Here is the (short) report by WST on what happened on the fourth and last day of the 2025 Scottish Open Qualifiers:
BetVictor Scottish Open Qualifiers Day Four
Liam Pullen scored a 4-0 whitewash win over Daniel Wells to earn his place in the final stages of the BetVictor Scottish Open.
The 20-year-old Yorkshireman is in a rich vein of form, having made a maiden quarter-final at the recent Xi’an Grand Prix, where today’s opponent Wells was a beaten semi-finalist.
Breaks of 72, 50 and 72 helped Pullen to a comfortable win today. He now progresses to the final stages, which take place in Edinburgh from Monday December 15th.
Quickfire Thai Thepchaiya Un-Nooh scored a 4-1 win over compatriot Chatchapong Nasa. He averaged just 17.1 seconds a shot in a win where he top scored with a stunning run of 144.
Robbie Williams beat Women’s World Champion Bai Yulu 4-0, while Poland’s Antoni Kowalski qualified with a 4-2 win over David Lilley.
And, as always, a lot of interesting results have been “overlooked” by the guy or gall in charge of reporting for WST.
Luca Brecel didn’t show up, giving Steven Hallworth the first win of the day. No explanation has been given so far. Steven won’t care and his fans didn’t complain too much … 😉.
Chang Bingyu whitewashed Xu Si in style: he produced a break over 50 in every frame.
As mentioned by WST Robbie Williams whitewashed Bai Yulu. What they didn’t mention is that Bai actually scored the only break over 50 in that match…
Ishpreet Sing Chada beat Dylan Emery by 4-3 in a quite extraordinary match. Dylan lead by 3-0. He had scored breaks of 73, 67 and 70 by that point, and had another 58 break in frame 4, a frame he lost by 60-58. Ishpreet also got a 58 break in that pivotal frame, and then went on to win the three remaining frames without any big break. Dylan may have felt that he was the better player out there, he was certainly the heaviest scorer but a big break wins you only one frame…
Antoni Kowalski beat David Lilley by 4-2, with break of 64, 66 and 52, as mentioned by WST. This is a very good result for Antoni because David is the kind of hard match player who usually causes problems to the young ones who are not used to that type of match.
Wang Yuchen also got a good result: he beat the experienced Ricky Walden by 4-3. Ricky made two centuries in that match, 112 and 113, in frames 3 and 6. All the other frames were closely contested. Wang’s only break of note was a 67 in frame 5.
Stan Mood and He Guoqiang won the two last matches on the day, both by 4-1. He’s opponent was Alex Ursenbacher who had a 81 break in the only frame he won but other than scored only 25 points in the four frames he lost.
Women’s World Champion Bai Yulu scored a fine 4-0 win over India’s Kreishh Gurbaxani to make it to the second stage of BetVictor Scottish Open qualifying.
Victory sees China’s Bai rack up her third match win of the current campaign. She now faces Robbie Williams for a place in the final stages, having top scored with a run of 81 in today’s decisive frame.
Liam Pullen continued his good form with a 4-1 defeat of Farakh Ajaib. Yorkshire’s Pullen made the first quarter-final of his professional career at the last week’s Xi’an Grand Prix. There were no signs of jet lag today, as he fired in breaks of 54 and 82 en route to the win. Next up is Xi’an Grand Prix semi-finalist Daniel Wells.
Swiss number one Alexander Ursenbacher was a 4-1 victor against Hungary’s Bulcsu Revesz and now plays He Guoqiang.
It was a good day for the Hong Kong players as both Wang Yuchen and Cheung Ka Wai progressed. Wang had an easy task against Jonas Luz who scored only 17 points all match. I’m not sure it makes actual sense to give a tour card right away to players like Jonas who come from an area where snooker isn’t very developed yet. They stand no chance in the cut-throat competition on tour. It would be much better if they were offered a year of free scholarship in the UK and a spot on the Q-Tour before accessing the main tour. Of course, it would come at a cost. It’s called investing into the future.
