Oh man this is sad. The goat commentator. Won’t be the same without him.Snooker legend Virgo dies aged 79
Snooker legend and BBC commentator John Virgo has died aged 79.
Virgo enjoyed an 18-year professional career, winning the UK Championship and reaching the semi-finals of the World Championship in 1979.
He is perhaps best known for his post-playing career, presenting popular snooker TV show Big Break alongside comedian Jim Davidson from 1991 to 2002.
Following his retirement from playing in 1994, Virgo became a BBC commentator.
His last commentary for the BBC came 17 days ago when Kyren Wilson beat John Higgins in the Masters final.
John Virgo dies aged 79
John Virgo, who co-presented TV show Big Break and was a popular BBC commentator for decades, has died.www.bbc.com
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Xiao 'sorry' for beating idol O'Sullivan in Hong Kong
Xiao Guodong feels "sorry" for his idol Ronnie O'Sullivan after beating the seven-time world champion 5-3 in the second round of the World Grand Prix.
O'Sullivan, who was searching for a record-extending 42nd ranking title, is the latest big name to suffer an early exit in Hong Kong, with defending champion Neil Robertson and world number one Judd Trump among those to fall in the first round.
Guodong, who beat 2024 world champion Kyren Wilson on Tuesday, produced a tournament-leading 144-break in the opening frame before winning the second.
O'Sullivan fought back to level the match and the pair exchanged frames before Xiao built breaks of 58 and 66 to advance to the quarter-finals.
"It's hard to say something. I'm happy I win the round and also, he is my idol. I want him going to the final, win the championship, and I want him doing well," Xiao told the World Snooker Tour.
"But it's sport. When I play anyone, I don't want to lose. I feel sorry for Ronnie but we are still very good friends."
Xiao will face Pang Junxu, who beat Si Jiahui 5-3, in the last eight.
Barry Hawkins, the 2017 champion, was also defeated in the second round, losing 5-3 to Zhang Anda.
Although Hawkins levelled at 3-3 after being 3-1 down, Zhang responded with breaks of 82 and 97 to complete the win.
Source: BBC
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Zhao wins all-Chinese World Grand Prix final
Zhao Xintong claimed his first ranking title since being crowned world champion last May by beating Chinese compatriot Zhang Anda 10-6 in the final of the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.
An appreciative home crowd at the 4,000-capacity Kai Tak Arena was treated to a high-quality contest in just the third all-Chinese final in a ranking event.
Zhao emerged victorious after rekindling the irresistible form that took him to victory at the Crucible, completing the victory with his fifth century of the match to move up to seventh in the world.
www.bbc.com
Zhao Xintong claimed his first ranking title since being crowned world champion last May by beating Chinese compatriot Zhang Anda 10-6 in the final of the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.
An appreciative home crowd at the 4,000-capacity Kai Tak Arena was treated to a high-quality contest in just the third all-Chinese final in a ranking event.
Zhao emerged victorious after rekindling the irresistible form that took him to victory at the Crucible, completing the victory with his fifth century of the match to move up to seventh in the world.
World Grand Prix: Zhao Xintong beats Zhang Anda in all-Chinese final
Zhao Xintong beats Chinese compatriot Zhang Anda 10-6 to win the World Grand Prix - his first ranking title since being crowned world champion last May.
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Chang stuns Murphy to make history at Welsh Open
China's Chang Bingyu caused a Welsh Open shock by beating former winner Shaun Murphy 4-0 - and became only the ninth player in history to make century breaks in four consecutive frames.
The 23-year-old went into the first-round encounter in Llandudno ranked 54th in the world, 46 places below Englishman Murphy.
But that counted for nothing as the 2020 winner's hopes of repeating his feat were ended at the first hurdle at Venue Cymru, with Chang producing breaks of 130, 136, 119 and 130.
Murphy stood to applaud at the end of the match.
Twelve-time women's world champion Reanne Evans, analysing the display for BBC Sport, said Chang's display "has got to be the best performance ever on a snooker table".
