The following announcement was shared by WST yesterday:
Shenzhen Open Added To Calendar As Xiāan Event Relocates
The Shenzhen Open world ranking event will be staged for the first time this season, replacing the Xiāan Grand Prix.
The dates will remain the same with the final stages to be played from September 28th to October 4th, 2026.
Shenzhen is located in the Guangdong Province in southern China, known for its cutting edge technology and economic growth. With a population of 17 million, it is the third largest city in China after Beijing and Shanghai. It is also the home of 2025 World Champion Zhao Xintong.
The qualifying rounds in the UK will run from July 19th to 22nd. The format has a tiered structure with three qualifying rounds, and the top 16 seeds have their round three (last 64) matches held over to the venue in Shenzhen.
Total prize money will be Ā£850,000, with the winner to receive Ā£177,000. Mark Williams will be defending champion having won the title in Xiāan last year
Simon Brownell, Chief Executive Officer of WST, said: āWe are thrilled to be bringing a huge event to the incredible city of Shenzhen for the first time. The fans there will get the opportunity to watch their heroes play live and it will be a fantastic experience for the top players to visit another new city in China, as our sport continues to grow across the region.ā
The Xiāan Grand Prix was staged in Xiāan in the Shaanxi Province in 2024 and 2025.
Nothing to add really… let’s hope that it’s a success, and that the event will be well attended. With such a huge population and being home to the first Chinese World Snooker Champion it should be. If it isn’t then something is badly wrong somewhere…
The quarter-finals for all four BetVictor Home Nations events in the 2026/27 season will change from best of nine frames to best of 11.
There is also a change in format with the Friday afternoon quarter-finals to be played concurrently on two tables from 1pm, rather than the previous roll-on roll-off format from 12pm. The evening quarter-finals on the same day will be on two tables from 7pm as usual.
This change has been made after discussions with host broadcasters TNT Sports and BBC Wales, taking into account the preference among fans and players for longer matches at the deep end of tournaments.
The four events are:
BetVictor English Open The Brentwood CentreĀ September 7-13.Ā
BetVictor Northern Ireland Open Waterfront Hall, Belfast October 18-25.
BetVictor Scottish Open The Meadowbank Centre, EdinburghĀ December 14-20.
BetVictor Welsh Open Venue Cymru, Llandudno Ā February 8-14, 2027.Ā
Overall I believe that this is a good move, but then, if fans expressed their preference for longer matches, why not make the earlier stages longer as well? Maybe, the issue with the earlier stages is the number of tables used simultaneously? Moving to best of 9 would almost certainly mean adding an interval, and with that having to cope with fans leaving and rejoining the arena while several matches are still in progress on close-by tables.
The draw and match schedule for the final stages of the China Open is now available, as the world ranking event returns to the calendar for the first time in seven years.
Neil Robertson is defending champion having beaten Jack Lisowski in the final in 2019. He will take on Chang Bingyu in his opening match on Monday August 10th. Wold Champion Wu Yize is in action on the first day, Saturday August 8th, and faces Yao Pengcheng. Two of the qualifiers, Anthony McGill and Hossein Vafaei, have been drawn at random to face local wild cards before the last 32 round.
Taiyuan, which is the capital city of the Shanxi Province in North China, will host the tournament from August 8-16.
Under a joint project between WST, the Chinese Billiard Sports Association, the Shanxi Provincial Sports Bureau, the Taiyuan Municipal Government and Huajian Sports Holding Group Co Ltd, co-organized by the Shanxi Provincial National Fitness Guidance Center, the Taiyuan Sports Bureau and Huajian Culture Media Technology (Shanxi) Co Ltd, the event will have huge prize money of Ā£1.2 million. The nine-day event will have 32 players in the final stages and matches will be best of 11 frames from the start, on two tables.
The China Open is among snookerās most historic and prestigious international events as it was first staged in 1999 in Shanghai, won by Ronnie O’Sullivan. In 2005 it was held in Beijing and won by an 18-year-old Ding Junhui, beating Stephen Hendry in the final. This was a key moment in the growth of snooker in China and the arrival of Ding as a national hero.
