When does Ronnie O’Sullivan play at the UK…

When does Ronnie O’Sullivan play at the UK Championship today?

Ronnie O’Sullivan is trying to win a record-extending ninth UK Championship title - (Getty Images)

Ronnie O’Sullivan is back on British soil as he goes to York for the UK Championship, one of snooker’s triple crown events.

O’Sullivan sold his Essex home earlier this year and headed for a new life in Dubai but returns to the Barbican Centre looking to add to his record tally of eight UK Championship titles – the most recent of which he claimed in 2023, becoming the oldest winner of the event at 47 years and 363 days. He was already the youngest winner of the tournament, a mark he set as a 17-year-old way back in 1993.

LIVE! Follow The Independent’s coverage of Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Zhou Yuelong

The Rocket will turn 50 on quarter-final day of this year’s UK Championship and is still in the top five in the world, although he hasn’t won a ranking event since the World Grand Prix in January 2024, even though 11 different men have won the 11 professional snooker tournaments played this season.

However, he still has an aura surrounding him on the baize and will be heavy favourite to beat China’s Zhou Yuelong in his first match in York this afternoon, with old foe Mark Selby a potential opponent in the last 16.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What time does Ronnie O’Sullivan play today?

The UK Championship began on Saturday 29 November at the Barbican Centre in York, and the final will be played on Sunday 7 December. Ronnie O’Sullivan will start his campaign in the last 32 against Zhou Yuelong in a best-of-11 match this afternoon, from 1pm GMT.

Ronnie O’Sullivan starts his UK Championship campaign on Tuesday (Getty Images)

How to watch

The championship will be live on the BBC, with BBC Two, BBC Four, the BBC red button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website showing every match across the nine days – including O’Sullivan vs Zhou. The tournament is also broadcast on TNT Sports in the UK and subscribers can stream the match online via the Discovery+ app.