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Ronnie O'Sullivan on course for Masters final re-match with bitter rival Ali Carter at Tour Championship
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Published 24/03/2024 at 19:38 GMT
The final draw for the coveted 12-man Tour Championship in Manchester has been finalised following Judd Trump's 10-4 victory over Ding Junhui in the World Open final on Sunday. Trump is the top seed for the penultimate event ahead of the 48th World Championship with Ronnie O'Sullivan the second seed and facing a potential Masters final re-match with Ali Carter in the quarter-finals.
‘Quite extraordinary’ - O’Sullivan wraps up eighth Masters title with win over Carter in final
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Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter are on a collision course for a rerun of their bitter Masters final in January at the prestigious Tour Championship in Manchester.
O'Sullivan claimed a record eighth Masters title with a 10-7 final victory over Carter in London as the world No. 1 hit back from 6-3 behind to win seven of the final eight frames in a bad-natured Alexandra Palace clash.
Carter slammed the partisan crowd supporting O'Sullivan at the venue, while he also accused the seven-time world champion of "snotting all over the floor" during their match.
The duo have not played since that infamous contest, but will confront each other if 10th seed Carter can overcome fellow former world finalist Barry Hawkins in the first round - with the event running from April 1-7.
"There were a couple of things that happened out there that go unnoticed," said Carter in a media conference after the Masters.
"Well, they don't go unnoticed, but anyone with an eyesight or a brain can see what's going on. And it's disgusting quite frankly.
"No one wants to say anything, do they? Snotting all over the floor and all that."
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'What a shot!' - Trump nails stunning long blue to develop pink
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O'Sullivan was quick to respond as he directed the middle finger towards his fellow Essex professional and said he was "a nightmare" to play against.
"He can sit on it as far as I'm concerned," said the 41-time ranking event winner. "I don't give a f***.
"You know what he's like, everybody knows what he's like. He's got issues. F****** why has he got issues with me? I'm not having it. I don't care, grow some balls.
"I don't give a f***. The more he brings it on, the more I f****** punish him every time. He's just digging a grave for himself. He needs to sort his f****** life out.
"That's it, I've said my piece. I'm not going to skirt around it anymore, tip-toeing on egg shells around someone like that. Playing snooker against someone like that is a nightmare. He's not a nice person."
O'Sullivan's fellow seven-time Crucible winner Stephen Hendry felt there was lingering animosity between the pair.
"There is bad blood there, no doubt about it and it goes back a long way," said Hendry. "They've known each other for a long time.
"How is it going to affect them for the rest of the season as far as the snooker is concerned?"
Meanwhile, Judd Trump will return to the UK to begin his quest for a sixth major ranking title of the season at Manchester Central against Mark Williams or Tom Ford following his 10-4 win over Ding Junhui in the World Open final in Yushan on Sunday.
"I've put myself in an amazing position," said Trump on World Snooker Tour's social media. "Winning the German Masters and this one. I've also reached a couple of finals as well. It's been a dream season for me."
Ding's run to the final sees him overtake Mark Allen and earn the fourth seeding for the Tour Championship, which could yet see him meet Allen or John Higgins in the last eight and also a potential re-match with Trump in the semi-finals.
All matches are the best-of-19 frames at the £500,000 event with only the top 12 on the one-year list making the cut.
Shaun Murphy won the tournament with a 10-7 final win over Kyren Wilson in Hull last year, but neither player qualified with world champion Luca Brecel also missing.
Higgins earned the 12th and final spot at the penultimate event of the season after Ding's 6-5 win over Neil Robertson in the semi-finals ended the Australian's hopes of qualifying for a tournament he has won twice.
Robertson is 24th in the latest provisional rankings following the World Open and will also have to qualify for the World Championship (April 20 to May 6) after dropping out of the top 16 ahead of the Tour Championship.
Jack Lisowski, Hossein Vafaei and Stuart Bingham are set to face a similar route to reach the Crucible in having to win two matches at the English Institute of Sport (April 8-17).
2024 Tour Championship draw
First round (best of 19 frames)
Quarter-finals
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