Having been mainly on the road (and in the sky) over the last two days, I can’t comment much on the action in York. Here are the reports by WST covering the lat two days.
Brecel Seeking Crucible Vibe In York
World Champion Luca Brecel is aiming to recapture the winning feeling at this week’s MrQ UK Championship in York and he made a strong start to his campaign with a 6-4 win over China’s Yuan Sijun.
Brecel dramatically catapulted himself to the top of the snooker world back in May by capturing his maiden Crucible crown. The Belgian defeated Mark Selby 18-15 in a classic world final. Since then he has enjoyed a period of celebration, which has involved travelling the globe and investing much of his winnings in new cars. In addition to the Ferrari he bought in the aftermath of the World Championship, the last week has also seen him purchase a Porsche and Range Rover.
On the table, Brecel’s main highlight since becoming World Champion has been a run to the Shanghai Masters final, where he was beaten 11-9 by Ronnie O’Sullivan. However, he is yet to go beyond the last 16 in ranking events this season. Brecel is determined to now push on and start hitting the heights of his exploits in Sheffield.
Yuan will be disappointed at this afternoon’s exit, but can take solace from two fine victories in qualifying. The 23-year-old beat Alexander Ursenbacher 6-5, before a 6-3 defeat of 1997 World Champion Ken Doherty sealed qualification and his best ever UK Championship performance.
It was Yuan who took the opener, before Brecel burst into life with a sublime 127 to take the second. Yuan regained his lead, but a second century run of 108 from Brecel ensured parity heading into the mid-session at 2-2.
When play resumed Brecel burst two clear at 4-2, but Yuan replied by taking the seventh on the black and then claiming the eighth to make it 4-4. A break of 86 moved Brecel one from the win and he then got himself over the line by winning a hard fought 27-minute tenth frame. After the match he explained why he has decided now is the time to knuckle down in a bid to recapture his best form.
Brecel said: “It is maybe 80% for myself. As a World Champion you want to be performing well and playing well. A lot of people come to watch me, I don’t want to let them down and I don’t want to let myself down. The 20% is because I am a bit tired of hearing people say I am lazy. The way people see me, they maybe think I don’t care about snooker at all. Actually, it is the total opposite. I love this game and I love performing well and winning. Maybe I want to show a bit more of the way Luca really is and try to get back into the winner’s circle.
“There are a lot of positives to take. I think if I can cut out the little mistakes then I could be dangerous. I just came to York to maybe just try to find that little bit of confidence and get that feeling of going deep in tournaments. I want to get that World Championship vibe again. Who knows? If I play well in the next game and win I am in the quarter-finals and it could maybe kick start my season.
“I bought two other cars this week, so I went from a millionaire to a non-millionaire. Obviously you just pay them cash, but it means you have the money in your hands for the bad days that come, so maybe it’s a little bit of an investment as well, some might go up value. I bought it because I know it doesn’t depreciate a lot, so I’m maybe not as stupid as al lot of people think. It was a conscious decision to buy the cars and maybe feel that bit of pressure again. I didn’t go lazy, but I haven’t felt that hunger or motivation I don’t like that feeling. I had to change something.”
On the other table, recently crowned International Champion Zhang Anda came through a marathon battle with Elliot Slessor 6-5 to set up a last 16 showdown with Brecel.
The match lasted four hours and 38 minutes, with Zhang battling back from the brink at 5-4 down. A nerveless run of 70 saw him force the final frame and he held his nerve in the decider, making a break of 46 on his way to getting over the line.
Luca was far from his best, but for the first time this season I had the feeling that he was really mentally focused on the match.
Vafaei Battles Past The Magician
Iran’s Hossein Vafaei earned a late night 6-4 victory over 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy, after the evening session was delayed by an hour due to a fire alarm at the MrQ UK Championship in York.
It was the first time Vafaei and Murphy have faced off on the World Snooker Tour, other than at the Shoot Out, and high octane snooker was expected with both players known for their aggressive style of play. However, the unexpected delay in play meant for a fragmented start when the pair finally took to the arena at 8pm.
Vafaei had to come through qualifying to make it to the Barbican, but he is used to landing seismic wins in York, having knocked out four-time World Champion Mark Selby in each of the last two years.
This evening’s tie saw Vafaei win a low scoring opener with just 56 points, before adding the second to move 2-0 up. The third frame went the way of Murphy and the Magician then clinched the fourth on the black to head into the mid-session level at 2-2.
