Ronnie O'Sullivan returns to the table at the Champion of Champions in Leicester today, Wednesday, 11 November, when he meets Shaun Murphy in a best-of-seven-frame match starting at 1pm.

The winner will play the winner of the afternoon's other match, between Wu Yize and Chang Bingyu, in the group final at 7pm. The group winner will go through to the semi-finals on Friday and Saturday, with the best-of-19-frame final played on Sunday, 15 November.

O'Sullivan is bidding for a record-extending fifth win at the Champion of Champions. He has won the invitational event four times, more than any other player, and qualified this year by winning the World Seniors Championship in May, beating Joe Perry 10-4 in the final at the Crucible.

A repeat of the 2017 final

The match is a repeat of the 2017 Champion of Champions final, which Murphy won 10-8 to lift the trophy. Murphy also reached the World Championship final at the Crucible in May this year, losing 18-17 to Wu Yize in a deciding frame.

O'Sullivan has lost his last three matches and has not claimed a ranking title since the World Grand Prix in 2024, but he remains the most successful player in the history of this event. Murphy, the 2017 champion, qualified through his run to the world final.

The group is one of the toughest in the tournament. Wu Yize is the reigning world champion, while Chang Bingyu recently won the Wuhan Open, so neither man will be an easy opponent for the winner of the opening match.

Class of '92 record on the line

There is more at stake than O'Sullivan's own record. Since he became the youngest winner of a ranking tournament at the age of 17, with victory over Stephen Hendry in the 1993 UK Championship final, a calendar year has not passed without O'Sullivan, John Higgins or Mark Williams lifting a major trophy.

With Higgins and Williams failing to qualify for the Champion of Champions, O'Sullivan is the only member of the celebrated Class of '92 in the field. The Champion of Champions, the UK Championship, the Shoot Out and the Scottish Open are the final chances for that run to continue in 2026.

"If I can get a little run of tournaments, it is quite good for me," O'Sullivan said on TNT Sports at the Northern Ireland Open. "I'm in the Champion of Champions, the 900s before the UK and the UK Championship as well." Sources: TNT Sports and Paddy Power News.