooker aft nan World Championship.

Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and world number 1 Judd Trump are some successful action successful Riyadh, which uniquely hosted 144 players erstwhile play began connected 30 August, without a qualifying round.

The inaugural arena which has been fixed nan unofficial title of being nan sport’s ‘fourth major’ by organisers, is nan biggest ever staged extracurricular nan UK successful nan sport’s history, pinch a £2.3m prize money and £500,000 winner’s cheque disposable - adjacent to nan magnitude connected connection astatine nan Crucible successful Sheffield.

All of nan top-16 players including O’Sullivan are competing astatine nan arena which is taking spot successful a custom-built venue astatine nan Green Halls successful nan nation’s superior city.

‘The Rocket’, who signed a three-year ambassadorial agreement pinch Saudi Arabia earlier this year, gets his run started connected Tuesday evening successful nan 5th information of nan title and will play either Iran's Hossein Vafaei aliases compatriot Ben Woollaston.

Trump is scheduled to look his friend and believe partner Jack Lisowski aliases Martin O'Donnell successful nan past 32.

The full prize excavation is bigger than immoderate tourney different than nan World Championship pinch a semi-final quality worthy six figures.

Thailand's Noppon Saengkham has already put himself connected people to person a £50,000 prize for a 147 break aft compiling a maximum successful his third-round triumph complete Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh connected Sunday.

If nary different subordinate makes a 147 complete nan adjacent 5 days, it will beryllium nan astir Saengkham has ever earned astatine a tournament, pinch £30,000 besides guaranteed aft he reached nan 4th round.

It will besides springiness him nan opportunity to perchance declare a further £147,000 if he tin repetition nan feat astatine immoderate 1 of nan UK Championship, Masters and World Championship.

The 17 wildcards registered to compete included 14-year-old Ziyad Al Qabbani but only one, Egypt’s Mohamed Elkhayat, progressed from nan first information beating Thailand's 2023 women's world champion Baipat Siripaporn 4-3 successful their best-of-seven encounter.

The 1997 world champion Ken Doherty went retired successful nan first round, while six-time finalist Jimmy White progressed done his first 2 matches earlier losing 4-2 to China’s Si Jiahui.

Joe O'Connor, who knocked Mark Selby, nan four-time world champion, retired of nan World Championship earlier this year, reeled disconnected 3 frames successful a statement to hit Louis Heathcote 4-3 successful nan 3rd information but Robert Milkins fell to a daze 4-3 conclusion to Malaysia's Rory Thor and Scotland’s Anthony McGill mislaid 4-1 to England's Ashley Carty.

Neil Robertson, a 23-time ranking arena winner, hit Paul Deaville 4-1, while Stephen Maguire brushed speech Ben Mertens 4-0 and Dave Gilbert defeated Alfie Burden by nan aforesaid people arsenic they each progressed to information four.