Yesterday was “quarter-finals day ” in Llandudno, and it yielded and interesting semi-finals line-up:

• Wu Yixe v Barry Hawkins in the afternoon
• John Higgins v Jack Lisowski in the evening

Both matches feature opponents with contrasting styles. Wu and Jack are attacking players who like an open game. On form they are deadly potters. Barry and John are more all-rounders , both with a very strong tactical nous and loads of experience. It should be interesting.

I hope that both matches will be close and I would love a Wu Yize v Jack Lisowski final although I’m far for optimistic about getting that “outcome”. Both John Higgins and Barry Hawkins are very hard to beat when they get to this stage of tournaments.

Here are the reports shared by WST:

Afternoon session

Lisowski On Brink Of Giant Bonus

Jack Lisowski is just one win away from earning a massive £150,000 bonus as he beat Stuart Bingham 5-2 to reach the semi-finals of the BetVictor Welsh Open.   

This is the fourth and final event in the 2025/26 BetVictor Home Nations Series, and the leading money winner across the series earns the huge bonus. Mark Allen started this week in pole position but lost to David Grace in the first round, which has opened the door to those giving chase.

Lisowski, who won his first ranking title at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open in October, will meet Zhou Yuelong or John Higgins on Saturday in Llandudno for a place in the final. If 34-year-old Lisowski wins that match he is certain of the bonus, while Zhou also has a chance but must win the tournament. Otherwise, the windfall will go to Allen. 

Breaks of 70 and 118 gave Lisowski a 4-0 lead today, and he eventually got over the line in frame seven after Bingham had pulled two back.

“I knew I just had to concentrate on the match today, keep the bonus out of my mind and get on with it,” said world number 22 Lisowski after reaching his 14th ranking semi-final. “At 4-0 I was waiting for Stuart to come back at me, then once it got to 4-2 I really didn’t want it to go 4-3, so I was glad to get over the line and live to fight another day.

“A couple of weeks ago my cueing was bad, my arm wasn’t going straight through the ball. I have changed my tip to a softer one and I have played a lot of snooker in the last week. Hopefully things can click now. I had been losing a lot of matches recently so I needed to steady the ship. I didn’t have enough intensity in practice, I was still trying my best in matches but I just felt a bit out of sorts. I have put myself back on the right path this week. Having won in Belfast I can see the winning line, I know what comes with it and I am desperate to win another one.“

Barry Hawkins reached his first semi-final of the season as he beat a former World Champion for a second consecutive day, seeing off Neil Robertson 5-3. 

Hawkins followed up yesterday’s victory over Mark Williams with another huge scalp to reach his 35th ranking event semi-final. The world number 14 made only one break over 40 today but won several scrappy frames as he remained in the hunt for a fifth ranking title and first since the 2023 European Masters. Hawkins will face Jiang Jun or Wu Yize over 11 frames on Saturday with the chance to reach a 13th ranking final.  

Robertson was on 53 in the opening frame when he missed an awkward pot on the last red to a centre pocket, allowing Hawkins to slot in the red and clear for 1-0. A run of 102 from Robertson levelled the tie, then Hawkins got the better of a safety tussle on the final brown in frame three and regained the lead. The Englishman added a scrappy fourth to lead 3-1 at the interval despite a highest break of just 28.

Breaks of 61 and 132 got Robertson back to 3-3. Frame seven came down to the colours and Hawkins, leading 52-30, cross-doubled the green into a centre pocket which proved enough to edge him ahead. And after laying a tough snooker behind the green early in the eighth, Hawkins earned a match winning chance and seized it with a run of 93.

“I don’t know how I am still standing here,” admitted 46-year-old Hawkins, who almost pulled out of the event at the start of the week with back pain but ironically was talked into playing on by Robertson. “I battled hard all the way through. My scoring wasn’t there, though I potted some good balls towards the end of the frames and played some good safety. 

“I was over the moon to be 3-1 up at the interval. Neil was the better player, I just managed to nick some close frames and then finishing from 4-3 in one visit gives me a bit of a boost. It’s great to be at a tournament going into the weekend and to have given myself a chance. I had no expectation at the start of the week but now there are only four players left and I need to up my game again.” 

Robertson said: “There were a few pieces of luck which went against me, otherwise I could have won 5-1 or 5-2.  But I can take a lot of positives from this tournament, I have found a brand of tip which is the best I have had in at least ten years. That gives me a lot of confidence particularly looking ahead to the World Championship.“

Evening session

Wu Fights Back To Beat Jiang And Reach Semis

Wu Yize came from 4-1 down to beat Jiang Jun 5-4 to reach the semi-finals of the BetVictor Welsh Open, boosting his hopes of another title in his breakthrough season.

Jiang had looked set to reach the last four of a ranking event for the first time but missed several chances in the last four frames and Wu took advantage. China’s 22-year-old Wu will meet Barry Hawkins at 1pm on Saturday, with the winner to face Jack Lisowski or John Higgins in Sunday’s final in Llandudno. 

