Ronnie O’Sullivan has been voted as the WPBSA Players’ Player of the Month for August after his performance in the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
Considered the ‘greatest of all time’ by most of his peers, O’Sullivan created history in Jeddah by making two maximum breaks in his semi-final match before losing out in a decider against Neil Robertson in the final.
The historic double-maximum came in his 6-3 victory over Chris Wakelin in the last four, where he also made total clearances of 142 and 134.
It was a close call with O’Sullivan securing 40% of the vote compared to 36% for Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters champion Robertson.
‘The Rocket’ succeeds the previous award winners Marco Fu and Stephen Maguire, who claimed the award in June and July respectively.
O’Sullivan said, “Thank you to all who voted for me because, as players, we all know how much we give to the game.”
Ken Doherty, WPBSA Players Chairman said: “Congratulations to Ronnie, who never ceases to amaze with his performances. What he did in Jeddah was simply incredible and he continues to raise the bar for the rest of us. It was a particularly difficult month to win the award with Neil, Kyren and Guodong all winning ranking events, so it shows how highly the players think of Ronnie’s performance in the semi-final against Chris.”
About the Award
Launched by WPBSA Players, the Players’ Player of the Month award recognises outstanding performance, as voted by fellow players. Its key aim is to honour excellence, consistency, and impact on the table, as recognised by those who understand the demands of the game best.
Each month throughout the 2025/26 season a shortlist will be compiled by an independent panel. The panel includes renowned snooker broadcasters David Hendon and Abigail Davies, sports journalist Phil Haigh and WPBSA Players Director Tian Pengfei. The shortlist will consider performances in all completed events for the corresponding month…
WPBSA Players’ Player of the Month Winners 2025/26
June – Marco Fu
July – Stephen Maguire
August – Ronnie O’Sullivan
It’s a good thing that WPBSA, through this award, recognises that it’s not “all about winning” in sport. Of course, as a sports person your goal is to win, that’s what you are out there to strive for. But the fans, the people who bought a ticket, who made the effort to actually come to the venue, to support their sport and its exponents in person rather than from the comfort of their living room, those people deserve to be entertained, they deserve to be offered something exciting, something exceptional that will stay in their memories forever. That’s why “entertainers” are important in sports and I’m glad that WPBSA recognises that importance.
Igor Figueriedo Does the Double at 2025 Pan American Snooker Championships
Igor Figueiredo defeated Fabio Anderson Luerson 5-2 to win the 2025 Pan American Open Snooker Championship and earn a two-year World Snooker Tour (WST) tour card.
The continental success means the Brazilian will be nominated for a fourth spell among the professional ranks having first joined the Tour in 2010.
Figueiredo was the dominant force at the Aryan Snooker Club in Sacramento, California as he won both the Open and Seniors Championship titles to earn a two-year WST tour card and qualification for the 2026 World Seniors Snooker Championship – a title he won at the iconic Crucible Theatre last year.
The 47-year-old began the event, which is organised by the Pan American Billiards & Snooker Association (PABSA), with a clean sweep of whitewash victories over fellow countryman Ricardo Bouwman Filho and American cueists Sam McGrath and Pravin Patel.
He dropped just two further frames en route to the semi-finals as he overcame Saif Ibrahim (3-0), Zia Sheik (4-1) and Jason Williams (4-1).
It was an impressive week for Brazilian snooker as the semi-final line-ups for both the Seniors and Open Championships featured all four players from the South American nation.
Three of these – Figueiredo, Luersen and Nelson Rodrigues Morreira – competed in the semi-finals of both events while they were joined by former WST professional Victor Sarkis in the Open competition.
It was Sarkis that faced Figueiredo in the last four but it was the senior man that was in dominant form as he completed yet another whitewash win to move within one victory of the title.
Luersen was his opponent in the title match after he completed a 4-2 defeat of Morreira as he looked to add to the Pan American Seniors Snooker Championship title that he had won 12 months ago.
Figueiredo proved to be too strong once again, however, as he rounded off an unforgettable week by completing a 5-2 victory to secure the title and a WST tour card.
