The 2024 Scottish Open started yesterday. It’s usually the last event before the Christmas break, but not this time. There are some noticeable “absentees” missing from the draw. It was already announced last week that Judd Trump and Mark Williams had withdrawn from the event, and yesterday it was announced that Ronnie had withdrawn as well. David Gilbert has withdrawn as well although WST wasn’t bothered to make an announcement on their site for this one. Because the top 32 is seeded in the last 64 round, these players can’t be replaced.

Regarding Ronnie it doesn’t come as a big surprise although I had hoped that maybe he might play this week because he was seen practicing in the background whilst on commentary duties for Eurosport at the UK championship and Victoria had shared pictures of him practicing in her academy over the week-end. But then, of course, there is the big invitational event in Riyadh coming and he’s defending champion there as well as their special ambassador. Anyway…

Here is the report by WST on what happened in Meadowbank yesterday:

BETVICTOR SCOTTISH OPEN DAY ONE

Home hero John Higgins got off to a winning start at the BetVictor Scottish Open in Edinburgh, beating Ian Burns 4-2 to set up a last 32 clash with in form Barry Hawkins.

The four-time World Champion is still aiming to get his name on the Stephen Hendry Trophy, having come close in the tournament’s eight-year history. He’s a two-time runner-up, after losses to Marco Fu in 2016 and Luca Brecel in 2021. Last year, Higgins lost out to Noppon Saengkham in the semis. 

Despite a fine break of 130 from Burns, it was Higgins who took three of the first four to lead 3-1. A dramatic fifth saw Burns keep his hopes alive by stealing on the black, but a break of 45 from Higgins in the sixth got him over the line and secured victory. 

“It is always special playing in front of your own fans. I’m sure all of the Scottish boys will tell you that. There was a good crowd out there today and I’m delighted. I’m sure it will be the same for the next game,” said 31-time ranking event winner Higgins. 

“Barry is on the crest of a wave. He came so close to winning the UK Championship. He played great there. It is a tough last 32 game. That is just the way our sport is now. It is really tough.“

Hawkins continued his red hot form with a 4-2 defeat of Swiss number one Alexander Ursenbacher. 

The Englishman beat the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Shaun Murphy on his way to the recent Victorian Plumbing UK Championship final. However, he was pipped 10-8 in a thrilling title match by Judd Trump. 

This afternoon saw Hawkins top score with 130, as he registered a 94% pot success rate on his way to victory and a mouth watering encounter with Higgins. 

Aside from Higgins, the Scottish contingent struggled on day one. Scott Donaldson was whitewashed 4-0 by world number 16 Chris Wakelin, while Ali Carter defeated Graeme Dott 4-2 and Ryan Day ousted Anthony McGill 4-1. 

Back-to-back defending champion Gary Wilson’s two-year reign came to an end after a 4-2 loss against China’s Long Zehuang. The Tyneside cueman captured his maiden ranking crown with a win over Joe O’Connor in the 2022 final and beat Noppon Saengkham in last year’s title match.

World number five Mark Allen hit his stride in the latter stages of a 4-1 win over He Guoqiang. Runs of 104 and 99 helped him to take the last two frames and wrap up victory. Afterwards he admitted he had to abandon technical changes he’d been working on to get himself over the line. 

Allen said: “It was awful, I felt really on edge with what I’ve been trying to work on. I just gave up on it out there if I’m honest. I’m not comfortable enough with it on the practice table yet. I reverted to playing a bit faster and thankfully the balls went in. That’s no guarantee it is going to work next time.”

Stuart Bingham fired in breaks of 81, 98 and 70 in a 4-0 win over Jimmy Robertson, while Zhang Anda beat Stan Moody 4-3. 

All the detailed results are available on snooker.org

Once again a number of matches have been overlooked by WST, notably those involving two non British players … business as usual, he?

In the evening, I watched the Wu Yize v Farakh Ajaib match. Farakh is a dangerous player on his day and Wu struggled in the first frame. Of course, he went deep into the shoot-out (semi-finals) and although he played only three frames on Saturday, he was probably a bit tired. Concentrating that noisy and rowdy environment can’t be easy. Wu won by 4-1 eventually.

In the afternoon, I had watched Joe O’Connor v Lyu Haotian. Neither played well for the first two frames. After that however Joe was impressive: Lyu only potted one ball in the last three frames, whilst Joe had breaks of 76, 59 and 123.

