Saudi Masters snooker LIVE – Jimmy White makes winning start at record-breaking event in Riyadh

And there it is. Moody takes out the match with a convincing 4-0 victory. He is through to a second-round match with Liam Pullen.

Young Ziyad trying to make some progress, but a tough cut on a red eludes him at key moment. Stan handed chance to put this frame and match to bed.

• Jimmy White 4-2 Mohamed Shehab
• Huang Jiahao 4-0 Ahmed Elsayed
• Antoni Kowalski 4-1 Habib Sabah
• Andrew Pagett 4-2 Wang Yuchen
• Gong Chenzhi 4-0 Ali Jalil Ali
• Bulcsu Revesz 4-2 Iulian Boiko
• Haydon Pinhey 4-0 Ayman Alamri
• Mitchell Mann 3-4 Paul Deaville
• Manasawin Phetmalaikul 0-1 Amir Sarkhosh
• Stan Moody 4-0 Ziyad Alqabbani
• Dean Young 2-0 Saleh Alamoudi
• Liam Davies 0-0 Ken Doherty
• Zak Surety 3-0 Ali Al Obaidly

A very tense and tight second frame, but Moody is back in scoring mood in this third frame. A superb rapid break of 98 as he misses yellow for a second century. Needing one more frame for victory.

A very nervy finale to that second frame, but Moody keeps his cool to see it out on the closing four colours after young Ziyad blew several chances to level at 1-1. Over 40 minutes long, but if falls to the Halifax kid.

• Jimmy White 4-2 Mohamed Shehab
• Huang Jiahao 4-0 Ahmed Elsayed
• Antoni Kowalski 4-1 Habib Sabah
• Andrew Pagett 4-2 Wang Yuchen
• Gong Chenzhi 4-0 Ali Jalil Ali
• Bulcsu Revesz 4-2 Iulian Boiko
• Haydon Pinhey 4-0 Ayman Alamri
• Mitchell Mann 3-3 Paul Deaville
• Manasawin Phetmalaikul 0-0 Amir Sarkhosh
• Stan Moody 2-0 Ziyad Alqabbani

17-year-old Stan Moody up against 14-year-old Saudi player Ziyad Alqabbani. A battle of the new generation, you could say. Moody winning the first frame with a 103 break.

So Jimmy through to the second round to face Andrew Higginson on Saturday afternoon at 1pm. A 67 break from the six-time world finalist was a highlight.

46 from Jimmy before the concession comes from Shehab, who has seen enough. Some quality play from both players in that match, but it is Jimmy who advances.

Jimmy not looking for much more to get this match won. Has been a solid display from the six-time world finalist. Break of 33 and counting.

A kind flick off a green leaves white in behind brown, and that is good news for Jimmy, who comes up with a brilliant pot on a red off the side cushion. What a chance here then for White to get this match won here and now.

Can Mohammed force a decider? Both men have shown tonight they can both score when the chance comes along.

Error by Mohammed early in the sixth frame, and Jimmy has an easy starter in the frame he needs for victory. Just 11 though as red to right middle comes back out.

And finally the final pink disappears as Jimmy prods home from distance. Floated that in with little trouble. And the snooker icon leads 3-2 in the first round.

A lead of 20 points for White as a brown disappears. He the escapes from the snooker on the blue with Shehab needing a snooker on final two colours.

Well, this has been brilliant from Jimmy. Fighting the good fight out there as he clears the reds, and is on the brink of regaining the lead at 3-2. 29 and onto the colours.

Jimmy back in the ball game then when all seemed lost in this frame. Five out of six reds all in baulk end of table so will take some sorting out.

A quite glorious red to a left middle from Shehab to gain access to table, but he miscues attempting to slot pink to same pocket with table at his mercy. Drama. How costly will that prove to be?

Shehab first to the punch in this fifth frame of a possible seven. Is hitting the ball well out there under the lights. Chance to build a lead at this visit. But he misses a tough red to left middle. Was not easy. Red doesn’t drop.

And this match is heading to 2-2 as Mohammed again responds with an excellent break of 65. And make that 66 as the final red is doubled with some aplomb. Just short of enough points for a century, but this has been a fine response. 69 the break ends. And the match is again all square.

