Ronnie O’Sullivan v Hossein Vafaei live stream | Xi’an Grand Prix 2024 preview
O’Sullivan and Vafaei face off in Xi’an (Credit: PA Image/Alamy Stock Photo)
Ronnie O’Sullivan renews his rivalry with Hossein Vafaei in the Last 16 of the Xi’an Grand Prix on Thursday.
The duo go head-to-head for the seventh time in professional competition, with O’Sullivan bidding to avenge his 5-4 defeat in their most recent encounter at the World Open earlier this year.
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 started strongly in Xi’an, dropping just three frames in as many matches so far.
The 48-year-old began by whitewashing Wang Yuchen 5-0 in his held over qualifying round match, before overcoming 17-year-old Hungarian Bulcsú Révész 5-2 and thrashing Yuan Sijun 5-1 in the Last 32.
O’Sullivan and Vafaei famously became embroiled in a war of words during the 2023 World Championship, which ultimately ended in ‘The Rocket’ thrashing the Iranian 13-2 in the Last 16 at The Crucible.
The pair have since buried the hatchet but remain rivals on the table, and after O’Sullivan prevailed in the semi-finals of last year’s UK Championship, Vafaei exacted his revenge in the Last 16 of Match’s World Open.
Vafaei, the 2022 Shoot Out champion, reached two ranking event semi-finals last season and remains on the periphery of the world’s top 16.
His run to the Last 16 in Xi’an has aided by an unexpected walkover against Graeme Dott – who withdrew from their Last 32 tie on Wednesday for medical reasons.
Prior to that, ‘The Prince of Persia’ had seen off Ahmed Aly Elsayed 5-1 in the qualifying round and Dylan Emery 5-3 in the Last 64.
The match gets under way at 12.30pm BST (7.30pm local time) and will be contested over the best of nine frames at the Qujiang Sports Centre.
Either former ranking event winner Matthew Selt or 17-year-old Gong Chenzhi will await the winner in the Quarter-Finals on Friday.
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