'My friends are coming to watch Ronnie' – Alexander Ursenbacher ready for O'Sullivan clash at British Open snooker

Alexander Ursenbacher will be backed by his friends against world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan at the British Open next week, but the Swiss player admits they are also excited to watch his opponent play. The Basel player was drawn against the snooker GOAT in the first round of the season's third ranking event at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes. Ad Ranked at 63 in the world, he is a huge outsider ahead of Monday's meeting, but is buoyed by enjoying a 2-1 career head-to-head record against the 39-time ranking event winner, including momentous victories in the last 32 of the 2019 Welsh Open and last 64 of the 2020 UK Championship.

British Open'I have nothing left to prove to anybody' – Williams keen to add to title haulYESTERDAY AT 07:54 “I’ve got two or three friends coming over, because they’ve never seen him play live," said Ursenbacher, whose career highlight was his run to the semi-finals of the 2017 English Open. «It is a funny one, because they want to see him but they will also be happy if I win. I’m not thinking about them anyway, it is nice to have them over to watch.

“If you want to be the best or somewhere near the best you need to relish the challenge, but to have any chance you really need to tackle it head on and believe in yourself. It isn’t about who is the better player, or facing the big names, it is about working on your own game and developing. »For me, if I am playing the top players, I see it as a great opportunity.

They show me where my game is at. «After those matches, you know what you need to improve on. Yes there are easier draws than Ronnie, but thinking that way is not the point of top level sport.» When is the British Open? How to watch, full draw, when is O’Sullivan playing? Full 2022/23