Scotland’s Anthony McGill maintained his good form with a 4-1 win over Liam Davies to qualify for the BetVictor Scottish Open.
McGill enjoyed a return to form at the recent British Open, where he made the final before just falling short 10-7 against Shaun Murphy. Breaks of 85, 54, 89 and 79 helped him to ease to victory today and make it to his home event.
Sam Craigie continued his return from injury with a 4-1 win over former Crucible quarter-finalist Jamie Jones to make the final stages.
Newcastle’s Craigie spent the entirety of last season out with a neck injury, which he admitted could have ended his career. Now the 32-year-old is determined to make up for lost time. He top scored with 87 in today’s defeat of Jones.
Ben Mertens prevailed 4-2 in an all-Belgian clash with Julien Leclercq. Mertens top scored with 91 in this afternoon’s victory.
World number 38 Ben Woollaston made a break of 91 in the deciding frame to score a 4-3 defeat of Liam Highfield and earn his place in Edinburgh, while Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh crafted runs of 60, 54 and 62 to beat former Welsh Open winner Jordan Brown 4-1.
There were a few surprises yesterday, and heartbreaks too …
Iran’s Amir Sarkosh defeated Jordan Brown by 4-1. I’m not sure many expected that although, having watched Amir on a few occasions previously, it doesn’t surprise me that much. He’s a very capable player, is Amir.
Nineteen years old Artemijs Zizins beat Jimmy Roberson by 4-2 in a hard fought and relatively low scoring encounter. The only “flamboyance” in that match came from Zizins beautiful red hair… The highest break was a 73 by Zizins in frame 3, whilst Robertson had two breaks of 62, the second one coming in the last frame that he went on to lose on the colours… Zizins is only 19 years old but showed a lot of maturity in that match.
The match between the Belgian boys was another hard fought affair. They both can play and score much better, but what’s at stake in those qualifiers weight the players down. Ben seems to deal with that better than Julien. Julien is supremely talented but it only comes out fully when he’s able to play purely on instinct. The Shootout suited him because there was no time to overthink or ponder on what happened before in the match.
The qualifiers for the 2025 Scottish Open started yesterday with round one matches. The round two involving those who went through yesterday will be played today. Finally WST figured out something more practical for the players… Anyway, here is the report on yesterday’s action as shared by WST:
BetVictor Scottish Open Qualifiers Day One
Belgium’s Julien Leclercq produced a stunning display to brush aside Germany’s Umut Dikme 4-0 and progress in BetVictor Scottish Open qualifying.
Victory sets up a fascinating clash with compatriot Ben Mertens on Wednesday for a place in the final stages.
Leclercq is yet to make it beyond the second round of any event this season, but showcased his considerable talent this afternoon. Breaks of 104, 122, 74 and 68 helped him to coast to the whitewash in just 59 minutes.
Liam Highfield top scored with 131 during a 4-0 demolition of Polish 14-year-old Michal Szubarczyk. Englishman Highfield also crafted further contributions of 56, 50 and 52. He now faces Ben Woollaston for a spot in the final stages.
Sam Craigie continued his return after a year out through injury with a 4-1 win over Florian Nuessle. Craigie top scored with 136 and now faces Jamie Jones.
Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko made breaks of 67, 75 and 73 in a 4-1 win over the legendary Jimmy White. Next up he plays Robert Milkins.
Haydon Pinhey scored a 4-0 win over women’s world number one Mink Nutcharut, while Jiang Jun defeated 12-time Women’s World Champion Reanne Evans 4-0.
I was very pleased to see Julien play that well. He’s had a long lean spell … It’s a shame that he has to face Ben Mertens today.
Iulian Boiko played well but Jimmy was very poor. It was painful to watch. Still, I’m not one of those who will say that he should retire because he’s only a shadow of the player he was. He has brought a lot to the fans and the game, so, as long as he owns a tour card and wishes to play, he should carry on. He deserves that much.