No mention either in the above report of one of the best performances on the day. In the battle of the Joneses: Jak Jones, the Crucible runner-up, beat Jamie Jones by 4-1, scoring breaks of 55, 101 and 98 in the process. Jamie had a 51 in the only frame he won. You would think that, after his run at the Crucible last May, Jak would get more attention … but no.

My “round 1 random predictions didn’t go too well… 29 correct out of 64, 45% … and “winner” out … gah! That coin was bad!

So here goes for round 2 … “toss of the coin” predicted winners in bold … with a different coin.

1. Graeme Dott v Robert Milkins – Robert Milkins
2. Iulian Boiko v Florian Nüßle – Florian Nüßle
3. Bulcsù Révész v Fan Zhengyi – Fan Zhengyi
4. Artemijs Zizins v Ashley Carty – Ashley Carty
5. Zhang Anda v Bai Yulu – Zhang Anda
6. Antoni Kowalski v Riley Powell- Antoni Kowalski
7. Gong Chenzhi v Huang Jiahao – Huang Jiahao
8. Hossein Vafaei v Andrew Higginson – Andrew Higginson
9. Wu Yize v Matthew Stevens – Wu Yize
10. Ryan Day v Dylan Emery – Dylan Emery
11. David Lilley v Noppon Saengkham – Noppon Saengkham
12. Anthony Mc Gill v Duane Jones – Duane Jones
13. He Guoqiang v Liam Graham – Liam Graham
14. Ishpreet Singh Chadha v Jamie Jones – Jamie Jones
15. Neil Robertson v Jackson Page – Neil Robertson
16. Mark Allen v Si Jiahui – Si Jiahui
17. Shaun Murphy v David Gilbert – David Gilbert
18. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh v Aaron Hill – Aaron Hill
19. Liam Pullen v Zak Surety – Liam Pullen
20. Gary Wilson v Liam Davies – Liam Davies
21. Elliott Slessor v Mark Joyce – Elliot Slessor
22. Alfie Burden v Robbie Williams – Robbie Williams
23. Kreishh Gurbaxani v Xu Si – Kreishh Gurbaxani
24. Xiao Guodong v Martin O’Donnell – Martin O’Donnell
25. Joe O’Connor v Allan Taylor – Allan Taylor
26. Long Zehuang – Vladislav Gradinari – Vlagislav Gradinari
27. Haydon Pinhey v Gerard Greene – Haydon Pinhey
28. Tom Ford v Paul Deaville – Tom Ford
29. Ma Hailong v Lewis Ullah – Ma Hailong
30. Zhou Yuelong v Louis Heathcote – Zhou Yuelong
31. Ali Carter v Lyu Haotian – Ali Carter
32. Mark Selby v Jak Jones – Mark Selby

Winner “blindly” picked by hubby: Shaun Murphy – NOT!

Now some thoughts on round 1 …

The crowd so far has not been that great in number and was generally rather subdued. It only became a bit more animated yesterday evening. Of course these first two days were “week” days and a lot of people are working during the day and need to work on the next day as well. Therefore late night and heavy drinking may not be “wise” and that may explain the above observations.

There were initially 23 amateurs in the draw, only 9 remain and 5 of them have been pros before. Even in this format experience of main tour conditions matters.

Players seem to either hate this event or love it. Very few of the ones interviewed had a neutral opinion.

Among those who loved the experience was Bai Yulu who, again, impressed. WST reported some of what she had to say after the match:

…

“I just tried to stay as focused as possible when taking each shot,” said the reigning World Women’s Champion. “It’s tough with the atmosphere and the crowd, but I aimed to stay serious. I wasn’t fixated on winning, I just wanted to enjoy the experience. I noticed that Jamie was a bit shaky, just like me. In this atmosphere, nerves are inevitable. It’s all about who can handle the pressure better. 

“I was watching the matches yesterday, seeing the other Chinese players compete. It made me eager to play because the vibe here is so joyful – it’s irresistible. We talked about keeping a faster rhythm and treating the match as fun – don’t overthink it. Taking it too seriously can actually make you more nervous. “

…

I hope that Bai can inspire more girls and women to play with confidence, knowing that women CAN beat men at snooker. Mandy Fisher felt the need to build a women’s tour as a “safe” place for girls and women to play. The very fact that she felt a “safe place” was needed, and is still needed, is because, in many countries, including the UK, the “macho” mentally is still very present in sports clubs, and in society in general. You only need to read the comments section when matches involving women are streamed on Facebook to understand exactly what I mean.

