Joe O’Connor has made a strong start to the new snooker season, winning 13 of his first 14 matches, but faces his biggest test yet against Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. The Leicester-born world No. 28, still chasing his first professional title, admitted he may draw on the tactical style of his idol, Mark Selby, to challenge “the face of snooker.”
O’Connor has only played O’Sullivan once before in the 2024 Championship League and won, giving him a perfect record over the man he calls “the GOAT.” While O’Sullivan enters only his second event of the season after a quarter-final exit in Shanghai, O’Connor has been active since June, most recently sweeping Sanderson Lam 5-0 on Monday.
“I’m playing solid,” O’Connor told World Snooker Tour. “There are still more gears to find. I think this could be the season I finally win my first title. I enter every tournament to win, and only reflect after I’m out.”
Now at a career-high ranking, O’Connor will try to outplay O’Sullivan, who has 41 ranking titles, for a place in the last 16 against either Mark Allen or Chang Bingyu. He says he relishes facing the sport’s elite on the biggest stages.
Asked what success in Saudi Arabia would mean, his answer was simple: “Lifting the trophy.”
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