The draw for the 2026 Shanghai Masters has been made, with Kyren Wilson defending the title in the 24-player invitation event which runs from July 27th to August 2nd in China.
Wilson, who beat Ali Carter in the final last year, could face five-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in his opening match, if the Rocket can get past a local wild card in the previous round.
The top eight seeds, including world number one Judd Trump and World Champion Wu Yize, are seeded into the last 16, while the other 16 players start in round one.
Chinese legend Ding Junhui needs to win his first match against a wild card to earn a tie with 2025 Crucible king Zhao Xintong.
Ronnie’s current ranking means that he enters this competition in round 1, whilst the top eight players start in round 2. It may actually be a good thing because he will play a less experienced opponent2 first.
Here is the WST report on what happened on day 5 at this year’s World Championship
Selby Relieved To End Crucible Losing Streak
Mark Selby won a match at the Crucible for the first time in three years as he hammered Jak Jones 10-2 in the first round of the Halo World Championship.
Four-time champion Selby was runner-up to Luca Brecel in 2023 then suffered shock first round exits against Joe O’Connor in 2024 and Ben Woollaston in 2025. When he was handed a tough draw this time against 2024 runner-up Jones he may have feared another early trip back to Leicester, but in fact Selby dominated an out-of-sorts opponent and sailed into the last 16.
The 42-year-old, who lifted the trophy in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021, is into the last 16 in Sheffield for the 16th time and the sport’s ultimate match player now faces an intriguing battle with exciting young potter Wu Yize, which starts on Sunday.
Selby was at his best earlier this season when he won the Champion of Champions and UK Championship, and though his form has dipped since then, he is always a threat at the Crucible with his exceptional all round game and patience over the long distance.
He took a 7-2 lead over Jones in the first session this morning with top breaks of 67, 50 and 78, then added the three frames he needed tonight.
“It’s very tough when you lose in round one because this only comes around once a year, it’s the biggest tournament and the one everyone wants to win,” said world number seven Selby. “Then you go home and the tournament is still going on for two weeks so you can’t get away from it. I was relieved this time not to draw someone from Leicester. But it was still a tough draw and I’m over the moon to beat Jak by that scoreline,. No matter what I have achieved, I felt nervous and I’m sure Jak did too.Ā
“I feel I have still been playing decent stuff in the second half of the season. At the Tour Championship I was 8-5 up on John Higgins and then didn’t do too much wrong but lost 10-8. I still feel good in my game. Wu is an amazing talent and great to watch, he could be a future World Champion, I am really looking forward to it. I know I am going to have to be near my best.“
Jones suffers from asthma and explained how that affected his performance. He said: “I felt shocking this morning and the game turned into a nightmare. I couldn’t breathe properly and that makes it very difficult to keep my composure or stay calm. When you are up against one of the best players ever, that doesn’t help. But it’s not an excuse because I played badly so the scoreline would probably have been the same anyway.”
On the other table, Neil Robertson took a narrow 5-4 over Pang Junxu in the last of the opening round matches to get underway. Robertson compiled breaks of 81, 72 and 53 while Pang made 54, 73 and 122. They play to a finish on Thursday from 7pm.
I didn’t see much at all from the action because intermittent issues with my Internet connection, so I can’t really comment on how the match panned out. I didn’t remember that Mark Selby had suffered those early exits in the three previous years. In my eyes, he’s a top player and always very dangerous, so I expected him to beat Jak Jones. The scoreline though is severe. Jak Jones is a former Crucible finalist and I expected a much closer match.
Ding Junhui is still considered the Godfather of Chinese snooker and he will have the chance to take on reigning Crucible king Zhao Xintong on the biggest stage, having seen off David Gilbert 10-5 in the opening round.
Ding’s success goes back to 2005 when he won the China Open and UK Championship – which proved the catalyst for the explosion of interest in snooker in his country. He now has 15 ranking titles – including three UK crowns – to his name though the world title has always eluded him, his best run coming in 2016 when he was runner-up to Mark Selby.
