Defending champion O’Sullivan withdraws from Masters

Ronnie O’Sullivan, the Masters’ defending champion, has stopped because of medical reasons.

O’Sullivan, 49, was aiming to win a record-extending ninth title, and had been set to face John Higgins in a blockbuster opening to the tournament at Alexandra Palace on Sunday.

The Englishman’s place in the invitational event for the 16 highest-ranked players in the world will be taken by Neil Robertson.

The Australian, who has twice triumphed at the Masters, is ranked 17th overall at the seeding cutoff in December, just like Higgins, who won in 2022.

O’Sullivan won his first Masters crown in 1995 at the age of 19, and has since won 41 ranking competitions and seven world titles.

He won the second Triple Crown event of the season with his success 12 months ago, when he was 48. He became both the oldest and youngest winner.

In 2020, he also made the decision to not participate in the Masters. He became frustrated with his own performance in Robert Milkins’ 3-2 defeat to Robert Milkins this week, so he pulled out of the Championship League before his final group game on Thursday.

The Rocket lost three of his four matches on Wednesday, and he hit his cue against the table after missing a simple pink against Milkins.

He apologized to the referee and his opponent right away, but Leicester reports that he later dumped his cue into a garbage can before having it recovered.