Wether Igor will actually take his tour card remains to be seen though. He didn’t “finish” his last spell on tour and went back to Brazil before his tour card “expired”, explaining that this life abroad was too hard for him and his family. This is understandable. Brazil is too far away for making it possible for Brazilian players to return home just to spend a week-end or indeed any short period of time with their loved ones. The trip is costly and very tiring because the huge time difference. He might however decide to play in the World and Seniors World Championships, as these are “one-offs” in the season and, of course, very special.
I really do hope that he will be able to play in a few events though as he’s very entertaining and (almost) always smiling.
This is the report by WST on what happened yesterday at the 2025 ranking CLS played in Leicester:
Bingham And Slessor Dominate Groups
Stuart Bingham and Elliot Slessor both reeled off three wins out of three to reach the second phase of the BetVictor Championship League.
…
They will be among the 32 round one group winners in stage two which starts on July 18th in Leicester.
Former World Champion Bingham started Group 11 with a 3-0 win over Halim Hussain, making breaks of 83 and 102. He went on to beat Hatem Yassen 3-0 with top runs of 85 and 84, and finished the day with a 3-1 success against Antoni Kowalski, who finished second in the group having won his first two matches.
Slessor opened Group 17 with a 3-1 defeat of Mark Lloyd with a top break of 95. He then saw off Oliver Brown 3-0 and wrapped up the day with a 3-1 victory over Stan Moody, highlighted by a run of 113.
Play resumes on Monday with defending champion Ali Carter and Gary Wilson among those in action.
I have to confess that I couldn’t muster much interest for the snooker on offer yesterday, especially with Wimbledon and the Tour de France1 in progress as well. The only player I wanted to watch yesterday is Antoni Kowalski who did rather well, which pleased me.
Marco Fu has been named as the inaugural WPBSA Players’ Player of the Month by his fellow players following the launch of the new monthly award this season.
Launched by WPBSA Players, the Players’ Player of the Month award recognises outstanding performance, as voted by fellow players. Its key aim is to honour excellence, consistency, and impact on the table, as recognised by those who understand the demands of the game best.
Each month throughout the 2025/26 season a shortlist will be compiled by an independent panel. The panel includes renowned snooker broadcasters David Hendon and Abigail Davies, sports journalist Phil Haigh and WPBSA Players Director Tian Pengfei.
Fab Fu Honoured for June
Hong Kong China’s Marco Fu was selected as the inaugural Players’ Player of the Month following his successful double qualification for the final stages of the both the Wuhan and British Open tournaments which included five century breaks in the 15-frames he played across the two events.
Having received a new two-year invitational tour card at the start of the season, Fu’s first win came against world number 16 Chris Wakelin as he hit top breaks of 136, 120, 113 and 68 to book his place in Wuhan.
A repeat looked unlikely in his subsequent British Open qualifier against Stephen Maguire as he trailed 0-3, before the three-time world ranking event winner rebounded with runs of 140, 81, 104 and 54 to complete an impressive comeback and seal his place at the venue stages.
The 47-year-old won the honour, receiving 62% of the vote, ahead of England’s Reanne Evans and Louis Heathcote, who also won both of their qualification matches.
Players including David Grace, Stan Moody, Fergal Quinn and Bai Yulu were also considered for the final shortlist.
Fu said, “To be chosen as the first ever WPBSA Players Player of the Month for my performances at the qualifiers in June is a pleasant surprise indeed. The performances were a bit of a surprise too!
“To be recognised by my peers for these performances, is a real bonus to add to a solid start to the new season”.
Ken Doherty, WPBSA Players Chairman said: “Congratulations to Marco Fu on a great start to the season. Incredible performances in his opening two matches. He is, as voted by his fellow professionals, our first ever WPBSA Players Player of the Month!”
I’m not sure how long this initiative will “live” nor that it adds much to the sport, but, anyway…
Congratulations Marco Fu.
Belgium, as you may know is a country where cycling is BIG! ↩︎
The reigning World champion, Kyren Wilson, will face the vastly experienced Barry Hawkins today in the final in Berlin. Both beat a young Chinese opponent yesterday in a packed Tempodrom.
