Judd Trump and Jackson Page scored quarter-final victories at the Huading Nylon World Open to set up a last four meeting in Yushan.
World number two and defending champion Trump earned his passage with a 5-2 defeat of Kyren Wilson.
Trump won the World Open the last time it was held in Yushan back in 2019, beating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the final.
The 34-year-old is hunting a fifth ranking title in what has already been a remarkable season. He won back-to-back events at the English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open last year and added the German Masters to his title tally last month.
With the scores locked at 2-2 this afternoon, Trump crucially claimed the fifth on the black to set up a charge for the line. Breaks of 59 and 63 helped him to take the following two frames and run out a 5-2 victor.
“There seems to be players I have a good record against recently. Kyren is one of them. It always helps when you know what you have to do. You have to turn up and be solid against him. It makes my job easy knowing I have to go out and play well.”
Judd Trump
27-time Ranking Event Winner
Trump added: “I feel quite refreshed. Saudi was a disappointing performance, I didn’t play well out there. I scraped through my first game and felt a little bit rusty, although I was still practising but hadn’t played in that many tournaments over the last month and a half. It is nice to get a run here and I feel a lot more excited to play snooker than the last three or four seasons.
“I think Jackson has played brilliantly well. He’s scored heavily. From what I’ve seen, him and Ding have been the players of the tournament. He was on the next table to me there and seemed to be flying round the table. When you are young and playing well in this kind of scenario there is no better feeling. I’m the grumpy old man now trying to stop him.”
Welsh 22-year-old Page secured his progression with a 5-2 defeat of Elliot Slessor.
Page has produced sublime snooker so far this week, beating the likes of John Higgins and Mark Selby along the way. He came out to Yushan with his tour survival under threat, but has now extinguished any of those fears.
The world number 52 fired in breaks of 90, 140, 78, 76 and 87 during this afternoon’s tie. Page averaged just 16.9 seconds a shot as he blitzed to victory.
When Jackson Page first appeared on the main tour, many were impressed by his talent and expected him to take the game by storm. It hasn’t happened and it’s quite normal. It’s a huge step for a teenager to go from amateur to professional and having to cope with huge “external” expectations doesn’t help. But now it seems that he’s getting there. Tomorrow will be a big test.
Australia’s Neil Robertson defeated Barry Hawkins 5-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Huading Nylon World Open in Yushan, setting up a last four meeting with Chinese superstar Ding Junhui.
Victory for Robertson puts him through to the semi-finals of a ranking event for the first time since the 2022 English Open. The intermittent period has seen the 2010 Crucible king dip down the rankings, as he struggled with his form.
If Robertson goes on to win the event he will force his way into the upcoming Johnstone’s Paint Tour Championship, where only the top 12 players of the season qualify. He will also cling on to his place in the top 16 of the rankings and avoid a trip to World Championship qualifying.
This week’s event has seen a relentless standard of break building power and Robertson kept that up in this evening’s encounter. Runs of 127, 87 and 87 helped him into an early 3-0 lead, before Hawkins pegged him back in the last before the mid-session.
When play resumed, a break of 115 put Robertson a frame from victory at 4-1. Although Londoner Hawkins pulled another back, it was the Melbourne cueman who fired in 79 to take the seventh and win 5-2.
“My game is absolutely back to where it should be now and that is really exciting heading into the back end of the season. It is a blockbuster match tomorrow. If you can’t enjoy playing Ding in a semi-final in China then there’s something wrong.”
Neil Robertson
2010 World Champion
Robertson added: “I’m just focussed on this week. You can see my game is in great shape. I know what happens if I win the event, but good things always come whenever you win tournaments. I’ve never been one to put myself under pressure to win events to qualify for things. I wouldn’t have achieved what I have in the game if I did.”
Ding earned his progression with a superb 5-0 win over Iranian number one Hossein Vafaei.
