Thepchaiya Un-Nooh eased into the last 64 of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood, beating Oliver Sykes 4-1.
…
Thailand’s Un-Nooh fired breaks of 94 and 78 as he set up a third round match with Pang Junxu on Monday night. China’s He Guoqiang made a 61 in the decider to beat Wang Yuchen 4-3 and he will now face Ronnie O’Sullivan on Tuesday evening.
Artemijs Zizins continued his impressive start to the season as he beat Robbie Williams 4-2 with a top break of 138. Joe Perry top scored with 97 in a 4-1 defeat of Jimmy White, while India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha fired runs of 53, 76 and 88 in a 4-2 defeat of Graeme Dott.
David Grace enjoyed a 4-0 success against Marco Fu to set up a meeting with Kyren Wilson, while Jimmy Robertson top scored with 86 in a 4-1 defeat of Alexander Ursenbacher. Xi Si edged out Ka Wai Cheung 4-3 in a match which featured a century and five more breaks over 70.
Ronnie will have to be on his game on Tuesday because He Guoqiang was really excellent. Wang Yuchen himself was not bad at all and it made for a good match to watch 1 as was the match between Xu Si and Ka Wai Cheung. In both cases the player I would have liked to win, lost, but it was good snooker between young talented players, and surely young hard working players as well.
I saw nothing of the evening action as I did a photoshoot at a musical event … life and music coming in the way of snooker. Right, my hobby, photography, does as well, big time, on a regular basis. For what it’s worth here is link to my “image report” on that event: https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?template=22&event=1833 . You shouldn’t need to be on facebook to browse through it.
The win sees Trump move to the edge of history, with one more victory standing between him and becoming the first ever winner of a ranking event in Saudi Arabia.
Tomorrow’s final will see the Ace in the Pack take on either Mark Williams or Si Jiahui. With a top prize of £500,000 on the line, it will be snooker’s most lucrative match ever outside of the World Championship.
World number one Trump moved to the summit of the rankings last month with his run to the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix, where he came up short against World Champion Kyren Wilson.
The 2019 World Champion has been in supreme form so far this season. He and Murphy met in the final of the Shanghai Masters, where Trump secured a more comfortable 11-5 victory. Trump has now won 14 of the 15 matches he’s played this term.
Defeat for Murphy sees him depart with £100,000 for making the semi-finals. The narrow loss this afternoon will come as a bitter pill to swallow, but having already made the Shanghai final he can reflect on a strong start to the season.
Trump stated prior to today’s encounter that he needed to get on top of Murphy in the early stages. He did just that, crafting breaks of 67 and 72 on his way to a 3-0 lead. Murphy responded by taking the last before the mid-session to trail 3-1 at the break.
Murphy continued to push hard after play resumed and he took a dramatic fifth on the black to move within a single frame.
Trump regained his two frame cushion to lead 4-2 and made a break of 67 to move clear in the seventh. However, Murphy made 67 of his own and forced a re-spot. He deposited the extra ball and fist pumped after closing within a frame at 4-3. Trump then pulled clear again at 5-3, but Murphy fired in runs of 78 and 60 to force a decider.
A hugely tense final frame eventually came down to the green. Murphy spurned his chance when chasing a difficult positional shot. Trump deposited it and the brown to leave his opponent leaving two snookers. He got one of them but it was to no avail as Trump got over the line to reach his 46thranking event final.
“It was a tricky game. I threw away a couple of frames. Even though it was looking like it might turn around, I got over the line in the end with a bit of drama,” said 28-time ranking event winner Trump.
“It was difficult. He fought back well. At one point he was looking like he would win. I let it slip away at times and when you miss those chances sometimes you get punished. I managed to keep my head and get over the line.
“In the World Championship you have days off between games. After you win you have a day or two to calm yourself down and go again. Here it is important to get through as easy as possible. That was a very tough semi-final, but hopefully it wont impact me in the final.
“Whoever I play it will be a good game. I’ve had some good games over the past couple of years with both of them. Si is on the way up and Mark, in terms of age, is on the way down. He’s still very consistent and is able to adjust his game and battle with anyone. Mark is one of the top three or four players of all time and Si will be up there with the greats one day.”
Murphy said: “It is a sickener. Once you get to this stage of an event, with such prize money and prestige, you think about winning. It never really felt like the balls were going my way all match. It felt like I was trying to push water uphill. Lady luck wasn’t on my side for the majority, but Judd’s ability to keep potting balls is incredible. I think he is the best out and out potter we have ever seen.