I have decided to publish some predictions about the shoot-out. To make sure they are as random as the event, I tossed a coin for each match and highlighted the player on the right if heads came out, the player on the left otherwise. To chose the champion, I then asked the Hubby to chose a number between 1 and 64 and picked the “winner” of that first round match.

1. Ross Muir v Mark Allen – Mark Allen
2. Hossein Vafaei v Julien Leclercq – Hossein Vafaei
3. Jiang Jun v Antoni Kowalski – Antoni Kowalsi
4. Lyu Haotian v Tian Pengfei – Lyu Haotian
5. Robert Milkins v Joe Shannon – Robert Milkins
6. Louis Heathcote v Ahmed Elsayed – Louis Heathcote
7. Jonas Luz v Paul Deaville – Paul Deaville
8. David Gilbert v David Grace – David Gilbert
9. Matthew Selt v Ryan Day – Ryan Day
10. Dean Young v Florian Nuessle – Florian Nuessle
11. Fan Zhengyi v Wang Yuchen – Fan Zhengyi
12. Daniel Boyes v Wu Yize – Wu Yize
13. Anthony McGill v Sophie Nix – Anthony McGill
14. Joel Connolly v Aaron Hill – Aaron Hill
15. Joe Perry v Gong Chenzhi – Gong Chanzhi
16. Reanne Evans v Gary Wilson – Gary Wilson
17. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh v Jimmy White – Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
18. Zhou Yuelong v Andrew Pagett – Zhou Yuelong
19. Pang Junxu v Zak Surety – Zak Surety
20. Haris Tahir v David Lilley – David Lilley
21. Jordan Brown v Si Jiahui – Si Jiahui
22. Ka Wai Cheung v Andrew Higginson – Andrew Higginson
23. Huang Jiahao v Hammad Miah – Huang Jihao
24. Xiao Guodong v Anthony Hamilton – Xiao Guodong
25. Matthew Stevens v Yuan Sijun – Matthew Stevens
26. Daniel Womersley v Long Zehuang – Long Zehuang
27. Chris Totten v Duane Jones – Duane Jones
28. Ian Burns v Ma Hailong – Ma Hailon
29. Joe O’Connor v Sanderson Lam – Joe O’ Connor
30. Haydon Pinhey v Mitchell Mann – Haydon Pinhey
31. Noppon Saengkham v Liu Hongyu – Noppon Saengkham
32. Ashley Carty v Kayden Bierley – Ashley Carty
33. Mark Selby v Baipat Siripaporn – MarkS elby
34. Stan Moody v Riley Powell – Riley Powell
35. Lewis Ullah v Steven Wardropper – Lewis Ullah
36. Jackson Page v Manasawin Phetmalaikul – Jackson Page
37. Mink Nutcharut v Liam Graham – Liam Graham
38. Zhang Anda v Hatem Yassen– Zhang Anda
39. Sion Stuart v Martin O’Donnell – Martin O’Donnell
40. Alfie Burden v Ben Woollaston – Alfie Burden
41. Graeme Dott v Ben Mertens – Graeme Dott
42. Yulu Bai v Jamie Clarke – Bai Yulu
43. Vladislav Gradinari v Daniel Wells – Vladislav Gradinari
44. Tom Ford v Xing Zihao – Tom Fotd
45. Robbie Williams v Michael Holt – Robbie Williams
46. Bulcsu Revesz v Farakh Ajaib – Bulcsu Revesz
47. Jimmy Robertson v Liam Pullen – Liam Pullen
48. Sean O’Sullivan v Shaun Murphy – Shaun Murphy
49. Neil Robertson v Simon Blackwell – Neil Robertson
50. Oliver Lines v Allan Taylor – Allan Taylor
51. Stuart Carrington v Dylan Emery – Dylan Emery
52. Mark Davis v Liam Davies – Liam Davies
53. Iulian Boiko v Jack Lisowski – Iulian Boiko
54. Ishpreet Singh Chadha v Amir Sarkhosh – Ishpreet Singh Chadha
55. Mark Joyce v Joshua Thomond – Mark Joyce
56. Gerard Greene v Robbie McGuigan – Gerard Greene
57. He Guoqiang v Stuart Bingham – He Guoqiang
58. Jamie Jones v Rory Thor – Jamie Jones
59. Anton Kazakov v Artemijs Zizins – Artemijs Zizins
60. Kreishh Gurbaxani v Lei Peifan – Kreishh Gurbaxani
61. Mostafa Dorgham v Elliot Slessor – Elliot Slessor
62. Alexander Ursenbacher v Xu Si – Alexander Ursenbacher
63. Joshua Cooper v Jak Jones – Jak Jones
64. Ali Carter v Chris Wakelin – Ali Carter

