But before looking at those stages … Ding surely can be excused for, maybe, not being fully focused on his snooker this week. Indeed, his first child, a little girl, was born on Wednesday!

Pictures shared on weibo

Congratulations to the Ding family and all the best to the little one!

The last 16 stage saw both Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson depart, at the hand of Noppon Saengkham and Jack Lisowski respectively. Both matches ended in a long scrappy decider. Noppon could have won by 5-2, Mark needed a snooker in frame 7, but in typical Selbiesque fashion he got it and went on to force a deciding frame. I watched only the decider, it wasn’t pretty! However Noppon wasn’t to be denied, and Mark honestly stated that he wasn’t playing well enough to win. Jack was 3-0 down, despite making two breaks over 50 in those three frames whilst Kyren had none, but then found another gear and proved to be the better player.

Marco Fu put up a remarkable performance, beating Robert Milkins in double-quick time, by 5-2, with 6 breaks over 50, including 2 centuries and two other breaks over 90.

Here are the results of the QF stage:

Marco Fu wasn’t able to repeat his last 16 performance and bowed out to a very solid David Gilbert. Barry Hawkins v Gary Wilson was a good match with both playing well. Jack went 3-0 up Mark Williams, with breaks of 60, 82 and 100, in about half an hour and then lost his way … allowing Williams, who was far from perfect, to win 5 on the trot. I can’t comment on the last match, having seen none of it.

Today will see Barry Hawkins take on David Gilbert, and I expect a close affair, whilst Mark Williams will face Noppon Saengkham. If Mark wins, which I expect, he will overtake Ronnie as n°2 in the rankings. Not that it matters much as Mark Williams himself explained

“All the players know that the best player in the world is Ronnie O’Sullivan, and the only reason he isn’t number one is that he doesn’t play in a lot of tournaments. It makes virtually no difference now what your ranking is, because in most tournaments everyone starts in the same round. To be world number one might sound nice but it means nothing now.”

This was posted on weibo today. Jason Ferguson and Ronnie attended the launch press conference of the 2018 Shanghai Masters. Apparently there will be quite a number of innovations, all intended at promoting the sport in China.

Here is the article (automatic translation by Chrome)

New system, new look and feel – World Snooker Shanghai Masters “Gorgeous Turn”

World Taiwan Federation_World_Snooker 

Author: World Snooker

Posted on 2018-08-03 19:15:55

The September Snooker feast in Shanghai has become a habit for fans. On August 3, the press conference of the 2018 World Snooker Shanghai Masters and the National Amateur Snooker Masters was held at Shanghai Regal International East Asia Hotel, which means that the Shanghai Masters will be hit again in the new year. The difference is that this year’s event will adopt a new system and a new model, bringing a new look to thousands of fans and striving to reach new heights. The Shanghai Masters “Gorgeous Turn” also excited the contestants. Today’s most popular player Ronnie O’Sullivan also came to the conference to interact with the fans and build momentum for the Shanghai Masters. The National Amateur Snooker Masters, which was the “outpost” of the Shanghai Masters, was officially launched on the same day.

Fu Zhesheng, President of the World Professional Snooker Association, Zhang Xingmin, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Sports Bureau, Liu Chunsheng, Deputy Secretary General of the China Billiards Association, Yang Guohao, Director of the Shanghai Sports Federation Secretariat, Weng Weimin, General Manager of Wuxing Sports Media Co., Ltd., Shanghai Jiushi Sports The deputy general manager of Industrial Development (Group) Co., Ltd. and Yang Yibin, general manager of Shanghai Jiushi International Event Management Co., Ltd. attended the conference.

World Federation of Taiwan’s President Jason Ferguson (Fozawa)

At the press conference, with the enthusiastic attention of guests, fans and the media, the long-awaited 2018 National Amateur Snooker Masters Ceremony ushered in the opening ceremony. Fu Zhesheng, President of the World Professional Snooker Association, Zhang Xingmin, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Sports Bureau, Liu Chunsheng, Deputy Secretary General of the China Billiards Association, Yang Guohao, Director of the Shanghai Sports Federation Secretariat, Weng Weimin, General Manager of Wuxing Sports Media Co., Ltd., Shanghai Jiushi Sports Yang Yibin, deputy general manager of Industrial Development (Group) Co., Ltd. and general manager of Shanghai Jiushi International Event Management Co., Ltd., went to the table to jointly launch the 2018 National Amateur Snooker Masters.

Shanghai Masters “New”

The 2018 World Snooker Shanghai Masters is scheduled to be held at Shanghai Regal International East Asia Hotel from September 10th to 16th. The event was hosted by the World Professional Snooker Association, China Billiards Association, Shanghai Sports Association, Shanghai Xuhui District People’s Government, Shanghai Jiushi Sports Industry Development (Group) Co., Ltd., Shanghai Jiujiu

Shanghai International Events Management Co., Ltd. and Wuxing Sports Media Co., Ltd. are the organizers of Shanghai International Events Management Co., Ltd.

2018 Snooker Shanghai Masters

The new system, new model, new concept, the “new” word of the 2018 Shanghai Masters. This 11-year-old event will no longer be a ranking game this year, but will be presented in the form of a more prize-winning invitational tournament. Twenty-four players will participate in the event, and they will perform their peak matchup in September. They are ranked by the top 16 players in the world and the top four Chinese players in the world (if they are in the top 16 rankings), 2 Recommended by the China Billiards Association and two national amateur masters. This year’s event prizes are also very rich, with a total prize money of £725,000 and growing year by year. The 2018 World Snooker Shanghai Masters will focus on the development of Chinese professional snooker and the promotion of the Snooker movement.

