Tomorrow’s final at the 2026 China Open will be competed between Mark Selby and Noppon Saengkham. As of today, Mark has competed in 38 ranking finals, winning 25 of them. Noppon, on the other hand, has reached a ranking final only once before, at the 2023 Scottish Open, where he lost by 9-5 against Gary Wilson. The difference in experience between them is huge … a chasm actually. Needless to say, Mark is a huge favourite. But Noppon has shown so much heart and determination this week … Noppon you can do this!
Anyway … here are the reports by WST on the semi-finals
Noppon Saengkham made a magnificent total clearance in the deciding frame as he moved closer to a first ranking title by beating Zhou Yuelong 6-5 in the semi-finals of the China Open.
Thailand’s 34-year-old Saengkham is enjoying the best week of a pro career which started in 2010 as he knocked out all-time greats Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Shaun Murphy then kept his run going today by edging out China’s Zhou in a fierce battle. With the help of coach Peter Ebdon, Saengkham has found new belief and confidence, and his attacking style has paid dividends.
The world number 45 will face the biggest match of his life on Sunday when he takes on Mark Selby or Stuart Bingham, with first to ten frames to lift the trophy and bank the £250,000 top prize. Saengkham has reached just one ranking final before, at the 2023 Scottish Open when he was runner-up to Gary Wilson. He is already sure of £100,000, by far his biggest pay-day, and will leap 18 places to 27th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings if he loses the final, and could go as high as 17th if he wins.
Saengkham started strongly with breaks of 44 and 43 to take the opening frame, then compiled a run of 86 for 2-0. Zhou fought back by taking the third with breaks of 49 and 56, then he got the better of a scrappy fourth for 2-2. Frame five came down to a battle on the last red and Zhou was unlucky to go in-off into a centre pocket attempting safety, handing his opponent the chance to convert the red from distance and clear to regain the lead. In the sixth, Zhou led 51-8 when he under-cut a tricky red to a top corner, playing with the long rest, and again Saengkham punished him with a 56 clearance for 4-2.
A fragmented seventh went Zhou’s way, then in frame eight Saengkham trailed 26-19 when he knocked in a long red to set up a break of 56 for 5-3. A run of 99 from Zhou halved his deficit, then Saengkham had a match-winning chance in the tenth but ran out of position on 32 and had to watch his opponent make 74 for 5-5. Early in the decider, Saengkham stroked in a superb long red, then crashed into the pack off the black to open up the reds, and never looked out of position in a fantastic break of 134.
“Last night I couldn’t sleep, I went to sleep at 6am and woke up at 10am. I was thinking about everything,” said Saengkham, who won the world under-21 title in 2009. “At 5-5 I still believed I could do it, I just wanted one chance. From 5-3 I didn’t make many mistakes. I told myself that if I had one chance I had to go for it. You need a big heart if you want to win big.
“This is one of the biggest tournaments and it’s my first time to earn £100,000, or even £250,000 – it’s very big for me. Maybe it will buy a house in the UK. Hopefully tomorrow can be my day, it’s a big dream for me. I will need to make a good start because I will be nervous, I will have to control myself. If I play Mark Selby it’s a dream because he is my hero. But Stuart Bingham would also not be an easy game.“
Zhou, who is left waiting for a first ranking title, said: “I didn’t play particularly well at the start, and there were a lot of mistakes from both of us. When you keep making mistakes, it’s difficult to find your rhythm and really get into the match. He produced a century break at the end, which was not easy, and I hope he can go on to achieve a good result. Overall, he has performed extremely well in this tournament, and beating world champions one after another has given him a lot of confidence. These days, any player in the world’s top 32 is capable of beating anyone, it just depends on how consistent you are during the tournament.Â
“The form and level of all the Chinese players is very high at the moment, and everyone is competitive. It’s a little disappointing that there won’t be a Chinese player in the final this time, but everyone is improving and we can look forward to seeing how they perform in the upcoming events. When I was behind in this match, I didn’t panic. I never gave up and kept trying to play every shot as well as I could. That was important for me.“
Mark Selby reached his first ranking final in China for eight years as he beat Stuart Bingham 6-2 to set up a clash with Noppon Saengkham at the China Open in Taiyuan.Â
Selby is on the brink of becoming the first player to win the China Open on four occasions as he previously lifted the trophy in 2015, 2017 and 2018 and is currently tied with Mark Williams on three titles apiece. On Sunday he’ll take on underdog Saengkham, the world number 45, over a possible 19 frames with the silverware and £250,000 top prize at stake. The contrast in experience is underlined by the fact that Saengkham will be aiming for a first ranking title while Selby will be looking for a 26th, which would bring him level with Neil Robertson in seventh place on the all-time list.
