Ronnie O'Sullivan wins tight vote to be named August's Player of the Month

Despite not winning one of the three professional events staged during August, O'Sullivan received 40% of the votes to top the standings - narrowly ahead of newly minted Saudi Arabia Masters Champion Robertson who had a 36% share.

Seven-time World Champion O'Sullivan began his 2025/26 snooker season at the end of July at the Shanghai Masters invitational where he pipped Barry Hawkins 6-5 before losing to eventual champion Kyren Wilson 6-3 in the quarter-finals.

‘The Rocket’ returned to action just a couple of weeks later for the big-money Saudi Arabia Masters in Jeddah. In his opening assignment, he whitewashed Joe O'Connor 5-0 before conjuring up a brilliant comeback in the last 16 as he recovered from 5-2 down to shade Chinese youngster Chang Bingyu 6-5 - compiling two century breaks during that four-frame sequence.

O'Sullivan had to rally again during his last eight encounter with world number two Wilson, stringing together the last three frames - notching up tons in successive frames in the process - for another thrilling 6-5 outcome.

However, it was in a history-making semi-final tie with Chris Wakelin when O'Sullivan produced one of the greatest sessions of snooker ever seen.

The 49-year-old began the match with a maximum 147 break in frame one - a record-extending 16th for him in professional competition - before doubling his lead with a total clearance of 142.

Credit to Wakelin who managed to stay with his opponent and levelled up at 3-3, but O'Sullivan struck another feat of perfection in frame seven, his second 147 of the night - the first time that a player has made more than one maximum break within the same session of a professional match.

Earlier this year - during the World Championship qualifiers - Welsh youngster Jackson Page became the first player to hit multiple 147s during the same match on the professional circuit, although his achievement was slightly different as he constructed them on different sessions and days.

Page and O'Sullivan each received a £147,000 jackpot for their respective works, as well as other break bonus money.

O'Sullivan wrapped up a 6-3 win over Wakelin with a run of 134 in the final frame - sensationally his fourth total clearance of an extraordinary meeting.

It wouldn't be the perfect ending to his time in Saudi for O'Sullivan, though, as he was edged 10-9 by Robertson the next day in the final, despite having battled back from 7-2 down to lead 9-8.

The 26th world ranking title of Robertson's career - and his third inside the space of the past 11 months - the Australian collected £500,000 and moved up to world number three. At the start of this calendar year, he was outside the top 16.

Robertson got the trophy, but O'Sullivan is named as the August POTM - as voted for by the players on the World Snooker Tour.

The other title winners on snooker's top flight during August were Shanghai Masters champion Wilson, and Wuhan Open champion Xiao Guodong.

Xiao - who denied Gary Wilson in a deciding frame in the final - went back-to-back in the competition, joining an elite club of players who successfully defended their maiden ranking event crown.

What is the WPBSA Players’ Player of the Month?

A new concept for the 2025/26 snooker season, an esteemed panel of judges create a shortlist each month for the accolade going on player performances on the World Snooker Tour during that month.

The shortlist is then announced to the players on the professional circuit, and it is them who vote and decide who the latest winner is.

Marco Fu won in June, while Championship League Ranking Event champion Stephen Maguire got the nod for July.