Ding Junhui beat Thepchayia Un-nooh by 8-6 in the Final of the 2023 Six-reds World Championship today. It’s the second time Ding wins this event, and it’s also his first professional title of any kind since 2019. That’s quite a long drought for a player of his quality.
China’s Ding Junhui captured the Six Red World Championship crown for a second time, after scoring an 8-6 win over home hero Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in Pathum Thani, Thailand.
It comes seven years after Ding first won the World Championship of snooker’s shorter format. In 2016, the 14-time ranking event winner came out on top in an epic final with Stuart Bingham 8-7. This week’s victory is Ding’s first on the World Snooker Tour since the 2019 UK Championship.
Ding’s triumph this time around sees him earn a top prize of 4.2 million Baht, which is worth over £100,000. He also takes home the stunning trophy granted to the event by the King of Thailand.
It will come as a big confidence boost to former world number one Ding heading into the final stages of the season. As things stand, ranked 24th in the world, he faces a trip to World Championship qualifying in order to secure a place at the Crucible.
Defeat is a disappointing end to Un-Nooh’s campaign. He was also aiming for a second win in the event, having been victorious in 2015 when he defeated Liang Wenbo in the final. He will have to settle for being runner-up on this occasion.
The opening frame saw Ding fire in a superb run of 72 to take the initial advantage. It was soon 2-0 when 2016 champion Ding crafted another impressive break, this time of 71, to extend his lead.
Un-Nooh responded with a run of 51 to take the third and reduce his arrears. There was a prolonged safety battle on the colours in the next frame, Ding eventually got a chance, but spurned the pink with the rest and allowed Un-Nooh to make it 2-2.
Ding then charged clear with three on the bounce to re-assert his control on the match at 5-2, before a break of 34 saw Un-Nooh take the eighth to stay in touch, trailing 5-3.
The home crowd were cheering every ball potted by Un-Nooh and he sent them into raptures when he pulled back within a frame at 5-4. However, the trend would continue and see him fall further behind.
After Ding claimed the 10th frame, Un-Nooh had left him requiring snookers in the 11th. Unfortunately for Un-Nooh, he inadvertently potted the pink when escaping a snooker and Ding cleared the colours to move 7-4 ahead.
A dramatic 12th frame went the way of Un-Nooh on the pink and he ratcheted up the pressure by adding the next with a break of 41 to make it 7-6. However, Ding controlled the 14th frame to get over the line and secure six red glory.
“I was hoping to get a chance in the black ball area at 7-4 up. I actually had two great chances to win and missed a few shots. It is a bit lucky for me. I just believe in myself and try to pot more balls than everybody” said 35-year-old Ding.
“I feel good. I think everybody enjoys coming to Thailand to play six red. There isn’t much pressure with the ranking points, so it is relaxed. The organisation was so good for the tournament. I am happy to come here and win again.
“The six red is quite fun for the players. There were some players coming here for the first time like Ronnie and Judd. It is fun and games and good to play in.
“I just need to keep my head still and do everything right. I will go back to practice and work hard for the end of the season.”
I didn’t see anything of the match – I hope I can watch it later – but I’m very happy for Ding. He has gone through really hard times, not just with covid and its aftermath but also, very recently with several players playing in his academy being suspended over suspicion of involvement in match fixing and betting on snooker. That must have been, and probably still is, a major concern.
At the same time, I’m a bit sorry for Theppy. The man doesn’t have that many opportunities to play in his own country, in front of his family, friends and fans.
The Final of the 2023 6-reds World Snooker Championship will be contested between two Asian players: Ding Junhui and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. Both have won the title before: Theppy in 2015, Ding in 2016. Both have been runner-up: Theppy in 2017, Ding in 2018.
It’s clear that this format suits certain players more than others as it asks for a different tactical approach. It is played a lot in Asia, not so much in Europe. That said some European players seem to be very at ease with it: Mark Davis won the 6-reds World Championship three times, Ricky Walden has been in three finals, winning the event once, Stephen Maguire has won it twice.
Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh is through to the final of his home event, the Six Red World Championship, after beating Hossein Vafaei 7-6 in a pulsating semi-final showdown in Pathum Thani.