Looking t the qualifiers draw, it seems that three of the top 32 didn’t enter the event. Ronnie is probably one of them.
Mark Williams leads Shaun Murphy 7-1 after the first session of the Xi’an Grand Prix final in China. The contest resumes at 7.30pm local time (12.30pm BST) with first to ten frames to lift the trophy and bank the £177,000 first prize.
Murphy came into the final at the top of his game having won his last 13 consecutive matches, and fired nine centuries so far during this event, including three over 130 during his semi-final defeat of Gary Wilson. Williams, by contrast, insisted after beating Daniel Wells in the semis that his game had been “pretty poor” for most of this week and he felt he could be “trampled” in the final. But in fact the veteran Welshman has controlled today’s contest so far and is just three frames away from the title.
Williams took the opening frame with a break of 75, then came from 44-12 down to take the second with a run of 73. Then next two followed a similar pattern as Murphy had frame-winning opportunities but couldn’t convert, and Williams took advantage with clearances of 56 in the third and 68 in the fourth for 4-0.
After the interval, Murphy got one on the board with a run of 69, but Williams got the better of a scrappy sixth for 5-1 then dominated the last two of the session with runs of 59, 55 and 127 to extend his advantage.
At the age of 50 years and 206 days, Williams is aiming to become the oldest winner of a ranking event, a record currently held by Ray Reardon who was 50 years and 14 days when he landed the 1982 Professional Players Tournament. Welshman Williams could also become the first player to win a title in every decade from his teens through to his 50s.
The three-time World Champion is playing in the 44th ranking final of his 33-year career and aiming for a 27th title, which would leave him just one behind Steve Davis in sixth place on the all-time list. He will remain world number five if he loses today while victory would move him above Ronnie O’Sullivan into fourth spot.
Murphy is playing in his 28th ranking final and looking for a 14th title, which would leave him just one behind Ding Junhui, in tenth place on the all-time list. Having won the Unibet British Open in Cheltenham 15 days ago, Murphy could become the first winner of consecutive ranking titles since Judd Trump took three in a row in October 2023. The 43-year-old Englishman would be the 14th player in snooker history to win back-to-back ranking crowns.
Currently 12th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, Murphy will move to ninth if he loses today’s final and seventh if he wins.
Murphy has won ten of their 17 previous meetings, notably a 10-9 success in the final of the 2019 China Championship. He’ll need to win nine of the last 11 frames tonight to repeat that scoreline.
Mark Williams became the oldest ever winner of a ranking event as he thrashed Shaun Murphy 10-3 in the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix in China.
An unexpectedly one-sided final saw Murphy, the form player having won 13 consecutive matches, completely outplayed as Williams made two centuries and eight more breaks over 50 in a superb display.
Back in 1982, Ray Reardon won the Professional Players Tournament 14 days after his 50th birthday to become the oldest ranking event champion, and this record stood for 43 years. Williams – a close friend of fellow Welshman Reardon who passed away last year – has now set a new record at the age of 50 years and 206 days.
The left-hander from Cwm becomes the first player to win a title in every decade from his teens through to his 50s. He now has 27 ranking titles, in sixth place on his own on the all-time list, one ahead of Neil Robertson and one behind Steve Davis.
Most Career Ranking Titles
All-Time Top Ten
Ronnie O’Sullivan 41 Stephen Hendry 36 John Higgins 33 Judd Trump 30 Steve Davis 28 Mark Williams 27 Neil Robertson 26 Mark Selby 24 Ding Junhui 15 Shaun Murphy 13
Though he may not be as dedicated to practice as he once was, Williams remains a fierce competitor on the baize, renowned for his cool temperament. He was runner-up at the World Championship last season, beaten in the final by Zhao Xintong, but has regularly picked up silverware in recent years, notably at the Tour Championship and Champion of Champions in 2024. Now he has another huge title to his name and the £177,000 top prize moves him above Ronnie O’Sullivan to fourth place in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings.
