O'Sullivan out, Robertson out of the tournament and Carter in in round three.
The first round of the BetVictor Championship League has concluded. The elimination of favorites like Ronnie O’Sullivan, 48, and John Higgins, 49, has caused a stir. The second round of the cumbersome tournament has begun: The voluntary withdrawal of former world champion Neil Robertson, 42, caused a stir over the weekend.
Third Week: O’Sullivan and Higgins Exit
The BetVictor Championship League [Link in English] began on June 10 as the first tournament of the new season. The preliminary round was played in three blocks in total and ended on June 29.
In the third week, eight more players qualified for the second round:
- Gary Wilson
- Hailong Ma
- He Guoqiang
- Jack Lisowski
- Ali Carter
- Fan Zhengyi
- Shaun Murphy
- Duane Jones
The elimination of seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan was particularly surprising for many fans. After playing various exhibitions all summer, "The Rocket" started the BetVictor Championship League with a 3-0 win over Kayden Brierley, 22, needing less than half an hour.
After drawing with Mitchell Mann, 32, O’Sullivan faced He Guoqiang, 23, in his final group game. O’Sullivan seemed unfocused while He played exceptionally well, showing no signs of nerves. He won 3-0 against O’Sullivan, winning the group.
Four-time world champion John Higgins also failed to progress beyond the first round of the competition, winning only one game, drawing one, and losing one.
Second Round of Championship League Begins
The second round of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker began on June 28. The group winners were divided into eight new groups, with each player playing each other once and having to prove themselves in three matches.
Four groups have already played in the past few days, with the following four players advancing to the third round as group winners:
- Scott Donaldson
- Ali Carter
- David Gilbert
- Long Zehuang
The second round of the tournament has already seen high-quality matches. In Group B, David Gilbert, 43, Stuart Bingham, 48, He Guoqiang, and Ashley Carty, 28, faced off against each other.
Gilbert and Bingham had reached the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship in May, while He had beaten O’Sullivan in the first round. Carty was one of the few players to win all three games in round 1. David Gilbert continued his strong form from last season, winning all three games in Group B.
Similarly exciting were the matches and results in Group C, which consisted of Long Zehuang, 27, Hossein Vafaei, 29, Shaun Murphy, 41, and Jamie Jones, 36. Surprisingly, Long managed to beat Vafaei and Jones 3-0. The two wins were enough for him to win the group [English video]:
Why Did Neil Robertson Leave the Tournament Voluntarily?
Neil Robertson had already qualified for the second round in the first week of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker. He was scheduled to play in Group E against Ali Carter, 44, Wu Yize, 20, and Jack Lisowski, 33, last Sunday. However, Robertson announced his withdrawal from the tournament on X (formerly Twitter) shortly before [English post]:
Hey guys. Just to let you know I unfortunately had to withdraw from the championship league with a mishap in stage 2 of the schedule. I’m currently in China for a trip with sponsors that was planned in April and won’t be able to play as I arrive back in the UK on the day I was...
Neil Robertson (@nr147) - June 28, 2024
[Translation: Hi folks. Just to let you know: Due to an unfortunate incident in round 2 of the schedule, I regretfully have to withdraw from the Championship League. I'm currently on a sponsor trip in China that was planned for April, and I can't play as I'll be back in the UK on the day I'm supposed to play. I've received an apology for the situation. I'm sorry for those who were looking forward to watching me play. Thanks for the continued support.]
Soon after, the WST confirmed that Robertson had left the tournament and group E would be played with three players.
Robertson thus misses the chance to start the new season with a successful tournament, after struggling with many losses last year. Due to lack of success, he dropped out of the top 16 of the WST World Ranking [Link in English] and had to qualify for the Snooker World Championship. He surprisingly lost this and was thus not present at the most important tournament of the season for the first time since 20 years.
Current Sports Betting Odds
The surprising results of the past weeks also affect the sports betting odds of the bookmakers. With Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson and the current champion Kyren Wilson, 32, many favorites have already been eliminated.
Fans of sports betting currently get the following odds for winning the BetVictor Championship League Snooker:
- David Gilbert: 4.0
- Ali Carter: 4.33
- Mark Williams: 7.0
- Scott Donaldson: 10.0
- Jak Jones: 12.0
Ali Carter and David Gilbert have already qualified for the third round, while the other players will play their matches on July 1st and 2nd.
What's next?
Today, the games of groups D and H are on the agenda, which already promise a lot of excitement. In group D, Mark Williams, 49, Si Jiahui, 21, Ben Woollaston, 37, and Stuart Carrington, 34, will face each other. The game between the veteran Williams and the youngster Si is expected to take place on a particularly high level.
On July 2nd, the games of groups F and G will take place, before the third round and the final on July 3rd.
The unexpected exit of seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan and four-time world champion John Higgins from the News: BetVictor Championship League has surely shaken up the tournament. Fans are now closely following the second round to see who can make a comeback.
The voluntary withdrawal of former world champion Neil Robertson before the start of the second round created a buzz, leaving many curious about his reason and impact on the tournament.
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