Ronnie O’Sullivan v Matthew Selt live stream | Xi’an Grand Prix 2024 preview

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Matthew Selt go head-to-head in the quarter-finals of the inaugural Xi’an Grand Prix on Friday.

Despite their vast experience on the tour, this will be only the third meeting between the two players in professional competition and their first in eight years.

O’Sullivan is in pursuit of a record-extending 42nd career ranking title and a first in China since the 2017 Shanghai Masters.

The seven-time World Champion saw his 21-match unbeaten run in Shanghai brought to an end by Judd Trump in the semi-finals last month, but he has enjoyed an emphatic campaign in Xi’an so far, dropping just three frames in four matches so far.

The 48-year-old began by whitewashing Wang Yuchen 5-0 in his held over qualifying round tie, before overcoming 17-year-old Hungarian Bulcsú Révész 5-2.

He then thrashed Yuan Sijun 5-1 in the Last 32 before whitewashing outspoken rival Hossein Vafaei with the aid of back-to-back centuries on Thursday.

The Xi’an Grand Prix is the 259th ranking event in which O’Sullivan has competed, and he is now remarkably appearing in his 145th quarter-final.

Selt, meanwhile, finds himself through to a first ranking event quarter-final since the English Open last October and is seeking only a fifth career ranking semi-final.

The world number 37, whose sole ranking title to date came at the 2019 Indian Open, has had a contrasting route to the Last Eight in Xi’an.

Having dispatched Ian Burns 5-2 in the qualifying round in Leicester last month, Selt began his campaign in China by edging out Joe O’Connor in a deciding frame.

He then knocked out Hammad Miah 5-2 before again holding his nerve in a decider to deny 17-year-old Gong Chenzhi in Thursday’s Last 16.

Selt has lost both of his previous meetings with O’Sullivan by an aggregate score of ten frames to two, including a 6-0 whitewash at the 2014 UK Championship and a 4-2 defeat at the 2016 Scottish Open.

The match gets under way at 7am BST (2pm local time) and will be contested over the best of nine frames at the Qujiang Sports Centre.

Either reigning World Champion Kyren Wilson or home favourite Xu Si will await the winner in Saturday’s semi-finals.

How to watch Ronnie O’Sullivan v Matthew Selt live stream

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