Hundreds of fans gathered on the streets of Yushan gathered to watch their hero in action with the match being projected onto a big screen. They weren’t disappointed, with Ding firing in breaks of 73, 74, 135 and 102 on his way to the whitewash victory.
Ding will be hoping to rectify a poor recent record against Robertson tomorrow, having lost their last four meetings.
It’s good to see Neil Robertson getting back to his own brilliant self . It is well known that he had to face some serious private challenges over the years and, to his own admission, he became very “home sick” last season. We shouldn’t forget that these players are human beings. They go through difficult times, overwhelming emotions and struggles, just like everyone else and being away from family and exposed to the public eye doesn’t make it easier.
I can’t comment on the matches as I didn’t watch any of it. Instead, I have been following/watching the EBSA events with tour cards for the grabs. The “men” event is at the quarter-finals stage and is actually open to both genders. It should be renamed really… even if very few women actually enter it. I’ll cover those events after they conclude.
Hossein Vafaei was victorious in the latest instalment of his rivalry with Ronnie O’Sullivan, prevailing 5-4 in the last 16 of the Huading Nylon World Open in Yushan.
Victory keeps his hopes of qualifying for the Johnstone’s Paint Tour Championship alive. Only the top 12 players of the season earn a place in the prestigious event. Vafaei must make the semi-finals to edge above John Higgins into 12th spot.
…
Regardless of today’s defeat, O’Sullivan will head into the Tour Championship as world number one. It will mean he has been on top of the world rankings for two years when the event gets underway on April 1st, his longest ever unbroken spell at the summit.
Vafaei and O’Sullivan have had a chequered history in meetings with each other. That started when O’Sullivan blasted open the pack when breaking off during 2022 German Masters qualifying, a match which Vafaei won 5-0.
The Iranian took offence and reciprocated the act in a meeting at the World Championship last year, but that backfired and O’Sullivan crushed him 13-2. Afterwards they warmly embraced as they left the arena.
There was never more than a frame between them in this afternoon’s tightly contested encounter. With Vafaei leading 4-3 and one from victory, O’Sullivan fired in a sublime 125 to force the final frame.
Vafaei had the first opportunity in the decider, but inexplicably missed a straightforward red to the top pocket on 33. O’Sullivan countered with a break of 62, but fell out of position ahead of the final red.
It came down to the colours, with Vafaei needing them all to steal a famous victory by a single point. He did just that, depositing the black along the top cushion to clinch his place in the last eight. Next up he faces either Ding Junhui or Shaun Murphy.
“I feel great, but to be honest with you I’m still shocked how I missed that red. I went down so quick that my eyes couldn’t see anywhere. That was unforgivable. All of a sudden the game changed and I thought I was going to lose,” said 29-year-old Vafaei.
“I’m very happy to get the victory. He is my hero. Just playing against Ronnie O’Sullivan is a dream come true, but what about winning?
“I’m not going to talk about past results, all that matters is the moment right now. The past is past and right now I’m so happy.”
VAFAEI REACTS TO THRILLING WIN
Kyren Wilson came through a high quality clash with Ben Woollaston 5-4. The Warrior dug deep in the final frame to summon a superb break of 119.
That sets up a quarter-final showdown with world number two Judd Trump. The Ace in the Pack booked his progression with a 5-3 win over former World Seniors Champion David Lilley.
Barry Hawkins sealed his last eight slot with a 5-1 defeat of Stephen Maguire. The Hawk fired in runs of 129, 67, 71 and 54 on his way to victory and now awaits Neil Robertson or Chris Wakelin.
‘HE’S MY HERO’ – HOSSEIN VAFAEI STUNS RONNIE O’SULLIVAN AT WORLD OPEN AFTER FINAL-FRAME DRAMA, JUDD TRUMP PROGRESSES
BY ALASDAIR MACKENZIE
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s bid for World Open glory is over after the world No. 1 fell to a dramatic defeat to Hossein Vafaei in the last 16. A tight contest required a deciding frame, where a costly miss from O’Sullivan and a composed finish from Vafaei saw the Iranian pinch the frame on the final ball. Meanwhile, top seed Judd Trump defeated David Lilley to reach the quarter-finals.
