Round five of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters starts here today, featuring the top 16 players in the world who have automatically qualified for the round of 32. The list includes notable players such as John Higgins from Scotland, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Judd Trump, and Kyren Wilson from England, Mark Williams from Wales, Luca Brecel from Belgium, and Mark Allen from Northern Ireland. Trump is ranked number one player and is the 2019 world champion, while Allen is ranked number two and the 2024 world champion. The organizing committee of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters held a press conference yesterday evening, attended by President of the Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation Dr. Nasser Al-Shammari, snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan, world number one Trump, and CEO of the World Snooker Tour Simon Brownell. Al-Shammari said that the championship in Riyadh is part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's endeavors to promote snooker and support athletic talent. It will incentivize the current generation by developing the local infrastructure and hosting international tournaments to support promising stars in this field. O'Sullivan said the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters is the best on the world tour due to its excellent organization and advanced facilities. He said he was looking forward to delivering a performance worthy of this global event. Brownell stressed the importance of collaborating with the Kingdom to develop sports in the region. He added that the partnership with the Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation is bound to help a sustainable and long-term development of the game. The championship is being broadcast in over 200 countries, reflecting the global interest in snooker. Source: Saudi Press Agency