Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker: Ronnie O’Sullivan beats Luca Brecel in final

The first-ever Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker was won by Ronnie O’Sullivan, who defeated Luca Brecel 5-2 in the championship match.

At the half, O’Sullivan had made breaks of 95 and 94, while Brecel had made an 81. The score was 2-2.

O’Sullivan led 3-2 after a break of 121 and won the following set. A final break of 124 gave the 48-year-old the victory and the £250,000 top prize.

“What a great tournament, what a great venue,” O’Sullivan remarked.

“These are the kind of tournaments you want to participate in: they have a single table, a lively crowd, a terrific atmosphere, and music played in between frames.

“It was like we were in some sort of rave.”

On the day of the championship game, O’Sullivan secured his spot in the semifinals the championship with a 4-1 victory over Judd Trump, and a 4-2 victory over Mark Allen for Brecel.

A golden ball, worth 20 points, was used in the Saudi Arabian tournament. It was positioned on the top cushion during a frame for as long as a player could still complete the maximum break, and it was taken away when the opportunity expired.

John Higgins nearly made history by becoming the first player to accumulate a 167 break and win £395,000 when, in his second round victory over Mark Williams, he converted 15 reds and blacks but overhit his approach to the yellow.

The next time the tournament is held, the prize for breaking 167 will be doubled.

“Next year, I’ll receive the golden ball. I was unwilling to accept everything at once “O’Sullivan remarked.

“I’ll take the golden ball the following year, and the tournament this year. It will be fantastic.