Ng On-yee thrilled to face ‘idol’ Ronnie O’Sullivan in her debut professional World Tour event
- Hong Kong’s world No 2 will face The Rocket, Mark Joyce and Ian Burns in July’s Championship League preliminary rounds in Leicester
- With the UK facing another surge in Covid-19 cases, Ng may be planning for a long spell abroad to avoid Hong Kong’s lengthy quarantine requirements
Hong Kong snooker star Ng On-yee could not have asked for a more explosive start to her professional career after she was drawn in the same group as six-time world champion and her idol Ronnie O’Sullivan for July’s Championship League.
Three-time women’s world champion Ng will take on “The Rocket” and his fellow Englishmen Mark Joyce and Ian Burns in her preliminary group of the 128-strong event league in Leicester on July 20, with only the 32 group winners advancing to the second round.
The tournament is the first world ranking event of the new season and will mark Ng’s debut among the pro ranks since she and reigning women’s world champion Reanne Evans were given spots on the World Tour earlier this year.
“Wow, I’m so excited when I see in the draw that I will be playing ‘The Rocket’, he is definitely one of my idols,” Ng told the Post. “I met Ronnie at the Hong Kong Masters in 2017 and he is a super nice guy.
I’ve always enjoyed watching his fast and offensive style of play.
“I’ve played many times with his cousin Maria Catalano in the World Women Snooker Tour. But it’s my first time playing Ronnie. What a good way to start my first professional season, playing with the legend along with Ian Burns and Mark Joyce, who are also well known and good players.”