Hossein Vafaei admitted he thought he “was going to lose” before stunning his “hero” Ronnie O’Sullivan with a 5-4 victory at the World Open that was decided by the black in the final frame.
The Iranian never fell behind in a famous victory that saw him march into the quarter-finals in Yushan, where he will face Ding Junhui or Shaun Murphy.
“I’m very happy to get the victory. He [O’Sullivan] is my hero,” said Vafaei.
“Just playing against Ronnie O’Sullivan is a dream come true, but what about winning?“
World No. 1 O’Sullivan looked like he might have done enough to scrap his way over the line despite a mixed performance after a bad miss from Vafaei on a red in the decider left the door open.
He potted the final red, but a surprising miss on the black, followed by an excellent long yellow from Vafaei, swung the momentum back in the Iranian’s favour, and the world No. 21 secured only his second win over the seven-time world champion in six meetings.
“I feel great, but to be honest with you I’m still shocked how I missed that red,” Vafaei added.
“I went down so quick that my eyes couldn’t see anywhere. That was unforgivable. All of a sudden the game changed and I thought I was going to lose.“
O’Sullivan’s bid for a third ranking title of the season is therefore over and he will now likely turn his attention to the Tour Championship in Manchester next month, the penultimate ranking event of the season before the World Championship.
“I’m not going to talk about past results, all that matters is the moment right now. The past is past and right now I’m so happy,” Vafaei said.
Vafaei started the stronger, pouncing on an error from The Rocket to put together an 86 clearance in the opening frame that proved to be the highest break of a stop-start contest.
A poor shot from the Iranian gave O’Sullivan a starter in an ugly second frame and he took the opportunity to level, but Vafaei soon reclaimed the lead with a run of 73.
O’Sullivan was struggling to put together any meaningful breaks in a scrappy performance, but he found some momentum with a 51 clearance that was enough to draw him level once more.
However, the theme of the match continued as Vafaei regained the lead with a 79 break, only to be pegged back again, with a superb starter from O’Sullivan earning him applause from his opponent as it went to 3-3 to set up a best-of-three finale.
Vafaei pounced on an opening to go in front for the fourth time and move to within one frame of the quarter-finals.
But just as crisis was calling, O’Sullivan responded. The Rocket made his best break of the match by a distance with a majestic 125 century to level things up and take the contest to a decider.
Vafaei got off to a strong start by taking a 33-0 lead, before a terrible miss on a simple red to the right corner let O’Sullivan back in to steer himself into a 62-33 lead.
But O’Sullivan couldn’t clear the table and the frame was still there for the taking as a nervy snooker exchange began.
A great pot on the final red from Ronnie put him 26 ahead with 27 left on the table, but he somehow missed on the black to hand Vafaei a lifeline.
The Iranian got back in with a long pot on the yellow, leaving him needing to clear the colours to claim the slenderest of frames by a single point – and this time he made no mistake.
TRUMP MARCHES ON
Top seed Judd Trump moved through with a 5-3 win over David Lilley to continue his bid for a fifth title of the season.
The Ace in the Pack produced a majestic 135 break to take a 2-0 lead early on, but a determined Lilley fought back with a 124 of his own to level at 2-2.
Trump rallied, winning two frames in a row to put one foot in the next round, and although Lilley pulled one back, the world No. 2 kept his composure to close things out with a 67 break.
Barry Hawkins also progressed in convincing fashion, defeating Stephen Maguire 5-1 to set up a last-eight meeting with Neil Robertson or Chris Wakelin.
Kyren Wilson reached the last eight with a 5-4 win over Ben Woollaston, producing a 119 break in the final frame to seal a tight contest and set up a clash with Trump.