“I am many things but I’m not a quitter. I kept trying and I couldn’t have given any more. Of course determination is only one of the ingredients you need to be a winner. Today I was lacking in a few areas and it wasn’t to be. We go again and look forward to the English Open in Brentwood.”
Shaun fought really hard, came back after Judd dominated the early stages and had a really good opportunity to win that match. He was on the colours in the decider and missed the green for victory. He will be sick! Judd Trump was certainly beatable yesterday.
Mark Williams is through to the 42nd ranking event final of his career after scoring a 6-3 win over Si Jiahui at the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh.
The Welshman now faces a showdown with Judd Trump over the best of 19 frames in tomorrow’s title match.
The winner will take home £500,000, which will make it the most lucrative match ever outside of the World Championship. Victory for three-time World Champion Williams would give him the biggest payday of his career.
Williams and Trump have done battle in some of the sport’s biggest matches in recent years. In the 2022 World Championship semi-finals Williams came from 9-3 down to force a decider but lost 17-16. They then met in the 2023 Masters final, where Trump prevailed 10-8 from 8-7 down.
Defeat for Si, who beat seven-time Crucible king Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarters, means he will continue his wait for a maiden ranking title. However, his performance does allow him to break into the top 16 in the world for the first time, moving to 13th in the provisional world rankings with the £100,000 prize money.
It was Chinese 22-year-old who started fastest, firing in a fine break of 116 to win the opener. From there it was 26-time ranking event winner Williams who took charge. Runs 60, 97 and 77 helped him to four on the bounce and a 4-1 lead.
The next two frames were shared to leave Williams one away at 5-2, before a break of 136 kept Si in contention. There was to be no fightback though, with 49-year-old Williams making a match winning 80 in the ninth to prevail 6-3.
“It’s a big win for me. I’m an old man now! I think it is bound to get me in everything up until after the Tour Championship now,” said Williams.
“My eyes are deteriorating pretty quickly. On long balls I am seeing three of them but they say to hit the one in the middle and that’s what I’m doing. I have looked at getting my eyes done, but I’m guessing alright at the moment so I’m not going to bother.
“I think I’m a better all-round player than I was 20 years ago. I wish I could have my long game from then, but I think all round I’m better now than I’ve ever been. That is what is winning me the matches.”
SEMI-FINALS HIGHLIGHTS
Here is the end of the Williams v Si match
I think that Si hit the wall last night. Maybe the sudden realisation of what could be, maybe nervous and mental fatigue or both. But all the same Willo played really really well. He’s a very shrewd player and if he can reproduce that today, Judd Trump will need to be on his best game to beat him.
Ahead of the match, Judd had criticised the current money based ranking system. It suddenly hit him that he might win five events and still not be number one because the disproportionate money on offer in this event. He’s right and I have been saying this for years. Just think about this: what if next season the Saudis decide to host the Shoot-out and offer ￡2500000 for the winner in a “winner takes all” format? The winner of that might be number one for the next two seasons, even it’s the only thing they ever win. It’s absurd. You will tell me, WST won’t accept such an offer. I wouldn’t be so sure … it may well depend on what’s in it for them, that we maybe don’t see. Don’t forget that Matchroom is a majority stakeholder in WST, and they are involved in other sports as well.
Today is the day the last 16 players start their campaign. They met the media, with Judd and Ronnie taking part in the press conference “panel”. Here are some pictures…
Why Ronnie is dressed like a local, I’m not sure. I find it a bit silly but then, maybe, this was offered to him by a sponsor or some powerful/rich local and he felt compelled to don it. Anyway…
As for what happened at the tables, here are the reports by WST:
Ben Woollaston said he hopes the worst of his recent health battles are behind him, after making the last 32 of the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters with a hard fought 5-3 win over Iranian number one Hossein Vafaei.
The former Welsh Open finalist has been battling with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since 2021. These struggles have impacted on his day to day life and ability to practise. However, he is beginning to up his work rate after turning a corner.
That appears to have paid dividends after a fine run this week, which has also seen him score wins over Oliver Lines and Joe Perry.
Breaks of 75 and 61 gave Vafaei the first two frames this afternoon. However, Woollaston turned on the style to hammer home breaks of 71, 133 and 57 to take three on the bounce and lead 3-2. Vafaei restored parity by taking the sixth, but the next two frames went the way of Woolaston to secure him victory and a last 32 clash with Zhang Anda.
“I think Hossein is basically a top 16 player anyway. He is definitely one of the hardest players to face outside of the top 16. It is a great win for me,” said 37-year-old Woollaston.
“It is basically like being at the Crucible now, with the way the prize money is. With it being best of nine, I think it is more open as well.
