Ronnie O’Sullivan will not defend Masters title as he pulls out two days before event
Share:
Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the Masters and will not defend his title at Alexandra Palace this month. World Snooker Tour confirmed on Friday morning that the Rocket has withdrawn ‘on medical grounds’ and will be replaced in the draw by Neil Robertson.
![[2024 UK Championship - Day 4]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2187043434.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The Australian will now take on John Higgins in the opening match of the tournament on Sunday afternoon. Robertson was ranked 17th in the world when the cut-off for Masters qualification was made, meaning he is next in line to come in. O’Sullivan won his eighth Masters title last year, beating Ali Carter in the final in north London.
![[2024 MrQ Masters Snooker - Day 8]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-1933603060.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
However, it has been a difficult season for him so far this time around and his frustrations seemed to boil over at the Championship League yesterday, where he withdrew before his final match following defeat to Robert Milkins. The 49-year-old was clearly frustrated, hitting the table with his cue during the match before smashing the white ball into a group of reds in the final frame, which allowed Milkins to go on to win 3-2.
O’Sullivan then left his cue in pieces in a bin at the Mattioli Arena, Leicester, as confirmed by Milkins on X. ‘Rocket must rate me, I’ve never beat him and the one time I finally did he snapped his cue in disbelief 🤣,’ Milkins posted. Asked if O’Sullivan’s cue had actually snapped, the Milkman replied: ‘No shattered into thousand pieces and was put in the bin next to coffee machine.’.