Showing signs of the form which won him four world titles in his prime years between 2014 and 2021, Selby has conceded just seven frames in four matches this week to reach the final. The 43-year-old Englishman remains on target for a first ranking title since the UK Championship last December and he’s into a 39th ranking final – his first in the Far East since winning the 2018 China Championship.
Currently ranked ninth, Selby will move up to seventh if he loses the final and fifth if he wins, while victory would also bring him into the race for the world number one spot after the Wuhan Open.
Selby took the opening frame with breaks of 41 and 34 before Bingham levelled with a 130 – doubling his tally of centuries for the tournament. A run of 74 saw Selby regain the lead and he had a scoring chance in the next but ran out of position on 14 and Bingham took it with 36 and 42 for 2-2.
After the interval, Selby regained the lead with a 102, his fourth century of the tournament, then in frame six Bingham trailed 46-22 when he went for a risky plant on a red to corner and missed the target, gifting his opponent the chance to go 4-2 ahead. Selby got the better of a fragmented seventh frame to extend his advantage, and clinched the result on the next with a break of 72.
“I played ok tonight, not as good as yesterday but I didn’t do a lot wrong,” said Selby. “Stuart looked good up until 2-2, then after that the bits of run didn’t go his way. I seem to be punishing my opponent’s mistakes and you need to do that to compete for tournaments. I have hit the ball well and felt good on the practice table all week, and trusted myself out there.
“Noppon is in the final for a reason, he’s playing very well and he’s beaten Judd, Ronnie, Shaun Murphy and Zhou Yuelong. It will be tough. I played him the World Championship in 2020 and beat him 13-12 – he played unbelievably well over three sessions so I am expecting something similar to that. I’ll give it my all as I do in every match. It’s great to be back in a final here in China.“
Bingham, who had hoped to win a first title since the 2020 Masters, said: “I am disappointed but I didn’t take my chances and you have to do that against Mark. I enjoyed it and tried to play with a smile on my face but a few shots here and there didn’t go my way. I’ll take the positives from getting to the semi-finals but I wasn’t good enough tonight.“
None of the “class of 92” are still in the draw. Actually, from that famous trio, Ronnie was the only one to win a match at the venue. Noppon who beat him in round 2, had eliminated Judd Trump in round 1. And now, he’s beaten Shaun Murphy, another former World Champion to get to the semi-finals. That’s how “bad” a player he is … right, Santino? Some fans should understand how good all the players in the top 32, even in the top 48, are nowadays.
Neil Robertson is the defending champion. He has won the last edition before this one… back in 2019 ! He did beat Jack Lisowski by 11-7 in the final that year. The 2020 edition was canceled because of COVID. It’s only been “revived” this season. Neil will face Mark Selby today in the QF round.
Zhang Anda and Zhou Yuelong are the only two Chinese players still in the draw. Wu Yize, the reigning World Champion, was beaten in round two by David Gilbert.
This afternoon, Neil Robertson and Mark Selby will play each other. This could easily feel like an “early final” .
Just like in Shanghai a couple of weeks ago, Ronnie exited the tournament in round 2 (last 16), and also just like in Shanghai, he had a 3-1 lead at the interval… 😞. He also made the highest break of the match, a 95. But it’s irrelevant of course … only the final score matters.
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 29-month title drought continued as he was left Thai and dry by a 6-4 defeat to Noppon Saengkham in the last 16 of the China Open.