Here are the scores of that match
And some images shared by WST and on Weibo
Ronnie had a golden chance to win the match actually. Having won the battle on the last red in the decider, he only needed the black to seal the win. It was on the top cushion, but not tight on the cushion and there was some distance between the white and the black as well as between the black and the pocket but, still, Ronnie probably only needed to roll it in. Instead he appeared to play it with some power and it stayed out. Hossein did well to clear from there, it wasn’t easy under the circumstances. Why did Ronnie play that black that way, I don’t know. Neal Foulds in commentary was not the wiser. Maybe it was just tension release, maybe he tried to get position to play the yellow, in an attempt to make sure that Hossein wouldn’t play for snooker? Only he will know…
Anyway … it is disappointing but it is what it is. No amount of speculation will change the outcome.
There are no quotes by Ronnie in the above article, but he WAS interviewed and it was reported on Weibo. Here is a translation for what it’s worth:
He said after the game: Vafaei obviously played better today and deserved this victory. Today, my performance was much worse than that of my opponent. My long stand was unable to put pressure on my opponent, and the game was not as close as the score.
After the game, I will go to the World Billiards Museum to do some activities, then go to the gym to exercise, and will stay for an extra day or two.
This is one of the best tournaments in the world and very important. I saw a lot of passionate fans and a really nice stadium. The event was very good and well organized. This and the Saudi event are the best events in the world.
I’m not tired, and I can’t use this as an excuse to lose. But in terms of performance, I can only give myself 3-4 points, but in terms of spirit, I can give myself full marks. I feel that I have been playing the game very hard, but it is still very difficult and I did not show my best condition.
I will do some things in the offseason to help improve my condition, including some exhibition games to increase my competitiveness and improve my performance under pressure. I may come to China or some other places to play some exhibition games later.
Ronnie was very gracious at the end of the match and both were smiling. He had no complaints and, maybe, having a break before the Tour Championship will do him good.
Here is the end of the match, shared by ES on YouTube
WORLD OPEN DAY THREE ROUNDUP: MAGUIRE THRASHES BRECEL
Former UK Champion Stephen Maguire blitzed to an impressive 5-1 defeat of World Champion Luca Brecel to make the last 16 of the Huading Nylon World Open in Yushan.
World number 31 Maguire is hunting a first piece of silverware in four years. The Glaswegian’s last tournament win came during the behind closed doors Tour Championship back in 2020.
Since then, Maguire has struggled to consistently produce his dazzling finest. Last season his best performance was a solitary trip to the last 16 at the Northern Ireland Open. However, this term Maguire has shown signs of a return to form with two quarter-final appearances.
This morning’s result is Maguire’s first win over Belgium’s Brecel since the 2013 UK Championship. He achieved that by making breaks of 84, 51 and 50 during the comfortable victory.
Next up he faces Barry Hawkins in the last 16 tomorrow. Hawkins scored a 5-2 win over Robbie Williams, crafting a rare 146 break in the concluding frame.
World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan scored a 5-2 defeat of China’s Lyu Haotian to secure his last 16 slot.
Having enjoyed a superb season, which has seen him rack up five titles already, the Rocket is gunning for his first victory in this event since its inception in 2016.
The scores were locked at 2-2 during this evening’s encounter. However, O’Sullivan sealed victory with three on the bounce, including runs of 102 and 96.
Next up is a fascinating last 16 tie with Hossein Vafaei. The Iranian booked his progression with a 5-2 win over Robert Milkins.
O’Sullivan and Vafaei had a grudge showdown during last season’s World Championship, with both players taking pot shots at each other in the media ahead of the tie. However, O’Sullivan had the last laugh after he cruised to a 13-2 win.
Shaun Murphy and Ding Junhui set up a blockbuster last 16 meeting. Murphy came through 5-3 against Joe Perry, while Ding beat Cao Yupeng 5-1. Ding hasn’t defeated Murphy since 2013.
