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Neil Robertson Beats Ronnie O'Sullivan to Win the Saudi Masters, His 26th Ranking Title

The plant-based Australian takes a deciding frame in Jeddah and a record £500,000 check

August 16, 2025

Neil Robertson has beaten Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-9 in a deciding frame to win the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Jeddah on Saturday, August 16, 2025. It is the 26th ranking title of his career and comes with a record winner's check of £500,000.

The Australian led 6-2 after the first session and went five frames clear with a break of 97. O'Sullivan, who had made two 147s in his semi-final win over Chris Wakelin, then roared back with breaks of 139, 97, 89, 50 and 87, and took the lead for the first time at 9-8. Robertson replied with a century of 101 to force a decider and finished the job with an 87, as SnookerHQ reports.

The 43-year-old had beaten Elliot Slessor 6-3 in the semi-finals, telling TNT Sports that this is "the biggest tournament we have until the World Championship". The ranking points take him back to number three in the world, and he now sits level with Mark Williams in joint-sixth on the all-time list of ranking event winners.

Asked where the win ranks, he went further than anyone expected:

"I think it surpasses the World Championship."
"I've had to answer a lot of questions, like can I beat Ronnie in a final of this magnitude? To beat him here with so much on the line, it's definitely my best win."

Robertson moved to a 100% plant-based diet in late 2014, after months of talking it over with fellow pro Peter Ebdon. He won the UK Championship the following year, his first ranking title after the switch. He has never been keen on calling himself vegan, partly because he couldn't find vegan snooker shoes, but the motivation was simple. "I felt I needed to eat healthier to give myself the chance to get the most out of my career," he told Great Vegan Athletes. He added that it made him "feel like a better person for the change and knowing we can get everything we need on a plant based diet."

We've followed Robertson's plant-powered run for years, from the day he thrashed Jack Lisowski 11-4 to win the China Open to his second Champion of Champions title. In 2022 he won the Masters for the second time, and now he has his biggest payday yet.