Thailand’s Mink Nutcharut hit back from 1-3 down to defeat world champion Bai Yulu 4-3 in a thrilling finale at the WSF Women’s Championship in Saïdia, Morocco.
Victory for the 25-year-old represents her second world ranking title win following her win at the Australian Women’s Open last October and continues a remarkable streak that has now see Mink lift the first title of the calendar year during each of the previous four years (2022-2025).
The title is her ninth world ranking event win overall, which sees her join an illustrious list of the top 10 most successful players of all-time on the World Women’s Snooker Tour, alongside Reanne Evans, Allison Fisher, Kelly Fisher, Karen Corr, Stacey Hillyard, Ng On Yee and Maria Catalano, equalling the tally of both Lynette Horburgh and Mandy Fisher.
For beaten finalist Bai, the 21-year-old can take the consolation of a new career-high world ranking position of number three, as she moves above England’s Reanne Evans for the first time. The Chinese star has now reached six finals from her eight tournaents contested to date, winning three.
Following a week of snooker in Saïdia the final came down to a repeat of last season’s World Championship final, which had seen Bai claim a memorable triumph 6-5 on the final pink.
The reigning world champion player made the stronger start in their latest encounter as she hit breaks of 49, 41 and 32 on her way to a 2-0 lead, before the next two frames were shared as Bai moved to within one of claiming her second trophy of the season following victory at the UK Championship.
World number one Mink had other ideas, however, as she produced her highest break of the match with a run of 65 to reduce her arrears to one frame, before she added the next to force a seventh and deciding-frame.
Both players had opportunities but it was Mink who took an early lead with a run of 36, before a nerveless long pot on the brown, followed by blue and pink ultimately proved to be enough to avenge her defeat in Dongguan Changping last March.
Mink also hit the highest break of the event with her run of 80 during the round robin group stages, eclipsing the maximum attempt of Bai which ended on 73 during her quarter-final win against Narucha Phoemphul.
CHALLENGE CUP
The Challenge Cup tournament for players who did not reach the quarter-finals was won by Hind Bennani of Morocco, who defeated Yasmine Eythrib 2-0 to lift her first WWS Tour title.
Bennai, who has previously competed at the UK Championship and Belgian Open tournanents, did not drop a frame as she saw off Soukaina Alouane, former African Games winner Yousra Matine and finally Eythrib on Wednesday to lift the trophy.
World Women’s Snooker would like to thank everyone who contributed to a historic first-ever world ranking tournament in Africa, including the World Snooker Federation, Morocco Snooker and the spectacular Radisson Blu venue
Leone Crowley defeated Kaylan Patel 5-0 in the final of the 2025 WSF Junior Championship to earn the title and a two-year World Snooker Tour (WST) tour card.
Crowley, from Cork, came through an international field of 57 cueists from 22 countries to win the biggest title of his career to date.
The 18-year-old makes history as the first ever player from the Republic of Ireland to win the prestigious title and earns professional status for the first time in his career.
He made an impressive start to the tournament by topping his group with a clean sweep of victories and just two frames dropped en route to the knockout stages.
This fine form continued as Crowley, who regularly practises at Mark Allen’s snooker camp in Belfast, whitewashed Scotland’s Ayaan Iqbal before showing his battling qualities to overcome Poland’s Michal Szubarczyk in a deciding frame having trailed 3-2.
His place in the title match was secured by overcoming Amaan Iqbal 4-1 in a hard fought contest that last for almost four hours on Wednesday evening.
There he faced England’s Patel, who was aiming to become only the second Englishman after Stan Moody to lift the WSF Junior Championship crown.
Following a trio of group stage victories, Patel had defeated fellow countryman Adam Abbas (4-1) and O’Shay Scott (4-1) to reach the last eight.
He looked certain of a semi-final place when he stormed into a 3-0 lead over Riley Powell, but the Welshman rallied to win three frames in a row and force a decider. Patel, however, held his nerve in the final frame to compile a break of 50 before earning his final place with an impressive 4-0 defeat of the highly-rated Zhou Jinhao from China.