Murphy had hoped to win back-to-back ranking titles for the first time in his career, having won the Unibet British Open 15 days ago, and he looked at the top of his game in beating the likes of Kyren Wilson, Ding Junhui and Gary Wilson to reach the final. But the 43-year-old Englishman was unable to convert chances into frame-winning breaks in the first session today and fell too far behind to mount a fight-back. He has now lost 15 of his 28 ranking finals, though the £76,000 runner-up prize lifts him from 12th in the world to ninth and comes with the bonus of a place in next month’s Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
Williams led 7-1 after the first session having made breaks of 75, 73, 56, 68, 59, 55 and 127. He started the second session in the same fashion with a run of 122, before Murphy briefly rallied by taking frame ten and then adding the 11th with a break of 93 for 8-3.
But Williams took the next with a run of 65, and when Murphy missed a tricky red with the rest on 15 early in frame 13, his opponent responded with 61. Williams soon got back in with an extra 22 to cross the winning line.
“I played really well from the first frame to the last,” said Williams, who won his first pro title at the Masters qualifying event in 1994 at the age of 19, and his first ranking title at the 1996 Welsh Open.
“I don’t think I missed more than a couple of easy balls all day. I put pressure on Shaun and he missed a couple of times from 50 in front, I made some good clearances and kept the pressure on. I think I made more frame-winning breaks today than I did in the whole tournament.
“I try my absolute hardest when I’m out there, trying to win every game. Of course I care, I want to win. But if I lose I don’t care, that’s no moaning or dwelling on it. If you beat yourself up when you lose, then you will struggle in this game. If more players took the same attitude they might see a bit of improvement.
“It’s amazing that I am still winning tournaments, I don’t know how I’m doing it because I am not practising enough to really compete in the later stages of tournaments. I try to play as much as I can while I’m at venues. And you have to scrape me off the table until the last ball is potted. Somehow the three of us in the Class of ’92 (along with John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan) are still going.“
Murphy said: “Congratulations to Mark, he’s a wonderful player and an all-time great, and today he played like one. He was very tough and the better man on the day. I missed a few shots and he punished me. His safety was good and his tactics were strong. I hate to lose, it’s very painful. I tried my best and that’s all I can ask. The fans were great, it was a great atmosphere, I’m just sorry I couldn’t do better.“
Nothing to add really. Mark Williams was amazing from start to finish and absolutely deserved the win.
Shaun Murphy remained on target to win back-to-back ranking titles as he made three centuries in a 6-4 defeat of Gary Wilson to set up a final clash with Mark Williams at the Xi’an Grand Prix in China.
…
A match of outstanding quality included four breaks over 130 plus a further four over 70 within the ten frames, but Murphy proved unstoppable as he came from 3-1 down to take five of the last six.
Having won the Unibet British Open in Cheltenham 14 days ago, Murphy could become the first winner of consecutive ranking titles since Judd Trump took three in a row in October 2023. The Magician will meet Williams over 19 frames on Monday, with the trophy and £177,000 top prize on the line.
World number 12 Murphy briefly dropped out of the top 16 earlier this season but has responded to the setback with a dramatic return to form. The 43-year-old is set for his 28th ranking final and will be looking for a 14th title which would leave him just one behind Ding Junhui on the all time list. It would also continue his record of winning each of his ranking titles on one occasion only.
Today’s result has already come with a huge bonus for Murphy as his run to the final this week has earned him a place in next month’s Riyadh Season Snooker Championship at the expense of Mark Selby.
A run of 91 gave Murphy the opening frame before Wilson responded to take three in a row with top breaks of 81 and 139. After the interval, Murphy stormed back with 81, 131 and 140 to go 4-3 ahead, then crucially he took a tight eighth frame on the colours. World number 17 Wilson, whose run this week will take him back into the elite top 16, pulled one back with a 74, but Murphy finished in style with a 141 total clearance.
