Ronnie O’Sullivan and Lei Peifan All Progress

“Snooker shootout is complete madness. Who’s gonna win it?” read a tweet from Judd Trump a day ago.

The world number one, just like everyone else, is clueless as to who would go all the way in the 2020 shootout. It’s been an exhilarating tournament where the fortunes of a player could go south in a matter of minutes.

For all its worth, the teenagers seem to be doing brilliantly in the shot clock event. It is argued by several folks that the tournament is all down to luck. Really? Was Thepchaiya Un-Nooh lucky last time out, or is he just built for the game? Could Ronnie O’Sullivan or some familiar face win once again, or would we see some random emerging star pick up the trophy?

These and many more questions are expected to sweep the minds of fans of the sport as the tournament ages.

Ronnie O’Sullivan kicked off his 2020 Shootout campaign with a duel against Alan McManus. The five-time world champion showed skill and speed to take out his opponent 54-10, hence, booking his space in the second round of the event.

It was the Rocket’s first appearance at the event since he last did in 2015. He doesn’t seem any rusty and would want to fancy his chances of going all the way, even against the younger folks who are quick as a lightning bolt. Ronnie, after the game, said: “The good thing is you’re only out there for 10 minutes!”. The Rocket seems to be having a nice time at the tournament. He definitely loves life at Watford.

Elsewhere, Cork amateur Aaron Hill beat Kyren Wilson to secure safe passage into the third round of the event. Aaron revealed that he had watched Wilson on television every week. The amateur must have understudied his weaknesses and developed a way to exploit those weaknesses.

Lei Peifan also made it to the third round of the event but had to hold his nerves to run out a narrow 30-28 win over Norwegian number one. Kurt Maflin. Maflin might be number one in Norway, but the Shootout tournament is a different ball game entirely, and Peifan made sure he understood that. Peifan moves to round three.

Written by: Roland Arum