Unfortunately for Patel, he was unable to repeat this form in the title match and Crowley raced into a 4-0 lead at the mid-session interval in relatively comfortable fashion despite not compiling a half-century break.
Crowley kept his cool after the break and took the fifth and decisive frame by a scoreline of 73-24 to complete the biggest victory of his life.
“I feel very good. I have been playing the game for the last ten years and I’ve put a lot of hard work into this so I am just happy to have made my Dad proud and myself too. My family back home were all watching it so I want to thank them for all the support” said Crowley.
“I 100% believed that this was possible – if you don’t believe then you’re not going to achieve your goals. I was feeling good coming into the game. It was scrappy but there was some good safety play and I felt confident when I was in front that I would get over the line eventually.”
Looking ahead to the next two years, Crowley said: “I want to gain experience and hopefully I can stay on the tour. I don’t want to say too much but hopefully, after those two years, I will stay on – that’s the goal. My hero is Judd Trump, so I would like to play him.”
The WSF Open Championship takes place on 24 January – 1 February and can be watched live on the WPBSA YouTube channel and WSF Facebook page.
Congratulations to the Winners!
I’m happy that Crowley won rather than Patel simply because I believe that 16 is far too young to be on Tour. It’s such a competitive and brutal environment and I don’t think that many 16 years old are psychologically and emotionally equipped to deal with the pressure it generates and the demands of professional sports.
World number one Judd Trump made a trio of centuries as he beat Joe O’Connor 3-0 in the final of Group Six of BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational to secure a place in next month’s Winners’ Group.
Trump will join Hossein Vafaei, Si Jiahui, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Matthew Selt and one more player in the Winner’s Group in February when the title and a place in the 2025 Champion of Champions will be at stake.
O’Connor finished top of the group phase with six wins out of six, then edged out Noppon Saengkham 3-2 in the semi-finals. Trump won four of his six group games before beating David Gilbert 3-1 in the semis. Breaks of 113, 103 and 101 saw Trump dominate the final.
Having made 16 centuries in two groups this week, Trump has moved his tally for 2024/25 to 65, raising his hopes of making 100 tons in the season. The first player to achieve that will earn a £100,000 bonus. Jak Jones, meanwhile, has made an incredible 32 centuries in this event, extending his record for the most tons made in a single tournament. And he’ll look to add to that tally in Group Seven.
Jack Lisowski became the second player in as many days to miss the final black when he had the chance to make a 147. His break came in the opening frame of his group match against Jones, and Lisowski ran out of position from pink to black then failed to pot a near-impossible thin cut to a top corner. O’Connor had also missed the black on 140 on Wednesday.
Jones, O’Connor, Gilbert and Saengkham advance to Group Seven on Friday and Saturday, where they will join Xiao Guodong, Zhou Yuelong and Ricky Walden.
2025 German Masters – Withdrawals galore
O’SULLIVAN, DING, HE AND DALE WITHDRAW FROM MACHINESEEKER GERMAN MASTERS
Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from next week’s Machineseeker German Masters due to medical reasons.
O’Sullivan was due to play Dylan Emery in his opening match. Emery will now receive a bye to the last 32.
Ding Junhui has also pulled out of the event. He was due to face Ross Muir, who receives a bye to the last 32.
He Guoqiang has withdrawn for medical reasons. He was due to face Ali Carter, who receives a bye to the last 32.
Dominic Dale has pulled out. He was due to face Tom Ford, who receives a bye to the last 32.
The event runs from January 27th to February 2nd at the Tempodrom in Berlin.
It’s a real shame for the event, the only one remaining played in mainland Europe. I’ surprised by Dale withdrawal as WST had recently posted a piece where Dominic explained how he was looking forward to the event. No reason has been given for his withdrawal, nor for Ding’s withdrawal.
As always when Ronnie withdraws, some fans doubts his motives. But Ronnie has now withdrawn from the exhibition he was due to play in Finland with John Higgins…. and that’s a serious concern. Clearly something is not right and all I can wish is for him to get better soon and sort out whatever needs to be sorted in his life, if that is the underlying problem.
