UK Championship 2023 final live – Ronnie O’Sullivan faces Ding Junhui seeking to become oldest winner

What a shot! Ding turns the tables with an inspired long pot, which he then follows up with a snooker, nestling the cue ball right behind the yellow. Now the pressure is on Ronnie’s shoulders!

Ronnie comes through that mini tactical exchange and manages to get into some flow, with a contribution of 24 to put Ding on the back foot. A series of brilliant safety shots from the seven-time world champion then keeps the pressure on.

Ding saw a half-chance on a red into the bottom-left, but he can’t quite get it right. Ronnie spots a red that cuts into the opposite pocket, and that’s one he lands, though he can’t build anything more than a single point.

A full-ball cannon off the blue and into the yellow leaves Ronnie frustrated, and having to settle for a safety, which he plays well.

Ding nails a long pot into the bottom-left corner, and rotates back to sink the black into the same pocket. He comes up for the pink, with the black now on the brown spot due to a cluster of reds hanging over its original position, which has just made matters that much more complicated for the world No.17.

However, Ding’s next red opens up the pink spot, so a routine pot of the black would really open things up. But… Oh dear! Another dreadful miss from Ding, with the black rattling away off the jaws. That’s so sloppy from the three-time UK champion.

Ronnie takes the lead, but he’s unable to get a run going, so Ding is back up.

Ding gets the second mini-session of this best-of-19 UK Champs final under way.

We have news from the 2024 Masters to bring you, with the draw having been made.

And it means Ronnie – should he win today – will then go up against Ding again in his first match. That tournament takes place at the Alexandra Palace next month.

But now, it’s back to the matter at hand…

At the age of 47, O’Sullivan would simultaneously become the oldest and younger winner of the coveted tournament if he claims the £250,000 first prize and a record-extending eighth UK title triumph.

Welsh icon Doug Mountjoy has held the record for 35 years since his celebrated success at the age of 46 in 1988 when he overcame Stephen Hendry 16-12 at the Preston Guild Hall.

O’Sullivan is also chasing a ground-breaking 40th ranking title success after becoming the youngest winner of the UK title when he triumphed at the age of 17 with a landmark 10-6 win against Hendry in Preston in 1993.

The shot of the match so far has to be that exquisite double from Ronnie as he snuck in to steal the second frame.

A vital frame win for Ding, who gets off the mark as we go into the interval at the Barbican. Some brilliant snooker on show so far!

This time, Ding can take advantage, and it’s a Ronnie slip-up that proves costly.

We’ve raced through the first four frames of this eight-frame afternoon session in York, and Ding gets himself on the board heading into the interval with an 89 clearance.

After a tactical tussle, a miss from Ding on a long pot – and a double-kiss off the red to boot – opens the door for Ronnie.

He picks off the loose reds first, but when he comes to breaking up the bunch, he just can’t cut the next red into the middle-left, and can Ding finally drag himself into this match now?

Ding builds up a brief run before a sloppy shot means he has to settle for a safety. Ronnie gets lucky with his next attempt, with the cue ball almost going in-off, but he gets away with it.

A brutal clearance of 91 from Ronnie. Ding needs to respond now!

It’s emphatic stuff from Ronnie, who has settled into this contest in no time.

Two of the last three reds are in somewhat awkward spots, but the first one goes in with the minimum of fuss after a fantastic positional shot, and then the last one drops in with the help of the rest.

A nudge off the blue sets Ronnie up nicely to go onto the brown, and then it’s a case of just cruising through the colours. In a little over half-an-hour, O’Sullivan is well on his way with a three-frame lead.

For Ding, it has to be a case of bouncing back as quickly as possible. There’s a long, long way to go in this final, but he cannot afford to let Ronnie build up a head of steam.

He makes a decent start in frame three, building a promising contribution, but then… An overcut on the black gifts Ronnie another opportunity.

Just one mistake from Ding, but against Ronnie, that’s one mistake too many. The world No.1 takes a two-frame lead!

Huge! Gutting for Ding, but Ronnie has snuck in to steal that frame in style.

Ronnie had plenty of time to ponder how he would lodge a counter in this frame should he get the chance, and that chance has certainly come.

The seven-time UK champ picks his way through the loose reds. The last one is a tricky one against the cushion, and he has to go for the double… which he nails! Incredible stuff!

Ding is a star back home in China, but he’s always well-backed at the Barbican, where his best snooker seems to come out.

The 36-year-old was described by Ronnie as “the best break-builder I’ve ever seen”, and he has shown that quality in this frame, keeping everything nice and tight as he develops the reds.

But… well, is that the curse of the commentator? When he was on the cusp of clinching the frame, the pink clips off the jaw of the middle-right pocket. Can Ronnie capitalise?

An excellent long pot from Ding, this time, gets the world No.17 rolling in frame two.

He develops nicely around the black and then comes back in for the blue, which he expertly cannons off to break up the bunch. Can Ding race away with this frame?

