Ronnie O'Sullivan set for World Snooker Tour return at International Championship

Seven-time World Champion O'Sullivan has not played a match on the World Snooker Tour since his timid 4-2 opening match exit at the English Open in Brentwood in mid-September.

Since then, the 48-year-old has withdrawn from three subsequent events that he initially entered and was in the draw for: the British Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open. It was announced by WST that he pulled out of those last two events due to a medical issue.

However, O’Sullivan’s absence from the professional scene has not been a surprise. Several weeks ago in a radio interview, he stated that he would likely be back on the baize in November.

That leads us to the present, and the televised stages of the £825,000 International Championship ranking event which runs from November 3-10. O'Sullivan's opening assignment of the tournament is one of nine first round matches to be held over to the main venue.

The Rocket has a very intriguing round one tie against current World Women’s Snooker Tour number one ranked player Mink Nutcharut from Thailand on Sunday.

Mink won the World Women’s Snooker Championship in 2022 and is recognised as the first woman player to have compiled a verified maximum 147 break. This feat - which was recorded - came during a practice match in March 2019 at the Hi-End Snooker Club in Bangkok.

At the time of writing, O'Sullivan has not withdrawn from the big-money International Championship, and he is already in the Far East region having been at a press conference to help promote the 2024 Macau Snooker Masters that he will play in at the end of the year alongside several other star names such as Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson.

Whilst O'Sullivan has not been in competitive action for the past six weeks, he has been active on social media and in the snooker headlines. He has been promoting the paperback edition of his latest book, and was in Saudi Arabia watching boxing and opening a new snooker academy in his name.

It has been a mixed start to the 2024/25 season for the record 41-time ranking event champion. After an opening phase elimination from the Championship League, O'Sullivan's incredible winning streak at the Shanghai Masters came to an end when he lost to eventual champion Trump in the semi-finals.

O'Sullivan reached the last four of the inaugural Xi'an Grand Prix - bowing out to eventual winner and reigning World Champion Wilson - and then went out in the quarter-finals of the first Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters to Si Jiahui.

His most recent match on the pro tour was that aforementioned defeat to He Guoqiang in the English Open.

This is scheduled to be O’Sullivan’s sixth appearance in the International Championship, which currently has a top prize of £175,000. Last year, he enjoyed his best result in the tournament, making the last four before being denied by Zhang Anda who went on to defeat Tom Ford in the final - compiling a 147 in the title match - for his maiden ranking crown.

It could be a very busy end to the calendar year for O’Sullivan. Immediately following the International Championship is the Champion of Champions - an event he has won a record four times. However, his participation for that event in Bolton is doubtful; last year he was a late withdrawal following his semi-final run in China the week before.

The UK Championship - for which eight-time winner O’Sullivan is the defending champion - runs in York between November 23 to December 1.

O’Sullivan has also entered the Scottish Open (December 9-15); then there is the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship (December 18-20) in the Middle East and the Macau exhibition event over Christmas time.