Ronnie O’Sullivan Withdraws from 2025 Wuhan Open Due to Medical Reasons

The decision comes shortly after O’Sullivan’s impressive run at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, where he finished as runner-up to Neil Robertson in a gripping final that went to a deciding frame. Despite squandering a 9-8 lead to lose 10-9, O’Sullivan delivered a historic performance in the semi-finals by making two maximum 147 breaks within a single best-of-11 match against Chris Wakelin.

Although missing out on the £500,000 top prize, O’Sullivan earned a total of £380,000 in Saudi Arabia, including bonuses for the 147 achievements.

O’Sullivan was originally scheduled to play Allan Taylor in the held-over round of 128 match. His place will now be taken by Q School top-up player Umut Dikme.

Fans are hopeful that this withdrawal does not signal a return to the frequent absences that characterized O’Sullivan’s previous season. His next expected appearance is at the English Open in mid-September, followed by the British Open where he is set to face Sanderson Lam on September 22nd.

The Wuhan Open will proceed as planned this Sunday at the Optics Valley Gymnasium of HUST, offering a top prize of £140,000. Defending champion Xiao Guodong and former winner Judd Trump—currently the betting favourite—headline the field, which also features Kyren Wilson, Zhao Xintong, John Higgins, Mark Selby, and Neil Robertson.