Folk masters compete in the race

The 2018 National Amateur Snooker Masters is a very important part of this event. It gives the folk masters the opportunity to compete in the race and help the development of the Chinese folk snooker movement.

As the “outpost” of the 2018 World Snooker Shanghai Masters, this year’s National Amateur Snooker Masters will be officially opened on August 4th at the Shanghai 80,000 hit pool.

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2018 National Amateur Snooker Masters Opening Ceremony

The 2018 National Amateur Snooker Masters is a simple and not simple system. The four cities of Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Xi’an will be used as races. Each station will produce four players to participate in the September 8th. In the finals of the National Amateur Snooker Masters in Shanghai, in the end, the champions and runners will be qualified for the Shanghai Masters.

The folk masters, grassroots heroes, and the scenes of the gatherings of the United Kingdom will undoubtedly increase the intensity of the game to a great level. The development of China’s billiards movement is inseparable from the world’s integration. In addition to the hard road of “remaining the ocean”, the holding of this amateur masters also provides an “exclusive channel” for local players to participate in international competitions at their doorsteps. For the folk masters who entered the Shanghai Masters Tournament, this is only the beginning.

O’Sullivan and Mark Williams serve as “star instructors”

The star tutor system is a highlight of this year’s national amateur snooker masters. After the 8th National Amateur Snooker Masters Championship on September 8th, the players can choose the mentor who wants to partner according to the rankings, and receive the tutor’s guidance. The champion has the right of choice.

The organizing committee hopes to share their professional experience and guide the amateur players through the masters, so that they can prepare for the 2018 World Snooker Shanghai Masters Competition in a more professional way. Good development guidelines. Ronnie O’Sullivan and New World Championship champion Mark Williams have confirmed that they will be “star instructors.”

O’Sullivan, one of the mentor, also appeared at the press conference and instantly ignited the enthusiasm of the audience. O’Sullivan had a brief interaction with two lucky amateur representatives on the spot and had a snooker racing show with them. After the exhibition, O’Sullivan also kindly presented amateur player representatives and lucky fans to represent the signature posters of the amateur and master games, and took a group photo. While another instructor, Mark Williams, did not come to the scene, he recorded a video of the special message for the National Amateur Snooker Masters, which was also broadcast live.

Ronnie O’Sullivan appeared at the conference

In addition, a unique interactive program “Next Station, Master” will also be held on September 9th. This is a live-action star tutor show jointly offered by professional athletes and folk players. Mentor O’Sullivan and Mark Williams will be teamed up with 4 amateur players (including the 2018 National Amateur Snooker Masters), and the two will perform a 5v5 exhibition, which will surely become the Masters this year. One of the highlights. Under the concept of new competition system and new perception, the master walks into the folk, the next master, perhaps you.

Snooker tickets start sales

High-value bonuses, high-level competitions, and the new world-class Snooker Shanghai Masters will make a more beneficial contribution to the popularization of Chinese billiards with its unique perspective and unique game mode. Create a classic model of Chinese snooker events.

At present, the World Snooker Shanghai Masters Tickets have been officially opened for sale. You can purchase tickets for the event online at the official ticketing website of the event, http://www.jusstickets.com, or call 021-962123 to purchase tickets. In September, let us join the Shanghai Regal International East Asia Hotel to share this feast of Snooker.

Fan friends can also pay attention to the official WeChat, Weibo platform “Snook Shanghai Masters”, or visit the official website of the event: http://www.snookershanghai.com for more information.

And here is WPBSA post about it all

The Race to Shanghai

3rd August 2018

 

An ever-present fixture on the World Snooker Tour since Dominic Dale first lifted the trophy back in 2007, the Shanghai Masters will once again return this year from 10-16 September.

But this year it will be with a twist, following the announcement by World Snooker last November that the 2018 edition will see the tournament become the richest invitational event in snooker’s history.

This follows the signing of a new five-year agreement reached between World Snooker, promoter Juss Sports and the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA), under which the total prize fund will continue to rise year-on-year from £725,000 this year to £825,000 in 2022.

Earlier today both WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson and two-time Shanghai winner Ronnie O’Sullivan were in China to formally launch the 2018 event. For the first time, the tournament will also include four players who will qualify via the new Shanghai Amateur Masters competition.

But how will the rest of the field be made up?

Players

The event will comprise 24 players, to include defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, reigning world champion Mark Williams and the next 14 players on the official prize money ranking list following August’s World Open.

Ryan Day currently holds on to the final qualifying spot in 16th position, with Hong Kong’s Marco Fu currently his closest challenger some £16,212 behind.

View the latest Race to Shanghai

They will be joined by the top four ranked Chinese players not already included within the top 16, of which Fu would not be included and so he must earn a top 16 spot to qualify.

The remaining four places will be taken by players who will qualify via the new Shanghai Amateur Masters competition.

Format

The top eight seeded players will be kept apart in the draw and seeded straight through to the last 16, with those seeded 9-24 to meet in the opening round.

Matches up to and including the quarter-finals will be played over the best of 11 frames, semi-finals best of 19 and the final best of 21 frames.

China’s ‘new Masters’

WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: “The Shanghai Masters has earned its place in snooker history as an elite event and becoming the new Masters event for China is the obvious next step.

“Interest in snooker continues to grow across China and we are proud to be associated with such a renowned organiser as Juss Sports. We can safely say that this long-term relationship with them and the CBSA will year on year deliver a fantastic tournament for everyone involved.”

So as it stands currently the four additional Chinese playes would be Liang Wenbo, Yan Bingtao, Xiao Guodong and Zhou Yuelong