World number 45 Un-Nooh is the only Thai ever to have won the tournament, having become Six Red World Champion back in 2015 after beating Liang Wenbo 8-2 in the final. He was also runner-up to Mark Williams in 2017.
The former Shoot Out winner now takes on either Ding Junhui or Tom Ford in tomorrow’s showpiece, where there will be a top prize of over £100,000 on the line, as well as a stunning trophy granted to the event by the King of Thailand.
Iran’s Vafaei will be disappointed to fall just short of the final, but can take confidence from a great run this week, which included beating John Higgins and a thrilling 6-5 quarter-final defeat of Judd Trump.
It was Vafaei who made the early running in this match. He surged into a 5-2 lead, but there was a crucial turning point in the eighth frame.
Vafaei looked to be in a strong position among the balls, but narrowly missed a red to the top left on 20 and left it over the pocket. Un-Nooh cleared with 50 to claw back within two. He then won the next on the pink, after Vafaei squandered a straight blue to the top right, making it 5-4.
The next went the way of 28-year-old Vafaei to leave him just one from the win. However, a gutsy break of 59 from Un-Nooh kept the game alive. Both players missed chances on the colours in a dramatic 12th, before Un-Nooh deposited a tricky black to left middle. He dominated the decider to send his home fans into raptures and emerge a 7-6 victor.
“I am so relieved. When I was 6-4 down I was not feeling good. I just looked at my family to give me some power. He missed in the last frame and I got the first chance. It is a good game to win,” said 37-year-old Un-Nooh.
“I’m very glad to play among them (Thai fans), including my family. This is a very rare chance to get into the final of a big event in Thailand. I will do my best in the final now.
“The fans helped me a lot. They were with me on every shot and that gave me energy to pot the balls. Hopefully tomorrow there will be even more of them.
“It will be a huge moment tomorrow. It has been eight years since I won the trophy in this event. I’ve been waiting for a very long time to win the Six Red again. It would be great if I can lift the trophy.”
Ding Junhui is through to the Six Red World Championship final for a third time, after defeating Tom Ford 7-4 in Pathum Thani.
This evening’s victory for Chinese superstar Ding sets up a blockbuster all-Asian final against Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. They will do battle over the best of 15 frames, with a top prize of just over £100,000 and a trophy given to the event by the King of Thailand up for grabs.
Ding’s first Six Red world final came back in 2016, when he prevailed in an epic contest with Stuart Bingham 8-7 to become champion. He also faced Kyren Wilson in the 2018 title match, but lost out 8-4.
Ford held off a steely fightback from John Higgins yesterday evening, to prevail 6-5 and make the semis. He had led 5-0, but was pegged back to a deciding frame before emerging a 6-5 victor.
This time Ford assumed the role of pursuer, when Ding charged out to a 4-1 lead, crafting a run of 63 along the way. Ford took the sixth on the black and then won the seventh to pull within a frame at 4-3. The Leicester cueman fired in a superb break of 74 in the eighth to restore parity at 4-4.
However, from there it was Ding who recovered his composure and surged for the line. The 14-time ranking event winner racked up three frames on the bounce, including breaks of 70 and 64, to seal his place in the final.
Ding said: “It is all Asia, between China and Thailand. It is going to be very fun. It is a home game for him. I know he has won the event before so it is very exciting for tomorrow.
“I played alright, but made some bad decisions at 4-1 up and he came back to 4-4. Six reds is a very quick game and you only need five reds and colours to win. That makes it difficult and makes the safety shots important.
“Winning always gives you very good memories to keep going for the next tournaments. Winning matches is about consistency, so this event should help.”
I saw nothing of the first match, but I did watch the last five frames of the Ding vs Ford semi-final. It was indeed about making the right decisions. This format leads to a lot very tactical frames, but they don’t drag for hours. When one of the players has won the main tactical battle and gets in, they finish the job more often than not. I like that. I also like the modified miss rule. The snookered player gets five attempts, after that their opponent has ball in hand. I had never that happen before today, but in this match Ford did miss five times…
Ding Junhui dumped World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan out of the Six Red World Championship in Pathum Thani, winning 6-2 to set up a quarter-final meeting with Stuart Bingham.
China’s 14-time ranking event winner Ding has now won his last two encounters with O’Sullivan, having beaten him 6-0 at the UK Championship earlier in the season.