Zhao is at the crest of the wave of players who followed in Ding’s footsteps, and last year became the first from Asia to conquer the Crucible. This year there were a record 11 Chinese players in the last 32 at the Theatre of Dreams, and Ding will face Zhao in a last 16 tie which starts on Friday and is sure to generate gargantuan interest in their home country.
This has been a quiet season so far for 39-year-old Ding and he is yet to reach a ranking semi-final. When he lost to Marco Fu in the qualifying round of the World Open in February he looked likely to drop out of the elite top 16 as he had not qualified for any events leading up to Sheffield. However results went his way and he clung on to 16th spot, and against Gilbert he showed indications of a return to form. If he can replicate that level he will provide a fascinating test for in-form Zhao.
Ding led 7-2 overnight having made breaks of 94, 74, 100, 72 and 52 in the first session. Gilbert took the opening frame today and in the next he led 57-1 when he ran out of position then missed a mid-range red, and Ding capitalised with a 65 clearance for 8-3. In frame 12, Ding led 30-1 when he missed the black off its spot, gifting Gilbert the chance top ignite a fight back with a run of 78.
Up 68-6 in the 13th, Ding needed just one more red, but an attempted plant wobbled in the jaws of a top corner. He later missed the reds when attempting safety and Gilbert’s excellent 59 narrowed his deficit to 8-5 at the interval. However Ding regained the initiative with a break of 106, then in frame 15 Gilbert missed a risky brown to a baulk corner when he led 36-0, and Ding’s 61 helped him past the winning line.
“The frame to go 8-3 up was really crucial,” said Ding, who is playing at the Crucible for the 20th consecutive year and is into the second round for the 13th time. “To win that frame was very important because David played well in the frames before the interval.
“In the end, it doesn’t really matter who wins (against Zhao). Let’s see if at this year’s World Championship we can have a situation like at the World Grand Prix Hong Kong, where it came down to only Chinese players in the semi-finals. That way, no matter who wins, the title still goes to a Chinese player.
“Achieving good results can help bring more recognition to snooker in China and attract more people to follow and learn the sport. I think it’s even more important to help raise the overall competitive level of Chinese snooker.”
John Higgins reached the last 16 of the Halo World Championship for the 12th year in a row by beating Ali Carter 10-7, raising hopes of a second round clash with fellow legend Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Not since 2014, when he lost to Alan McManus, has Higgins fallen at the first hurdle and with a dozen consecutive wins at that stage he has the longest active streak of any player. Two-time Crucible finalist Carter was among the toughest qualifiers to draw, and Higgins looked in danger when he lost five frames in a row to trail 5-4, but he proved the stronger player today to take six of the last eight frames.
Scotland’s 50-year-old Higgins has enjoyed an impressive level of consistency this season, reaching three finals and three semi-finals, albeit missing out on silverware. He hopes to finish the campaign with another deep run and would relish the opportunity to take on O’Sullivan, though the Rocket must first overcome the challenge of He Guoqiang. Higgins and O’Sullivan have previously met six times at the Crucible, most recently in 2022 when the Englishman won 17-11 in the semi-finals.
Trailing 5-4 going into today’s concluding session, Higgins took the first two frames today with breaks of 63 and 81. Carter responded with a run of 106 before Higgins dominated the next to lead 7-6 at the interval. Frame 14 proved crucial as Carter had a chance to snatch it from 40-8 down, but on 54 he missed a tough pot on the last red, handing Higgins the opportunity to double his advantage.
A run of 50 helped Higgins win the next for 9-6, and breaks of 43 and 19 in the 17th were enough to put him into the last 16 for the 28th time in 32 consecutive appearances. So far all seven completed matches have gone in favour of the seeded player.
“When the draw came out I wasn’t happy because I knew it would be a mammoth game,” said Higgins, champion in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011. “No one in the game has more respect for Ali’s game than me, he can cue like a dream and he is one of the biggest battlers. The 14th frame was huge, to go 8-6 up as that gave me the cushion to go on and win.
