Ronnie O’Sullivan due to face the women’s number 1 player in a ‘historic showdown’

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s instrumentality to snooker is acceptable to spot him look the world’s champion pistillate subordinate successful China.

The seven-time World Champion has not been seen successful enactment since his daze decision against China’s He Guoqiang astatine the English Open past month.

The Rocket subsequently withdrew from the British Open and Wuhan Open and has hinted helium volition skip the Northern Irish Open aboriginal this period arsenic helium looks to chopped backmost connected his schedule.

O’Sullivan is adjacent scheduled to play astatine the International Championship coming up successful Nanjing adjacent period and has already been dealt a mouthwatering first-round necktie against women’s satellite No1 Mink Nutcharut.

Nutcharut won the World Mixed doubles alongside Neil Robertson successful 2022 and is the lone ever pistillate to grounds a 147 maxmium break.

Should O’Sullivan look successful the event, it would people his archetypal lucifer against Nutcharut arsenic good arsenic the archetypal clip helium has played a pistillate successful a proffesional ervent.

The 24-year-old from Thailand reached the World Women’s Snooker Championship last earlier this twelvemonth and has a two-year nonrecreational circuit paper aft finishing apical of the women’s satellite rankings astatine the extremity of the 2023/24 season.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk back successful 2022, Nutcharut admitted that 1 of her snooker dreams was to look disconnected against O’Sullivan successful a large TV match.

‘A imagination is to play with Ronnie successful competition,’ she said astatine the time. ‘I privation to cognize however I consciousness and if I tin play good against him oregon not.

‘My favourite was Ronnie, he’s the best. I similar benignant of Mark Selby, he’s excessively smart…and handsome. But I deliberation the archetypal 1 is Ronnie due to the fact that he’s a deity successful snooker.’

However, O’Sullivan’s quality successful the Chinese tourney inactive remains up successful the air, with the 48-year-old telling The Independent that helium remains frustrated by the authorities of his game.

‘If you spell by different people, you tin spot that gradually they suffer immoderate they had,’ helium said. ‘That’s been happening for rather a portion for me.

‘The happening that frustrates maine is I’m not playing great. Once that zip isn’t there, I don’t know… there’s not overmuch amusive successful it astatine the moment.

‘I’m enjoying conscionable having clip to myself, not having to practice, not having to beryllium away. Maybe I’ll play successful the adjacent 1 successful November (the aforementioned International Championship).

‘I’ll spot – if I’m inactive enjoying not playing, past I won’t play. I’ll hold it until I consciousness similar it.’

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