Mark Selby and Stephen Maguire will contest the 2025 Welsh Open final today for the Ray Reardon trophy. Here is how they emerged the winners of their respective semi-finals, as reported by WST.
Mark Selby 6-3 Luca Brecel
SELBY FINISHES STRONGLY TO END BRECEL’S RUN
Mark Selby came from 3-2 down to beat Luca Brecel 6-3 and reach the final of the BetVictor Welsh Open, remaining on track for a 24th ranking title.
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Brecel looked the stronger player when he led 3-2, but crucially missed chances in the sixth and seventh frames. That allowed Selby to gain control of the contest, and the four-time World Champion reeled off the last four frames to set up a final against Ali Carter or Stephen Maguire in Llandudno on Sunday.
The 41-year-old from Leicester will be playing in his 36th ranking final, having won 23 of his previous 35. Back in 2008 he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 9-8 in the Welsh Open final, and has not won the event since. If Selby can lift the Ray Reardon Trophy tomorrow it will be his third piece of silverware this season having won the Unibet British Open in September and the BetVictor Championship League last week. He is sure to climb one place to third in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings, and the £100,000 top prize would boost him to fourth on the one-year list.
Defeat is a double blow for Brecel as victory today would have guaranteed him a place in next month’s World Grand Prix, instead he misses out on that event in Hong Kong. His hopes of winning the £150,000 BetVictor Bonus are also over as he needed to win the tournament to top the BetVictor Series rankings, so that windfall goes to Neil Robertson.
In a repeat of the 2023 Crucible final, Selby made a superb start with a 131 total clearance in the opening frame. Brecel was suffering from a headache and took a short break, and when he came back to the table he got his cue arm going with a run of 68 for 1-1. A scrappy 45-minute third frame went Selby’s way, before Brecel made 79 in the fourth then dominated the fifth for 3-2.
Belgium’s Brecel had chances to extend his lead in frame six, but missed a red with the rest when he led 23-2, and Selby punished him with a run of 60. World number seven Brecel had another opportunity in the seventh, but on 45 went for a risky three-ball plant which missed its target, and Selby cleared with 67 for 4-3. The Englishman went on to take the eighth with runs of 33 and 35 before sealing victory in the ninth with a 74.
“I got stronger as it went on, from 3-2 down that was the most composed I have felt all week,” said Selby. “I lost my way a bit after the interval. The match turned on the plant Luca went for at 3-3, it was probably a one in ten shot and perhaps he shouldn’t have gone for it. For me, you have to weigh up the options and percentages, if it’s not in your favour it’s not the right shot. But that’s how Luca plays and he has won tournaments so he’ll feel he doesn’t need to change.
“The difference for me in the last few weeks has been that I have been winning scrappy frames, which I had struggled with previously for a few months. Winning the Championship League gave me confidence. I have lacked consistency at times this season so it has been great this week to put a run together. I’ll enjoy the final tomorrow but I will be trying my hardest and determined to win.”
Brecel, who was playing in his first ranking semi-final of the season, said: “I didn’t play well enough, I missed too many chances. I felt I was playing well enough to win the tournament, but Mark was a very tough opponent today.”
Stephen Maguire 6-4 Ali Carter
MAGUIRE REACHES FIRST FINAL IN FIVE YEARS
Resurgent Stephen Maguire ground out a 6-4 victory over Ali Carter at the BetVictor Welsh Open to reach his first ranking event final since 2020.
World number 29 Maguire had not even appeared in a ranking event quarter-final this season prior to this week, but has shown his renowned fighting spirit in Llandudno to make it through to the conclusion. On Sunday he will battle Mark Selby over 17 frames for the Ray Reardon Trophy and a top prize of £100,000, with Glasgow’s 43-year-old Maguire aiming for a seventh career ranking title and first since the 2020 Tour Championship.