“I practise a lot more now. From about New Year onwards, I’ve started practising more or less like I used to. I hadn’t done that for about three years. I still have bad moments, but it doesn’t last as long. I was telling myself in that match that one hour I can feel terrible and the next I can feel alright. Before it lasted for days and weeks. I hope I’m getting there.
“I’m not just saying this because I’ve won, but this tournament has been better than any of the overseas events I’ve been to. The tables are great, backstage is brilliant. It is a great country to eat in and everything is a lot easier. You feel a lot more home comforts.”
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh narrowly avoided making a piece of unwanted history in his 5-4 win over Chris Wakelin.
Despite crafting a 78 break in the sixth, Un-Nooh went on to lose the frame and move to the verge of defeat at 4-2 down. That was two shy of the highest break ever to lose a frame, set at 80 by Neal Foulds against Willie Thorne in the 1989 English Professional Championship.
From there Un-Nooh upped the ante and three on the bounce to seal a dramatic win. He now faces a mouth watering last 32 clash with Mark Williams.
Englishman Jimmy Robertson stormed to a 5-0 whitewash win over Malaysia’s Rory Thor. Former European Masters champion Robertson top scored with 92 and will now face Scotland’s four-time World Champion John Higgins.
Si Jiahui earned his passage through with a 5-0 demolition of 2006 World Champion Graeme Dott. Si made breaks of 102, 75 and 82 during the quick fire win and will play Tom Ford in the last 32.
Stuart Bingham battled to a 5-3 defeat of Anthony Hamilton and will now play Ding Junhui, while Lei Peifan scored a 5-2 defeat of Joe O’Connor to set up a showdown with Ronnie O’Sullivan.
David Gilbert battled past Jordan Brown 5-3 to continue his fine run of form and make the last 32 of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh.
Having struggled with his form for a number of years, he returned to his brilliant best with a run to the semi-finals of the World Championship to end last season, which included wins over defending champion Luca Brecel and Stephen Maguire.
A regimental approach to practising and fitness away from the baize, guided by former professional Andy Lee, helped Gilbert to recapture his love for the game ahead of the Crucible back in May. So far this season he has only lost in one of his 13 matches.
With this evening’s tie finely poised at 4-3, Gilbert fired in a sublime 124 to get over the line. That seals him a last 32 clash with Scottish Open and Welsh Open champion Gary Wilson.
“It is a huge tournament. I just want to get some wins on the board. It was a really tough match tonight and I’m very pleased to finish it off well in the end,” said world number 20 Gilbert.
“I just basically didn’t play for a couple of years. Andy turned up in March and got me practising and thinking better. It has helped me tremendously. I’m just trying to carry that on.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for all the players on the tour to get some pounds and points on the board. I’m sure I speak for everybody when I say we are very grateful for this event. The conditions and how we have been treated has been fantastic.”
Neil Robertson defeated Chinese teenager Gong Chenzhi 5-1 to book a blockbuster last 32 meeting with Mark Selby.
The Thunder from Down Under is aiming to return to top form after a difficult 23/24 season which saw him slide to 27th in the world rankings.
Defeat ends a fine run 2024 WSF Junior Championship runner up Gong, who won three matches to reach this stage.
Robertson fired in breaks of 72, 103 and 94 on his way to a comprehensive victory. The Australian was pleased with how he coped with the unknown, having never played Gong and excited for his upcoming encounter with Selby.
Robertson said: “It is very hard to come up with a strategy. I was saying to Joe Perry earlier today that I’ve never seen him before. I hadn’t ever seen him play. Joe said he was very raw and very aggressive. We came up with the idea of keeping things tight early on to see if he could deal with safety play. His best chance was to pot freak balls to get in but the inexperience told at the end.
“If people haven’t tuned into snooker for the last few years, they will probably think this next match is a semi-final! It is always good playing Mark. He brings the best out of me a lot of the time. It is strange playing him at this stage, but you’d rather be the player with the ranking points secure and the matches under the belt. Hopefully that comes to my advantage.”
Jack Lisowski made two century runs of 103 on his way to beating Martin O’Donnell 5-2. He now plays Crucible runner-up Jak Jones.
China’s Wu Yize beat Stephen Maguire 5-4 in a tense final frame and now faces world number one Judd Trump.
Yuan Sijun beat yesterday’s maximum man Noppon Saengkham 5-4, while Scott Donaldson beat Ryan Day 5-2. They play Shaun Murphy and Barry Hawkins respectively in tomorrow’s last 32.