"It was just fantastic - I'm glad I was here to witness that," Evans said.
Murphy, who potted only one red in the contest, said: "That's the best performance in a best-of-seven match I've ever seen.
"If that were Ronnie O'Sullivan or Judd Trump, it would be on the news. What a performance. What a player."
Home hope Jackson Page also won 4-0, defeating Luca Brecel of Belgium to ensure a second-round spot.
Switzerland's Alexander Ursenbacher suffered the same fate as Brecel, as he lost 4-0 against China's Zhou Yuelong.
England's Stan Moody, 19, did not lose a frame in his first-round win over compatriot Jimmy Robertson while another Chinese star, Zhao Xintong, took the first step towards winning a third consecutive ranking event as he beat fellow countryman Fan Zhengyi 4-3.
In another whitewash, England's Gary Wilson saw off Iran's Amir Sarkhosh 4-0 while Zhang Anda beat Mitchell Mann 4-2.
In the evening session Scotland's five-time former Welsh Open winner John Higgins eased past China's Liu Wenwei 4-1, the same score Dave Gilbert of England posted as he beat Northern Ireland's Robbie McGuigan.
Liam Pullen, 20, and Sam Craigie pulled off two more of the opening round's shocks.
Pullen, ranked 84th in the world, edged past 13th seed Chris Wakelin 4-3 to reach round two.
The same scoreline befell Elliot Slessor whose 21st spot in the global rankings meant little as Craigie, in 89th, progressed.
There was to be no upset in the final two games of Tuesday, as Stuart Bingham saw off Gao Yang 4-2 and Kyren Wilson beat Hongyu Liu 4-1.
Welsh Open day two
Morning and afternoon session:
China's Chang Bingyu caused a Welsh Open shock by beating former winner Shaun Murphy 4-0 - and became only the ninth player in history to make century breaks in four consecutive frames.
The 23-year-old went into the first-round encounter in Llandudno ranked 54th in the world, 46 places below Englishman Murphy.
But that counted for nothing as the 2020 winner's hopes of repeating his feat were ended at the first hurdle at Venue Cymru, with Chang producing breaks of 130, 136, 119 and 130.
Murphy stood to applaud at the end of the match.
Twelve-time women's world champion Reanne Evans, analysing the display for BBC Sport, said Chang's display "has got to be the best performance ever on a snooker table".
"It was just fantastic - I'm glad I was here to witness that," Evans said.
Murphy, who potted only one red in the contest, said: "That's the best performance in a best-of-seven match I've ever seen.
"If that were Ronnie O'Sullivan or Judd Trump, it would be on the news. What a performance. What a player."
Home hope Jackson Page also won 4-0, defeating Luca Brecel of Belgium to ensure a second-round spot.
Switzerland's Alexander Ursenbacher suffered the same fate as Brecel, as he lost 4-0 against China's Zhou Yuelong.
England's Stan Moody, 19, did not lose a frame in his first-round win over compatriot Jimmy Robertson while another Chinese star, Zhao Xintong, took the first step towards winning a third consecutive ranking event as he beat fellow countryman Fan Zhengyi 4-3.
In another whitewash, England's Gary Wilson saw off Iran's Amir Sarkhosh 4-0 while Zhang Anda beat Mitchell Mann 4-2.
In the evening session Scotland's five-time former Welsh Open winner John Higgins eased past China's Liu Wenwei 4-1, the same score Dave Gilbert of England posted as he beat Northern Ireland's Robbie McGuigan.
Liam Pullen, 20, and Sam Craigie pulled off two more of the opening round's shocks.
Pullen, ranked 84th in the world, edged past 13th seed Chris Wakelin 4-3 to reach round two.
The same scoreline befell Elliot Slessor whose 21st spot in the global rankings meant little as Craigie, in 89th, progressed.
There was to be no upset in the final two games of Tuesday, as Stuart Bingham saw off Gao Yang 4-2 and Kyren Wilson beat Hongyu Liu 4-1.