World Champion Kyren Wilson is through to the Machineseeker German Masters final, after defeating Xiao Guodong 6-2 at the Tempodrom in Berlin.
The Englishman last made it to a title match in Germany’s premier snooker event back in 2019, when he defeated David Gilbert 9-7 in a thrilling final. Wilson will now face either Barry Hawkins or Yuan Sijun in tomorrow’s final with the Brandon Parker Trophy on the line. The trophy is named in memory of Wilson’s late former manager, who was instrumental in bringing this event to Germany and instigating several tournaments throughout Europe.
It’s been an impressive first season as Crucible king for the Warrior, who has already picked up silverware. Wins over Judd Trump in the finals of the Xi’an Grand Prix and BetVictor Northern Ireland Open have already taken his title tally to two. He was runner-up to Shaun Murphy at the recent Johnstone’s Paint Masters.
Xiao’s week ends in defeat, but it marks the continuation of a tremendous season. He picked up a maiden ranking title at last year’s Wuhan Open and has now appeared in five semi-finals during the campaign.
Breaks of 88 and 100 helped Wilson charge into an early 3-0 lead this afternoon, before Xiao showed his class with 72 in the fourth to give himself hope at 3-1 heading into the mid-session.
When play resumed there were no signs of a momentum shift, with Wilson taking two on the bounce to move to the verge of victory at 5-1. Xiao kept himself in the hunt by pulling one back, but a 32-minute seventh went the way of Wilson to send him into the final of a ranking event for the 17th time. He received a rapturous ovation in front of a sell out Tempodrom crowd as he exited the arena.
Wilson said: “It feels amazing. The crowd were spectacular. The roar is so different to any other venue. I was desperate to make the one table set up this week and it is even better now I’m in the final.
“Xiao has had a fantastic season, winning his first ranking title and making the Champion of Champions final. He is having a fantastic season and beat me on the way to his first title in Wuhan. It was nice to get the win back there.
“I made it clear at the start of the week I was thinking of Brandon. You come here and people tell stories about Brandon. I put a post out at the start of the week saying that we are so grateful to him to have this event. It is great his name lives on with the trophy and I’ll be trying my absolute hardest to lift that tomorrow.“
Barry Hawkins summoned a six frame blitz to beat Yuan Sijun 6-2 and reach the final of the Machineseeker German Masters at the Tempodrom in Berlin.
The Hawk is hunting the fifth ranking title of his career so far and will go toe to toe with World Champion Kyren Wilson in tomorrow’s showpiece showdown. The pair will do battle over the best of 19 frames, with a top prize of £100,000 and the Brandon Parker Trophy on the line.
Hawkins and Wilson have a history of contesting finals on German soil. The 2019 Paul Hunter Classic title match in Furth saw Hawkins prevail, while Wilson came out on top at the same venue in 2022 to win the European Masters. A year later, Hawkins would return to Germany and pick up the European Masters crown with a win over Judd Trump in the final.
China’s Yuan bows out after the most significant tournament run of his career so far, having also made the semis of the Gibraltar Open back in 2019. Deciding frame wins over Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson this week helped him to make the final four and earn today’s appearance in front of a crowd of over 2,300 expectant German fans.
Yuan got off to a flyer when play commenced this evening, breaks of 82 and 70 saw him move 2-0 ahead. From that moment Hawkins took charge. Breaks of 89 and 54 helped him to take frames three and four to draw level at 2-2.
Tightly fought fifth and sixth frames both went to Hawkins, before back-to-back contributions of 83 allowed him to make it six on the bounce to secure a comprehensive victory.
Hawkins said: “I think he faltered towards the end a little bit. He started strongly and then when I came back at him it put him on the back foot. I tried to stay positive and tried to stay calm. I didn’t want to make silly mistakes. To get over the line quite easily, I was delighted.
“It will be an amazing occasion for me against Kyren. Those occasions have been few and far between for me lately. I won the European Masters last season and I’ve had a couple of good results since then. Hopefully I can keep doing what I’ve been doing and enjoy it.