I can’t really comment on the matches as I saw next to nothing of it yesterday. Life coming in the way of snooker … Looking at the draw though, I can’t help to notice that 7 of the 16 players who emerged from the “tiered phase” are Chinese, and six of them are under 25 years old. One of the most common excuses used by Brits to justify the current UK centric organisation of the sport is “We are the majority and we have the best juniors… “. Really? Show me where they are. What I have seen this week from “interesting” juniors was mainly Chinese and mainland European. There are interesting UK juniors of cours, notably Robbie McGuigan, Paul Deaville and Liam Davies.
Now … if Ronnie in a “cheik” attire was silly, what about this ???
CORRECTED PRESENTATION OF THE DRAW FOR THE SAUDI ARABIA SNOOKER MASTERS 2024
The draw for this week’s Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters has been amended as the original presentation of the draw was incorrect.
In the original presentation of the draw, seed number 1 was drawn to play against the winner of match number 97 which would be the group of players where the lowest seed number is 17. This is not as we had intended because seed number 1 should play against the group of players where the lowest seed number is 32.
The presentation of the draw was inconsistent with our intention, therefore it has now been corrected. This amendment has no impact on the Last 48 round which takes place today (Monday). It only has an effect from the last 32, which takes place on Tuesday.
This information has been communicated to our players.
We, at snooker.org, had been scratching our heads from the day that draw was out. We knew it was faulty at first glance. Also, the way this is “presented” is trying to “mislead” readers. This wasn’t a problem of “presentation”, this was a mistake and a huge one! Mistakes happen, we all make them, but, at least be honest, admit to it. This was a huge blunder. Full stop.
Iranian number one Hossein Vafaei claimed four on the bounce to see off India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha 4-1 and make round four of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
Former Shoot Out champion Vafaei reached semi-finals last season at the UK Championship and the British Open, but is aiming to go further during this campaign and secure his first ever victory in a full format ranking event.
The 29-year-old got off to a shaky start this afternoon when a loose safety during a black ball fight gave Singh Chadha the opener. However, Vafaei made breaks of 50 and 97 during a burst of four consecutive frames to secure a comfortable victory. Afterwards, he expressed his delight at competing in an event closer to home.
“Everything is nice and everything is organised. It couldn’t be better than that. I would like to say thanks to all of the organisers who support us and make this tournament happen. We are happy to have the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in our calendar and this is a proud moment for me. I am proud that something really big has happened for the Middle East,” said world number 21 Vafaei.
“When I see the younger generation, they are coming and taking pictures. They are saying they want to be like me. That is really nice. You can see how far snooker is going in the Middle East and that the young people want to start playing. That is very rare in these days. People only want to play on the Playstation, they don’t want to worry about anything. When they say they want to play snooker that makes me happy.”
Joe O’Connor rallied from 3-1 down to beat fellow Leicester cueman Louis Heathcote 4-3. O’Connor scored a massive upset win over Mark Selby at the Crucible to finish last season, but so far this term he’s already suffered two first round exits. That was remedied by today’s comeback win, which sees him a meeting with Lei Peifan in round four.
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh claimed a 4-1 victory to end Latvian teenager Artemijs Zizins’ spirited run. Quickfire Thai Un-Nooh crafted runs of 57, 61 and 65 during the match and now plays Chris Wakelin, who beat tour rookie Robbie McGuigan 4-2.
England’s 2015 World Champion Stuart Bingham defeated Xing Zihao 4-2, while Malaysia’s Rory Thor scored a shock 4-3 win over Robert Milkins.
Australia’s 2010 World Champion Neil Robertson scored an important 4-1 win over English amateur Paul Deaville to get his campaign underway at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh.
The Thunder from Down Under had one of his worst seasons as a professional in 23/24, slumping to 27th position in the world rankings. However, he is determined to mount a resurgence this season after practising throughout the summer period.
Robertson top scored with 66 during today’s victory, which sees him book a fourth round meeting with China’s Gong Chenzhi. After this evening’s tie Robertson stated he’s confident that the work he has been putting in will pay off.
“In my experience you never know when the big wins might be around the corner. In my career when I’ve had a big win, soon after a sequence of titles have headed my way. I’ve been working hard, practising well and enjoying the game. That is the important thing. I’ve been happy in life. It is fair to say that last year I wasn’t enjoying the game,” said 23-time ranking event winner Robertson.
“Last season I wasn’t enjoying going to tournaments. This year it is the complete opposite. I’m much more positive and I can’t be playing any better than I am. It has been going incredibly well when I’ve been practising. It is just about being patient, playing the right shots, keeping my cool and I’m sure I will get back to where I think I should be in the game.
“For me this is a 10/10 tournament. The playing conditions are great, practice facilities are incredible, the hotels are great. It is just brilliant. This is my first time here, I didn’t know what it was going to be like. To see it is incredible. You want to stick around for as long as possible.”