O’Sullivan described himself as “just a very poor snooker player at the moment” as he let slip a 3-1 lead, losing five of the last six frames. The 50-year-old has not lifted a trophy since the 2024 Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker.
World number 45 Saengkham has knocked out world number one Judd Trump and all-time greatest O’Sullivan this week and is into the quarter-finals to face Shaun Murphy on Friday. The 34-year-old from Thailand has never won a ranking title but dreams of going all the way to the £250,000 top prize this week in Taiyuan.
After sharing the first two frames, O’Sullivan took the third on a respotted black and the fourth with a break of 95. After the interval the tide turned as Saengkham reeled off four in a row with a top break of 88 to lead 5-3. A run of 77 gave O’Sullivan frame nine and he had an early chance in the tenth but was unlucky to see the cue ball go in-off when he potted the blue and went into the pack on a break of 10. Saengkham made 47 though the frame was put back in the balance when O’Sullivan got the three snookers he needed. However he missed a difficult final pink and his opponent slotted it into a baulk corner.
“I feel very happy to beat Ronnie,” said Saengkham. “I have to say many thanks to my coach Peter Ebdon, he helps me when I play the top players or have a lot of pressure. He helps me to control myself. When I was 3-1 down I had made a couple of mistakes and usually when I’m struggling I can’t come back from that. But Peter has helped me on how to talk to myself when I do something wrong. When I potted the last pink I thought ‘I’m still here!’ I have a lot of confidence, I am just enjoying it and staying relaxed. Anything can happen.“
O’Sullivan said: “I’m just very poor. Too many bad shots, bad frames and silly mistakes. I have been like this for four years so I’m used to it but it’s frustrating. I don’t want to take anything away from Noppon, he played a really good match, he is cueing strong. I’m just a very poor snooker player at the moment, it’s as simple as that.”
I can’t add much for the time being, as Internet issues prevented me to see the match. I will update this post in due time, after watching it.
I don’t want to “sound” pessimistic but I’m not sure Ronnie will ever win a ranking event again. He had lean spells before, and he has come back to win after such lean spells … but he’s 50 years old now and has absolutely nothing to prove and, somehow what happens this season feels different. Is the hunger still there? I think it is. But is he still able to concentrate for the duration of a long match? Maybe not. Is his eyesight still as good as it used to be? Maybe not. Ronnie never was one to look for excuses. Even if he faces difficulties, he’s unlikely to speak about them. Not while he’s still playing.
These were shared on YouTube:
And, to me, there is nothing “shocking” in Noppon’s win. He’s a very good player, he has a great temperament and years of experience.
Ronnie has beaten Jackson Page by 6-2 today, to win his opening match at the 2026 China Open. Winning their first match is essential for the players as, should they fail to do that, they get no ranking points at all, no matter in which round the match belonged.
O’Sullivan was 2-0 down to Page but hit back to win six frames in a row with breaks of 64, 70, 96, 93 and 100. “To have so many tournaments in China is fantastic, I just hope I can play some decent snooker,” said O’Sullivan, chasing a first title in 29 months. “I like to perform well but I have been so inconsistent. The last time I played well was Yushan for the World Open, then I played ok at the World Championship. But there have been far too many not-so-good performances and that’s difficult to enjoy. I’m trying my hardest.“
…
Here is the last frame of the match, shatred by TNT on YouTube
And here are the frames scores:
In the round of 16, he will face Noppon Saengkham who, maybe surprisingly, beat Judd Trump in the round of 32.
Mark Allen has pulled out of this month’s China Open and Wuhan Open for personal reasons.
In the China Open in Taiyuan, Allen was due to face Hossein Vafaei or Liu Linhao on Tuesday August 11th. Instead, Vafaei or Liu will receive a bye to the last 16.
In the Wuhan Open, Allen was due to meet Michael Holt on August 23rd. Holt will receive a bye to the last 32.
Allen said: “I am gutted to miss these two events in China and my apologies to the fans and promoters in Taiyuan and Wuhan. I love playing in China and appreciate the support we always get there, but there are personal reasons why I can’t make it this time. I hope to be back playing in China later this season.”