“Winning tomorrow would be up there with the best moments of my career. I’ve got such a tough game against Kyren though. He is playing some great stuff and even when he isn’t he is so hard to beat these days. I won’t be thinking any further ahead. I’ve still got a mountain to climb.“
Meanwhile, in Morroco, Gao Yang won the 2025 WSF championship and regained a tour card
Gao Yangbeat Brian Cini 5-3 in the final of the 2025 WSF Championship to claim the biggest title of his career in Morocco and secure his return to the professional World Snooker Tour for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons.
Having previously reached the final of the Championship 12 months ago, Gao was able to go one step further in 2025 following a high-quality final to add victory in the Open Championship event to his prior success at the WSF Junior Championship in Malta five years earlier. He becomes the first player to have claimed both titles during their career and underlines his record as the most successful player ever at the World Snooker Federation Championships.
Gao’s reward will see him now rejoin the professional circuit for the first time since the end of his initial two-year spell in 2022, and further extends a run which has seen the tournament dominated by players from Asia, with five of its six stagings now won by players from the region. He follows in the footsteps of Luo Honghao (2018), Si Jiahui (2022), Ma Hailong (2023) and last year’s winner Ka Wai Cheung (2024) to lift the trophy.
The outstanding performer during the week, Gao hit a tournament-best five century breaks on his way to the title match for a second successive year, including the overall high break of 140 during his quarter-final victory against Stuart Watson.
The match would prove to be a more cagey affair on the resumption of play, with Cini notably claiming the sixth frame from behind on the colours to once again draw level at 3-3.
Ultimately, it would be Gao’s day, however, as he responded by winning the following two frames to seal victory and secure his return to the World Snooker Tour following a three-year-absence.
Gao said: “This tournament has many former professional players and so it is very hard to win. Now I have a chance to start again. I have moved to Victoria’s Snooker Academy in Sheffield and play more often against professional players like Si Jiahui, Zhang Anda and Zhao Xintong in practice which is very important. My target for the next two years is to get into the top 64.”
Held at the Radisson Blu Resort Saïdia Beach in Morocco, the sixth staging of snooker’s most prestigious amateur championships attracted approximately 250 entries from around the globe across three competitions, with around 600 matches completed across 15 days.
Victory for Gao completes a memorable fortnight in Morocco which had previously seen Ireland’s Leone Crowley and Thailand’s Mink Nutcharut claim the titles in the Junior and Women’s Championships respectively.
The World Snooker Federation would like to thank all of its partners who have supported the event, in particular Morocco Snooker and its president Mr Mourad Mahi, without whom the staging of the Championships would not have been possible.
Unfortunately, I can’t comment. I saw next to nothing of the action and it may well be the same today.
As some of you probably know already, I live in Santorini. The island itself is a “living” volcano, with the craters in the middle in the caldera. We have another volcano nearby, under water, north-east of the island, Koloumbo. Both volcanos are currently showing signs of “activity”. We had dozens of mild earthquakes over the last 48 hours. The last “seismic tremor”, about half an hour ago was on 4.8 Richter. Schools are temporary closed, gatherings in closed spaces are forbidden, access to the harbours and beaches is forbidden as well.
BBC Sport and World Snooker Tour are thrilled to announce an extension to their broadcast agreement to 2032. The new deal is a five-year extension to the current agreement, ensuring that the Triple Crown remains free-to-air for many millions of snooker fans across the UK.
BBC Sport will continue to provide comprehensive live TV and iPlayer coverage of snooker’s three most prestigious tournaments, the World Championship, UK Championship and the Masters.
The Masters, currently taking place at Alexandra Palace, is followed by the World Championship in Sheffield in April and the UK Championship in York in November. Last year, BBC Sport’s coverage of the Triple Crown events had 33.9 million streams across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and over 16 million tuning in on TV.
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport said: “Snooker has been a cornerstone of BBC Sport programming since 1969, and extending our partnership with World Snooker until 2032 is fantastic news for the audience. It ensures the drama, intensity and excitement of the Triple Crown events remains free-to-air and we look forward to many more years of iconic sporting moments.”