Noppon Saengkham made the first maximum break of the season during his 4-1 win over Amir Sarkhosh. The contribution puts him in line for a bumper £50,000 payout. After the match, the Thai admitted he was eyeing up the perfect break early on.
Saengkham said: “When I potted the first red, I tried to make a maximum. I knew that this was a big event with big money. I asked myself after the first red to try and make a maximum. I went for it and I did it.”
Jack Lisowski dug deep to keep his campaign alive after a 4-3 win over Welshman Andrew Pagett. The six-time ranking event finalist claimed a 35-minute decider on the pink to seal his progression. Next up he faces Martin O’Donnell.
Former British Open winner Ryan Day overcame Stan Moody 4-2, while Lyu Haotian edged a 4-3 thriller with Marco Fu.
Here is Noppon’s 147, shared by WST on their Youtube channel
One thing is for sure about this tournament so far … all the players are delighted with the venue, the practice facilities, the hotel and the way they are looked after. Yesterday the stream played correctly, although the background noise remains annoying.
The twenty years old Liu Hongyu is in his second year as a pro and yesterday took a good step towards keeping his pro status by beating Ricky Walden. This tournament is big money and getting some of that at the start of the season is very important and allows the player to relax a bit, which helps as well.
Matthew Selt had his cue broken during his flight to Saudi Arabia. Although he apparently had or found a “spare” cue, he got the damaged equipment “glued” back together by a local artisan and decided to play with it … a win yesterday vindicated that daring move! 😂
Stephen Maguire completely demolished Ben Mertens yesterday evening (4-0). Ben didn’t play well at all and Mags did. Maguire is a big man with big hands … but he’s no brute at the table. More than anything he’s a “touch player”. I always enjoy watching him… even yesterday when he beat a player I support.
Antek Kowalski was reminded by Wu Yize that he has still work to do before thinking about giving Ronnie a good hiding as he was beaten by 4-0 although, to be fair, all frames were extremely close.
WST is making a big deal about Neil Robertson beating… the only amateur left in the draw. Today he will face the 17 years old Gong Chenzhi, who beat Jackson Page by 4-2 yesterday. Let’s see how that goes.
Bulcsú Revész lost to Jordan Brown by 4-3 … from 3-0 up. Fatigue was a factor maybe? After all it was already late, the lad is only 17, he’s won two matches before this one in the two previous days, by 4-2 and 4-3 respectively.
Again the last match finished past 2:30 in the morning. That’s not good, not fair on the players and not great for the spectators. Why ??? Someone suggested that maybe, this is done to accommodate the UK viewers. If thats indeed the case, it’s a disgrace. Everyone else has/had to deal with the “UK time zone” and the constraints may generate for most events … for many, many years. Surely the Brits can adapt a bit? The players should come first when it comes to setting the schedule.
Latvia’s first ever professional Artemijs Zizins sealed the biggest win of his fledgling career, defeating China’s Xu Si 4-3 to reach the third round of the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
Zizins was given a bye through yesterday’s first round, after his opponent Kok Leong Lim didn’t show up. The 18-year-old displayed a steeliness beyond his age today when he found himself on the ropes at 3-2 down.
A run of 71 took the match to a final frame, before Zizins made a tremendous break of 137 to clinch victory.
It’s the first time Zizins has made the third round of a ranking event, having turned professional at the start of the season. He successfully ran the gauntlet at Q School to clinch a maiden tour card. Next up this week the teenager faces fascinating clash with Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
Jimmy White continued to roll back the years with a 4-1 defeat of Andrew Higginson. The 62-year-old safely negotiated round one with a 4-2 win over the UAE’s Mohamed Shehab and today’s win now sees White earn a third round meeting with Si Jiahui.
White said: “I do know how to win. You have to get on a run and you have to win a couple of matches. Andrew Higginson is a really tough player. I was pleased. There were a couple of small errors and negative thoughts. Other than that it was a good day’s work.”
Former German Masters winner Anthony Hamilton ended the run of 2022 Women’s World Champion Mink Nutcharut with a marathon 4-2 victory. Afterwards Hamilton admitted he would have to up his levels to get through his next match against Jamie Jones.
Hamilton said: “If I improve I can win. I’ve given myself a chance to improve, earn some money, have a good run and enjoy myself. That is all I can ask for.”
Graeme Dott scored a significant 4-3 win over Belgium’s Julien Leclercq. The 2006 World Champion now progresses straight through to round four after Sam Craigie withdrew from the event.
Northern Irish rookie Robbie McGuigan battled hard to secure his second successive deciding frame victory, beating China’s Ma Hailong 4-3.