Former Shoot Out champion Chris Wakelin produced a spectacular display to beat in-form Ali Carter 5-1. He produced a barrage of big breaks, composing runs of 103, 143, 66, 131 and 53.
Wakelin’s next opponent will be 2010 World Champion Neil Robertson, who came through 5-2 against Yuan Sijun. Meanwhile world number two Judd Trump beat Fan Zhengyi 5-3 to earn a last 16 tie against David Lilley.
Apparently Ronnie played better than he did yesterday. Here are the scores of his last 32 match:
And some images shared by WST and on Weibo
As I haven’t seen the match (yet) I can’t comment for now …
WST also shared this – and similar – image(s) on Weibo. It seems that you can watch the snooker in the parks in Yushan…
And some videos shared by ES on their YouTube channel
WORLD OPEN DAY TWO ROUNDUP: LIFT OFF FOR THE ROCKET
World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan came through a topsy turvy encounter with Michael White 5-3 to progress at the Huading Nylon World Open in Yushan.
The Rocket has enjoyed a tremendous season thus far, having captured invitational titles at the Shanghai Masters, the Masters and the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker. O’Sullivan has also already lifted the 40th and 41st pieces of ranking silverware in his career at the UK Championship and World Grand Prix.
This incredible run of form has ensured that O’Sullivan will remain on top of the world rankings heading into next month’s Johnstone’s Paint Tour Championship, regardless of the outcome this week. It will mean he has been world number one for two years when the event gets underway on April 1st, his longest ever unbroken spell at the summit.
Welshman White’s woes against O’Sullivan continued today and he has now lost all six of their meetings on the World Snooker Tour.
The match got underway with a break of 62 giving O’Sullivan the opener. Both players spurned opportunities in a scrappy second, which eventually went the way of White to make it 1-1. Back-to-back century runs of 129 and 106 then saw O’Sullivan head into the mid-session 3-1 ahead.
When play resumed, White took two on the bounce to set up a grandstand finish at 3-3. O’Sullivan made 87 in the seventh to move one from victory at 4-3. White had chances to force a decider, but it was O’Sullivan who eventually took the frame on the black to run out a 5-3 victor. He now faces Lyu Haotian, who beat Aaron Hill 5-4.
Afterwards O’Sullivan stated that he was thrilled to be back in Yushan after five years away. He also admitted he is starting to set his sights on next month’s World Championship, where he will be gunning for a record breaking eighth Crucible crown.
“I’d love to try to win the Crucible. It is a hard tournament and 17 days is a long time. A lot can happen there. I’d love to win that another time to make it eight. There are so many good players around, so you have to get a little bit of luck and play some good snooker at the right times. I will be going there and trying my best.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Seven-time World Champion
O’Sullivan added: “The setup with the table out there is really good. The crowd are really close, so it creates a good atmosphere. Yushan has changed a lot in five years. I didn’t recognise the place. Last time we came here it was just this venue, now you have other buildings and beautiful new roads. It has changed so much.”
World number 52 Jackson Page scored a surprise 5-3 defeat of John Higgins to enhance his tour survival prospects.
Page went on a fine run to the last 16 of the World Championship in 2022, but with those points dropping off at the end of the season, his position in the rankings is set to drop. Victory over Higgins today acts as a significant boost to his chances of remaining in the top 64.
It had looked as if Page was set for a comfortable win when he led 4-1, having crafted breaks of 102, 76 and 75.
Scotland’s 31-time ranking event winner Higgins battled to remain in contention by taking the sixth after requiring a snooker. He the clawed back to 4-3, but it was Page who claimed the eighth to secure victory and a last 32 tie against Wu Yize.
World Champion Luca Brecel secured his progression with a 5-2 defeat of Oliver Brown, setting up a mouth watering last 32 meeting with Stephen Maguire.
Judd Trump continued his hunt for a fifth ranking title of the campaign by beating Sanderson Lam 5-2. He now faces Fan Zhengyi.
