Barry Hearn would welcome talks with Ronnie O'Sullivan

The World Snooker chairman was on the receiving end of an O'Sullivan diatribe early in the tournament, with the 41-year-old accusing him of bullying and intimidation.

O'Sullivan was distressed to receive a letter from snooker disciplinary authorities after he criticised a referee and swore at a photographer during January's Masters, which he won, and took out his frustrations on the media in a series of bizarre interviews.

Hearn said the behaviour was "embarrassing", and that was the trigger for O'Sullivan to launch a verbal attack on the veteran promoter, who was once his manager.

It was followed by a swift rebuke and emphatic denial from Hearn, who raised the matter himself while on a visit to the Crucible on Wednesday, saying players must respect the terms in their contracts regarding behaviour.

When asked about O'Sullivan, who lost to Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals, Hearn said: "I've had no contact at all. I wouldn't have contact with a player during the World Championship anyway because I think it's unfair.

"My door is always open (to O'Sullivan)."

Of the bullying claims, Hearn said: "That's not good. It's not good for me or my international reputation. I'm a major player in the world of sport and I don't allow anyone to say that.

"I've made my point that it's not acceptable. There's no silliness going on here, I want to move on, but if anyone has a problem, whether it's Ronnie or anyone else ... personally I don't see anything at all in there that's not what I'd expect from a major sport."

Hearn also announced a second-tier Challenge Tour would be launched for the 2018-19 campaign, to include leading amateurs and offer two main-tour cards to its top performers.

China is set to stage its biggest tournament yet, Hearn said, with two events to be announced shortly.

Hearn said: "One in particular will be at a super-substantial level, and that will create the first real global major coming out of China."