McGuigan narrowly overcame Saudi home favourite Abdulraouf Saigh in a final frame yesterday and this afternoon’s match was clinched with a nerveless break of 90 in the last. He now faces former Shoot Out winner Chris Wakelin.
Elsewhere Liu Hongyu was a 4-2 winner over Michael Holt, while Jimmy Robertson beat Egyptian wildcard Mohamed Elkhayat 4-2.
Polish 20-year-old Antoni Kowalski claimed that snooker’s new generation is ready to take over, after scoring a whitewash 4-0 win over He Guoqiang on day two of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
The tour rookie earned a maiden spell on the circuit after coming through Q School earlier this year. That came after he had already narrowly missed out on a tour card following defeat to Liam Davies in the 2024 European Under-21 final. He’s only the third ever Polish professional.
Today’s impressive victory saw Kowalski fire in breaks of 51 and 76 to secure a third round tie against Wu Yize. Afterwards, he expressed his excitement to be competing alongside a legion of talented young professionals.
“We will be trying to set records. I think this is the time that the new generation comes up to kick out Ronnie and other players. Ronnie has to end sometime, he is already in his late 40s. We will try our best for sure,” said Kowalski.
“I am delighted to have played on the TV table finally. I’ve played on it once before, but that was during Covid so nobody was watching. It was perfect today and I’d like to play that way every single day. That is when I play my best snooker.”
Hungarian 17-year-old rookie Bulcsu Revesz also scored a huge victory after beating the experienced Mark Davis 4-3. Breaks of 51 and 84 helped Revesz through to a meeting with former Welsh Open champion Jordan Brown.
Hong Kong’s three-time ranking event winner Marco Fu was a 4-0 whitewash victor against Liam Davies. The 46-year-old top scored with 123 and now faces Lyu Haotian.
Welshman Andrew Pagett prevailed 4-3 in a tense encounter with Swiss number one Alexander Ursenbacher, winning the last two frames to progress. Pagett now faces six-time ranking event finalist Jack Lisowski.
The last match finished past 2:30 am this morning, and 6 others past 1:45 am . This is ridiculous. Needles to say they aren’t reported on even is Stan Moody won one of those … I can’t comment on them either. I saw nothing of the evening action as I was having other commitments.
It was an interesting day for sure but one that was marred by the absolutely awful quality of the broadcasting. Streams were start/stop and totally psychedelic. It was extremely painful to watch.
If I’m no mistaken, Paul Deaville is the only amateur left in the draw. Yesterday he beat the vastly experienced Ian Burns by 4-0, but all frames but one appear to have been very close. He will now face Neil Robertson.
In general the European youngsters have impressed. Yesterday, a person who has been following snooker closely for many, many years reflected that they have more flair than the young Brits. I have to agree. Zizins in particular impressed me. Julien Leclercq lost by 4-3 to Graeme Dott in a match that was very much “one visit snooker”. The first in with a reasonable chance cleared the table basically. The shrewd Dotty knew how to bait the very agressive Julien into taking one risky shot too many. Ben Mertens whitewashed Long Zehuang but other than the first frame he won with a 127, every frame was close. Bulcsú Révész’s “decider” win over Mark Davis is particularly impressive: between they had five breaks over 50, three by “Dark Mavis” (one in every frame he won) and two by Bulcsú.
We have some very intriguing matches in prospect today. Other than those mentioned in the above report, Jackson Page v Gong Chenzhi and Ben Mertens v Stephen Maguire will get my attention… IF the streams are watchable at all today! My eyes still hurt…
WST has published (shared?) this piece, introducing the wildcards players due to compete in the 2024 Saudi Arabia Masters, with the focus on the youngest player in the field, a promising 14 years old.
TEENAGE SAUDI SNOOKER ACE ZIYAD AL – QABBANI THRILLED WITH CHANCE TO TAKE ON WORLD’S BEST
7 Saudi Wildcards to take part in first ever Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in Riyadh
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 27 August 2024
Fourteen year old Saudi snooker protégé Ziyad Al – Qabbani will have the opportunity to play in the same field as the sport’s biggest stars, including his heroes Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters which starts on August 30th.
…
Al – Qabbani is recognised as Saudi Arabia’s best young player and has the potential to, one day, join the all-time greats on the professional tour.
He’ll have his first experience of the big stage when he competes as a wild card at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters which runs from August 30th to September 7th at Green Halls in Riyadh.
Al – Qabbani has been drawn against Stan Moody, a talented 17-year-old from England, in a fascinating first round match-up. “My excitement is indescribable,” said Al – Qabbani. “I will try as hard as I can to win.”