WST Chairman, Steve Dawson said: “For more than 50 years we have had an outstanding relationship with BBC and their coverage of the Triple Crown is a fundamental part of those three events. So many millions of fans love watching snooker on BBC and it has always been vital to us to keep the biggest tournaments free to air.”
WST Chief Commercial officer Peter Wright said: “The broadcast figures are extremely strong this week at the Masters which highlights the enduring appeal of snooker and the drama it produces year after year. We look forward to many more years working alongside the BBC, delivering world class sport to a vast audience.”
World Champion Kyren Wilson added: “I grew up watching all of the biggest tournaments on the BBC so it’s fantastic to see this deal extended until at least 2032. It’s so important for young people getting into snooker, like my own children, that the Triple Crown events are available to watch free to air, as this will help us to grow the sport. The BBC do an amazing job in the way they broadcast snooker and long may that continue. I have also really enjoyed working for the commentary team myself and finding out how the production works behind the scenes.”
…
The news triggered massive positive reactions from the fans … the UK fans mainly. There were immediate speculations that this news would “help” keeping the World Championship at the Crucible.
Me, personally … I have mixed feelings about it. The BBC coverage is always excellent, no question about that aspect. They do a sterling job. But… I’m from mainland Europe. For many us the BBC isn’t “free on air”, many of us have to rely on an alternative provider or a vpn to access the BBC stream … but that’s not the main point. The main problem for me is that it will certainly mean that the World Championship will continue to be played exclusively in the UK, be it at the Crucible or elsewhere. I have already expressed my feelings about this situation: the WORLD championship should not stay confined in the UK, it should go around the world. The UK-centric nature of the sport has to be “broken” for it to really grow as a global sport. The WSF junior championship is currently under way. There are a lot of young aspiring snooker players, from all around the world playing in that comp. As it is now, most of them would be forced to live as expats in the UK, with all the challenges that this situation brings: social isolation away from family, language barrier and, at times in nowadays’s Britain, nonsensical hostility1. It’s simply no fair and it is counterproductive IF really WST/WPBSA have ambitions to make snooker global.
Sportsbet.io Becomes New Title Partner of Snooker’s Players Championship, Tour Championship and Champion of Champions
January 15, 2024 – Three celebrated events on snooker’s global tour, renowned for their elite fields, will welcome Sportsbet.io as their new title partner for the next two years. The Sportsbet.io Players Championship will run from March 17-23, 2025, at Telford International Centre, followed by the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship from March 31 to April 6 at Manchester Central and then the Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions from November 10-16 in Bolton.
All three events will be screened live by ITV and will receive extensive global television and online coverage from a range of international broadcasters.
Sportsbet.io, a leading crypto sportsbook and casino, Official Regional Partner of LALIGA, Official Betting Partner of English football team, Hull City and a Club Partner of Premier League team Newcastle United, now joins forces with WST and Matchroom for the first time. Sportsbet.io is part of Yolo Group, known for bringing next-level innovation to the worlds of gaming, fintech and blockchain.
The Sportsbet.io Players Championship is the second event in the 2025 Players Series. Only the top 16 on this season’s one-year ranking list will earn a place in the field in Telford. Mark Allen won the trophy last season, and as it stands he could be defending the title in a field including the likes of world number one Judd Trump, World Champion Kyren Wilson, Ding Junhui, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams, John Higgins and many more top stars.
Then for the climax of the series, the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship at a fantastic venue in the heart of Manchester, only the top 12 earn a spot in the draw.
The Sportsbet.io Champion of Champions, ever present on the calendar since 2013, brings together 16 winners of tournaments over the previous 12 months. Mark Williams took the title in 2024, coming through a superb field which included the likes of Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Peter Wright, Chief Commercial Officer for WST, said: “We are excited to team up with Yolo Group as they are known for their inventive approach to the digital world which is going to be an ever-changing landscape in years to come. They have a range of fabulous snooker events to help build the Sportsbet.io brand. The Players Series events are only for the best players on the one-year rankings so it rewards the players in form with places in these prestigious tournaments. Fans will pack the arenas in both Telford and Manchester and we look forward to working with the Yolo team over these events.”