PAGE REFLECTS ON BIG WIN
Here are the scores for Ronnie’s match:
Screenshot
It looks like a relatively easy win but, in fact, there were a lot of errors from both players and Ronnie became very frustrated at times. He was still quite positive in his post-match.
Ronnie’s post match:
And, shared by Eurosport on their YouTube channel:
Frame 4 – Ronnie’s 50th century of the season
And the last frame of the match
Also some images shared by various sources, notably WST, on their site and on on Weibo
WORLD OPEN DAY ONE ROUNDUP: BULLET FIRES PAST PHETMALAIKUL
World Champion Luca Brecel proclaimed that his hunger was back after scoring an emphatic 5-1 win over Manasawin Phetmalaikul at the Huading Nylon World Open in Yushan.
The Belgian Bullet shot to the top of the snooker stratosphere last May with a stunning victory at the World Championship, an event he admitted he did minimal work for on the practice table.
Since then Brecel’s form has been erratic, other than making two finals at the invitational Shanghai Masters and Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker. He lost both of those title matches to Ronnie O’Sullivan.
With the defence of this world title coming quickly round the corner next month, he is now determined to put the hours in and hit top form.
Today’s match saw Brecel, who must win the event to qualify for the Johnstone’s Paint Tour Championship, fire in breaks of 131, 100 and 94 on his way to victory. Afterwards he proclaimed that he is back to full confidence. Next up he faces Oliver Brown.
“If anything, I feel even better than last year at the World Championship. I don’t know where it has come from. Obviously I have been working hard on my game, mentally and on the table, but I didn’t expect it to happen that fast. I feel really confident and good about my game.”
Luca Brecel
World Champion
Brecel added: “I am practising more, doing the right stuff and mentally I’ve been more conscious on the table, more focussed with more concentration. I feel really good and that every time I go to the table I fancy a good performance. I am in a good place.
“I am just more hungry than ever before in my career. I’ve always had struggles with motivation and getting up for games. That hasn’t been a problem in the last few weeks. I don’t want to make the same mistakes as the past. I’ve learned a lot this year.”
INSPIRED BRECEL REGAINS CONFIDENCE
Judd Trump got his quest for a fifth ranking title of the season underway with a 5-2 defeat of Malaysia’s Rory Thor.
Trump and O’Sullivan have been the two standout players on the tour this season and both will be among the favourites to capture the title this week, with O’Sullivan taking to the baize tomorrow.
The Ace in the Pack top scored with 130 in today’s tie and will now face fellow Englishman Sanderson Lam.
Home hero Ding Junhui secured his progression with a 5-3 win over Zak Surety, who made his maiden career 147 despite defeat.
Ding himself crafted breaks of 54, 122, 94 and 77 during the encounter. He now faces Chinese compatriot Lyu Hongyu.
Welshman Daniel Wells pulled off a shock 5-3 win over world number three Mark Allen, while 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy battled past Xu Si 5-3.
Here is Zak’s 147 shared by ES on on their YouTube channel
Mark Allen’s defeat was, of course, the surprise of the day. However probably just as surprising was the double win by 16 years old wildcard Wang Xinbo who sent Matt Selt packing.
With the EBSA event also underway, I must confess that I didn’t see much more than Ding’s and Judd’s matches. Judd didn’t particularly impress me and Thor didn’t play as well as he can and didn’t have much luck either. But, of course, for Judd it was a first match and a possible banana skin, for Thor it was unfamiliar territory to be on the main table.
As a side note… ahead of the tournament, Ronnie was inducted into the Billiards Museum Hall of fame. He wasn’t the only one. From what I understood from social media posts, there were eight or nine billiards players of various disciplines honoured, amongst them Allison Fisher and Pankaj Advani.
Bai Yulu has won the 2024 Women Snooker World Championship
She beat Mink Nucharut by 6-5 in a tense high quality final. This means that she will be offered a main Tour card for the 2024/25 season. Mink will get one as well as she’s guaranteed to finish the season as Women’s Snooker number 1. In many ways this is the best possible outcome from allegedly the best ever Women Snooker World Championship.