Back in 2004, Maguire won the UK Championship, and subsequently enjoyed a sequence of nine consecutive seasons ranked among the world’s top ten. Since then, highlights have been few and far between, but he recently started work with coach Chris Small for the first time and this week has produced a string of impressive wins.
As an added bonus, his run has boosted Maguire from 41st in the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year Rankings into the top 32 and guaranteed him a place in next month’s World Grand Prix in Hong Kong. Victory over Selby tomorrow would push him up to 13th on that list and to 21st in the official Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings.
The Scot took the opening frame tonight with a break of 84, before Carter won the next two with runs of 118 and 54. World number 15 Carter had a chance to lead 3-1 but in frame four, trailing by 14 points, he missed the final blue to a baulk corner and also sent the cue ball in-off, allowing his opponent to level at 2-2.
Carter regained the lead before a break of 85 got Maguire back to 3-3. In the seventh, Carter was 22 points ahead when he missed frame-ball black to a top corner off the last red, and Maguire punished him by clearing the colours. A run of 57 extended Maguire’s lead to 5-3, then Carter’s 47 helped him pull one back.
Both players had chances in frame ten, and Maguire established a 58-35 advantage before laying a snooker on the last red. From the chance that followed, he slotted the red into a baulk corner from mid-range and added the points he needed to reach a 14th ranking final.
“It was a scrap from start to finish and I’m very happy to come out on the right end,” said Maguire, who beat Stuart Bingham in the final of this event in 2013, two years after he had finished runner-up to John Higgins. “I have done well in the scrappy frames this week because I have not been scoring well, I haven’t even made a century. Working with Chris (Small) has definitely helped me. A few months ago I was losing to players who I didn’t feel I should be beating me. I made the call to Chris and he stripped my game back to basics. Maybe this is the reward.
“It’s nice to be in the World Grand Prix now but for me it’s all about trying to win the title. I’ll only enjoy it tomorrow if I win.”
I didn’t watch the evening match. I was due to travel very early this morning and couldn’t afford to stay up late but I’m very happy with the outcome. I always liked Maguire who is a no-nonsense guy and plays the game properly.
Regarding the afternoon match, Mark played well. It was a shame though that Luca wasn’t 100% fit. At the start of the match he required medical attention as he was suffering from migraine. Migraine isn’t just a headache. It’s very painful, it affects your vision, strong light is nearly unbearable, and it comes with nausea as well. The medication needs a bit of time to deliver full effect, the start of the match was delayed, and, of course, after a while, that effect fades. Luca started well but his level dropped as the match went on. We will never know how much the migraine affected him, if at all. But, as I already wrote, Mark played well, really well.
The quarter-finals at the 2025 Welsh Open in Llandudno delivered some very hard fought battles and unexpected comebacks. Here are the reports shared by WST:
Mark Selby beat John Higgins 5-4 in a marathon five-hour tussle to reach the semi-finals of the BetVictor Welsh Open for the first time since 2012.
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Two of snooker’s toughest match-players produced a contest which was low on quality by their high standards, but bubbled to an exciting conclusion, Selby getting the better of a tense decider to reach his 65th ranking event semi-final. He will meet Luca Brecel on Saturday as he continues his quest for a third title of the season, having already won the Unibet British Open and BetVictor Championship League Invitational.
“We both struggled and brought each other down, there were a lot of scrappy frames,” admitted world number four Selby, who landed the first of his 23 ranking titles at the Welsh Open in 2008, but has not won it since. “If one of us had played better, the other might have raised his game. The only positive for me is that I got over the line and I can only improve tomorrow. If I had lost I would have been gutted, but now I can put that behind me.”
Leicester’s Selby took the opening frame on a respotted black, and the second on the colours. A break of 68 helped Higgins pull one back, and in frame four he converted a thundering a long pot on the penultimate red to create the chance for 2-2. The fifth frame lasted 62 minutes, resolved when Higgins potted brown and blue to go ahead, before Selby’s run of 53 helped him restore parity. In the seventh, Higgins was on 61 when he over-cut a tricky thin red, and his opponent later made a 42 clearance to edge 4-3 ahead.
