Ali Carter relishing world title bid as hot streak continues at Players Championship snooker – 'I'm at home there'

23.02.2023 - 11:49 eurosport.com

Ali Carter has lost twice in World Championship finals to snooker GOAT Ronnie O'Sullivan, but feels his form is good enough to go one better in Sheffield this year.

Carter followed up his 6-5 victory over Judd Trump in the first round of the Players Championship with a 6-1 quarter-final drubbing of Welsh Open champion Robert Milkins on Wednesday night to reach the semi-finals in Wolverhampton.

Ad After lifting a second German Masters title at the outset of the month with a 10-3 win against Tom Ford, Carter – a world finalist in 2008 and 2012 – admits he is finding top form at exactly the right time ahead of the sport's biggest event in April.

Players ChampionshipCarter thrashes Welsh Open champ Milkins to reach Players Championship semi-finals16 HOURS AGO He made breaks of 66, 98, 65 and 75 against Milkins – the man who denied him a £150,000 European Order of Merit bonus by winning the Welsh Open on Sunday – to secure a semi-final meeting with Joe O'Connor or Luca Brecel on Friday night.

Sporting Ali as Ronnie Osullivan Judd Trump Luca Brecel Tom Ford Robert Milkins Germany Sheffield

RABAT: King Mohammed VI of Morocco announced on Tuesday that his country had joined the bid by Spain and Portugal to host the centenary World Cup in 2030. The announcement means that war-torn Ukraine is likely to be dropped from the bid. King Mohammed made the announcement in a message delivered as he was named the winner of the African Football Confederation 2022 Award of Excellence in Kigali, where world governing body FIFA is holding its annual congress.

Stan Moody handed world title shot after Ronnie O'Sullivan heaps praise on snooker wonderkid – 'He will win tournaments'

World junior champion Stan Moody is set to enjoy an early taste of the snooker big time when he begins his first crack at the Crucible next month. 16-year-old Moody secured his professional tour card for next season with a 5-1 victory over Liam Pullen in the World Snooker Federation junior final before losing 5-0 to China's Ma Hai Long a week later in the senior version, but will continue his development by making his debut in the sport's blue-chip event. Ad The Halifax wonderkid has been invited to compete at the English Institute of Sport with 15 other leading amateurs as qualifying begins (3-12 April) for the 47th World Championship (LIVE on Eurosport and discovery+).

Ding Junhui holds off Thepchaiya Un-Nooh challenge to claim second Six Red World Snooker Championship

Ding Junhui held his nerve superbly to secure a second Six Red World Championship with an 8-6 victory over home favourite Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in Bangkok. The Chinese sporting icon lifted the trophy in 2016 with a last-gasp 8-7 win over Stuart Bingham, but dominated the 14th frame before a vociferous home crown to avoid being forced to another final-frame decider.

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh wins epic with Hossein Vafaei to set up Ding Junhui final clash at Six Red World Snooker Championship

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh battled back from 5-2 and 6-4 behind to edge out Hossein Vafaei 7-6 and reach the Six Red World Championship final in Bangkok. The popular Thai speed merchant had to display fortitude as much as flair in a thrilling semi-final that saw Vafaei miss a tricky pink to the green pocket in the penultimate frame that would have sealed a 7-5 victory.