Congratulations Bai Yulu!
Bai Yulu 2024 Women Snooker World Champion AND 2024 Junior Women Snooker World Champion!
Home favourite Bai Yulu beat Mink Nutcharut 6-5 on the final pink to win a dramatic final at the World Women’s Snooker Championship in Dongguan Changping, China.
Victory earns 20-year-old Bai a place on the World Snooker Tour for the first time and she will join the main circuit for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons. Talented Bai reached the final last year before losing to Baipat Siripaporn, and has now clinched her maiden world title.
Women’s world number one Nutcharut, who lifted this trophy in 2022, had not dropped a single frame in the tournament until the final. Bai took an early 3-1 lead, helped by a break of 122 which was the highest of the tournament and highest ever in the World Women’s Championship final. Thailand’s Nutcharut hit back to take three in a row with a top run of 62 to lead 4-3, before Bai knocked in 97 and 75 to edge 5-4 ahead. Nutcharut then took frame ten on the colours to set up the decider.
Both players had chances and it came down to the colours – Nutcharut leading 46-43 when she failed to gain position on the brown. Bai potted brown and blue to lead 52-46 during a safety battle on the pink. Trapped in a snooker, Nutcharut hit the pink but left her opponent a chance, and Bai slotted it into a baulk corner to clinch the Mandy Fisher Trophy.
It has been an impressive rise to the top from Bai, who had never competed on the women’s tour before last year’s World Championship. She went on to win her first women’s ranking event at the British Open in May last year, beating Reanne Evans in the final.
Bail also won the world under-21 title earlier in the week, beating Narucha Phoemphul in the final.
Eve of the 2024 World Open in Yushan … Ronnie honoured
As always in China, the players are made to feel very welcome with an opening ceremony and a red carpet walk, but this time, Ronnie was particularly honoured as he was inducted in the World Billiards Museum Hall of Fame
Here is a short video of that event shared by Roger Leighton on Youtube
And there were some pictures shared on weibo, of the red carpet walk, the induction ceremony and the opening ceremony
Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh, Mohamed Shehab from the United Arab Emirates and Welshman Duane Jones all came through the WPBSA Q Tour Global Play-Offs to earn a place on the World Snooker Tour for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons.
The 2023/24 WPBSA Q Tour season saw the tour go global for the first time by incorporating series’ in the Middle East, Americas and Asia-Pacific region alongside the UK/Europe series which has been held since 2021/22. Cueists from across the globe have been competing all year to earn a coveted spot in the Global Play-Off. The season’s best 24 players came together in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina this week, split into three sections of eight.
Sarkhosh beat Iulian Boiko 10-8 in the final of his section and will turn pro for the first time, joining fellow Iranian cueman Hossein Vafaei on the circuit next season. “I am happy that snooker is growing in the Middle East and I think it will get better day by day. I know it will be difficult on the professional tour but I am really excited by it,” said Sarkhosh, whose top break in the final was 125.
Shehab, who last played on the pro tour in 2007, saw off Yu Kiu Chang 10-8. He said: “I feel brilliant, I came here prepared for a challenge – not only to secure the tour card, but to represent my country and the Middle East. It is the first time we have had the Q Tour in the Middle East and the top two players have qualified – that’s a clear message that there are good players in the region.“
In an all-Welsh derby, Jones came from 9-7 down to edge out teenager Liam Davies 10-9. “I was gutted when I dropped off the tour and I’ve felt like chucking it in a few times, but snooker is in my blood and it always will be,” said the former German Masters semi-finalist.
Meanwhile, the EBSA European Under-18 Championship title went to Bulcsú Révész, beating Vladislav Gradinari 4-0 in the final. Recent WSF Junior champion Révész lost just a single frame in the knockout stages.