Selby was 15 points behind in frame eight when he missed the final green to a baulk corner, allowing Higgins to force the decider. The key moment came when Scotland’s Higgins, down 35-13, potted the blue to a centre pocket and was unlucky not to gain position on a red. He then played a loose safety, and Selby slotted in a long red to set up a match-winning 84, his highest break of the day.
Higgins, still seeking a first ranking title since the 2021 Players Championship, said: “It was a mammoth game, I gave it everything. I know the shots but I’ve got deficiencies in my game. I just can’t bring myself to play the right shot, that’s the disappointing thing. At 3-3 when I was on 61, I had to play a high black into the pack, when I have been playing the low black and screwing into the reds. I just don’t have the cue power to play those sort of shots. If I had gone 4-3 up then who knows. But Mark made a great clearance under pressure in the last frame.“
Selby against Brecel will be a rematch of the 2023 Crucible final, which the Belgian won 18-15. Surprisingly, this will be Brecel’s first ranking semi-final since that event 21 months ago. He beat Jackson Page 5-2 today to add momentum to his recent return to form.
There’s no shortage of incentive for 29-year-old Brecel over the last weekend in Llandudno as if he beats Selby he will climb into the top 32 of the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year Rankings and earn a place in the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong next month. If he then goes on to take the title, he will win not just the £100,000 top prize and Ray Reardon Trophy, but also the £150,000 BetVictor Bonus which goes to the player who earns the most money across the BetVictor Home Nations Series.
World number seven Brecel took the first two frames against Page before his opponent, the last Welshman in the field, responded with 67 and 103 for 2-2. After the interval, Brecel looked the stronger player, and compiled breaks of 94 and 76 in taking the last three frames. “I enjoyed the game and took my chances,” said Brecel after reaching his 12th ranking event semi-final.
The Selby v Higgins match is the one I watched. It lasted for so long that eventually WST decided to start the other afternoon match on table 2 instead of table 1 as originally planned because, obviously, delaying it further would have caused serious scheduling issues. It wasn’t a high quality match but it was fascinating albeit painful to watch at times. I’m happy with the outcome. I really like Mark Selby as a person, even if, at times, I find his game a bit too “conservative” and hard to watch. I used to like John Higgins, who is a wonderful snooker player, but no more after what happened in 2010. I know that he was set up but he didn’t know that, so what he did is what he would have done if the approach had been “real”. He could have talked to World snooker after the approach, and he would have been alright, but, as a matter of fact, he didn’t. If it had happened today and if he was a young Chinese lad, he would have got a very lengthy ban. I’m 100% sure of that. As it is, he only missed a few minor events early in the next season, and to be fair to Higgins, he gave it 100% on his return, but still … Pat Mooney, who, at the time, had been approached/appointed by Hearn as director in charge of the development of snooker in Eastern Europe, was “excluded” from all snooker involvement for life. That was the right decision and it tells enough about the seriousness of the incident even if it has been downplayed by some1 since. It was made even worse by the fact that John was still the reigning World Champion when it happened. Also I always wondered what were the real motives of the “NOTW” or of whoever “tipped” them2 … that aspect was never elucidated or explained IF someone at WST actually knows the truth about that aspect of the “scandal”. I always wondered if the real “target” may actually have been to discredit Hearn who had just taken over the sport and had appointed Mooney to his team.
Stephen Maguire reached his first ranking event semi-final in four years with a 5-3 victory over Jack Lisowski at the BetVictor Welsh Open – a result which could earn him a place in next month’s World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.
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Six-time ranking event champion Maguire has had few moments in the limelight in recent seasons and has dropped to 29th in the world, but the 43-year-old has shown fighting spirit this week and is into the last four for the first time since the 2021 Welsh Open. On Saturday night in Llandudno he’ll meet Ali Carter, who recovered a 3-1 deficit to beat Joe O’Connor 5-3.