Actually, today’s match was not at all similar to the UK championship quarter-final that Ding completely dominated. This match was actually much closer than the score suggests. The first four frames were shared, both players taking full advantage of their opponent’s mistakes. Ronnie really should have won the next two frames. He was the better player at that stage. In frame 5, well ahead, he only needed the black and Ding would have required snookers. Instead of potting it gently, he tried to force it in order to get position on the yellow. He missed the black, but got the position and Ding cleared to go 3-2 up. It’s hard to understand why he played it that way. The only reason I can think of is that Ronnie – who looked tired – didn’t want to spend a lot more time at the table whilst Ding would be chasing snookers. It was a similar scenario in the next frame: Ronnie only needed the last red but he missed it. It wasn’t an easy pot, it was a cut-back in a blind top corner pocket but again he could have just concentrated on the pot without thinking about position. Again Ding stepped in and stole the frame. From then on, Ding was clearly playing confidently and only got better, Ronnie continued to try but was making more and more mistakes. As it often happens, Ding, the player in front and playing the better snooker was also getting the run of the balls towards the end of the match. In frame 7, Ding, leading by 29-0 broke down with just one red on the table. The red that he had missed was safe. Ronnie played to bring it in a pottable position and snookered Ding in the process as well. Ding escaped from the snooker … and fluked the red.
Here is the match shared by U Sport Thailand Official on YouTube
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN OUT OF SIX RED WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER LOSS TO DING JUNHUI, JUDD TRUMP BEATS MARK WILLIAMS
Ronnie O’Sullivan lost to Ding Junhui 6-2 in the last 16 of the Six Red World Championship, ending his hopes of a third invitational title this season. Ding won four frames in a row to romp away from O’Sullivan, who almost certainly has just one more event, the WST Classic, on his schedule before the World Championship at the Crucible in April, which will be live on discovery+ and Eurosport.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is out of the Six Red World Championship after he was beaten 6-2 by Ding Junhui in the last 16.
O’Sullivan had previously stated to be targeting the event in Thailand, but missed some crucial shots which saw the match slip away.
Ding, who whitewashed O’Sullivan in the quarter-finals of the UK Championship earlier this season, will face Stuart Bingham in the last eight.
Ding took the opening frame with a 70 break after capitalising on a poor escape shot from O’Sullivan.
The Rocket won a lengthy second frame that lasted 20 minutes, a long time in the six-red format, but Ding soon restored his lead with a couple of scoring visits.
O’Sullivan was fighting out there and a 33 in frame four made it all square again, before two big moments saw the match go Ding’s way.
At 31-8 up in the fifth frame, O’Sullivan just needed the black off its spot to leave Ding requiring snookers, but he missed it.
Ding cleared all of the balls up to the final black, went for an ambitious double, which went wide to leave a black ball battle.
A long safety exchange went the way of the Chinese player after he doubled the black once again and sank it into the bottom right pocket to go 3-2 up.
It was a similar story in the next frame as O’Sullivan missed frame ball again, this time a red near the left cushion.
Ding stepped in and cleared the table to go two clear and won two more close frames to seal the win.
Ronnie won his two matches today to top Group H at the 2023 Six-reds World Snooker Championship in Bangkok.
In the afternoon, Ronnie beat Stan Moody by 5-2.
The match has been shared the U Sports Thailand Official on their YouTube Channel
With Thai commentary
And Eurosport shared the last two frames on their YouTube channel
Ronnie played well overall, although he appeared to lose a bit of focus mid-match. His long potting was very good and his safety wasn’t bad either. Stan who is only 16 is a very good potter, but he has still a lot to learn to become the complete package. That’s only normal.
In the evening Ronnie faced James Wattana in front of a huge crowd. James is a legend and a hero in his country and he can still play at a very high standard. Ronnie has a lot of respect for him as is abundantly evident from his pre-match interview:
As you would expect both players got a warm reception when entering the arena (shared by WST)
Again Ronnie won by 5-2 … finishing with a fluke! Here is a short video- by Eurosport on twitter – of the final moments of the match. That’s endearing, funny and wonderful: huge respect and friendship.
And here is the full match shared the U Sports Thailand Official on their YouTube Channel
With Thai commentary.
