Ricky Walden taken to hospital and forced to pull out of German Masters on medical ground

England’s Ricky Walden has pulled out of the German Masters after being taken to hospital. The snooker player was due to play Barry Hawkins for a place in the quarter finals but has been forced to withdraw from the competition on medical grounds.

Confirming the 42-year-old would not be appearing at the Tempodrom, a brief statement from World Snooker Tour said: “Ricky Walden has withdrawn from the ongoing Machineseeker German Masters on medical grounds.”

Eurosport commentator and tournament MC Rolf Kalb posted his on his X account saying: “Bad news: Ricky Walden had to be taken to hospital last night and was therefore forced to withdraw from the #GermanMasters.”

Following wins in Berlin over Ryan Day and Dylan Emery, it is bad timing for Walden as has not been to a quarter-final since the 2023 Northern Ireland Open and would have been hoping to make it through to the final eight this time around. The three-time ranking event winner also picked up wins against the likes of Xiao Guodong, Zhou Yuelong, Dave Gilbert, Noppon Saengkham and Joe O’Connor at last week’s Championship League.

However, it’s good news for his opponent, Hawkins, who will now be heading straight through to play either Wu Yize or Alexander Ursenbacher in the quarter finals

Walden, from Chester, turned professional in 2000, It took him eight years to win his first ranking title at the Shanghai Masters and has since won the 2012 Wuxi Classic and the 2014 International Championship as well as being inside the top 16 in the season-ending rankings on four occasions.

The former world Top 6 player, Walden has reached the televised stages of the World Snooker Championship on nine occasions as of 2023, with his best result being a semi-finalist in 2013. The nature of his medical issue has not been confirmed.