In recent months, Wu has made giant strides forward in his career, beating Higgins in the final of the International Championship in November, reaching the semi-finals of the Masters last month and he is now set to jump into the world’s top ten for the first time. The popular young potter with a fluent attacking style is into a sixth ranking semi-final.

Breaks of 68, 64 and 55 helped put Jiang 4-1 ahead before Wu made a 71 to pull one back then got the better of a scrappy seventh frame. In the eighth, Jiang was on 43 when he missed a red to a top corner and Wu punished him with 89 for 4-4. Again in the decider Jiang had first clear chance, but on 37 he overcut a tricky black to a top corner, playing with the rest. And once again he could only watch as Wu remained calm in a winning 65.

“In the first half I wasn’t very focused and made some mistakes,” said Wu, who comes from Lanzhou in North West China. “My opponent played well in that session. Those four frames felt like I had played ten frames – I really had no rhythm at all. During the interval I practised a bit and managed to find some of my form again in the second half, and that helped me finish the match. As for Jiang, I’m not sure whether it was his habit or maybe pressure. I can’t really understand it from his side, but I hope he will keep improving in the future.

“This season I’ve now reached two ranking semi-finals. Last time I went on to win the title, and on that run I also beat Barry Hawkins (6-0 in the quarter-finals). I hope this time I can focus on myself again and try to make another breakthrough. Some of the matches I lost this season were due to carelessness and sometimes it’s hard to summarise clearly. You can only learn through experience, and when you face a similar situation next time, you try to make a better decision. I’ve made big progress this year, experienced the later stages of tournaments a few times now and learned a lot of lessons from before. I hope I can do better this time.“

Higgins moved a step closer to a first title of the season as he thrashed Zhou Yuelong 5-0. The Scot took three scrappy frames before winning the last two with breaks of 75 and 67. 

World number six Higgins has already won this title a record five times and is now just two wins away from another Ray Reardon Trophy. Runner-up in the Masters and the Players Championship within the past six weeks, the 50-year-old has another chance to take Mark Williams’ record as the oldest ever ranking event winner. Higgins is into his 92nd ranking event semi-final and is targeting a 34th title.

The result ends Zhou’s hopes of winning the £150,000 BetVictor Home Nations Series bonus as he had to go all the way to the title this week. However Higgins’ next opponent, Lisowski, will land that windfall if he comes out on top on Saturday evening. 

Asked about that subplot by TNT Sports, Higgins said: “It will be Jack’s biggest money match he has ever played. But I think he could be totally fine, it might give him that spark just go out there and go for it. Like Rob Milkins a few years ago, he played amazingly to beat Shaun Murphy in the final, when the bonus was in the background.” 

….

The 2026 Players Championship started yesterday in Telford, without Ronnie. His withdrawal from the event has angered quite a few “fans” but me, I’m not angry, instead I’m puzzled, and even slightly worried, because this is an event that carries a lot of money and ranking points even for the first round losers. So, why pass on the opportunity unless you have serious reasons? Anyway…

Here are the reports shared by WST:

Higgins Reaches Record Extending Quarter-Final

John Higgins thrashed Australia’s Neil Robertson 6-1 to make the 155th ranking quarter-final of his career at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford. 

Nobody has ever appeared in more quarter-finals than Higgins. This week marks the 456th ranking tournament in snooker history, meaning that Higgins has reached at least the quarter-finals in a more than a third of them. 

The Wizard of Wishaw only just earned a place to compete this week, edging into the 16th seeding position after Ronnie O’Sullivan elected not to enter. It set up a blockbuster tie with Sportsbet.io One Year List leader Robertson. 

Last year saw Scotland’s Higgins storm to glory by winning the Tour Championship, but with only the top 12 performers of the season earning a place, he has work to do in order to secure qualification. 

An imperious showing from Higgins today saw him fire home breaks of 70, 84 and 133 en route to a comprehensive triumph. Next up this week the 50-year-old will play either Chris Wakelin or Xiao Guodong. Before that Higgins steps into the broadcasting world, working on 5’s coverage this week as a pundit and commentator. 

“I’ll tell you tomorrow how I feel about the broadcasting. It is something to fill my days up. I’m at that stage of my life where I’m just looking at four walls when I’m at a tournament. It will be something to try and if I like it great. Nothing ventured and nothing gained,” said 33-time ranking event winner Higgins. 

“It will probably be more nerve wracking. When I’m commentating on a game people back home might be saying what is he talking about! We will wait and see tomorrow. 

“It would be good to qualify for the Tour Championship, but if I do qualify and do well there I could be adding 70 to 80 frames into the tank going into the World Championship. Someone like myself, maybe doesn’t have the energy for that. If I don’t qualify then who knows, it could end up helping me be a bit fresher.“

On the other table, two-time Players Champion Mark Allen scored a fine 6-3 win over China’s in-form Wu Yize. 

The Northern Irishman most recently lifted the title here in Telford back in 2024, when he scored a marathon 10-8 win over Zhang Anda in the final. 

Breaks of 51, 78, 73 and 93 helped him to victory this afternoon. He awaits the winner between Mark Selby and Jack Lisowski in the last eight.