It’s very clear that Ronnie really wants to do well in this event. He is playing well, his long potting is good, his safety has been excellent. He has been patient when needed… Just one concern, he’s been massaging his elbow on several occasions during the last match 😟.
All this means that Ronnie finished top of his group, Group H, with James Wattana coming second.
At the time of writing, his next opponent isn’t know yet but it will be the runner-up of one of the Groups A, B C or D: Ding , Ford, Higgins or Walden.
Some of the stuff published here today were shared some days ago but I preferred to think about it a bit before sharing it.
6-Reds World Championship in Bangkok (so far)
The first day of action already concluded and the defending Champion, Stephen Maguire is already out. He is playing in Group A and has lost both his matches today. The same in true for Mink. Those two play each other in their last match and neither can progress to the next round. Ding and Zhang Anda are certain to progress to the knock-out stage.
In Group B all four players have played one match. Thepchaiya Un-nooh and Tom Ford, who replaces Luca Brecel, won very comfortably, by 5-0 and 5-1 respectively. It’s a very good start of course but, on paper, everything is still possible.
All players in Group C have played two matches. Hossein Vafaei has won both. He beat John Higgins by 5-1 and Poramin Danjirakul by 5-2. Both Hossein’s victims did beat Ken Doherty, who can’t now qualify for the knock-out stage.
Only two matches were played in Group D. Judd Trump whitewashed Ricky Walden whilst future professional Ma Hailong defeated Kritsanut Lertsattayatthorn by 5-1.
It’s a similar situation in Group E except that the matches were closer. Robert Milkins beat Matt Selt by 5-2 whilst Chris Wakelin beat Dechawat Poomjaeng by 5-4.
In Group G as well, only two matches were played: Noppon Saengkham beat Jordan Brown – who replaces Shaun Murphy – in a deciding frame. Stuart Bingham got the better of Mahmoud El Hareedy, He beat him by 5-1.
Groups F and H haven’t started yet.
Table 1 is shown on Eurosport/Discovery+. Table 2 is shown on Youtube. Tables 3 and 4 were streamed on Facebook.
The Thai love a grand ceremony… the trophy was brought to the venue by a military parade!
And more about yesterday and players greeting the fans
Yesterday, Ashley Carty won the Q-Tour Play-offs and regained his professional status
Ashley Carty defeated Florian Nuessle 5-2 in the final to win the 2022/23 WPBSA Q Tour Playoff at the Q House Snooker Academy in Darlington and secure a two-year professional World Snooker Tour card for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons.
Carty was relegated from the sport’s top tier only last year, but the Englishman bounces back quickly after emerging from the 16-player playoff in England’s north-east.
Heading into the event as the number 12 seed after semi and quarter-final finishes on the Q Tour this term, the 27-year-old’s playoff challenge was nearly over before it really began, as he found himself 3-0 down to Farakh Ajaib in the opening round.
However, Carty conjured up a brilliant comeback with a trio of half-centuries as he ousted his opponent in a deciding frame before eliminating youngster Hamim Hussain 4-1 in the last eight to reach Finals Day.
A winner on the English Amateur Tour this season and of the English 6-Red Championship only a few weeks ago, Carty needed to show more mettle as he fell 2-0 down to number one seed Ross Muir in the semi-finals. Once again, he was up to the task as he strung together four consecutive frames to advance into the final as a 4-2 victor.
Waiting for Carty in the title match was 21-year-old Nuessle, who was making the most of his very late call-up to the event after Daniel Wells’ withdrawal on Friday morning.
The reigning six-time Austrian national champion dispatched Josh Thomond 4-0 and Liam Davies 4-3 on Saturday before ending the hopes of Steven Hallworth 4-1 in Sunday’s last four to stand one further win away from becoming a professional for the first time.
Former Crucible qualifier Carty took firm control of the final early on as breaks of 71 and 55 helped him establish a 3-0 lead in the best-of-nine frames encounter. He also crafted a run of 57 in the fourth frame, but Nuessle potted brown, blue and pink to take it and get on the board.
Carty re-established a three-frame cushion with frame five and was within a few pots from victory before Nuessle cleared with a 25 to stay alive. However, Sheffield star Carty was not to be denied, as he wrapped up the win with the aid of a 58 break in frame seven.
