Ronnie O'Sullivan set to take trip down memory lane at 6 Red World Championship, Thailand's 'biggest ever' snooker event

World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is set to enjoy a potting blast from the past when he travels to Pathum Thani in Thailand for the 6 Red World Championship next month. The snooker GOAT is among the favourites alongside Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Mark Allen and Mark Williams for the prestigious King's trophy and £100,000 first prize in the 32-man invitational event (6-11 March) staged for the first time since the global pandemic struck in 2020.

Ad O'Sullivan has been drawn in Group H alongside Jimmy Robertson, World Snooker Federation junior champion Stan Moody and local Thai favourite James Wattana at the 3,600-seat Convention Centre of Thammasat University's Rangsit campus. Tour ChampionshipO'Sullivan, Robertson and Williams face uphill battle to qualify for Tour Championship22/02/2023 AT 09:37 «It will be the biggest ever snooker tournament to have been held in Thailand,» said Suntorn Jarumon, Billiard Sports Association of Thailand president.

O'Sullivan and Wattana have a storied 31-year rivalry in the sport, stretching back to their first meeting in 1992 when Wattana completed a 6-5 win in the semi-finals of the Humo Masters in Belgium. O'Sullivan is 11-5 clear on the career head-to-heads against the former world No.

3 dubbed 'The Thai-phoon', but this will be the first time they will do battle over the shortened 6 Red format. O'Sullivan won their previous meeting 5-1 in the last 32 of the 2011 Shanghai Masters with Wattana completing a 5-0 whitewash success at the same stage of the 2006 China Open.

O'Sullivan begins his campaign against fellow Englishman Robertson at 11:30pm GMT on Tuesday 7 March. The top two from each group progress to the last 16 knock-out stage with the final contested on Saturday 11