Glasgow’s Maguire came into this week needing a deep run to move into the top 32 of the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year Rankings and earn a place in Hong Kong in March. As it stands he is in 32nd place, though he could yet be ousted by Luca Brecel if the Belgian beats Mark Selby in Saturday’s first semi-final.
Lisowski, still seeking his first ranking title, started strongly tonight as breaks of 85 and 93 put him 2-1 ahead. In the fourth frame he potted eight reds with blacks but then – perhaps chasing a 147 chance – missed a risky red and Maguire pinched the frame for 2-2. The next two were shared before Maguire’s run of 66 put him 4-3 up. In frame eight, Maguire led 24-0 when he missed a red to a top corner with the rest, but Lisowski couldn’t capitalise as his counter ended on 29 with a failed red to centre. A further 47 was enough for Maguire to reach his 36th ranking semi-final.
“Jack looked brilliant early on, I thought he was going to make a maximum in the fourth frame,” said the Scot. “I managed to nick that one and it changed the match. My cueing was a lot better tonight, though I still threw in a few stupid shots and I’m a long way off my best. I’m still fighting. I felt edgy tonight when it was 3-3 because it was a big match for me, it’s nerve-racking out there. I’ll be excited tomorrow and looking forward to it more, I love the one table set up.”
Carter won the first of his six ranking titles at this event back in 2009, and his most recent at the BetVictor Championship League at the start of this season. Despite suffering from illness this week, he has reeled off four wins to earn a 32nd career ranking semi-final. He and Maguire, both known for a fiery temperament, met in the semi-finals at the Crucible back in 2012, Carter winning 17-12 and the world number 15 will hope to come out on top again this time.
O’Connor looked the stronger player in the early stages, and though Carter made a break of 90 in the third frame, he lost the other three before the interval. But O’Connor mustered just 27 points in the last four frames as Carter dominated with top runs of 62, 66 and 91.
“I came here feeling very rough with a virus, I just had to get through the early rounds to give myself a chance,” said the Essex cueman. “At the interval I said to my coach Chris Henry that I still felt I could play well and I was just going to go for it. I have played some turgid stuff this week, but that was by far my best tonight from 3-1 down.“
Jack I’m afraid was his infuriating self again. Brilliant at the start of the match but apparently collapsing when put under pressure by his opponent. I write “apparently” because that’s how it feels, but I wonder if there might be some other issue. Maybe what Jack went through as a young lad, beating cancer, left him vulnerable to fatigue and he simply can’t sustain the required level of concentration for long? If that is the cause of the problem, it’s a crying shame because, when in full flow, he’s wonderful to watch.
Most notably by Steve Davis, who at the time was in tears in the media room, convinced that snooker was doomed… ↩︎
Pat Mooney and John Higgins had tried to promote snooker through a series of events across Europe: The World Series of Snooker. It was a great initiative but it didn’t get the success they expected. It had left them with some huge debts and the players involved had not been paid in full yet. ↩︎
The first day of the 2025 Welsh Open in Llandudno was an interesting one on many accounts but, before I come to that, here are the reports shared by WST:
Gary Wilson described his own performance as “hideous” as his defence of the BetVictor Welsh Open title ended in the opening round with a 4-3 defeat against Ishpreet Singh Chadha.
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Wilson won his third ranking title in Llandudno last year, beating Martin O’Donnell in the final, but has lost form in recent months and admitted last week that he was seeking a solution in practice. Suffering from illness, the Tynesider was well below his best today and from 3-2 up he lost the last two frames against India’s top player Chadha. The result leaves Wilson in danger of failing to qualify for next month’s World Grand Prix. “I’m just sick,” he admitted. “If I’d had half my game I probably would have got through, but it was hideous.“
Chadha enjoyed a fine run to the semi-finals of the BetVictor English Open earlier in the season, notably beating Mark Selby, and the world number 69 proved again that he enjoys the big occasion. A break of 76 gave him the opening frame, and despite falling 3-2 down, the 28-year-old dominated the last two to set up a last 32 meeting with Jackson Page.