Emily Frazer, CEO of Matchroom Multi Sport, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Sportsbet.io as the title sponsor for the Champion of Champions, alongside the Players and Tour Championship. The Champion of Champions is a standout event on the snooker calendar, renowned for its elite line-up and global reach. Partnering with Sportsbet.io, a brand synonymous with innovation and excellence, ensures these tournaments will continue to thrive as world-class spectacles. We’re excited to work together in showcasing the very best of snooker to fans across the globe.”
Shane Anderson – Director of Partnerships, Content, Brand of Yolo Entertainment, said: “At Yolo Group, we’re passionate about pushing boundaries and creating unforgettable experiences, which is why partnering with three of snooker’s most prestigious tournaments is such an exciting opportunity for us. The Players Championship, Tour Championship, and Champion of Champions embody excellence, just as Sportsbet.io strives to innovate and elevate the worlds of sportsbook and blockchain. We’re thrilled to bring this partnership to life and connect with snooker fans around the globe.”
Founded in 2016 as part of Yolo Group, Sportsbet.io is the leading crypto sportsbook. Sportsbet.iohas redefined the online betting space by combining cutting-edge technology, with cryptocurrency expertise and a passion for offering its players with the ultimate fun, fast and fair gaming experience.
Official Regional Partner of LALIGA, Official Betting Partner of English football team, Hull City and a Club Partner of Premier League team Newcastle United, Sportsbet.io provides an expansive range of betting action across all major sports and eSports, offering players more than 1M pre-match events per year and comprehensive in-play content.
As the first crypto sportsbook to introduce a cash out function, Sportsbet.io is recognised as a leader in both online sports betting and within the crypto community.
In December 2023, a lucky Sportsbet.io won the biggest ever online slots jackpot while playing on the site, turning a $50 spin into a prize of more than $42 million.
Sportsbet.io prides itself on its secure and trustworthy betting service, with withdrawal times of less than 90 seconds, among the fastest in the industry.
Matchroom is a world-leading sports promotion company specialising in creating and delivering unforgettable live events across a range of sports, including snooker, pool, darts, and boxing. With over four decades of experience, Matchroom produces events watched by millions of fans worldwide, combining top-tier competition with unrivalled entertainment value. Through global partnerships, innovative broadcasting, and digital engagement, Matchroom is committed to driving the growth and visibility of its sports on the international stage.
I have also, many times, made my feeling known about snooker being in bed with the betting industry. Those feelings haven’t changed2. These ones are looking forward to “connect with snooker fans around the globe“. Yeah… all three events are held in the UK, and shown on ITV, only available in the UK. Other broadcasters may relay it but there is no certainly, and it will almost certainly come at a price. I used to be only able to watch it on Matchroom.live . That wasn’t free and, anyway, it’s gone.
I have been loudly criticised, while sitting in a bus, for speaking French with my husband … just imagine that here on Santorini island we would ask British tourists to speak Greek at all times when in a public space, even for a private conversation within the family. They would feel outraged surely? ↩︎
During the some 35 years I had a job in IT, I lost three colleagues to suicide. One was incurably ill and in huge pain, the other two, men, took their own life over betting debts. Both left behind a partner and young children who then had to cope with the betting debts on top of dealing with their sorrows. The betting industry should be VERY strongly regulated and they should not be allowed ANY form of advertising. ↩︎
For many players, and fans, the 2024/25 season will start in earnest in two day, on Thursday 25 July 2024, with the 2024 Xian Grand Prix qualifiers. You know my opinion on having those qualifiers held in the UK but, for now at least, that’s the way it is. Anyway… with those events upon us, WST has made two announcements.
The first player to make 100 century breaks on the World Snooker Tour during the 2024/25 season will win a massive £100,000 bonus.
This new WST initiative gives all tour players the chance to chase the landmark of 100 tons in a single season.
This has only ever been achieved twice before – by Neil Robertson who made 103 centuries during the 2013/14 campaign, and Judd Trump who compiled 102 in 2019/20.
All events on the 2024/25 WST calendar count towards a player’s tally, and the first to reach 100 centuries will earn the bonus. If two (or more players) reach the 100 milestone having played the same number of frames in the same round of the same tournament, then the bonus will be shared.
WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “We are delighted to introduce this new bonus as it creates an extra storyline which will run throughout the season. If a player is on target for the ‘century of centuries’ going into the last few events then the drama will build with every match!”
Trump tops the charts so far this season having made ten centuries in winning last week’s Shanghai Masters. Fans can keep track of which players are topping the centuries list here
Before I come to how I feel about the initiative … following the link above sends me to this:
WTF is this ??? Why on earth do fans need to sign in to a site to see such information ???
Anyway… of course, fans love big breaks and centuries, so encouraging the players to go for them makes some sense BUT this is a professional sport and you would expect players to try to win above anything else. Hum?
TOP 144 SNOOKER PLAYERS TO STAR IN THE FIRST SAUDI ARABIA SNOOKER MASTERS
144 of the best snooker players are set to compete in the inaugural Saudi Arabia Masters in Green Halls, Riyadh from August 30th – September 7th.
The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, a world ranking event, will feature a mammoth prize pool of over £2 million. This tournament is part of an exciting legacy commitment with the Ministry of Sport for Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation, aiming to develop snooker and pool in the region over next decade.
The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will be open to all 128 tour players, plus 16 wild card players selected by the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation, to create the total field of 144 players.
Stars names including Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Allen, John Higgins, Mark Selby, World Champion Kyren Wilson and the rest of the world’s top 32, as well as leading women players Reanne Evans, Mink Nutcharut, Bai Yulu and Baipat Siripaporn will be in the line-up for the first ever ranking event staged in Saudi Arabia.
The event will start on Friday August 30th, with the thrilling final set for Saturday September 7th. Further details on ticket information will be announced soon.
They will compete in the same format as the Snooker World Championship:
Round one: Seeds 81-112 v seeds 113-144 (August 30th) Round two: Those 32 winners v seeds 49 -80 (August 31st) Round three: Those 32 winners v seeds 17-48 (September 1st) Round four: Those 32 winners play each other (September 2nd) Round five: Those 16 winners v seeds 1-16 in the last 32 (September 3rd)
Reigning Snooker World Champion, Kyren Wilson will be among the elite players heading to Riyadh: “This is an incredibly exciting time for the World Snooker Tour. I am looking forward to competing in this new ranking event and aiming for the top spot in Riyadh.” Wilson said.
Saudi Arabia Billiards & Snooker Federation President, Dr Nasser Saab Al-Shammari, added: “History will be written once more for snooker in Saudi Arabia, and we could not be more thrilled. Seeing world class talents from across the globe compete here will be truly special, offering both the players and fans an unforgettable experience.”
WST Chairman, Steve Dawson said: “Given the magnitude of this outstanding new event, in working with our partners in Saudi Arabia we felt it was crucial to have all 144 players in Riyadh. This will be the only one of snooker’s four majors with such an extensive field competing in the final stages.
“Fans in the region will have the opportunity to watch a diverse range of players, from up-and-coming rookies and local wild cards to the top 16 seeds. It promises to be a fantastic celebration of snooker, and for all of the players, it’s an amazing opportunity to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, enjoy the culture and meet the fans.
“This is a huge ten-year partnership which will focus on developing participation in snooker at all levels, so to have such a wide array of talented players in Riyadh for this incredible new tournament is an important focal point for that journey. We look forward to working with our partners on the inaugural event.”
The major ten-year deal for this event also includes the World Pool Championship – the crown jewel of the World Nineball Tour – which was recently staged in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and won by Fedor Gorst, who defeated Eklent Kaci 15-14 in an epic final.
As part of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a premier destination for some of the biggest global sports events, embracing both male and female athletes. From football and motorsports to tennis, equestrian, and esports, Saudi Arabia has welcomed over 2.6 million enthusiastic sports fans to witness these world-class competitions.
The title of this piece is a bit baffling as there is no snooker ranking list outside the one WST “offers”, and that list, based on earnings in professional events, shouldn’t really take amateurs into account and doesn’t comprise 144 players anyway at this stage of the season!1 OK, so, the field will be made of all the pros who will enter the event plus amateurs, including 16 wildcards chosen by the Saudis.