Welsh Open day two
Morning and afternoon session:
- Shaun Murphy 0-4 Chang Bingyu
- Xiao Guodong 4-3 Long Zehuang
- Zhao Xintong 4-3 Fan Zhengyi
- Jack Lisowski 4-2 Louis Heathcote
- Ryan Day 3-4 Bulcsu Revesz
- Zhou Yuelong 4-0 Alexander Ursenbacher
- Zhang Anda 4-2 Mitchell Mann
- Jimmy Robertson 0-4 Stan Moody
- Jackson Page 4-0 Luca Brecel
- Gary Wilson 4-0 Amir Sarkhosh
- David Gilbert 4-1 Robbie McGuigan
- John Higgins 4-1 Liu Wenwei
- Elliot Slessor 3-4 Sam Craigie
- Chris Wakelin 3-4 Liam Pullen
- Kyren Wilson 4-1 Liu Hongyu
- Stuart Bingham 4-2 Gao Yang
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Williams exits Welsh Open, Higgins & Robertson through
Home favourite and two-time champion Mark Williams is out of the Welsh Open after losing to Barry Hawkins.
Williams, who had sailed into the last 16 with an impressive 4-1 win over Martin O'Donnell, took a 2-1 lead, producing his highest break of the tournament (115) in the second frame.
A key moment came in the fifth in which Williams would have gone 3-2 up, only for the white to go in off the middle pocket.
England's Hawkins, the 2018 runner-up, took the opportunity to clear the table before winning the sixth frame with a break of 84 to seal victory.
Jak Jones and Jackson Page followed Williams out of the Llandudno tournament on Thursday, which means there is no more Welsh involvement this year.
www.bbc.com
Home favourite and two-time champion Mark Williams is out of the Welsh Open after losing to Barry Hawkins.
Williams, who had sailed into the last 16 with an impressive 4-1 win over Martin O'Donnell, took a 2-1 lead, producing his highest break of the tournament (115) in the second frame.
A key moment came in the fifth in which Williams would have gone 3-2 up, only for the white to go in off the middle pocket.
England's Hawkins, the 2018 runner-up, took the opportunity to clear the table before winning the sixth frame with a break of 84 to seal victory.
Jak Jones and Jackson Page followed Williams out of the Llandudno tournament on Thursday, which means there is no more Welsh involvement this year.
Welsh Open: Mark Williams out, John Higgins and Neil Robertson progress
Two-time champion Mark Williams is out of the Welsh Open, while John Higgins and Neil Robertson progress to the quarter-finals.
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Hawkins beats Lisowski to win first Welsh Open title
A dominant afternoon session set Barry Hawkins on the way to winning his first Welsh Open title as he beat Jack Lisowski 9-5 in the final.
Hawkins won seven of the first eight frames at Venue Cymru in Llandudno to open up a seemingly unassailable lead.
Lisowski won the first three frames of the evening session to threaten an unlikely comeback.
But Lisowski's fightback hopes took a blow in the 12th frame as a fluke-plant on a red began a break of 68 which moved Hawkins within one frame of the title.
And two frames later, Hawkins ended his three-year wait for a rankings title, as the 46-year-old lifted the Ray Reardon trophy for the first time in his career.
www.bbc.com
A dominant afternoon session set Barry Hawkins on the way to winning his first Welsh Open title as he beat Jack Lisowski 9-5 in the final.
Hawkins won seven of the first eight frames at Venue Cymru in Llandudno to open up a seemingly unassailable lead.
Lisowski won the first three frames of the evening session to threaten an unlikely comeback.
But Lisowski's fightback hopes took a blow in the 12th frame as a fluke-plant on a red began a break of 68 which moved Hawkins within one frame of the title.
And two frames later, Hawkins ended his three-year wait for a rankings title, as the 46-year-old lifted the Ray Reardon trophy for the first time in his career.
Barry Hawkins beats Jack Lisowski to win first Welsh Open title
A dominant afternoon session set Barry Hawkins on the way to winning his first Welsh Open title, beating Jack Lisowski 9-5 in the final.
www.bbc.com
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