Legendary ten-time ranking event winner Jimmy White scored a fine 4-2 win over Mohamed Shehab on day one of the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh.
The Londoner has been at the forefront of globalising snooker since the 80s and was the winner of the first non-British ranking event at the 1988 Canadian Masters.
White first turned professional all the way back in 1980 and the 62-year-old was still one of the star attractions of this evening’s session. The Whirlwind’s top score of the tie was 67 and victory earns him a second round meeting with Andrew Higginson.
“I’ve been around from day one, when we first went to China with Barry Hearn and Matchroom. There were eight or maybe ten players. Nobody thought it would take off in China. Now you have some of the greatest players in the world from there,” said six-time Crucible finalist White.
“The way they have done it here, inviting the whole tour, getting local players the chance to see the top players and practise in the academy. The venue is fantastic and everybody is really happy. There is huge prize money so you are always going to get top players here. The way they have built this venue for the tournament shows how serious they are.”
A clash between two teenagers saw England’s Stan Moody whitewash Saudi 14-year-old wildcard Ziyad Alqabbani 4-0.
Contributions of 103 and 98 helped 17-year-old Moody to victory and he now faces familiar foe Liam Pullen. The pair grew up battling it out in the junior ranks and Moody defeated Pullen in the final of the 2023 WSF Junior Championship to turn professional.
Hungarian 17-year-old Bulcsu Revesz prevailed 4-2 against Ukrainian 18-year-old Iulian Boiko.
Revesz is making his debut season on the World Snooker Tour after winning the WSF Junior Championship earlier this year. The first ever professional from Hungary got over the line with a 67 in the decisive frame and now faces Mark Davis.
Polish rookie Antoni Kowalski defeated Habib Sabah 4-1, while Andrew Pagett beat Wang Yuchen 4-2.