Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ali Carter LIVE: Snooker Tour Championship score and updates from grudge match

The O’Sullivan-Carter feud goes back a long way, including them infamously barging into one another during a World Championship match, but came to a head at the Masters in January.

After O’Sullivan beat Carter and his opponent accused him of being “disgusting” and “snotting all over the floor”, ‘The Rocket went into full-on rant mode…

“I’m not going to skirt around it anymore, tip-toeing on eggshells around someone like that. He’s a f*****g nightmare,” the 48-year-old said. “Playing snooker against someone like that is a nightmare. He’s not a nice person. It’s not a nice vibe he leaves around the table. I’ve said my piece, I don’t give a s***. I’ve said it now, done.

“You know what he’s like, everybody knows what he’s like. He’s got issues. F*****g why has he got issues with me? I’m not having it. I don’t care, grow some balls. I don’t give a f***, I don’t give a f*** about any of these snooker players, any of them. The more he brings it on, the more I f***ing punish him every time. He’s just digging a grave for himself. I don’t give a f***. That’s it, I’ve said my piece.”

The Rocket, though, continued his tirade adding: “He’s got beef with me. He’s got issues, he’s got to sort his life out, he’s got to see a counsellor or something.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ali Carter in the quarter-finals of the Tour Championship is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 3 April. The best-of-19 frames match will start at 1pm BST, with eight frames played in the afternoon session, before the players return to conclude the match in the evening session from 7pm BST.

The winner will advance to the semi-finals and meet the winner of Zhang Anda vs Gary Wilson.

Fans can watch the match and the rest of the Tour Championship 2024 on ITV4 in the UK, with a live stream available on ITV X and the ITV Sport website. Coverage starts at 12:45pm BST.

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Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on rival Ali Carter in the quarter-finals of the Tour Championship today.

The pair do not see eye-to-eye with tensions high during the final of the Masters this year. ‘The Rocket’ came from 6-3 down to beat Carter 10-7 at Alexandra Palace and extend his record to win an eighth Masters crown.

But Carter was furious at O’Sullivan, accusing him of “disgusting actions” and “snotting all over the floor”. O’Sullivan rejected those claims though, and hit back with a foul-mouthed rant, insisting “everybody knows what he’s like” and claiming his rival has “issues”.

“F*****g why has he got issues with me? I’m not having it. I don’t care, grow some balls. I don’t give a f***. The more he brings it on, the more I f*****g punish him every time,” he said. “Absolutely. He’s just digging a grave for himself. He needs to sort his f*****g life out.”

Here’s everything you need to know:

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ali Carter from snooker’s Tour Championship in Manchester.

One of the sport’s bitterest rivalries continues as the Essex cuemen’s personal dislike of one another takes centre stage again after their antics at the Masters earlier this year.

Stick with us for full live coverage.