Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams will compete within the 2024 Tour Championship closing on Sunday in Manchester.

Two of the all-time greats of the sport will do battle once more, their newest assembly coming a full 30 years after their first on the principle tour as youngsters.

Now approaching their 50s, they’re remarkably nonetheless combating it out on the latter phases of tournaments frequently.

O’Sullivan, who overcame Gary Wilson 10-7 in an in depth semi-final affair on Friday, stays heading in the right direction to safe a sixth piece of silverware of the season.

The Rocket has already received two rankings tournaments – the UK Championship and the World Grand Prix – to assist preserve his standing as the game’s world primary.

Current success has additionally are available in three profitable invitational occasions, with O’Sullivan amassing trophies on the Masters, the Shanghai Masters, and the Riyadh Season World Masters.

Williams, in the meantime, will function in his third rating closing of the 2023/24 marketing campaign after pumping Mark Allen 10-5 in Saturday’s second semi-final tie.

The British Open champion orchestrated a exceptional 9-0 lead earlier than momentarily letting his opponent again into the competition, however he ultimately received over the successful line.

As a quick apart, Allen’s defeat ensures that O’Sullivan and Judd Trump would be the respective second and third seeds within the upcoming World Championship.

That may put this season’s two most in-form rivals on the identical facet of the draw, an unlucky state of affairs for a lot of followers.

However earlier than that, there may be the essential enterprise of the Tour Championship closing at Manchester Central.

Boasting a far superior head-to-head document, O’Sullivan will clearly enter this encounter as a reasonably heavy favorite.

The Englishman leads Williams 34-13 (plus three attracts) from their 50 prior matches towards each other.

Their final multi-session affair was on this occasion two years in the past when O’Sullivan prevailed from a 10-9 thriller.

Williams, although, received the higher of their most up-to-date fixture, one other dramatic showdown finally 12 months’s Masters that the Welshman received 6-5.

They’ve confronted one another 5 occasions in finals through the years, with O’Sullivan main that rely 4-1.

Nonetheless, the final time they met within the closing of a rating occasion was all the best way again on the 2000 China Open – O’Sullivan successful on that event 9-3.

Loads of indicators level to a victory for the Rocket, however it might be silly to low cost Williams fully – notably if he scores closely like he did towards Allen.

With £150,000 up for grabs for the champion and an enormous crowd anticipated at what has been a terrific new venue for the match, it guarantees to be a particular spectacle.

2024 Tour Championship Draw

Spherical of 12 (bo19)

Mark Williams (8) 10-9 Tom Ford (9)

Mark Allen (5) 10-7 John Higgins (12)

Gary Wilson (6) 10-8 Mark Selby (11)

Barry Hawkins (7) 8-10 Ali Carter (10)

Quarter-Finals (bo19)

Judd Trump (1) 4-10 Mark Williams (8)

Ding Junhui (4) 8-10 Mark Allen (5)

Zhang Anda (3) 8-10 Gary Wilson (6)

Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) 10-2 Ali Carter (10)

Semi-Finals (bo19)

Mark Williams (8) 10-5 Mark Allen (5)

Gary Wilson (6) 7-10 Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)

Remaining (bo19)

Match to be performed on April seventh.
Occasions in UTC.

Mark Williams (8) vs Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
Solar, 1pm and 7pm

Featured picture credit score: WST