August 21, 2025

Ronnie O'Sullivan, the seven-time world snooker champion, shocked fans by pulling out of the 2025 Wuhan Open due to health reasons. The World Snooker Tour announced on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, that Ronnie will not play in Wuhan, China. He was supposed to face Allan Taylor in the first round, but now Umut Dikme, the next best player from the Q School list, will take his place. Just last week, Ronnie gave his all in the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Jeddah. On August 17, 2025, Ronnie fought hard but narrowly lost 10–9 in the final to Neil Robertson after a long, stressful game. Earlier, in a thrilling semi-final, Ronnie amazed everyone with two perfect 147 breaks while beating Chris Wakelin 6–3. But that intense effort left him very tired. As Ronnie said after the match, "It was a great week, but I feel very tired and need to look after my body." Ronnie was set to start his Wuhan Open campaign on August 24, 2025, at the Optics Valley Gymnasium. But following medical advice, he chose to rest and recover. Fans will miss seeing the “Rocket” in action there. Instead, Umut Dikme will step in to face Allan Taylor in the opening round. Meanwhile, Neil Robertson’s victory in Jeddah earned him a huge prize of £200,000. Ronnie’s second-place finish boosted his rankings: he’s now 7th on the Race to the Crucible and 4th in world rankings. Ronnie plans to return in full swing at the British Open on September 22, 2025, where he'll challenge Sanderson Lam. He’s also listed for the English Open one week before that. The Wuhan Open will still feature snooker giants like Judd Trump, Zhao Xintong, Ding Junhui, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, and John Higgins. The event promises fierce battles and a big prize of £140,000 for the winner. The final will take place on Saturday, August 30, 2025, and fans in the UK can watch all the drama live on TNT Sports and Discovery+.

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Tags: Ronnie o'sullivan, Wuhan open, Snooker, Neil robertson, Saudi arabia snooker masters, World snooker tour,