The Rocket goes ahead. A break of 71 getting the job done in the first frame. Quality snooker!

This time, Ronnie has got into the swing of things, with those poor positional shots from the first two visits not present this time around.

A neat cut on the blue sets up frame ball for the next red, which the world No.1 nails into the bottom-left. Now it’s just a case of how much Ronnie – who turns 48 on Tuesday – can build up this break.

He feels he has been patchy this week, but there’s been no sign of patchiness here!

Another short visit to the table for Ronnie, who chips in a further 11, but crucially he’s not letting Ding get any sighters.

No time wasted from Ronnie, whose long game has been consistent through this week and is on point again as he nails a pot into the bottom-left.

That enables him to get straight onto the red and develop the loose reds around the bunch, though an unfortunate cannon off the second black leaves him with a tricky shot that clips off the jaws, and so comes to an end his first visit.

Ding breaks off, and away we go!

The time is now! Ding makes his way into the arena first, followed by Ronnie, to huge adulation from the packed-to-capacity crowd.

We’ll have eight frames played in this first session.

Ding has won 14 major ranking titles, and three of them have come at the UK Championship.

He loves it at the Barbican, that’s for sure!

Ronnie doesn’t feel he has been at his very best this week, but that doesn’t mean he has to be down in the dumps.

“Just trying to enjoy it, enjoy my time when I’m away,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed my week, even though the snooker’s been a bit patchy, you can still have fun with it.”

Ronnie is full of respect for today’s opponent, that much is clear. They’ve had a fine relationship through the years, especially when Ronnie consoled Ding after the 2007 Masters final.

“He’s a quality player Ding. He’s on autopilot a lot of the time, getting through the matches efficiently. He plays the game in the right way, he’s the best break-builder I’ve ever seen to be honest,” Ronnie told Eurosport.

Asked by Eurosport how he’ll celebrate should he win an eighth UK title, Ronnie replied: “Just a couple of Snickers bars, a packet of crisps and a Diet Coke on the motorway on the way home. That’s one of my favourite things to do after a few days away on the road – I just dive into a Snickers, bag of cheese and onion and a Diet Coke, hits the spot perfectly.”

It’s the simple things in life!

Ding is into his fifth UK Championship final, and today’s clash sees the two youngest UK finalists go head-to-head. Ding was 18 when he reached a showpiece match at this event for the first time, while Ronnie was just 17.

Ronnie has been in typically dry form in front of the media this week, admitting he is “looking forward to a break” after today’s final, having earlier in the week claimed he is getting fed up of snooker. Yet the world No.1 is now just one win away from a record-extending eighth UK Championship title.

Indeed, he would also be the oldest player – at 47 – to win the tournament.

Are you sitting comfortably? We’ve got live coverage of the UK Championship final to come today, as the great Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on Ding Junhui at the York Barbican.

It’s a best-of-19 match, and will be played over two sessions. So stick right here for all the action as it happens.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed that he will “probably miss” the Scottish Open in favour of preparing for an exhibition event in Macau.

The Rocket was speaking in the Eurosport studio after sealing his place in the final of the UK Championship with a 6-2 win over Hossein Vafaei.

The world No. 1 admits he is “looking forward to a break” after Sunday’s final and intends to skip the last Home Nations Series event of the year, with a lucrative exhibition in Macau event taking place just days after the final in Edinburgh.

The Macau exhibition was originally due to be held in October but was postponed after it clashed with the Northern Ireland Open.

Five players, including five-time world champion Mark Selby and current world champion Luca Brecel, had intended to miss the event in Belfast and instead play in Macau.

Ronnie O’Sullivan is on course to set several new records when he contests the 47th UK Championship final against Ding Junhui at the York Barbican on Sunday.

O’Sullivan celebrates his 48th birthday on Tuesday, but at the age of 47 would simultaneously become the oldest and younger winner of the coveted tournament if he claims the £250,000 first prize and a record-extending eighth UK title triumph.

Welsh icon Doug Mountjoy has held the record for 35 years since his celebrated success at the age of 46 in 1988 when he overcame Stephen Hendry 16-12 at the Preston Guild Hall.

World No. 1 O’Sullivan is also chasing a ground-breaking 40th ranking title success after becoming the youngest winner of the UK title when he triumphed at the age of 17 with a landmark 10-6 win against Hendry in Preston in 1993.

“I’m just hanging around, so people don’t get as good a career as me,” O’Sullivan told reporters after his 6-2 win over Hossein Vafaei in the semi-finals.

“If I could stop [Mark] Selby winning a few and Judd [Trump] winning a few, and Ding and [Neil] Robertson winning a few – just ruin their careers a little bit – that would be great.

“Sometimes that’s just a nice motivation to play.”

Ding Junhui v Ronnie O’Sullivan

Ding Junhui v Ronnie O’Sullivan