The teenager first played snooker two years ago and has been supported by the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation, under the leadership of Dr. Nasser Al-Shammari.
Al – Qabbani now practises for eight hours every day and enjoys watching matches featuring his two favourite players O’Sullivan and Higgins. He added: “I believe that I have a chance to be a professional player and this is what the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation is planning for players, especially emerging players, in the short and long term. To inspire young people to play snooker is a goal of Dr. Nasser and the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation.”
Dr. Nasser Al-Shammari President of the Saudi Billiards and Snooker Federation said: “We are incredibly excited to welcome the world’s best snooker players to Saudi Arabia for this competition and we are thrilled that seven of our own Saudi stars will be given the opportunity to perform on this stage and to learn from some of the greatest players to ever play the game.
“This is a landmark moment in the development of our federation and the sport of snooker in the Kingdom. We hope having the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan competing here in Riyadh in the same field as Ziyad Al-Qabbani will inspire other young people to engage with the sport of snooker and pick up a cue for the first time.”
In total there are 17 wild card players from across the Middle East in the line-up in Riyadh. They are:
Ziyad Al-Qabbani, age 14 from Saudi Arabia Ayman Alamri, age 21 from Saudi Arabia Abdulraouf Saigh, age 36 from Saudi Arabia Faisal Bahashwan, age 28 from Saudi Arabia Saleh Alamoudi, age 38 from Saudi Arabia Abdullah Alotayyani, age 32 from Saudi Arabia Omar Alajlani, age 45 from Saudi Arabia Adeel Aqdus, age 37 from Pakistan Kusai Hamed, age 35 from Libya Khalid Alkamali, age 32 from UAE Ali Hussain Ali, age 40 from Iraq Ali Jalil Ali , age 33 from Iraq Mohamed Elkhayat, age 37 from Egypt Habib Sabah, age 41 from Bahrain Ali Alobaidli, age 32 from Qatar Ahmad Abul, age 31 from Kuwait Haitham Al Mahri, age 39 from Oman
The event has total prize money of £2.3 million and there will be 144 players battling for the new trophy.
Among the legendary names in the draw are seven-time World Champion O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Allen, World Champion Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams, Ding Junhui and many more.
It’s a good move to devote a piece to the wildcards, as most of them will be completely unknown to the majority of European fans. Ali Alobaidli has been IBSF World Snooker champion in 2023. He beat Cheung Ka Wai in the final on that occasion. He’s no push-over.
Ziyad Al-Qabbani was due to play in the current IBSF event in Bangalore, India. Of course he’s a “no show”. There is another Al-Qabbani in the IBSF draw, Abdullah, 9 years old, also a “no show”. A younger brother maybe?
There are no players from Israël in the draw … unsurprisingly given the political situation … although if Egypt is part of the Middle-East then surely so is Israël1. Mohamed Elkhayat is actually the only player in this field that I have watched playing … in the Africa championship. There are currently no players from Israël on the main tour, but this event being part of a ten years deal the problem could well present itself. It’s not a “void” question. At the time of writing there are IBSF youth events underway in India and players from Pakistan weren’t granted the necessary visas. I hope that WST has “secured” that side of things in their contract.
This event has the potential to seriously shake up/distort the rankings as the money is huge. In my opinion this is plain wrong, it’s a very short format in the early stages, and medium/short up to the semi-finals. Only the final is a multi-session match. That combined with huge prize money will, no doubt, generate huge pressure. But will it favour the best players? I’m not sure, not sure at all. It’s great for the players to have the opportunity to earn good money, but this event also highlights why the money list shouldn’t be used as a “ranking” device.
The narrative is that the huge price money elevates this event to the status or “fourth major”. Not in my views. Being a “major” stems from the importance of the challenge it offers, and history. When the UK championship went from being best of 17 or more all along, to being best of 11 up to the QFs included, it lost a huge chunk of its prestige IMO.
On the other hand, it’s a huge positive that all players will be at the venue and spared qualifying in England… Well done to the Saudis for that!
One way to make this event both different and less of a lottery whilst keeping a short format would be to make it a “double elimination” event with everyone starting in round 1. That would also make it more special, unique. But of course it would make it longer as well.
If you are not convinced look at the map of the region… ↩︎
Kyren Wilson built on his World Championship success with a 10-8 final victory over Judd Trump to win the new Xi’an Grand Prix in China.
Full of self belief following his Crucible glory in May, Wilson beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-4 in the semi-finals on Saturday before a hard-fought win over world number one Trump to land the trophy and £177,000 top prize.