A very decent opening for the UAE potter Shehab. Could easily take out this frame here. Four out of five remaining reds all there for the taking. Just has to be mindful of his work.

A 19 break from Jimmy before he runs the white to safety in baulk. Shehab then gets a spot of good fortune as he goes for a long red, misses it but sees red knock the white back down the table to safety.

Will that fluke change the narrative of this match? Always nice to get a fluke, but even nicer when you can cash in off it. Early chance for White to assert himself in this fourth frame of the match.

Misses pink first time, but gets there on the second occasion. 13 the difference with 13 left up. And Jimmy seals it with an excellent cut on pink to yellow pocket. The Whirlwind leads 2-1.

A lifeline for White as Shehab as makes 14 only to snooker himself on final red off the blue. Jimmy then misses an easy red to left centre, but ends up fluking the final red into green pocket! Well, what a timely fluke. And it might be a frame-winner too. White looking for blue and pink after clearing yellow, green and brown. Can’t land on pink, but second prize is snooker behind black.

A taut end to the frame with White nudging a point ahead and three reds left on the table. Next man with a decent chance will fancy themselves to take out the frame.

A 36 from Mohammed Shehab before he runs safe using rest with five reds left up. Plenty of life left yet in this third frame.

Couple of bites at the cherry then in this frame for Jimmy, but not taken and Shehab is looking at getting the pack of reds open here.

Is Jimmy warming to the occasion in the heat of Saudi Arabia? Another blistering long red hits the back of the pocket. But only makes six off it.

Pink stays out right middle, but an excellent 67 from Jimmy is enough to restore parity at 1-1. That will do his frame of mind no harm at all. Game on then!

A quality response from Jimmy just when he needed it. Looks for all the world like we are heading 1-1 here in the race to four. White break moves to 59.

But White not punished for failing to score as he is handed another opportunity to put some points on the board. A very decent chance for White to put this frame to bed.

Lovely long red from Jimmy, and he comes back up nicely for the blue. Would dearly love to get his cue arm working here. But he misses a red on 14 which should really be disappearing. That is a setback.

Jimmy breaks off for the second frame of the evening. Mohammed has a pop at a long red, but somehow doesn’t leave an easy opener for Jimmy when it didn’t drop. A good bit of running there too.

66 and a fine round applause from the watching spectators. Very enjoyable break as he mopped up the balls with some ease. Work then to do for White in Riyadh as he trails 1-0.

This is excellent from Shehab, really is. Has put these balls away superbly as break reaches 57. Classy stuff at any level of the game.

Not much left to do from Shehab to pocket the first frame out there. Looks pretty decent on the shot. Getting through the ball nicely too.

But he misses a blue to right centre on 26. Jimmy can’t hole a mid-range red as his opponent is handed another chance to extend his advantage in this opening frame.

A very confident start from Shehab among the balls. Quickly moves through the gears to reach 25 with more come. Jimmy can only suck this up at the moment after that safety error.

Jimmy tries to run safe, but leaves a red to left middle which Shehab knocks in with a real air of authority. That was a superb pot. Up for the blue. So chance to get hand on table for the man from the UAE.

Jimmy actually played in the first major event in the Middle East, the invitational Dubai Masters back in 1988, where he lost 3-2 to his old mate Tony Meo in the quarter-finals.

So here we go then. What a sight to see the iconic Jimmy White back on the baize. Can he go on a run at this event? Mohammed Shehab breaks off in the first frame of a possible seven.

We’re back with our first Friday night in Riyadh. And the highlight of the evening is surely the great Whirlwind of London town coming up against Mohammed Shehab. Balls due to begin rolling in next few minutes.

We are up and running then in Riyadh. We will be back at 6pm with the six-time world finalist Jimmy White opening his campaign against Mohammed Shehab live on Eurosport and discovery+. See you back here for more.

