Perfect Page set for Ronnie O'Sullivan China Open showdown after qualification clean sweep

Page has qualified for the main venue stages of both the upcoming China Open (August 8-16) and Wuhan Open (August 23-29) ranking events in the Far East.

In Taiyuan for the revived and record-breaking China Open, Page faces Ronnie O’Sullivan in a blockbuster first round tie on Sunday 9th August (12:30BST start).

It’s not the first time that 24-year-old (although 25 on August 8th) Page has met arguably snooker’s greatest player of all time on a big stage. The two clashed in round one of the 2024 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre where O’Sullivan brushed aside his opponent 10-1, although the frame that Page took did see him compile a break of 142.

All three of their head-to-head matches on the professional circuit have gone the way of ‘The Rocket’ with the seven-time world champion recording victories at the 2017 UK Championship (Last 128, 6-3) and 2023 English Open (Last 64, 4-1).

His personal record against O’Sullivan may make for grim reading - however, that is the case for many players down the years - but Page will go into this latest encounter with renewed hope after enjoying a stunning start to the new snooker season, and an opponent who may be more vulnerable than before.

100% record for Page at Leicester qualifiers

Former European under 18 and under 21 champion Page currently holds a perfect record in qualifying this season. He has played in five qualification events, made it through all five, winning eight out of eight matches and hasn’t been taken to a single deciding frame.

Starting the new term as the world number 35, Page defeated Ben Mertens (6-4) and then Yuan Sijun (6-3) to reach the televised stages of the China Open. A few days later at the same Mattioli Arena venue in Leicester, Page also made the grade for the Wuhan Open after wins over Gong Chenzhi (5-2) and former Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan (5-3).

At last month’s qualifying triple-header - again held at the Mattioli - Page maintained his 100% record, advancing to the main venue stages of the Shenzhen Open (defeated Dylan Emery 5-3 and Zhang Anda 5-2), the British Open (defeated Fergal Quinn 4-1) and the English Open (defeated Phil O’Kane 4-1).

In between those batches of qualifying, Page also won a group at the Championship League Ranking Event before going out in the second phase.

Despite his brilliant start to the 2026/27 campaign, Page has temporarily dropped four places in the world rankings to 39th, as the prize money he earned for being runner-up to Ali Carter at the 2024 Championship League was removed from his rolling two-year total.

However, he will surely rise up the rankings in the coming weeks, with a minimum of £34,000 to be added to his tally as a result of his five qualifications. With the £5,000 he also banked from this year’s Championship League, Page has already put himself in a very strong position to qualifying for the first Players Series event of the season - the World Grand Prix - that will be held in Hong Kong in February.

Since appearing in his maiden ranking event final at the aforementioned Championship League in 2024, Page has reached a further four ranking event quarter-finals. He also created history in becoming the first player in professional snooker history to compile two maximum 147 breaks within the same match at the 2025 World Championship qualifiers - a feat that pocketed him a £147,000 jackpot as well as other bonus prizes.

At present, Page is the second-youngest British player - behind 37th-placed 19-year-old Englishman Stan Moody - inside the world’s top 40. Could this be Page’s real breakthrough season?