Snooker star made Ronnie O'Sullivan deal with his son but is left disappointed

A snooker player was left feeling like he had let down his son after failing to set up a meeting with at the Crucible. Ben Woollaston bowed out of the on Monday, losing 13-10 to Si Jiahui in the second round. It was a laborious affair, with many frames lasting over 30 minutes as both players struggled to hit their stride.

There were plenty of nerves on display throughout the match but it was Si who emerged victorious. He won three successive frames at the end of the contest to pull ahead of Woollaston and claim his place in the quarter-finals. He is likely to face Ronnie O'Sullivan, who is just one frame away from beating Pang Junxu, in the last eight.

Woollaston was visibly downbeat after the match and explained that he had made a promise to his son, Edward, that would go unfulfilled.

Edward, 12, was absent from the Crucible on Monday because of school but was looking forward to returning later on if Woollaston had made it through and beaten O'Sullivan in the quarters.

"I really wanted to win that match," said Woollaston. "He's gone back to school today and I said he could come and watch if I won against Ronnie, so that's quite disappointing."

Edward stayed up late to watch his father secure a career-best win over Mark Selby in the first round over the weekend. He was joined by his mother, Tatiana, who is one of snooker's leading referees.

"It's amazing for Edward," Woollaston told . "I don't know how he did it. To watch five hours one night and five hours the next night, he didn't miss one shot [and] stayed in there during the interval. It's amazing that he did it."

Woollaston's first-round victory might have cost Edward some extra pocket money, having drawn Selby in a sweepstake at his local snooker club with a £100 prize up for grabs.

Tatiana, meanwhile, is not allowed to referee her husband's matches due to the conflict of interest that would potentially exist. She made her debut at the World Snooker Championship in 2020 and has been working at this year's tournament.

The couple met in 2011, when Woollaston was making a name for himself in the professional ranks. Tatiana recalled: "I had never heard of him. When we met he was 70 or 80 in the world. I think it improved him a lot and has given him motivation."