Breaks of 52 and 100 saw Vafaei reassert his authority on proceedings after play got back underway, moving 4-2 ahead. He was pegged back to 4-3, but a break of 78 then saw world number 18 Vafaei move one from victory at 5-3. Although Murphy extended the match by taking the ninth, Vafaei made a crucial break of 67 to get over the line and secure his place in the last 16.
Vafaei said: “To be honest with you, I will take that but I didn’t play really well. The most important thing for me is that I am still in the tournament and I’m in the next round. The match went a little bit slow. I managed to win and got a century. I am quite happy.
“My body was going because the situation happened one hour before the match. Everyone got moved because of the fire alarm. It made us a little bit tired. In the end I managed everything really well.
“I was in my dressing room and I got told we had to go out because fire could come inside that room as well. I took my cue and I ran outside. We got moved to the pub, where it was warm and nice. Half an hour later they came and told us we could go back because everything was fixed.”
Next up Vafaei faces world number 29 Matthew Selt, who defeated fellow Essex cueman Ali Carter 6-3.
Selt crafted breaks of 111, 102 and 73 on his way to victory. He will be gunning for a second trip to the UK Championship quarter-finals in the next round, while his opponent Vafaei is seeking a maiden place in the last eight.
8 pm in York was 9 pm in the UK and having to travel the next morning, I only watched the first couple of frames of the Murphy v Vafaei match. Both players looked a bit out of sorts, probably because their pre-match routine had been badly derailed by the fire alert. My feeling though was that, of the two, Hossein wanted it the most.
Trump Thrashes Pang In York
Judd Trump blitzed to a 6-1 win over Pang Junxu to remain in contention for a potential fourth ranking title of the season and the hunt for the world number one spot at the MrQ UK Championship in York.
The Ace in the Pack has enjoyed a phenomenal start to the season. He became only the fifth player in the history of snooker to land three consecutive ranking titles, thanks to an amazing 22-match streak. He jetted across the globe to pick up silverware in back-to-back weeks at the English Open, Wuhan Open and the Northern Ireland Open.
That burst of form has meant he stands a chance of usurping Ronnie O’Sullivan at the summit of the world rankings this week, the 34-year-old must make at least the quarter-finals. Next up he faces either Jack Lisowski or Jamie Jones in the last 16.
Pang, who was Rookie of the Year in 2021, came through two rounds of qualifying to clinch his place in the final stages, beating Mark Davis 6-4 and Craig Steadman 6-2. However, his reward was the unenviable task of facing the World Snooker Tour’s form player and that proved to be a bridge too far.
Trump came flying out of the blocks in the opening frame this afternoon, hammering home a break of 114 for an early lead. A fragmented 28-minute second went the way of Pang, who restored parity at 1-1. However, that was the last time he registered a frame, with 2011 UK Champion Trump blitzing for the line. He made further breaks of 124, 68 and 50 on his way to five on the bounce and a 6-1 victory. Afterwards Trump was relieved to progress, after revealing he has been struggling with illness this week.
“I didn’t feel great, but I will always turn up and give it my best. It is a big tournament and you want to do well in it. I just had lower expectations and maybe that helped a little bit. It was a decent first round performance, a couple of day is a long time and hopefully I can go away and feel a bit better,” said 26-time ranking event winner.
“I’m somewhere near my best, the performances are more and more consistent. Reaching a lot of finals fills you with confidence. I just feel very match sharp. I’ve played a lot of tournaments and a lot of games against top players.
“If I play anywhere near my best it is always going to be tough for anyone to compete against me. I just have to keep going away and playing decent every time. It is not always easy on the big stage. This is a tournament where I have either gone out early or done really well. The next one is a big game for me.”
On the other table, European Masters champion Barry Hawkins earned a hard fought 6-4 win over former Welsh Open finalist Ben Woollaston.
It was Woollaston who took charge in the early stages, making a break of 100 on his way to a 3-1 lead at the mid-session. However, Hawkins turned the tie around after the interval. He took five of the next four to secure his spot in the last 16. Next up the Londoner faces either close friend Mark Selby or Mark Joyce.
I didn’t see a ball of those matches … being in the air or in airports between Brussels and Santorini.
Selby Sets Up Flat Share Showdown
Mark Selby whitewashed Mark Joyce 6-0 at the MrQ UK Championship in York to set up a last 16 clash with close friend Barry Hawkins, who he is sharing an apartment with this week.
York hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds for Selby in recent times. He suffered early exits in each of the last two years at the hands of Iran’s Hossein Vafaei. However, he is a two-time winner of the event, having most recently picked up the title in 2016 by beating Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final.
The four-time World Champion has enjoyed good form so far this season despite having not yet captured silverware. He was runner-up to Mark Williams at the British Open and made semi-finals at the Shanghai Masters and European Masters. Selby’s defeat in the European Masters came at the hands of his upcoming opponent, Hawkins.
Joyce came through three rounds of qualifying to make it to the final stages, beating Iulian Boiko, Xiao Guodong and Joe Perry to earn a place in York. However, today’s result extends a losing streak against Selby, who he has never beaten. The Jester from Leicester now leads their head-to-head standings 6-0.
This evening’s tie lasted just an hour and 43 minutes, with Selby ruthlessly sprinting for the line. He compiled breaks of 82, 61, 75 and 80 on his way to the whitewash win.
“It is tough, I’ve been on the end of it myself over the years. He’s done brilliantly to qualify and it is massive occasion for him in a great venue. He wants to go out there and put a performance in. He didn’t do too much wrong though,” said 40-year-old Selby.
“Barry will be making me a tea with a cup of cyanide in! I will have to blank him now. It’s a lovely apartment we are in but we are in the next room to each other. At the start of the competition he said that he’d looked at the accommodation and asked if I fancied sharing an apartment. The draw came out for the seeds and we knew if we both won we would play each other. I said to him that I was going to have the apartment all to myself! Barry is a great lad, one of my best friends on the tour and a great player. He is one of the form players so I will need to play somewhere similar to today to compete.”
On the other table, Jamie Jones came through a nerve-shredding encounter with Jack Lisowski 6-4 to set up a second round showdown with 2019 World Champion Judd Trump.
Jones had trailed 2-0, after Lisowski came from behind to take the first and then won the second on a re-spot having fluked the black twice. A break of 101 saw the Welshman get his first frame on the board and he then took the fourth on the pink to restore parity at 2-2.
The fifth frame saw Jones fire in a fine break of 113 to take the lead for the first time at 3-2. The following two frames were traded, before Lisowski claimed a tight eighth to make it 4-4. Jones went on to take the next two in a row and ensure his place in the next round.
After traveling all day, I tried to watch a bit of the evening match between the two Mark(s), Selby and Joyce. Mark Joyce didn’t play badly in the first frame, but still lost it. I have no recollection of the second frame … and, no, I wasn’t drunk, just far too tired to concentrate on anything. After that I wisely went to bed…
As for Ronnie, who plays this afternoon, going by this article shared by Eurosport, he’s still motivated and wanting to win. But he also wants to prioritise the tournaments in Asia, including his own, non televised, shows. My guess is that, other than by his own feeling of been truly valued there, these decisions are also motivated by what his sponsors want. Also, although Ronnie claims to be always motivated if he enters a tournament, some days ago I stumbled upon an article quoting him and saying that World title number seven had took so much out of him that for several months he really didn’t want to be near a snooker table and didn’t practice. Unfortunately I didn’t save the link but I believe that. It’s consistent with what we saw last season. That’s Ronnie for you: what he says is genuine on the moment but it’s only a reflection of his emotional state there and then.
Tom Ford mounted a magnificent fightback to come from 5-1 down and beat Noppon Saengkham 6-5 on day one of the MrQ UK Championship in York.
The pattern of the game on the other table was a mirror image, with Kyren Wilson moving 5-1 ahead before Welshman Jamie Clarke rallied to score a huge 6-5 victory.
Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy, Mark Allen, Kyren Wilson, Ali Carter, Hossein Vafaei, Stuart Bingham, Jimmy White, Ken Doherty and defending champion Chris Wakelin are among the star names in the line-up for the BetVictor Shoot Out at Swansea Arena next month.
The line-up also includes the best up-and-coming talent from around the UK and Ireland. The wild cards are:
Nutcharut, age 24, turned pro in 2022 after winning the World Women’s Championship for the first time. In her debut season she partnered Neil Robertson to victory at the World Mixed Doubles, and beat Mitchell Mann in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open. Today she out-played world number 97 Duffy to earn her first win in a Triple Crown event.
Mark Allen set up a final showdown with Judd Trump as he overcame John Higgins 6-2 in the semi-final of the Cazoo Champion of Champions.