“It felt amazing, to beat a three-time ranking event winner,” said Singh-Chadha. “I was on it from the start and Gary was a little but off, but it was a tough match. I was tough mentally even before I became a pro and I have worked on the technical side with my coach Yasin Merchant. As I am playing better I feel more confident. I am close to getting into the top 64 now which would be a great achievement in my first two seasons.“
Home favourite Mark Williams looked sharp in a 4-1 win over Florian Nuessle, compiling breaks of 101, 100 and 117. “I’ve been playing well all season,” said Williams, the last Welsh winner of this event back in 1999. “I’ve won a tournament and could have had one or two more. It’s more than I ever thought I’d be doing, approaching my 50th birthday. I’ve just got to enjoy it.“
Neil Robertson has extra motivation this week as he is front runner for the £150,000 BetVictor Bonus, and he started strongly with a 4-2 win over Mark Davis. From 2-0 down, Robertson reeled off four frames in a row with top breaks of 67 and 77. That result means that just ten other players are still in the race to win the bonus.
Mark Selby enjoyed a 4-2 victory over Haydon Pinhey, while Welshman Jamie Jones beat Si Jiahui by the same scoreline.
Mark Allen launched his bid to win the BetVictor Welsh Open for the first time as he battled back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to beat Stan Moody 4-3 in the last 64 in Llandudno.
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Allen has been ever-present in this tournament since 2006 but surprisingly has just one semi-finalist appearance, in 2016. The 11-time ranking event winner will hope to improve that record this week and cleared the first hurdle with an excellent break in the deciding frame against teenager Moody.
Winner of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in December and a semi-finalist at the recent Johnstone’s Paint Masters, Northern Ireland’s Allen is looking to continue his sequence of deep runs and will face Yuan Sijun in the last 32 on Wednesday at Venue Cymru.
Moody made a confident start with breaks of 59 and 95 to win the first two frames. The 18-year old had chances in frame three but couldn’t take them, and Allen snatched it on the colours, then made a delightful 138 total clearance for 2-2. A run of 64 helped Moody regain the lead, but he lost a scrappy 39-minute sixth. In the decider, Moody was first among the balls and made 29 before missing a red to a baulk corner. World number eight Allen seized his chance with a match-winning 67.
“Stan started really well to go 2-0 up,” said 38-year-old Allen. “I hung in there and played some decent stuff to get back into it. I had to rely on him making a few mistakes towards the end. I’m relieved to get through. I didn’t expect him to miss the red in the last frame, I made a good break from there and I’m pleased to close it out that way. I haven’t practised as hard as I usually do for this event but I have a day off tomorrow to try to be ready for Wednesday.”
John Higgins was outstanding in a 4-0 win over Graeme Dott, firing breaks of 113, 60 and 107. Elliot Slessor was also on the right side of a 4-0 scoreline, beating Liam Davies with a top run of 105.
Robert Milkins, who won this title two years ago but has since failed to go beyond the quarter-finals of any event, enjoyed a much-needed 4-1 win over Wang Yuchen.
Ishpreet Sing Chadha is a player I like to watch. I had watched him play as an amateur on the stream during the qualifiers in Thailand and had immediately warmed to him. He’s a very good player who appears to be blessed with a great temperament and seems to enjoy his snooker. He plays a very positive game, without being reckless at all. He may have been helped by his opponent’s illness but he deserved this win 100%. That’s said, it’s never nice to see a player struggling with ill health and I wish Gary Wilson a speedy and complete recovery.
I may have appeared to dislike Stan Moody in the past, but this isn’t the case and never was. What I dislike is the fact when WST puts a strong focus on a young player – more often than not on an English kid – before they have actually proven anything. This sport isn’t easy, it’s very taxing mentally and emotionally and those young players shouldn’t have to cope with the additional weight of big expectations put on their young shoulders. Yesterday, I really appreciated what young Stan showed against Allen.