The good thing is that it has a tiered structure and all matches will be played at the venue. No qualifiers in the UK for this one. All players welcome in Saudi Arabia!2 The less good thing is that given the schedule it can only be a very short format unless the venue can accommodate a huge number of tables. How many, if any, will be televised or streamed, and via what channel(s) isn’t known yet.
Unless they use a secret ELO ranking list … but I’m dreaming… ↩︎
Just as well probably that there are currently no Israēli players on tour … ↩︎
World Grand Prix move to Hong Kong part of plan to reduce UK’s snooker dominance
Phil Haigh
Ronnie O’Sullivan won the World Grand Prix last season in Leicester (Picture: Getty Images)
The World Grand Prix is likely to leave the UK for the first time since it arrived on the World Snooker Tour calendar in 2015 and that looks set to be a sign of things to come in the coming years.
Talks are at an advanced stage for the tournament to be held in Hong Kong this season, in the new 10,000-seat indoor arena at Kai Tak Sports Park, which is still under construction.
Official confirmation of the move to the new venue is yet to arrive, but WST are ‘very confident’ that it will happen, in what would be a big step for the event which has been held in Leicester, Cheltenham, Coventry and Milton Keynes in recent years.
This is part of a plan to spread the sport across the globe a little more fairly as the World Snooker Tour is still mainly based in the UK.
Last season there were 23 professional tournaments held in the UK, with just seven abroad across China, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
This season there are 20 events currently on the calendar with 13 in the UK and seven elsewhere – although with more to be added to the schedule in the near future including the Grand Prix and World Masters of Snooker.
This is getting closer to a 50-50 split, which WST say is the target in the short-term, with the potential for more events to be abroad than in the UK in future.
A WST spokesperson told Metro: ‘You’ll see going forward, the Grand Prix being a great example, less events in the UK at smaller venues. There’s no room for us now to keep doing stuff in smaller places.
‘We’re looking to shift to a 50-50 model in the near future. By 2026/27 it should be 50-50 and it might even go beyond that, which is what it should be really. So there will be fewer UK events but they’ll be world class.’
New events overseas have joined the calendar this season, with the Xi’an Grand Prix in China and the big-money Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters coming up next month, both for the first time, with the World Masters of Snooker in Riyadh is likely to return for a second time in October.
Talk of a new tournament in Qatar was made public by Barry Hearn during the World Championship, and while that remains on the cards for 2025, it may be next season rather than the current one.
Where there has been decline, though, is in Europe where there is only the German Masters on the calendar this season, one event down from last season which saw the European Masters also hosted in Germany.
With the 2023 world champion being Belgian and hugely popular exhibition events held in the likes of Finland and Bulgaria, the presence in Europe is disappointing in terms of how global the game currently is.
However, WST insist they are ‘always looking at Europe’ and ‘desperately trying’ to expand the tour across the continent.
‘We need to move away from relying on the UK market,’ said the WST spokesperson.
Luca Brecel’s 2023 World Championship triumph is yet to lead to more European events (Picture: Getty Images)
With the imminent move for the Grand Prix, more of the ‘smaller’ ranking events in the UK could also be moved abroad or swapped for new international tournaments, with the likes of the English Open currently held in Brentwood certainly a candidate to change.
As for the World Grand Prix, confirmation is expected in the coming weeks on the venue, dates and TV coverage, with talks ongoing on all fronts.
Hong Kong is the likely destination, but dates in January and March are possible and whether ITV4 will continue to televise the event is still being discussed.
The event will remain the first in the three-tournament series which leads into the smaller field Players Championship and Tour Championship.
At last !!!
Well this is good news, well overdue but good news. And if WST is really trying to expand the tour in mainland Europe, I’m not sure what is stopping them. The appetite from the fans is there as the success of this summer exhibitions has shown. What I do know though is that Brexit isn’t making it easier and that there has to be something worth it for the local promoters/organisers. During the PTCs era, I know that organising those events cost the local promotors and staff a lot of work, time and energy and they got very little out of it. That model can’t work in the long term.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 