Ronnie O’Sullivan’s would-be opponent at the Welsh Open has spoken out (Image: Getty)
Jamie Clarke has spoken out after pulled out of their clash at the 2025 Welsh Open. ‘The Rocket’ was due to face Clarke in the first round at Venue Cymru this week but withdrew only a few hours before their clash was scheduled to get underway.
The , many of whom had travelled far to Llandudno to get a glimpse of icon O’Sullivan in what would have been his comeback match. It marked the second time in as many years O’Sullivan has withdrawn from the Welsh Open, citing a need for respite as his reason in 2024.
But while Clarke was looking forward to facing the seven-time world champion, he saw the positives behind receiving a bye to the second round. That being said, there was at least a small part of the Llanelli native sorry to miss out on their matchup.
“Yeah I think there was [disappointment], when I got the phone call this morning,” he told the . “Maybe 20% was disappointed because he’s coming towards the end of his career.
“You don’t get many chances to play Ronnie. He picks and chooses his events, and rightly so. I was probably more happy than not happy, but it would have been nice to play him.”
Clarke advanced to the second round but couldn’t get the better of Matthew Selt. The 30th seed just about edged their encounter 4-3 after Clarke initially battled from three frames down to draw level.
The Welsh Open would have been O’Sullivan’s first competition in a month. He recently pulled out of matches at the Masters and German Masters following what’s been a difficult start to 2025.
Jamie Clarke exited the Welsh Open to Matthew Selt in the second round (Image: Getty)
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It was during his clash against Robert Milkins in the Championship League last month that The Rocket raised eyebrows with his display. O’Sullivan showed his frustrations after smacking his cue against the table in response to one particularly unimpressive shot.
As things stand, his next scheduled match will be against Stuart Carrington on February 23 at the World Open in Yushan, China. And fans will be hoping he doesn’t disappoint once again as he bids to get back on top.
Recent developments have encouraged talk that O’Sullivan could be headed for retirement in the near future. However, four-time world champion John Higgins has to make a return.
“I think he’ll be back,” said ‘The Wizard of Wishaw’. “I think he’s one of the sort of guys who will not want to turn up to an event and not be used to the new piece of equipment that he wants to use. I think he’ll be putting the hours in behind the scenes and getting himself ready for the last part of the season, without a doubt.”