The last match I watched was Milkins v Wang Yuchen. It was a much closer match than the scores suggest. Robert Milkins, when on form, is scary. He makes the game look ridiculously easy. Yesterday was such a day. But, even if the score do suggest otherwise, Wang made him work for his win. Wang’s safety was excellent, and Milkins’ safety game is badly underrated. In long stretches this match was very tactical. Wang made the only 50+ break of the match, a truly beautiful 118 in frame 3. It was also a match played in great spirit, both players showing appreciation for their opponent’s good shots.
At the time of writing Ronnie is still in the draw unless WST is hiding things from us… 😉 I’m not expecting anything, Janie Clarke is no numpty, but I believe that he will want to play and play well in Hong Kong where he’s now a resident. A bit of competitive snooker played ahead of the 2025 Grand Prix might be part of the plan.
Reanne Evans enjoyed an impressive 4-1 victory over Julien Leclercq in the first qualifying round of the BetVictor Welsh Open, her second win on the pro tour this season.
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Evans, the 12-time World Women’s Champion, will meet Joe O’Connor on Wednesday afternoon with the winner to go through to Llandudno next week. She took the opening frame against former Shoot Out finalist Leclercq on the final black, then dominated the next two with a top break of 40 to lead 3-0. Leclercq pulled one back before Evans settled the result in frame five. Her last win on the pro tour came in December when she beat Amir Sarkhosh 5-3 in the Machineseeker German Masters qualifiers.
Tour rookie Liam Davies, age 18, took a step towards qualifying for his home tournament as he beat Antoni Kowalski 4-1 with breaks of 93, 134 and 51. Liam Pullen edged out Kreishh Gurbaxani 4-3 with a top break of 102. The deciding frame came down to the final black, and Pullen potted it to set up a tie with Robbie Williams. It was a good day to be called Liam, as Shoot Out finalist Liam Graham beat Iulian Boiko 4-3.
Dylan Emery won a Welsh derby against Duane Jones 4-2, while Ishpreet Singh Chadha top scored with 109 in a 4-0 whitewash of Baipat Siripaporn. Oliver Lines made a 136 in a 4-0 win over Ahmed Elsayed, while Stan Moody eased to a 4-0 success against Chris Totten.
BetVictor Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan failed to make it to the final stages of the BetVictor Welsh Open, losing 4-3 in the qualifiers to amateur Dylan Emery.
China’s 21-year-old Lei won his first ranking title in December in Edinburgh, but misses out on the chance to chase more silverware in Llandudno. He’s also out of the race to win the £150,000 BetVictor Bonus, as he had climbed to third place behind Neil Robertson and Kyren Wilson but cannot now add to his tally.
Welshman Emery, age 23 from Caerphilly, is not on the pro tour but finished top of the 2024 Q School rankings so has earned a place in many ranking events. He compiled a superb break of 82 in the deciding frame to beat Lei and set up a match with Noppon Saengkham in Llandudno next week.
India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha enjoyed a superb 4-0 win over Ashley Carty, firing runs of 87, 83, 83 and 104, and his reward is a match with defending champion Gary Wilson on Monday.
Dominic Dale, playing his last season on the pro tour, beat Mitchell Mann 4-3, while Jimmy Robertson came from 3-0 down to beat Allan Taylor 4-3 with a top break of 109.
Reanne Evans couldn’t follow up her first round win over Julien Leclercq as she lost 4-0 to Joe O’Connor, while Andrew Higginson came from 3-2 down to edge out He Guoqiang 4-3.
In round one, Austria’s Florian Nuessle made the highest break so far, 143, as he beat Jiang Jun 4-3 t set up a tie with Liu Hongyu.