Green baize kings touched down in the city of Taiyuan on Friday for the official opening ceremony of the 2026 China Open.
This huge £1.2million ranking event returns to the calendar for the first time since 2019, in a new host city which is the capital of the Shanxi Province.
Defending champion Neil Robertson, World Champion Wu Yize, world number one Judd Trump, all-time great Ronnie O’Sullivan, Shaun Murphy, Zhao Xintong, Mark Williams, Mark Selby, Kyren Wilson and Ding Junhui were among the stars to receive a rapturous welcome from fans.
After walking the red carpet, players and officials were treated to a spectacular display of local traditional culture, with music and dance performances, followed by speeches from dignitaries.
WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said:Â “Today marks a significant moment for our sport as we celebrate the return of one of snooker’s most prestigious and historic tournaments. After a six-year absence, the China Open once again takes its rightful place on the World Snooker Tour calendar, reaffirming its status as the flagship snooker event in China and one of the highlights of our international season.
“The history of this tournament is woven into the modern story of snooker itself. Few sporting moments have had such lasting significance as Ding Junhui’s unforgettable victory in the 2005 China Open. His triumph inspired millions, transformed the landscape of our sport, and ignited a passion for snooker that continues to grow across this great nation. That remarkable achievement opened the door for a generation of talented Chinese players and helped establish China as one of the world’s true homes of snooker.
“As we begin this exciting new chapter, it is especially fitting that the China Open has found a new home here in Taiyuan. This vibrant city has embraced our sport with tremendous enthusiasm and vision. With outstanding facilities, exceptional organisation and a thriving snooker culture, Taiyuan provides a magnificent stage worthy of an event of this stature. We are proud to bring the world’s greatest players to Shanxi Province for the very first time, and I am confident that this city will create many unforgettable memories in the years ahead.”
Mina Awad defeated Charl Jonck 6-5 in the final of the 2026 All-Africa Snooker Championship to earn a two-year World Snooker Tour (WST) tour card for the first time.
The Egyptian cueist came through a field of 50 cueists in South Africa to lift the continental crown and earn professional status for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 campaigns.
Organised by the African Billiards & Snooker Confederation (ABSC), the event began with a group phase which saw Awad advance with four straight victories.
Whitewash wins over Graeme Britten and Bilal Elyas earned Awad a place in the last eight of the competition and he followed this up with defeats of Amir Al-Tahtawy (5-3) and Hesham Shawky (6-3) to reach the title match.
There, he faced South Africa’s Jonck, who had followed up victory in the Seniors competition on home soil by last defeated Six-Reds champion Abdelrahman Shahin 6-4 to move within one win of the WST.
The best-of-11 frame final was a closely-contested match with little between Awad and Jonck, but it was ultimately the Egyptian who was able to get over the line and secure an emotional victory.
In recent years African Champions have never been able to make an impact on the main Tour, many of them even giving up well before their tour card “expired”. The “gap” between the main tour standard and the current level of the African players appears to be huge. Even for overseas players who are successful it is hard to live as expats in a completely different culture and to adapt to a different life style, isolated from your family. It must be horrible if you get beat, match after match, and even worse if you are “lost” in a completely different culture and isolated, having no compatriot on tour. I’m NOT suggesting that African players should not be offered a chance but the way things are now … well, it’s not working. If there is a real ambition to develop snooker in Africa, maybe, WPBSA could “offer” those players a year of scholarship, with participation in the Q-Tour, before giving them a two years tour card. Yes, it would cost money … “investing ” usually costs money before yielding benefits.
The 2026 Shanghai Masters concluded yesterday. Judd Trump won the title for the second time. In the final, he faced Kyren Wilson, the defending champion. Kyren will be disappointed not to have defended his title, especially after reaching the final. But he should be proud all the same as he came very close and defending a title is never an easy task nowadays.
This tournament is for the elite only and that makes the task even more difficult.
World number one Judd Trump won the Shanghai Masters for the second time in his career, overcoming defending champion Kyren Wilson 11-6 to claim the title.