• Allan Taylor 4-2 Adeel Aqdus
• Baipat Siripaporn 3-4 Mohamed Elkhayat
• Michael Holt 4-0 Ahmad Abdul
• Oliver Lines 4-0 Faisal Bahashwan
• Robbie McGuigan 4-3 Abdulraouf Saigh
• Rory Thor 4-0 Omar Alajlani
• Chris Totten 4-2 Haris Tahir
• Reanne Evans 0-4 Simon Blackwell
• Ben Mertens 4-0 Abdullah Alotayyani
• Julien Leclercq 4-2 Dylan Emery
• Liam Graham 4-0 Ali Hussain Ali
• Farakh Ajaib 4-0 Haitham Al Mahri
• Cheung Ka Wai 4-1 Joshua Thomond
• Mink Nutcharut 4-1 Kusai Hamed Sharif

But a safety mistake prompts the end of this one. A closing break of 40 from Ben Mertens. And the concession comes from Abdullah. A 4-0 win for Mertens, who next faces China’s Long Zehuang.

A tough learning curve for the local lads. Mertens inching towards victory as a brilliant red along the top cushion drops. But he then misses a fairly easy black to leave his opponent needing snookers.

Really nice cue ball control from Ben in this break. Makes 40, but can’t get an angle to attack the remaining pack of reds. Just safety to follow with five more reds left up.

Chance for Abdullah to get his cue arm working early in the fourth frame, but he misses a straight pink on 15. And you can’t afford to make errors like that at this level. Awful miss. And he knows it.

Blue to left middle stays out when a century looked on the cards, but 72 gets the job done every day of the week. A 3-0 lead for Ben. Looking for one more frame to seal the deal.

And Mertens is really showing his class now. Under little or no pressure from his opponent, and is starting to pot balls for fun. Almost over the line for a 3-0 line in Riyadh in his tournament opener.

Lovely red to right centre from Mertens to gain access to the table. Looks like he is suddenly finding his scoring boots in this match after a slow start.

The winner of this contest will take on China’s Long Zehuang in the second round on Saturday night.

• Allan Taylor 4-2 Adeel Aqdus
• Baipat Siripaporn 3-2 Mohamed Elkhayat
• Michael Holt 4-0 Ahmad Abdul
• Oliver Lines 4-0 Faisal Bahashwan
• Robbie McGuigan 2-3 Abdulraouf Saigh
• Rory Thor 4-0 Omar Alajlani
• Chris Totten 2-2 Haris Tahir
• Reanne Evans 0-4 Simon Blackwell
• Ben Mertens 2-0 Abdullah Alotayyani

Chance to make his first century of the season as the 19-year-old’s break reaches 72. No century, but a superb break of 79 and it is a 2-0 lead for the talented Belgian player.

Down to the final five reds, and this looks very much more like it from Mertens, who is gaining some much-needed table time.

Chance then for Mertens to put some clear water between himself and Alotayyani in this second frame. Getting the cue action working nicely.

• Allan Taylor 4-2 Adeel Aqdus
• Baipat Siripaporn 3-2 Mohamed Elkhayat
• Michael Holt 4-0 Ahmad Abdul
• Oliver Lines 4-0 Faisal Bahashwan
• Robbie McGuigan 2-3 Abdulraouf Saigh
• Rory Thor 4-0 Omar Alajlani
• Chris Totten 2-2 Haris Tahir
• Reanne Evans 0-4 Simon Blackwell
• Ben Mertens 2-0 Abdullah Alotayyani

All very unconvincing level of play from both men on the main table. So many balls being missed in this second frame. A real struggle, to say the least.

Not a classic piece of cue combat, but Mertens sees it out on the colours to lead 1-0. Both players looking a touch nervy, but the Belgian steels himself to get himself over the line.

• Allan Taylor 2-2 Adeel Aqdus
• Baipat Siripaporn 3-1 Mohamed Elkhayat
• Michael Holt 4-0 Ahmad Abdul
• Oliver Lines 4-0 Faisal Bahashwan
• Robbie McGuigan 2-2 Abdulraouf Saigh
• Rory Thor 4-0 Omar Alajlani
• Chris Totten 1-2 Haris Tahir
• Reanne Evans 0-4 Simon Blackwell

A very scrappy opening frame, but Mertens doing enough to keep his nose in front. Three reds left on table.