Ricky Walden beat Artemijs Zizins 4-2 to reach the final stages of the BetVictor Welsh Open, despite ongoing health problems which caused him to spend five days in hospital in Berlin last week.
Three-time ranking event winner Walden is due to have surgery to remove his gallbladder in the coming weeks, but during the recent Machineseeker German Masters, the same issue flared up and caused inflammation of his pancreas. In extreme pain, he withdrew from the tournament before his last 16 match and was rushed to hospital in Berlin, where he remained for five days. The pain is now under control, though Walden was clearly in discomfort today during his battle with Latvia’s Zizins.
Still, breaks of 81, 66 and 124 helped 42-year-old Walden to victory, and he goes through to Llandudno, just an hour away from his home in Chester. He will face Matthew Selt in the last 64.
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh suffered a 4-2 defeat against Ben Mertens, a huge blow to his hopes of qualifying for the World Grand Prix. The Thai is in 32nd place in the Johnstone’s Paint One-Year Rankings, with only the top 32 at the end of next week’s tournament to earn a place in Hong Kong.
Last year’s runner-up Martin O’Donnell will not be in Llandudno this time as he lost 4-0 to Wang Yuchen, whose top break was 112. Yuan Sijun, a semi-finalist in Germany, continued his fine form as he beat Amir Sarkhosh 4-0 with a top run of 115. Jimmy White narrowly missed out as he lost 4-3 to Scott Donaldson.
Welshman Jamie Clarke secured his place with a 4-2 defeat of Louis Heathcote, as did Stan Moody who edged out Anthony Hamilton 4-3. Moody made a 134 in frame five, and later a vital 52 in the decider. That result is a blow to Hamilton’s chances of avoiding relegation at the end of the season, having been ever present on the tour since 1991.
Hong Kong’s Marco Fu top scored with 87 in a 4-0 defeat of David Grace while Austrian amateur Florian Nuessle edged out Liu Hongyu 4-3. Welshman Matthew Stevens enjoyed a 4-1 success against Hammad Miah.
So, we finally get to learn what happened to Ricky Walden in Berlin. Ouch! Gallbladder problems can be extremely painful and all credit to Ricky for competing this week.
There are far too many matches for me to even try to comment on everything so just a few observations about the results:
As much as I’m pleased with Reanne winning her first match, I can’t help but wonder, and worry about Julien Leclercq current lack of form. Having retained his tour card after his first two years as a pro, he’s done very little so far this season. Ben Mertens, on the other hand, is doing well.
Iulian Boiko once again lost narrowly, having led by 3-2. His confidence must be shattered. Maybe he needs to put his cue down for a bit, and get help for the mental/emotional side of things. Given the situation in his country, none of us knows what he may be going through. He may be facing challenges that are way more important than a game of snooker.
I’m not sure what’s going on, if players are getting that much better or if the conditions are more “favorable” recently but I can’t remember seeing so many 147 in any previous season.
Anyway… here is the most recent one as shared by WST on their YouTube channel
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. ↩︎
Shaun Murphy won his first Triple Crown title for a decade with a tremendous 10-7 victory over Kyren Wilson in the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Masters at Alexandra Palace.
Wilson threatened a fight-back when he came from 8-4 down to 8-7, but Murphy retained his composure and took the last two frames with a brace of excellent breaks. Across the match he made four centuries and four more runs over 50.
Age 42, Murphy admits he feared his time of winning the sport’s biggest titles had passed, but he has regained that self-belief and played his best snooker this week in London. Having won the World Championship in 2005, UK Championship in 2008 and Masters in 2015, he now has four Triple Crown victories to his name.
His reward includes the £350,000 top prize, the biggest pay-day of his 27-year career, but far more important to Murphy is the glory of lifting the Paul Hunter Trophy on the 50th birthday of this historic event. He becomes only the 12th player to win the Masters on multiple occasions.
