The Tour Championship appears to have found a new permanent home in Manchester with sell-out crowds turning out to support the celebrated 12-player event in the city’s first experience of hosting a major tournament.
“This is an amazing venue – backstage is great, the arena and crowds are great,” said O’Sullivan, who is chasing a sixth major title of the season and a 42nd ranking victory of his golden 32-year career.
The world No. 1 will meet Mark Allen or Mark Williams in the best-of-19 frame final on Sunday with a £150,000 top prize on the line.
Allen has won the Champion of Champions, Shoot Out and Players Championship this season, and is provisionally ranked as world No. 1 for next season ahead of the World Championship in Sheffield later this month (20 April-May 6).
He has already completed impressive wins over John Higgins (10-7) and Ding Junhui (10-8) with three-time world champion Williams enjoying victories over Tom Ford (10-9) and Judd Trump (10-4) in his run to the last four.
But Allen has his own thoughts on the restyled event that has increased from the top eight on the one-year ranking list to 12 for the first time since it was first staged by Llandudno five years ago when O’Sullivan was victorious in Wales.
As part of the Players Series, the World Grand Prix involves the top 32 on the one-year list, with the Players Championship moving to 16 and the Tour event traditionally reduced to a final eight and a one-table set-up like the Masters at Alexandra Palace.
“They shouldn’t have changed it from eight,” said 2020 Tour runner-up Allen after his win over Higgins in the first round.
“You work your way down from 32 to 16. They should have kept it at eight with a one-table set-up from the first round. That’s the way it should have been.
“I was only going to say that if I won the match because it would obviously have sounded like sour grapes. They spoiled a really good event, and one we all look forward to.”
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