Jester Takes Out The Jackpot

Mark Selby scored a 6-3 victory against Jack Lisowski to book a quarter-final showdown with Mark Allen at the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford. 

The Leicester cueman is in tremendous form having defended his Championship League title last week. He also claimed a momentous third UK Championship crown before Christmas, beating world number one Judd Trump in the final. Selby is hoping to use that form as a platform to capture a first ever Players Championship title this week. 

Selby and Lisowski have historically had a tight head-to-head record, with the latter having won their previous two meetings. Victory for Selby moves him 8-7 up in meetings between the pair. 

A tight opening two frames this evening both went the way of four-time World Champion Selby, before a break of 84 moved him 3-0 in front. Lisowski responded in the fourth with a run of 63 to head into the mid-session 3-1 behind. 

Selby edged further in front when play resumed, but breaks of 56 and 70 from Lisowski helped keep him in contention at 4-3. A stunning total clearance of 136 stopped the rot for Selby in the eighth and he took the ninth to get over the line and book his meeting with Allen.

“It is tough playing Jack as you know he is going to be very attacking. If you leave a red sticking out he is going to go for it. Depending on what kind of mood he is in, he can pot anything on the table and blow you away. Luckily for me he wasn’t in that frame of mind,” said 42-year-old Selby. 

“To be consistent I don’t think you can have that kind of game. I think you need an all-round game. To play that way you need to be playing well and nobody does that every single day. I feel you need a back up game as well but at the same time if you tell Jack to tighten up he wouldn’t be as dangerous. I wish I had the guts to go for some of the balls he does. 

“I feel like my game is in good shape. I’m really happy with my season so far, I played well in York and won the Champion of Champions as well. I’ve been consistent since then. I can’t complain with how things are going.”

On the other table, Scottish Open champion Chris Wakelin scored a fine 6-2 win over current back-to-back Wuhan Open champion Xiao Guodong. 

Former Shoot Out winner Wakelin’s victory at the Scottish Open in Edinburgh was a significant one, his first ever triumph in a full format event. In what was a fragmented encounter today, Wakelin showed his top form to get over the line. 

With the 33-year-old leading 4-2, he crafted two brilliant breaks of 104 and 101 to get over the line and book a quarter-final meeting with four-time World Champion John Higgins.

John Higgins played well, Neil Robertson was disappointingly poor … basically that summarises that match. As a result, John stays in Telford and will be commentating. It should be interesting… provided you understand what he is saying 🙄. I suppose that most Brits are able to cope with John’s heavy Scottish accent but for non-native English speakers, like me, it’s a serious challenge¹. I didn’t watch the other table, but there too the outcome disappointed me.

In the evening came more disappointment for me, but no surprises, Jack Lisowski being … Jack Lisowski.

Both Chinese players involved lost and I can’t help to wonder if, maybe, the fact that yesterday was the Chinese New Year was a factor. Indeed we entered the year of the Fire Horse. It’s an important celebration for them.

Nobody would organise a ranking tournament on Christmas day, or New Years day would they? Of course WST can’t take into account all the celebrations that may be important to some individual player given how many different nationalities are represented, but there are so many Chinese players on the tour nowadays that I feel that, really, this is something they should take into consideration at least when as important as this one.

1. Especially if your hearing isn’t the best! 🙄 ↩︎

It’s only January 4 and already snooker has produced an event winner and a 147!

Indeed, Tom Ford has won the Invitational championship League Snooker Group 1 yesterday:

Ford Wins Opening Group

Tom Ford made the perfect start to the 2026 BetVictor Championship League Invitational, beating Jackson Page 3-1 in the final to book his place in the Winners’ Group.

Results And Table

Leicester’s Ford, playing on home ground at the Mattioli Arena, will return in February alongside six other players to compete for the title.

The group phase saw Page, Joe O’Connor and Chris Wakelin all finish with four wins out of six, with Ford snatching fourth place with three wins.

In the semi-finals, Page came from 2-1 down to edge out Wakelin 3-2, making vital clearances of 86 and 54 in the last two frames. Ford enjoyed a 3-1 victory over O’Connor.

A break of 77 gave Page the opening frame of the final, but world number 28 Ford then took control with runs of 108, 76 and 97 to take the next three.

Group two gets underway on Sunday as Page, O’Connor, Wakelin and Elliot Slessor are joined by Gary Wilson, David Gilbert and Noppon Saengkham.

And Chris Wakelin has produced the first professional 147 of 2026

Wakelin Makes Maiden Maximum

Recently crowned BetVictor Scottish Open champion Chris Wakelin made the first 147 of his career at the BetVictor Championship League Invitational. 

The perfect break came during his 3-2 win over Pang Junxu. It is a record extending 17th of this season and the 234th in snooker history. 

The previous record for 147s in a single season came last term, when 15 were made. That tally looks set to be smashed in the current campaign, with the season just passing the halfway point. 

As always, all the detailed results are available on snooker.org.

Congratulations Tom Ford and Chris Wakelin!

The year 2026 is off to a flying start!