Following his triumph, a jubilant Carty said: “It will probably take a few weeks to fully sink in but I’m just over the moon really. I’ve been working really hard lately on and off the table, and it’s really pleasing that it’s paying off. I feel that I’m in a good place at the minute and playing really well.”
Responding to the emotions he felt when 3-0 down to Ajaib in his opening match, Carty described: “It seems ages ago! At 3-0 down I was really nervous, especially in the first two frames I was shaking like a leaf and missing too many balls, but Farakh was giving me opportunities and I knew I had been playing well in practice so I knew to just quicken up a little bit and get into a good flow.”
Reacting to his return to the professional circuit and what it represents, the champion also said: “It means a lot. It has been a tough year financially but it’s been a big learning curve. I know where I have gone wrong for the last four years so hopefully, I can put that right now and kick on.
“This season on the amateur scene has taken me back to my junior days but it’s given me a kick up the backside and made me realise that I wasn’t putting enough work in as I should have done. In a way, it might have helped me.
“I’d like to say big thanks to my sponsors Celtic Surveys because without them this season probably wouldn’t have been possible to practice everyday and put the hard work in. I’d also like to say a big thank you to my friend Kev who had a word with me a couple of months ago and made me put some hard work in and it’s definitely paid off.”
Florian was understandably disappointed to lose in the final but, on social media, stated that he had to take a lot of positives from the week-end and that he was grateful for the opportunity.
Sport Resolutions have appointed Ian Mill KC to chair the Independent Disciplinary Hearing for the ten snooker players charged with serious breaches of the WPBSA Conduct Regulations. A date of 24th April 2023 has been set for the start of the proceedings.
The players will remain suspended until the outcome of the Independent Disciplinary Hearing is published. They will therefore not participate in any remaining World Snooker Tour events during the 2022/23 season, including the 2023 World Snooker Championship.
So, the hearing will start right in the middle of the 2023 World Championship. That’s very unfortunate and I hope it won’t overshadow the most important tournament of the season too much. The timing means that 7 out of the ten players concerned are certain to be relegated from the tour. The Q-Schools, played right after the World Championship are part of the current season and therefore none of them will be allowed to play in those events even if the hearing finishes in time and some of them are cleared of any wrongdoing. It’s very unlikely but it would be very harsh and unfair.
Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao are not in danger to be immediately relegated, but could still get long bans of course. Lu Ning on the other hand is likely to get a long ban and, even if he doesn’t, he might find himself out of the top 64 depending on other players results.
Ronnie and Mark Allen played in the Magyar Gala in Budapest, yesterday and today. This is an exhibition event and they played three sessions. Jason Francis sent me a short report … thanks Jason.
The event was played in great spirit. It was very entertaining, the atmosphere was excellent, there were a lot of teasing, joking and laugher. The pros played shoot-out frames against local players, there were little snooker challenges and one match between Ronnie and Mark in each of the three sessions. Mark won them all: 4-3, 5-1, 5-0. That’s not very encouraging for us Ronnie fans, but maybe not that surprising given Mark’s form in recent months, and Ronnie’s struggles. Also Ronnie is probably not fully comfortable with his repaired/modified cue.
Ronnie did some filming for Eurosport as well, and both players spoke to the local press.
Ronnie will now head to Thailand where he is due to play on Tuesday. It’s a good thing that he has this non ranking event to play in given his recent woes with his cue.
Anyway…
Here are some pictures and videos, shared by Jason Francis on twitter
Red Carpet for the players at the 2023 6-reds Championship
Meanwhile, in Bangkok, the players involved in the 2023 6-reds World Championship got the red-carpet treatment …
2023 Championship League Snooker Invitational – John Higgins is the winner again
John Higgins won the Invitational 2023 Championship League, earning his place in the 2023 Champion of Champions. It’s the fourth time that John wins this event. He actually has now won four of the last seven instalments played under the traditional format.
John Higgins won the 2023 BetVictor Championship League Invitational, beating Judd Trump 3-1 in the final at the Morningside Arena, Leicester live on Matchroom.Live, Viaplay, DAZN and broadcasters worldwide.
