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Ng On-yee with Ronnie O’Sullivan during a previous trip to England. Photo: Handout

Ng On-yee hopes advice from Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams will result in breakthrough victory on snooker’s pro tour

  • The three-time women’s world champion says O’Sullivan invited her to spend several days at his snooker club when she next visits UK
  • Ng is still waiting for her first victory on the mainstream tour after scoring a memorable triumph in the Eden Women’s Masters
Ng On-yee

Hong Kong’s three-time world champion Ng On-yee is hoping some important lessons from top men’s players Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams will enable her to beat them on the pro tour.

The 31-year-old has returned to Hong Kong after spending two months in the United Kingdom during which she made her debut on the World Snooker Tour, and scored a memorable victory in the Eden Masters on the women’s tour.

Although she failed to beat any of the men during qualifying events on the main circuit, she enjoyed practising with six-time world champion and newly crowned World Grand Prix winner O’Sullivan and triple world champ Williams.

Ng On-yee takes a selfie while observing 21 days quarantine in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

“I practised with both players and learned a few things,” Ng, who is serving 21 days of quarantine in Hong Kong, said. “I only had one day so it was difficult to talk about too many things but Ronnie said the next time I go there, I can spend a few days at his club and we can talk more.

“Ronnie showed me a few ways to play shots differently so I can control the cue ball and ask me to be more aggressive and break the pack earlier so I can create more break chances.

“Mark advised me to grip the cue back a bit to leave myself more room when I want to play power shots. I hope I can use these tips and more to win against the men when I return to the tour.”

Ng, as the women’s world No 2, was given a two-year card for the professional tour where she played against the men. She came close to collecting her first victory, against former world champion Shaun Murphy, in the opening round of the Scottish Open.

However, after taking a 3-1 lead, Murphy battled back to win 4-3, scoring a 130 break in the final frame. It came one week after she won the Eden Masters, coming back from 3-1 deficits in the semi-final against Rebecca Kenn and 12-time reigning world champion Reanne Evans in the final.

“I felt really disappointed [against Shaun] because I was in a good position to win but I enjoyed watching him play, his positioning and delivery is very smooth,” Ng said. “Even though I lost, I found that I improved my game and I wasn’t nervous when I needed just one more frame.

“To be honest, after going 3-1 up, Shaun did not really give me any chances.”

Ng said quarantine was tolerable with the Hong Kong Sports Institute installing a treadmill in her room. She is looking forward to spending time with her family before returning to the tour in January despite the Omicron outbreak in the UK.

The former world No 1 was denied the chance to travel to Britain during the first half of 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. She was meant to play O’Sullivan in a tournament in July but was advised against travelling at the time.

“That is still my plan,” she said. “I want to travel back in mid or end of January for the shoot-out and probably stay until after the World Championships [in May].”

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