Ronnie O’Sullivan to face little-known giant slayer in Saudi Arabia Masters as Luca Brecel also learns fate

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has been handed a tricky tie for his first match in the inaugural Saudi Arabia Masters.

The Rocket will be taking on little-known giant slayer Lei Peifan in the fifth round of the tournament.

Getty

Ronnie O’Sullivan will be taking on a little-known giant killer in the Saudi Arabia Masters[/caption]

Alamy

O’Sullivan faces 21-year-old potter Lei Peifan in the fifth round of the tournament[/caption]

O’Sullivan is preparing for his first match-up after getting a bye through to the fifth round as one of the top 16 seeded stars in the tournament.

And he’ll take on Peifan, who is ranked some 99 places below the veteran in 103rd spot.

What would normally look like a routine win for O’Sullivan could be causing him some unwelcome nerves after seeing what Peifan has already managed in the early stages of the Saudi tournament.

The Chinese potter, 21, has already toppled three stars well above him in the rankings – including a fourth round win over world No29 Joe O’Connor to book his heavyweight clash with O’Sullivan.

Peifan’s other notable victories came against the world No60 and No37.

Elsewhere, Luca Brecel has learned his fate as all of snooker’s top stars chase the mega prize pot on offer in the Middle East.

Brecel will take on world No28 Pang Junxu who booked his spot in the last 32 with a win over Brit Matthew Selt.

Other decided ties include Kyren Wilson vs Liu Hyongyu and Mark Williams vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.

Getty

Luca Brecel has learned his fate for the fifth round[/caption]

PA

Brecel will take on Pang Junxu[/caption]

BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS

The fifth round is set to get underway on Tuesday with players edging towards Saturday’s final to battle it out for one of snooker‘s biggest ever prize pots.

A total purse of £2.3MILLION will see Saturday’s winner pocket a whopping £500,000 – double what O’Sullivan earned for being crowned king of the Riyadh Season World Masters Snooker event.

While the runner-up will still make a cool £200,000 and those heading into the semi-finals will earn £100,000 each too.

On top of that, any player pulling off a 147 break will also add another £50,000 to their bank account.