The Wizard of Wishaw won the event for a second consecutive year and earned a place in the 2023 Champion of Champions, to take place in November.
In the final, he made a break of 62 in taking the opening frame before Trump levelled with a run of 100, career century number 899. But Higgins regained the lead with a 78 then got the better of a scrappy fourth frame to secure his first title since winning the same event 12 months ago.
“It feels amazing,” said the 47-year-old Scot, who won a total of £26,500 from the tournament. “I played really well the last couple of days, I was delighted with the way I hit the ball. It’s a big tournament in its own right now. It gets you into the Champion of Champions. It’s brilliant to win it and hopefully, it can give me a bit of confidence. I got some work done to my cue, but I am going back to my roots with same size of cue. It seemed to work. It’s given me confidence. It’s all about confidence this game.”
Earlier, in a dramatic semi-final, Kyren Wilson took a 2-0 lead over Higgins with breaks of 137 and 85, only for the four time World Champion to hit back with 86, 61 and 66 to win 3-2. Trump eased to a 3-0 success over Neil Robertson.
The 2023 Champion of Champions is set to take place at the Bolton Stadium Hotel, University of Bolton Stadium from November 13-19.
Xiao Guodong came from 2-0 down to beat compatriot Lyu Haotian 3-2 in the final of Group Seven, booking his spot in Winners’ Group at the BetVictor Championship League Snooker.
China’s Xiao crucially won his last round-robin match 3-1 against Matthew Selt, which got him into the semi-finals. He then beat Graeme Dott 3-1 with a top break of 106, while in the other semi-final, Stephen Maguire failed to score a single point as Lyu won 3-0 with runs of 76, 58, and 100.
Lyu took the first two frames of the final with breaks of 63 and 128, only for Xiao to hit back and win three scrappy frames, taking the decider after a long safety battle on the final brown.
Xiao completes a strong Winners’ Group, joining Jack Lisowski, Stuart Bingham, Kyren Wilson, Judd Trump, John Higgins and Neil Robertson.
Lyu Haotian who replaced Ronnie at short notice gave a very good account of himself.
The world ranking event will run from March 16th to 22nd at the Morningside Arena with a field of 128 players and total prize money of £427,000.
…
Notable first round matches include:
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mohamed Ibrahim – Friday March 17th, not before 6pm Mark Williams v Sean O’Sullivan – Friday March 17th, not before 2pm Judd Trump v David Lilley – Friday March 17th, not before 4pm Graeme Dott v Jimmy White – Friday March 17th, not before 12pm Jack Lisowski v Louis Heathcote – Thursday March 16th, not before 10am Neil Robertson v Luke Simmonds – Thursday March 16th, not before 2pm Mark Allen v Peter Lines – Thursday March 16th, not before 6pm Stuart Bingham v Ng Onyee – Thursday March 16th, not before 12pm Ding Junhui v Xu Si – Saturday March 18th, not before 12pm Ali Carter v Dechawat Poomjaeng – Saturday March 18th, not before 10am Shaun Murphy v Oliver Brown – Saturday March 18th, not before 4pm Kyren Wilson v Dean Young – Friday March 17th, not before 2pm Chris Wakelin v Reanne Evans – Saturday March 18th, not before 2pm John Higgins v Michael White – Saturday March 18th, not before 4pm Robert Milkins v Mink Nutcharut – Sunday March 19th, not before 10am Mark Selby v Fraser Patrick – Saturday March 18th, not before 6pm
The WST Classic is the last counting event in the race to qualify for the Duelbits Tour Championship, and for those who don’t make it to Hull it’s the final event before the Cazoo World Championship.
The final day will include the quarter-finals at 10am, semi-finals at 2.30pm and final at 7pm. All matches will be best of seven frames, up until the semi-finals which are best of nine, and the final which is best of 11.
On paper, Ronnie is not in the more difficult section but the way this season has gone I’m not holding my breath.
After Ding claimed the 10th frame, Un-Nooh had left him requiring snookers in the 11th. Unfortunately for Un-Nooh, he inadvertently potted the pink when escaping a snooker and Ding cleared the colours to move 7-4 ahead.
Ding Junhui is through to the Six Red World Championship final for a third time, after defeating Tom Ford 7-4 in Pathum Thani.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 