Ronnie O’Sullivan dropped a bombshell on the morning of his Welsh Open match, withdrawing from the competition before his first-round tie with Jamie Clarke.
The Rocket had been scheduled to compete for the first time since his Championship League meltdown in early January, but the World Snooker Tour confirmed that he had pulled out of the Llandudno competition.
Clarke has received a bye into the second round, where he could meet the likes of Shaun Murphy, world champion Kyren Wilson and Luca Brecel who are all in action today.
The likes of Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Mark Allen, John Higgins and home favourite Mark Williams have already secured their spots in the second round after wins on Monday.
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