“I felt I hadn’t done that much wrong at 3-1 down,” said Murphy, who has won his last 13 consecutive matches. “Gary played very well all the way through. In frame five he broke off and forced me to go for a long red, I potted it and won the next three frames. I had a bit of luck at the right times, on another day I could have easily lost that match. The eighth frame I knew was really important. As I have got older and got more maturity in my game you sense those moments. I haven’t always had that awareness to stick a ‘Mark Selby’ or ‘John Higgins’ frame in there. I have been a bit slow to the party but I am learning.
“This vein of form won’t last forever but I am enjoying it. I played well in Brentwood, played well in Cheltenham and I was delighted to lift the trophy. Here this week I’ve got another chance. But I have got one of the best of all time in my way and he will give me nothing. We have had some great matches over the years and I am sure tomorrow will be no different.“
Asked about earning a place at the event in Riyadh, where a $1 million bonus will be on offer for making a ‘super maximum’ of 167 by potting the unique gold ball, Murphy added: “I am really pleased to get myself back into the top ten and to qualify for that event. What an achievement it will be for whoever makes the first 167.”
Mark Williams is just one win away from becoming the oldest ever ranking event winner as he came from 3-2 down to beat Daniel Wells 6-3 and reach the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix in China.
Williams will meet Shaun Murphy or Gary Wilson in the final on Monday with a top prize of £177,000 up for grabs. As it stands the oldest ranking event winner is Ray Reardon who was 50 years and 14 days when he landed the 1982 Professional Players Tournament, but Williams could extend that record to 50 years and 206 days. He could also become the first player to win a title in every decade from his teens through to his 50s.
The three-time World Champion will be playing in the 44th ranking final of his 33-year career and aiming for a 27th title, which would leave him just one behind Steve Davis on the all-time list. Runner-up to Zhao Xintong at the Crucible last season, Williams remains a strong contender for titles and is into his first final of the new campaign.
An all-Welsh battle saw world number 47 Wells contesting his fourth ranking event semi-final, and he is still yet to reach a final. After sharing the first four frames, Wells edged ahead by potting the final blue and pink to take the fifth. Williams won a scrappy sixth for 3-3, at which point the highest break of the match was just 42.
World number five Williams finally found some rhythm as a superb run of 129 gave him the lead, and a 53 in the next helped make it 5-3. In frame nine, Williams led by 33 points with just the colours left, then Wells got the snookers he needed on the yellow. But Williams later laid two tough snookers on the brown and when Wells missed the second, he offered the handshake.
“Most of my games this week have been the same, pretty poor,” admitted Williams. “I scraped over the line again, I’m glad to win. Apart from the one century break, it was tough out there. I might have looked calm but you wouldn’t want to know the names I was calling myself in my head. I struggled all match, I just stuck in there. Honestly, I don’t know how I am in the final. Can I do it once more? Probably not, I would have to play a lot better otherwise I’ll get trampled on. I will try my best.
“I have played some unbelievable matches this season and lost 5-4 or 5-3. In this tournament I haven’t looked like making breaks but I’m in the final. I’ll take winning like this over playing out of my skin and losing.
“I suppose if I take that record as the oldest winner, Ronnie or John Higgins will beat it in a few months time. It’s just nice to be in a final, and to win a tournament would be great. At the start of this week if you had offered me the quarter-finals I would have bitten your hand off, so for the final I would have bitten your whole body off“.
I don’t really have anything to add about the matches.
The Final today will be contested between two players with a combined age of 93. Snooker at the top nowadays is definitely not exactly a “young man’s game”, despite the fact that we do have some very good youngsters on the tour. But those “darn oldies” refuse to go away!
The conditions in Xi’An have been problematic all week. WST will probably say that the number of centuries and high breaks say otherwise, but what we have seen and the reactions of the commentators witnessing the outcome of some shots do tell a different story. It’s a shame for the players, but it probably can’t be helped.
Normally, the monsoon season should be over by now and the conditions should be dryer but it seems that the snooker gods have decided otherwise. Indeed, this is the weather forecast for this week in Xi’An …
Ronnie O'Sullivan 