“If I do play Ronnie it would be special, a big occasion. Maybe it would be the last time we would play each other here. I’d just have to forget about that because I’d be out there to try to win a match, buckle down and give it everything. I’m putting less pressure on myself, just taking it as it is and not expecting too much at my age.”
Carter, asked if his glass is half full or half empty, joked: “The glass is smashed to bits! I am sick as a dog. The big difference in the game was the run of the ball, quite a few times John missed balls or got out of snookers and didn’t leave me a chance.“
On the other table, Wu Yize blitzed to an 8-1 lead over Chinese compatriot Lei Peifan. Wu, age 22, has enjoyed a breakthrough season, beating Higgins in the final to secure maiden ranking silverware at the International Championship and reaching further semi-finals at the Masters, Welsh Open and World Open.
Wuās previous two Crucible appearances have ended in first round defeats, but he now needs just two more frames to reach the last 16 for the first time. Breaks of 93, 92, 85, 67, 58 and 105 propelled Wu clear this afternoon and he will hope to finish the job when they return tomorrow at 2:30pm.
Stan Moody’s enthralling Crucible debut ended in defeat as the teenager made critical errors in the closing stages of a 10-7 defeat against Kyren Wilson in the first round of the Halo World Championship.
Moody, 19, was on course to become the youngest player to win a match at the Crucible since Ronnie O’Sullivan in 1995 when he led 7-3, but crucially he passed up a chance to go 8-3 ahead, and later another to make it 8-6. Wilson showed the resolve which won him the title in 2024 as he stormed back to take the last seven frames and punched the air in relief as he celebrated victory. Having avoided a seismic Sheffield shock, the world number two is into the last 16 and will face Mark Allen on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The first British teenager to make a Crucible debut since Judd Trump in 2007, Moody looked in his element for much of the day, exuding confidence as he showed the full range of his potting and break-building skills. He was dominating the tie at 7-3, but perhaps tightened up as the winning line drew close and the lost momentum.
Wilson suffered a painful 10-9 first round defeat against Lei Peifan a year ago and was determined to avoid a similar fate. His season has included titles at the invitational Shanghai Masters and the Masters, though in ranking events he is yet to reach a semi-final. The 34-year-old is into the last 16 at the Crucible for the tenth time and still has the chance to finish the campaign strongly.
Trailing 6-3 after the first session, Wilson had chances in the opening frame tonight but missed the green to a baulk corner when he led 44-28, and Moody converted a doubled red to a centre pocket to set up a 48 clearance. Moody might have gone 8-3 up but missed the last red along the top cushion when he led by 35 points in frame 11. Wilson cleared the table to force a respotted black, then potted it from distance to spark his fight back.
A break of 63 from Wilson helped make it 7-5 and in frame 13, Moody missed a risky yellow to a centre pocket when he trailed 52-15, and soon the gap was just one. Moody looked sure to go 8-6 ahead until he broke down on 68 in the 14th with four reds left, and Wilson replied with 24 before gaining the three snookers he needed on the last red and cleared to level the tie.
Early in the next frame, Moody missed an awkward black to a top corner on 7, and Wilson’s run of 46 gave him the lead for the first time, then he dominated the 16th with 35 and 34 for 9-7. Yorkshire’s Moody might have kept the match alive if he had cleared the colours in frame 17, but he missed a tough final black which was close to the top cushion, and Wilson slotted it home.
“It was really tough, at 7-3 I had to keep going to the well,” said Wilson. “I wasn’t playing great but I made some dogged clearances and I had to keep doing the right things. I knew I had more experience than Stan here and that was bound to be a factor.
“Stan is a credit to the younger generation, my kids are often supporting him. He was very impressive this morning and I am sure he will learn from this experience, it won’t be the last time you see him here. I won a couple of big frames which must have sapped the energy out of him.“
Moody said: “I’m gutted, I lost too many bad frames. I had the match won at 7-3 then it turned around. I felt comfortable out there, it was still a great experience and I have to learn from it.“
Meanwhile, 2005 champion Shaun Murphy took a 5-4 overnight lead against China’s Fan Zhengyi. They return on Tuesday at 7pm with the winner to meet Xiao Guodong next.
