Ronnie O’Sullivan withdraws from the 2024 British Open

Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the 2024 British Open in Cheltenham for personal reasons.

The seven-time World Champion had been due to face Manasawin Phetmalaikul in a held over qualifying round match at The Centaur at 7pm on Monday.

However, O’Sullivan has pulled out of the tournament for the second successive year and is replaced by Lewis Ullah – the highest available player from the 2024 Q School ranking list – who now faces Phetmalaikul for a place in the main draw.

O’Sullivan suffered a shock 4-2 defeat to world number 62 He Guoqiang in last week’s English Open on home soil in Brentwood, playing the majority of the match left-handed.

Afterwards, he blasted his performance as “awful” and “embarrassing” and admitted he is considering his future in the sport, adding: “I haven’t got long, I’m not going to deny it.”

The Rocket has spent much of the early part of the season in Asia and the Middle East, reaching the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters and Xi’an Grand Prix, while suffering a quarter-final defeat the Saudi Arabia World Masters.

The 48-year-old is due to compete in the upcoming Wuhan Open from October 6-12 – where he faces a qualifying round match against Mitchell Mann on the opening day.

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