The overall winner will be Josuah Cooper – NOT

Now lets see how smart the coin and hubby combo proves to be… 😉

The annual Shoot-out circus starts tomorrow with no more than some news to report on today.

Judd Trump has withdrawn from the 2024 Scottish Open (source WST)

Judd Trump has pulled out of this month’s BetVictor Scottish Open in Edinburgh.

Trump was due to face Ishpreet Singh Chadha in the last 64 on Monday December 9th – instead Singh Chadha receives a bye to the last 32.

The tournament at the Meadowbank Sports centre runs from December 9-15. 

No great surprise here. Judd has certainly earned that right. He’s played and won a lot already this season. That he would want some rest and time for himself and those dear to him is completely understandable.

The rankings have been updated after the 2024 UK Championship and the line-up for the 2024 Riyadh invitational event is now set as is the draw for the 2025 Masters.

JOHNSTONE’S PAINT WORLD RANKINGS UPDATE: LINE-UPS CONFIRMED FOR LONDON AND RIYADH

The line up is now confirmed for two massive upcoming invitation events: this month’s Riyadh Season Snooker Championship and January’s Johnstone’s Paint Masters.

Following the conclusion of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship in York, the top ten in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings have earned a place in Saudi Arabia for the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, to run from December 18-20. Barry Hawkins could have jumped into the top ten with victory in York, but defeat in the final meant that Zhang Anda held on to tenth spot. The ten players through to Boulevard City in Riyadh are:

Judd Trump
Kyren Wilson
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Mark Selby
Mark Allen 
Mark Williams
Luca Brecel
Shaun Murphy
Ding Junhui
Zhang Anda

The draw and format for that event will be announced soon.

On the same list, the top 16 have booked a place in the Johnstone’s Paint Masters, to run from January 12-19 at Alexandra Palace in London. They are (in seeding order): 

1 Ronnie O’Sullivan
2 Kyren Wilson
3 Judd Trump
4 Mark Selby
5 Mark Allen 
6 Mark Williams
7 Luca Brecel
8 Shaun Murphy
9 Ding Junhui
10 Zhang Anda
11 Gary Wilson
12 Ali Carter
13 Barry Hawkins
14 Si Jiahui
15 John Higgins
16 Chris Wakelin

China’s Si and England’s Wakelin will both make their debut in the historic event which will celebrate its 50th birthday having first been staged in 1975. The draw and schedule have been announced – for details click here. 

Judd Trump took the top prize of £250,000 in York, beating Barry Hawkins 10-8 in the final. That extends Trump’s lead at the top of the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings to a huge £658,200 over Kyren Wilson. Trump becomes the first player to earn over £1 million in prize money in a single season before Christmas. 

Hawkins banked £100,000 as runner-up and jumps from 20th to 13th, a timely burst into the elite top 16. Michael Holt won six matches to reach the quarter-finals and he’s up 17 places to 81st. Bai Yulu’s fine run in the qualifying rounds boosts her eight spots to 112th. 

The updated two-year list will be used to determine seedings for the German Masters and World Open. 

On the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year List, Trump extends his lead at the top having earned £940,200 this season from ranking events alone. Hawkins climbs from 22nd to ninth, while losing semi-finalist Mark Allen is up from 23rd to 12th. 

As usual, the top 32 will qualify for the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong, then the top 16 will head to the Players Championship in Telford and the top 12 will progress to the Tour Championship in Manchester. There are just four counting events to go (9Club Shoot Out, BetVictor Scottish Open, German Masters and BetVictor Welsh Open) in the race to Hong Kong. Yuan Sijun is currently ‘on the bubble’ in 32nd with £58,000.

Trump made 11 centuries in York to raise his hopes of becoming the first player to reach 100 centuries this season and earn a £100,000 bonus. He heads the 2024/25 century breaks tally with 46, ahead of Kyren Wilson on 32.

…