World No. 92 Mertens very much the favourite to progress in this match. Abdullah with a career highest break of 135. So can play the game. Meanwhile, Michael Holt has completed a 4-0 win over Kuwait’s Ahmad Abul. Holt with breaks of 78 and 68.

Abdullah Alotayyani the next Saudi Arabia player to get moving on the opening day. Can he trouble the Belgian talent of Ben Mertens?

And that is the victory on the main TV table for Oliver Lines, who is through to the second round with a 4-0 win. Next up is Ben Woollaston in the second round on Saturday afternoon. Lines restricted his opponent to only 37 points in four frames. “It was nice to play first on the main TV table, but I struggled. The table was really reactive,” says Lines. “I’ve obviously got things to work on. Best of seven helps everybody. It is a bit of a leveller. There is an opportunity for everyone to earn a lot of money.”

Well, this result looks like it is heading one way, and Faisal just not providing the scoring power to trouble Lines. On the cusp of a 4-0 victory despite playing well below his best.

Faisal goes for a black at pace along the top cush. Rattles the jaws with black as he lands on the next red. And that is bad news as Lines returns to the table attempting to put this match to bed here and now. But he misses the black in trying to open up the reds. So still work to do.

Early chance for Faisal to get motoring. Lines can’t sink red to left centre, but isn’t punished as his opponent only runs in eight by missing blue to green pocket. And he looks to the sky in frustration. Can be a frustrating game.

Not overly convincing from Oliver, but Faisal more or less hands over the third frame on a plate as he goes for a long red, misses a long red only for the white to race down a pocket. Remaining two reds left at top end of table, and Lines clears to the pink to move 3-0 ahead. One more frame required.

Faisal struggling to build any momentum. We’ve all been there as a tough black fails to drop. Tough old learning school this one as the Saudi potter misses a tricky red to right centre seconds later. Chance for Lines to move 3-0 clear.

Would be fair to describe this match as error-strewn as Bahashwan again comes up short with a miscue halting his progress on nine. Lines back at the table, and apparently back in business. Break quickly moves to 29 with more to come.

Two snookers required and the frame ends with a concession as the 28-year-old local lad from Riyadh fails to drop in a pink. All going the way of Lines out there. Reading between the lines, looks destined for the second round and a possible meeting with Ben Woollaston on Saturday afternoon.

Well, Lines not being punished here as a missed blue to the green pocket sees Bahashwan respond with a solitary red and a missed black. That won’t do his confidence any good. Another opportunity for Lines to move two clear.

Lines being handed plenty of scope to score among the balls, and isn’t shy about picking up on his opponent’s obvious technical weaknesses in failing to get through the stroke properly. Chance to crack on again in the second frame at close range.

A break of 82 from Lines is just what the doctor ordered. Ideal way to settle any early nerves out there. He moves 1-0 up in the race to four, best of seven frames.

The local lad fluffed his lines, and looks for all the world like Oliver is going to move 1-0 ahead. Looking very comfortable after a couple of false starts. Getting used to the pace of the table and the conditions in Riyadh.

A very nervy start to this match. Lines presented with a couple of decent scoring opportunities, but breaking down among the balls and Bahashwan gets in with a fine long red, but is then miles away with another long red attempt seconds later.

Great long red by Lines straight off the bat, but he only reaches 22 before he misses a red with a rest. Well off the potting angle on that one.

Should be quite a fascinating nine days in Riyadh. And it all begins today in the chase for the £500,000 first prize, the same amount Kyren Wilson carried off for claiming the world title in May. This event not lacking prestige or prize money with a huge £2.3m on the table in Saudi Arabia. Without further ado, let’s get the boys on the baize. 144 players all in the Middle East dreaming of golden finale. First up is Oliver Lines against local hope Faisal Bahashwan. First to four frames will advance to the second round.

The biggest names in the snooker are back in Riyadh for the first edition of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.

The inaugural tournament will take place from Thursday, August 30 to Saturday, September 7, 2024 and will be held in Green Halls in Riyadh.