Not many would have predicted that the two “Middle East” Q-Tour laureates would qualify for the main tour, nor that the latter stages of the two junior EBSA events – under-16 and under-18 – would be dominated by mainland Europe players. This once again debunks the claims that the UK has the best amateurs, something that has occasionally been presented by some British fans as a justification for the UK centric organisation of the sport. Also at the EBSA event, the two winners so far are mainland Europe lads AND it’d about time that WST/WPBSA make the effort to spell “foreign” names correctly. It isn’t hard. I corrected the spelling in the above report BTW.
The draw for the 2024 Huading Nylon World Open has been updated, to include the four wild card players.
CLICK HERE for the draw and here for the match schedule. Matches involving the wild cards are:
Sanderson Lam v Gong Chenzhi Wang Xinbo v Wang Xinzhong Jordan Brown v Lan Yuhao
Sam Craigie has withdrawn from the event due to injury. His last-64 opponent was Robert Milkins, who now receives a bye to the last 32.
David Gilbert has also pulled out and his last-64 opponent was Fan Zhengyi, who now receives a bye to the last 32.
Ronnie has already landed in China. A short video was shared on weibo, showing him and Victoris Shi arriving in the country.
And the 2024 Women Snooker World Championship is in its final day…
At the time of writing Bai Yulu has already booked her place in the Final, beating Reanne Evans by 5-3 from 0-3 down… Here are the scores (Bai Yulu first): 29-78(30); 33-69(68); 0-88(76); 62-54; 72-31; 77-70(44); 74(38)-14; 71(71)-33(33).
UPDATE
Mink has beaten On Yee by 5-0 with scores being like this: 6-64; 19-54; 61-66(40); 1-64; 30-67 (although it’s shown the other way around in some pages of the WPBSA scores site). This means that Mink strengthened her position as Women number 1. Should Bai Yulu win tomorrow, both of them would be on the main tour next season and I’d love that.
Nutcharut and Bai to Contest World Championship Final
Mink Nutcharut will meet Bai Yulu in the final of the 2024 World Women’s Snooker Championship after the pair won their semi-final matches on Saturday at the Changping Gymnasium, Dongguan, China.
World number one Nutcharut will contest the title match for the third time in her career and will be looking to lift the Mandy Fisher Trophy for the second time after she stormed to a 5-0 whitewash of Ng On Yee this evening.
The 2022 winner is yet to drop a frame in this year’s event and claimed a surprisingly one-sided encounter against three-time winner Ng to also guarantee that she will remain world number one following the conclusion of this year’s event.
With Nutcharut having comfortably eased into a 2-0 lead, the crucial frame would prove to be the third as with Ng ahead and favourite to reduce her arrears, a classy break of 40 turned the tide in her favour as she took the frame on the black to move further clear. Ng continued to fight, but Nutcharut proved strong and would maintain her perfect record in the tournament.
Earlier in the day, China’s Bai Yulu completed a successful comeback from 3-0 down to defeat England’s Reanne Evans 5-3 for the second successive year in the World Championship semi-finals.
It was 12-time champion Evans who flew out of the traps with breaks of 30, 68 and 76 to lead 3-0, before Bai claimed a crucial fourth ahead of the mid-session interval to gain a foothold in the contest.
The decisive frame would ultimately prove to be the sixth, however, as with Evans having potted a respotted black to seemingly take a 4-2 lead, she could only watch on as the cueball dropped into the middle pocket and the scores were level at 3-3.
From this point it was Bai who would not be stopped and added breaks of 38 and 71 to clinch a dramatic victory and secure her place in the final for the second successive year. Having lost out to Thailand’s Baipat Siripaporn in 2023, the 20-year-old will be looking to go one step further and claim the title and a place on the World Snooker Tour for the first time in her career.
The best of 11 frames final will begin at 12pm CST, with the pair set to clash for the third time this season with Bai having won 3-2 in the quarter-finals of the UK Championship and Mink having triumphed 4-3 in the Albanian Open semi-finals last month.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 