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Snooker in Hong Kong will have a home at Kai Tak Arena for the next four years, organisers of the World Grand Prix said on Friday, although whether Ronnie O’Sullivan makes an appearance is still in doubt.
The mercurial Englishman skipped last year’s tournament in the city, and although he is on the list of the top 32 players expected to compete at Hong Kong’s newest venue, he has withdrawn from this week’s Masters on medical grounds.
Still, the likes of defending champion Neil Robertson, reigning world champion Zhao Xintong, Judd Trump, Mark Selby and 10 Chinese professionals will make the trip, giving local fans something to get excited about.
The organisers also revealed some changes to the set-up and that they wanted to align future ticket sales of the event with the usual practice of advanced sales adopted by the other World Snooker Tour events in the United Kingdom.
“We redesigned the venue and doubled the number of tables in the earlier rounds, and the process, including any discussions [with relevant parties], was lengthy,” Lakita Feng Huanhuan, CEO of organisers F-Sports, said.
Marco Fu will play two exhibition matches against seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry. Photo: Handout“I’d rather not go through it from scratch again, but of course, there could be some fine-tuning and it depends on the viewing experience of the spectators.