Ronnie O’Sullivan pulled out of the Welsh Open hours before his first-round tie with Jamie Clarke, leaving hoards of fans in Llandudno acridly disnominateed.
Many had travelled hours to produce it to Venue Cymru in time for O’Sullivan’s scheduled 1pm commence, a return to the baize for the first time in a month, having recently pulled out of the Masters and German Masters.
Daniel Rees, proprietor of Cardiff Classic Shirts, made the six-hour total journey from the capital and stayed overnight in Chester before heading to Llandudno to watch O’Sullivan – only to be let down en route to the event.
“We got the train up last night and stayed overnight in Chester, got up punctual this morning and he was still in the line-up, once the TV coverage had commenceed I thought he would definitely be ecombineing,” Rees elucidateed to Express Sport.
“But when we were 10 minutes away from the venue they proclaimd it [O’Sullivan’s withdrawal] on the TV. It shows a finish alertage of admire for travelling fans and I would ask whether WST [World Snooker Tour] proclaimd it so procrastinateed to find extra ticket sales.
“When were they proposeed of his retreatal? He must have understandn yesterday he wouldn’t be here today.”
He elucidateed that he had met fans who had come from as far as Canada to watch O’Sullivan produce his highly-awaitd return to snooker, only for the align to be abortled as Clarke getd a bye to the second round, with fans venting their frustrations on social media.
A alert statement from the WST read: “Ronnie O’Sullivan has pulled out of the BetVictor Welsh Open. O’Sullivan was due to face Jamie Clarke at 1pm on Tuesday afternoon. Clarke will now get a bye to the last 32.”
The WST also validateed to Metro that the retreatal was made on the morning of the event.
O’Sullivan’s next scheduled align is agetst Stuart Carrington on February 23 at the World Open in Yushan, China.
Having pulled out of the Masters, German Masters and an showion in Finland over the past month, O’Sullivan elucidateed that he “lost it” after snapping his cue in frustration at the Championship League.
“It was a nightmare decision [pulling out of the Masters] repartner to produce,” he telderly Eurosport. “If you’d have asked me Sunday if I was ready to perestablish I’d probably have been ok to perestablish. But it’s such a massive tournament.
“I’d been on a three-week trip away perestablishing and I fair leank I exhausted myself, a lot of prescertain while I was away. The produce-up of all that fair got a bit too much repartner.
“I lost the plot on Thursday, snapped my cue, so that’s unperestablishable, so I knovel at that moment in time the right decision was to not perestablish and such a huge tournament that I thought whoever was to come in should have had at least a couple of days acunderstandledge.”