Ronnie ‘mental health’ issues are more to do with form. He knows he is a spent force. HE is embarrassed to perform under par and withdraws. I predict he will withdraw from 2025 WC just to create a stir. This years World Champion will be tainted because Ronnie didn’t play. watch this space
Ronnie had mental health issues since he was in his early twenties. He’s been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That’s a fact and his poor form is more likely to be the result of his mental struggles than the other way around. David Hendon, who knows him very well, has written multiple times about it. He MAY withdraw from the World championship if he feels unable to perform or unable to sustain the pressure of it for a possible 17 days BUT it will NOT be “just to create a stir”. That’s preposterous, that’s not the person he is and I write this having got to know him personally as well. I’m not sure if your comment is ignorant or hateful or both … I could have deleted it before anyone read it. I chose not to.
you can delete my post if you wish Monique, it was too strong. I am a massive Ronnie fan and been ‘lucky’ to have watched Ronnie twice in last twelve months. On the other hand my friend twice bought tickets for his whole family to see Ronnie and both times Ronnie withdrew. I think my post reflected my friend’s disappointment. We all wish Ronnie well.
I will not delete it. I understand your friend’s disappointment. Of course I do and I do not have a “right answer” for such a situation. Some fifteen to ten years ago I was a regular in the media room at WST events. I also went to exhibitions with Ronnie. I have seen him in very dark places, I have seen cry after matches he had won. You don’t want to wish this to anyone and he has got so many expectations put on him, for so long … for over 30 years now. As I wrote above there is no “right” or “easy” answer to the situation. Fans want to watch him, pay for it. He has his own struggles, he has done everything in the game and had to cope with huge, often unrealistic, expectations for nearly 33 years now. It’s just what it is.
For me, I’m 100% sure that his private life is not right. But it’s his private life too. I hope he can sorts it out soon and see a happy Ronnie asap.
I agree. What I meant is that sometimes your private life is affected by things you have no power to change, things like illness or demise of a loved one for instance.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
Ronnie ‘mental health’ issues are more to do with form. He knows he is a spent force. HE is embarrassed to perform under par and withdraws. I predict he will withdraw from 2025 WC just to create a stir. This years World Champion will be tainted because Ronnie didn’t play. watch this space
Ronnie had mental health issues since he was in his early twenties. He’s been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That’s a fact and his poor form is more likely to be the result of his mental struggles than the other way around. David Hendon, who knows him very well, has written multiple times about it. He MAY withdraw from the World championship if he feels unable to perform or unable to sustain the pressure of it for a possible 17 days BUT it will NOT be “just to create a stir”. That’s preposterous, that’s not the person he is and I write this having got to know him personally as well. I’m not sure if your comment is ignorant or hateful or both … I could have deleted it before anyone read it. I chose not to.
you can delete my post if you wish Monique, it was too strong. I am a massive Ronnie fan and been ‘lucky’ to have watched Ronnie twice in last twelve months. On the other hand my friend twice bought tickets for his whole family to see Ronnie and both times Ronnie withdrew. I think my post reflected my friend’s disappointment. We all wish Ronnie well.
I will not delete it. I understand your friend’s disappointment. Of course I do and I do not have a “right answer” for such a situation. Some fifteen to ten years ago I was a regular in the media room at WST events. I also went to exhibitions with Ronnie. I have seen him in very dark places, I have seen cry after matches he had won. You don’t want to wish this to anyone and he has got so many expectations put on him, for so long … for over 30 years now. As I wrote above there is no “right” or “easy” answer to the situation. Fans want to watch him, pay for it. He has his own struggles, he has done everything in the game and had to cope with huge, often unrealistic, expectations for nearly 33 years now. It’s just what it is.
For me, I’m 100% sure that his private life is not right. But it’s his private life too. I hope he can sorts it out soon and see a happy Ronnie asap.
I agree. What I meant is that sometimes your private life is affected by things you have no power to change, things like illness or demise of a loved one for instance.