A fiercely contested final never had more than one frame between the two players, until Kettering’s 32-year-old Wilson came from 8-7 down to take the last three frames. In the home of the famous Terracotta Army, snooker’s Warrior was the last man standing.
Wilson’s tally of seven career ranking titles puts him ahead of Ken Doherty, Stuart Bingham, Stephen Maguire and Ali Carter on the all-time list. It’s his second ranking crown in China, having won his maiden title at the 2015 Shanghai Masters.
Not every World Champion thrives under the spotlight and added expectation; 2023 king Luca Brecel struggled for results for most of last season. But Wilson has risen to that challenge very early in the campaign, and will go into the forthcoming Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters with sky-high confidence.
Trump missed out on a 29th ranking title, which would have taken him above Steve Davis into fourth place on his own on the all-time list. Having won last month’s Shanghai Masters, he came close to a perfect start to the season, but today’s result ends a ten-match unbeaten streak. The 35-year-old has the consolation of taking over from Mark Allen at the top of the world rankings having banked £76,000.
Trailing 5-4 after the opening session, Trump took three of the first four frames today with top breaks of 53 and 66 to go 7-6 ahead. Wilson levelled before Trump’s 104 edged him ahead again. A run of 54 helped Wilson make it 8-8.
Trump looked set to pinch frame 17 from 49-1 behind until a routine positional shot from black to last red went awry. He later lost a tactical exchange on the yellow, handing Wilson the chance to take the lead.
An early chance for Wilson in the 18th yielded just 22, but Trump’s weak safety left him among the balls again and he added 89 to clinch victory.
“I tried to stay as resilient as possible,” said Wilson. “Neither of us played our best but it was great to be a part of the final in front of a packed house. Having lost 6-0 to Zhou Yuelong in Shanghai, I am so glad to have come here and proved why I am World Champion. I just kept pushing and trying to get over the line first.
“I know I need to start challenging and lifting more of these trophies because Judd is a long way ahead of me in terms of ranking titles. When I get the chance to beat him in a final I have to make it count.
“Since the World Championship I have been trying to search for that high,” added Wilson, who admitted he needed a bigger waistcoat this week having celebrated to excess during the summer. “I’ve gone a bit off the rails because I was searching for the wrong high. Now I am more focussed on the big tournaments because there is so much on offer. I had dreamed of being World Champion since I was six. I have reaced the pinnacle but I’m still young and I have a lot more to give.
“I’m heading to Dubai now for a holiday with the family. Before I came here I told my kids I was going to make them proud this week.”
Trump said: “I made too many mistakes. I had a chance at 8-8. I didn’t play well in the whole tournament. I was happy to make a fight of it today, but I lost all the close frames.“
The two pictures above were shared on twitter by Kyren’s management.
I enjoyed the final and I’m happy for Kyren who was one of the first players I got to know at the South West Snooker Academy. He was always nice with everyone and it was obvious that he’s a devoted husband and father. He’s not the most talented player on tour – although ALL players who make it to the pro tour and manage to make a career as professionals are extremely talented – but Kyren is certainly amongst the “very hard workers” out there. He’s also someone who takes his duties very seriously and I was certain that he would do everything to be a great “World Champion” and a fantastic ambassador for his sport.
Neither finalist was at their best but they both produced a lot of very good snooker, they both give it their all and the match was played in great sporting spirit. It was close and tense all along. Thank you Kyren and Judd.
Now some personal reflections / reactions to what happened on social media this week …
A former pro came on Twitter (yeah… X) today saying the Ronnie is a spent force, that he hasn’t “got the desire” anymore and is happy to do his little exhibitions. Whilst I do see that Ronnie isn’t the absolute force he was, he has still won his fair share of titles last season and reached the semi-finals in both knock-out events he played in this season so far, both times going out to the eventual champion. Not too bad for a 48 years old playing in his 33d season… AND if the guy watched Ronnie’s match yesterday, I’m curious how he reconciles his opinion about Ronnie’s lack of desire with Ronnie’s obvious frustration at his own poor performance. That makes no sense.
Very few were giving Kyren a chance ahead of the final. Kyren somehow played “under the radars” until last May. Somehow he’s been in the shadow of Judd Trump, Jack Lisowski and, to an extend, Mark Allen, although Mark is a bit “older”. Judd and Mark, of course have been winning loads. But Jack? The thing is Kyren isn’t “flamboyant”, he’s very skilful1 but rarely spectacular. What he does will be appreciated by the true fans of the sport but maybe not so much by the casual spectator.
Some of the shots he played today were awesome and duly appreciated by the commentators, Fergal O’Brien and Steven Hallworth … both have been excellent all week BTW. ↩︎
Ronnie O'Sullivan 