World champion and world number two snubbed from TV as Ronnie O'Sullivan is "still the main event"

These 16 stars are spread across eight tables and two sessions at the Green Halls in Jeddah. However, with only one main TV table in operation, there is often a debate as to who should take centre stage in the Middle East.

That conversation was particularly hot this year, with a stacked evening session featuring reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong, world number two and arguably the best player in the world right now Kyren Wilson, and seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.

It won’t surprise many, though, that record 41-time ranking event winner O’Sullivan - who has an academy named after him in Riyadh - got the nod for table one.

Jason Francis - O’Sullivan’s manager - posted on X on Monday to show the table allocation for Tuesday evening’s programme in Jeddah with the words “Still the main event it seems….”

O’Sullivan has scarcely been seen on the green baize in 2025. Following an infamous Championship League outing in early January where he deliberately snapped his cue in frustration, the 49-year-old withdrew from several high-profile events on the World Snooker Tour, including the Masters and the World Grand Prix.

Like he has done in the past, O’Sullivan ended his exodus by returning for the sport’s blue riband event, the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre, where he reached the semi-finals before bowing out to eventual title winner Zhao Xintong with a session to spare.

Reportedly using another new cue, O’Sullivan made his first appearance of the new 2025/26 professional season a few weeks ago at the Shanghai Masters in China.

An event he has won a record five times in the past, O’Sullivan squeezed past Barry Hawkins 6-5 but went out 6-3 at the hands of Wilson in the quarter-finals.

Wilson went on to lift the trophy in Shanghai - his sixth title on the World Snooker Tour within the space of 15 months.

At last year’s inaugural staging of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, Wilson - who was the World Champion at the time - never got the chance to play on the main TV table after going out following his second match.

And for the second consecutive year in Saudi, the current Crucible King will have to acclimatise away from centre court for his first assignment, as Zhao has been put on table two for his match with Steven Hallworth. Wilson - who faces Iulian Boiko - is on table three.

However - not that it probably would have made a difference in terms of table allocation - O’Sullivan’s match with Joe O’Connor is one of the most intriguing fixtures of the round.

O’Connor has already won two matches at the Green Halls in as many days and comes into the event high-in-confidence having recently made the final of the Championship League. That run didn’t come long after reaching the final of the World Open earlier this year.

He may not have won a title or featured in a final last season, but O’Sullivan appears to still be the star attraction for most broadcasters.

Please visit our 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters tournament information centre here for the draw, results and other details on the event.