Trump’s triumph avenges a 10-9 defeat at the hands of Wilson 11 years ago in the 2015 Shanghai Masters final. The tournament was a ranking event back then and was Wilson’s maiden title. It was only the pair’s third clash and marked an early chapter in what has proved to be a great snooker rivalry.
They’ve now played each other 26 times on the World Snooker Tour, with Trump’s victory today giving him a 14-12 advantage in their head-to-head record. Their previous meeting came in the 2025 Players Championship final, when Wilson prevailed 10-9.
Trump’s first victory in Shanghai came in 2024, when he beat Shaun Murphy 11-5 in the final. That came having lost finals to John Higgins in 2012, Wilson in 2015 and Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2017.
The result moves the Ace in the Pack’s invitational tournament tally to ten, which sits alongside a ranking title total of 31. However, with his projected end of season ranking sitting in sixth position, he will need to continue this form in the coming ranking events to retain top spot.
Trump looks well placed to do just that, having beaten World Champion Wu Yize 10-6 in the semis, whitewashed John Higgins 6-0 in the quarters and overcome Barry Hawkins 6-4 in the last 16.
Defeat for 34-year-old Wilson ends a gallant defence of his crown. Last year the Warrior overcame Ali Carter in the title match, but it wasn’t to be back-to-back wins. He leaves Shanghai having registered wins over O’Sullivan, Mark Williams and Zhao Xintong, which he will hope can serve as a platform for success this season.
The afternoon session was dominated by 2019 World Champion Trump, who emerged with a 7-3 advantage and a stranglehold on proceedings. He compounded Wilson’s troubles when play started this evening, taking the opener to move 8-3 ahead.
Wilson replied with a classy 103 break to reduce his arrears, before taking the 13th on the colours to trail 8-5. The next frame proved to be pivotal. It came down to the colours and Trump eventually deposited a mid-range brown and cleared to steal on the black. A break of 51 in the 15th then saw Trump again win on the black and move one from the win at 10-5.
A stunning break of 134 from Wilson kept the match alive. However, it was a short-lived reprieve. Runs of 34 and 43 from Trump in the 17th were enough to get the job done and secure the £210,000 top prize.
“He’s beaten me in the last few finals. It was nice to start the season in that kind of manner and get one over on him,” said 36-year-old Trump. “This tournament is amazing. I love coming to Shanghai. It is the first tournament of the year and it is a bit unknown how you are going to play.
“Especially with the challenge of Xintong and Wu Yize, this rivalry is important for us. I think Kyren struggled a bit in the ranking events last season. I did alright, but there are people just behind now. You want to show them that you are still the best in the world and it is important to be winning big events like this.
“I love being world number one. It is something I am very happy about. If I am going to drop down the rankings a bit, it is always nice to win these prestigious invitational tournaments like the Shanghai Masters.Â
“The last time I won Shanghai I had a great season after that. You need to win tournaments like this to test yourself against he best. It also gives you the most confidence if you do win them. It was important to get off to a good start. I’ve done that, I just need to do the rest now.“
Wilson said: “It should really have been 5-5 after the first session. That is how good Judd Trump is. If you give him a chance he will punish you and when he smells blood he goes for the kill. I made it too difficult tonight, but I kept fighting.“
As a Ronnie fan, I was disappointed to see him exit the tournament in the second round. Of course I was … but then, he wasn’t outplayed and went out to the defending champion and runner-up, Kyren Wilson. The worrying aspect of Ronnie’s defeat is how it happened, how he appeared to run out of steam in the last frames, and how physically unfit he looked. Lets hope he addresses those issues promptly because there wasn’t much wrong with his game itself for most of the match.
And I honestly don’t believe that moving to Dubai has anything to do with it. Similar “episodes” have happened throughout his career, when he was living in Essex. The worry though is that “coming back” becomes more difficult as players age. Fatigue is a factor and mental scars is another factor.
I would love to see Ronnie win another World title and definitively get ahead of Hendry, but, realistically, I don’t believe he still has it in him for a number of reasons., most notably because of the quality of the opposition. That said, we have been there before and he has proven us wrong…
As we say in french “tant qu’il y a de la vie, il y a de l’espoir.”