The Englishman was outstanding throughout the tournament, conceding just eight frames in three matches to reach the final, and making a total of seven centuries including his marvellous 147 during the semi-finals. For a player who relies so much on confidence, it was a week when his game clicked and he made potting balls look as easy as shelling peas.
World number seven Murphy will hope to continue that momentum into the rest of the season, as he remains in danger of dropping out of the top 16 and having to qualify for the Crucible. But one thing is for sure – he’ll be back at Alexandra Palace next year as number one seed.
Wilson had hoped to win the Masters for the first time but has now lost two finals as he was also runner-up to Mark Allen in 2018. Having conquered the Crucible last May he is enjoying a fine season as World Champion, winning the Xi’an Grand Prix and BetVictor Northern Ireland Open, but the 33-year-old from Kettering will be devastated not to bring his best today on a huge occasion.
Trailing 6-2 after the first session, Wilson took the opening frame tonight with breaks of 48 and 44 to narrow the gap. Murphy responded with a 125, his third century of the match, before Wilson’s 95 made it 7-4. The key moment of the crucial 12th frame came when Wilson, among the balls leading 14-9, missed a tricky black to a centre pocket, gifting Murphy the opportunity to make 66 to lead 8-4 at the interval.
Murphy scored just one point in the next three frames as Wilson battled back, scoring top breaks of 78 and 65 as he closed to 8-7. Early in frame 16, Wilson went full-blooded for a tough long red and missed the target, scattering reds and leaving Murphy the table to make 55 which proved enough to leave him two up with three to play. And he sealed the result in style with a break of 100 to wrap up a ninth win over Wilson in 12 meetings and win his first title since the 2023 Championship League.
“It’s totally unbelievable, I’m in shock,” said Murphy. “I genuinely thought that my days of competing for these Triple Crown events had gone. There were too many bad losses, you start seeing demons in the pockets. The loss in the world final in 2015 really hurt me, and the one in 2021 also took it out of me.
“I’ve been working with Peter Ebdon and that’s what has saved me because I was in a spiral of negativity. The first thing he wanted to do was restore my belief that I can actually do this. Three events in and we are winners. I came here having worked very hard on my game, in a really good frame of mind. To make the 147 yesterday completed a lifetime ambition. And now to be here with the trophy, it’s one of the best days of my life.
“Peter and I have worked on the mental side. Everyone knows how tough he was. I felt I had gone a bit soft and he agreed. That’s what we have worked on, to be more steely, more granite, to give them nothing and to play my attacking game when I get the chance.
“This reignites my hopes of winning the World Championship again. I have proved to myself I can still win these big ones, so I’ll go to the Crucible knowing I can do it.
“From 8-4 tonight I expected Kyren to come for me because it’s not in a World Champion’s DNA to give up. I wouldn’t have liked to go 8-8 because it was getting twitchy.”
Wilson said: “I gave Shaun too much of a head start. Perhaps there was a bit of fatigue after a late finish last night. Shaun used his experience. I’m proud that I managed to dig in deep. I still fancied it at 6-2 and 8-4. If the long red had gone in at 8-7 the balls were mine to clear up. I’m not a player who is going to play dolly shots, I went all-out and got aggressive. My game is in fantastic shape, being World Champion has inspired me and I’d like to think there are many more trophies to come. I’ll be in Berlin next trying to win that one.“
It’s a shame for Kyren that he had a “bad session” in the final. Every player has them once in a while, they are human, but when it happens in a major final it’s really unfortunate, for the player and for the fans who probably prefer to watch a close battle, not to mention his kids who were around wearing little waistcoats similar to the one their father had been wearing in his previous matches. But Kyren showed what a fighter he is and he should be proud of himself, and of the way he represents his sport as a World Champion
Clearly, working with Peter Ebdon has helped Shaun. I believe that no matter how hard Ebdon could try, he would never be able to get Shaun “grinding” for hours. Hopefully he sticks to snooker and refrains from planting silly ideas in Shaun’s mind …
Ronnie O'Sullivan 