Murphy took a 3-1 lead with a top break of 78 then Fan took the next with a run of 66 and won frame six on a respotted black. The next two were shared, then Murphy finished the session strongly with a 140 total clearance.
There isn’t much to add really.
Ding’s interview is quite revealing. He seems to care more about the future of snooker in China and about the success of the Chinese contingent as a whole than about his personal success. From what I understand heyball is developing faster than snooker in China. It’s probably an easier, hence more enjoyable, game for beginners. Its “faster” too. The latest match fixing scandal has certainly tarnished snooker’s image in China, as well as the Chinese players’ image worldwide. Ding was the “pioneer” Chinese player and the whole affair must have been particularly painful for him.
Ronnie starts his first round match this afternoon. I will be honest: my expectations are low. He Guoqiang is a very good, very dangerous player.
Four matches were played to a conclusion yesterday, and you will find the results and scores on snooker.org as always. As you can see, all matches, so far, were won by the seeded top 16 player. The story that captured WST attention though was the clash of generations, between Willo and the young Polish debutant Antoni Kowalski.
Mark Williams got the better of Poland’s top player Antoni Kowalski by a 10-4 scoreline to reach the last 16 of the Halo World Championship for the 23rd time.
Kowalski’s run was the most engaging storyline of the qualifying rounds last week as he had to reach the Crucible to save his tour card as well as becoming the first player from his country to appear at snooker’s Theatre of Dreams. However the talented 22-year-old admitted he “ran out of steam” on the main stage and was outplayed by world number six Williams.
Age 51 and despite the fact that his eyesight is gradually deteriorating, Williams must still be considered a contender for the crown as he reached the final last year, notably knocking out John Higgins and Judd Trump before losing to Zhao Xintong in the final. Earlier this season he became the oldest ever winner of a ranking title when he beat Shaun Murphy in the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix.
His next opponent is Barry Hawkins over a possible 25 frames on Friday and Saturday – a repeat of their epic 2018 semi-final which Williams won 17-15 on his way to a third world title.
This was a spirited debut from Kowalski and at 3-3 he looked capable of causing an upset, but missed too many chances in the remainder of the match.
Williams led 6-3 after the first session, but in the opening frame tonight he played a weak safety when he trailed 50-39 with two reds left, and Kowalski took advantage to narrow the gap. A break of 65 restored Williams’ three-frame cushion at 7-4, then in frame 12 the Welshman led 33-15 when he cracked in a long red to set up a run of 34 to go further ahead.
Kowalski had a scoring chance in the next but made only 15 before missing a red with the rest, and his opponent capitalised with the only century of the match, 115, to lead 9-4. The next came down to the final black and a brief safety exchange ended when Williams fired it from distance into a top corner.
“Antoni is a cracking potter, I don’t pot the long balls that he does any more,” said Williams. “I knew it would be tough for him on his debut so I tried to keep it tight and play to my strengths. He showed a bit of inexperience but he will learn from that and improve. The scoreline looks quite one sided but he could have won three or four more frames.“
Kowalski said: “The whole experience definitely lived up to my expectations. If I could I would play here every day, it’s such a special atmosphere. I put so much into the qualifying rounds and I was trying hard here but I ran out of steam.
“I couldn’t be more proud to have made my contribution as the first Polish player at the Crucible. We have been waiting for this breakthrough moment and hopefully this will make snooker more popular in my country.“
Indeed, as Mark Williams said, Antoni Kowalski could have made the match a lot closer. Of course it was a new experience for him and, also, there was a lot of attention and probably expectations on him as well. I do hope that Mark’s nice word will help the young polish player to overcome his disappointment quickly and encourage him to work even harder. He’s certainly talented and capable enough. He earned his spot at the Crucible.
