Snooker fans fuming as refunds denied after O’Sullivan game ends early

Snooker fans have expressed outrage after being denied refunds for the cancelled fourth session of the World Championship semi-final.

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s anticipated clash with Zhao Xintong ended prematurely, with the Chinese player securing a dominant 17-7 victory.

The unexpected result left Saturday afternoon’s session at the Crucible devoid of competitive play.

Disappointed ticketholders, many expecting to witness seven-time world champion O’Sullivan in action, were informed that no refunds or exchanges would be offered.

The World Snooker Tour cited its box office terms and conditions as the reason for the decision.

In place of the semi-final, an exhibition match featuring snooker legends Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor has been scheduled.

The exhibition commemorates the 40th anniversary of Taylor's victory in their iconic "black-ball final" and will run from 2.30pm to 4pm, including a short interval.

However, for fans eager to see a competitive match, the replacement has done little to quell the frustration.

Responding to the announcement on social media site X, formerly Twitter, Andy Wilson wrote: “Like both Steve and Dennis but I paid £115 for my seat yesterday.

“Endlessly rolling out the old guys isn’t an answer today. But WST do like to keep their money. Refunds can and should be made.”

Another response, from Luigi di Falco, read: “It’s pretty much daylight robbery. Those semi-final tickets were so expensive to not offer refunds you should be ashamed.”

The WST has been approached for comment.

Earlier, O’Sullivan said he was unsure whether the cue he used in Sheffield was to blame for his exit or if it was his game.

He said: “I don’t even know if it was the cue, the ferrule or me. There were three things.

“I just don’t even know where the white ball’s going. I’m at a loss, to be honest with you. I don’t even know what to say.

“Sometimes you’ve got to try something different, you know? It didn’t feel great before so I tried to go back to the old brass ferrule.

“I’m not making the cue as an excuse or anything like that but if I hadn’t snapped my old cue maybe I’d have been able to give him a better game but really my performances have not been good enough.”