RIYADH: Snooker legend and World Snooker Tour veteran Jimmy White produced a vintage performance to reach round three of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters on Saturday, overcoming fellow Englishman Andrew Higginson 4-1.
The 10-time ranking event winner and former UK and Masters champion stormed into a 3-0 lead before booking a third-round match against China’s world No.22 and former world championship semifinalist Si Jaihui.
Saturday’s round two action also saw Polish prodigy Antoni Kowalski reach the third round with a commanding 4-1 victory against Habib Sabah. The 20-year-old was in high spirits after the match, declaring that the time is now for professional snooker’s fastest-rising talents to make an impact in the sport’s biggest international event.
“We will be trying to set records,” Kowalski said. “I think this is the time that the new generation comes up to kick out Ronnie and other players. Ronnie has to end sometime; he is already in his late 40s. We will try our best, for sure.”
The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters continues on Sunday with 32 matches locked in across round three, featuring former world champions Neil Robertson, Graeme Dott and Stuart Bingham. Coverage is being broadcast in 200 countries to a global audience exceeding 500 million, with an almost $640,000 (SR 2.4 million) first prize awaiting the tournament winner.
