World number one Mark Selby is looking forward to Ronnie O’Sullivan playing in the BetVictor Welsh Open as it helps the tournament and adds to whoever wins the title.
The Welsh Open will start on Monday 15 February and will last for seven days with the final being held on Sunday 21 February.
The draw was made earlier this week with 128 players entering in round one at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff.
O’Sullivan will face Barry Pinches whilst Selby will play Welshman Duane Jones.
“It makes it more special to win a tournament when he is in the field,” said Selby who was speaking to World Snooker. “Even if you don’t end up playing him, you still know at the back of your mind that you’ve won an event when he was in it.”
World Championship just around the corner
There is a possibility that the tournament in Cardiff could be the only tournament that O’Sullivan plays in, until the World Championship in April where he will be hoping to win a sixth World Championship.
Selby and O’Sullivan have history in this tournament after The Jester from Leicester beat O’Sullivan 9-8 in the 2008 Welsh Open final.
“Any time Ronnie plays in a tournament it helps give it an extra buzz and I’m sure it makes a difference to the TV figures and live crowd," Selby explained.
The Rocket made a swift return to snooker by winning this year’s Masters after having over nine months away from the table and did so in emphatic style beating Barry Hawkins 10-1.
O'Sullivan was "surprised" at "how well he played" because everyone knows "good he (Hawkins) is."
There will be ten Welshmen who will be hoping the win the tournament in their home country in the first round including Mark Williams who faces China’s Lu Chenwei, whilst Ryan Day and Michael White kick start their tournament against Vinnie Calabrese and Joe O’connor.