Scotland’s teenage snooker prospect Liam Graham could look at his clash with world No 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan in the BetVictor Scottish Open which starts at Meadowbank on Monday in two ways.
It could either be an exciting prospect for the EBSA European under-21 champion or bad luck in the draw if he wants to progress in his home tournament and pick up some cash before Christmas.
Glasgow-based Graham only turned professional at the start of the current season and has, to date, earned £3,000, but he knows how sustain pressure and how to win having beaten Iulian Boiko 5-2 from the Ukraine in the under-age final in Malta.
That secured his place in the World Snooker Tour (WST) for two years.
However, the 19-year-old previously made his professional debut as an amateur wildcard at the 2019 Shoot out, losing to Welsh cueman, Jak Jones, in the opening round.
He goes to the table on Monday not before 1pm in Scotland’s Capital against 48-year-old O’Sullivan (pictured), recognised as one of the most talented players in the history of the sport.
The player from Wordsley in the West Midlands, as of December 3 this year, has accumulated 1,230 century breaks along with 15 maxumum breaks.
And the seven-time world champion comes into the Scottish Open on the back of winning the UK Championship thanks to a 10-7 victory over Ding Junhui in a best of 19 match to become the youngest and oldest winner of the coveted UK title, lifting the silverware again 30 years after his first win as a 17-year-old.
The match was level at 4-4 going into the final session but O’Sullivan finished in style with a 129 break.
It was the second year running that China-born Ding has lost in the final having lost by three frames to Mark Allen 12 months ago despite holding a 6-1 lead at one stage.
However, O’Sullivan marches on and the recent win was his eighth in the competition and a 40th ranking title, four more than Scotland’s Stephen Hendry, and O’Sullivan is now set to compete in the World Grand Prix, Players Championship and Tour Championship this season.
He did not qualify for the Players or Tour Championship last season but he is back in thanks to pocketing the £250,000 winner’s check at The York Barbican.
O’Sullivan told BBC Sport: “I will keep on going until the wheels fall off.” Graham will probably secretly hope that the wheels fall off during their best of seven frames match in Edinburgh.
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