2024 Welsh Open (snooker)

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The 2024 Welsh Open (officially the 2024 BetVictor Welsh Open) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 12 to 18 February 2024 at

Venue Cymru Venue Cymru is a theatre, conference centre and arena in Llandudno, Conwy County Borough, North Wales. Formerly known as the Aberconwy Centre and the North Wales Theatre and Conference Centre, it is now a large arts, conference and events ven ...

in Llandudno, Wales. Qualification for the tournament took place from 25 to 27 January at the

Barnsley Metrodome The Barnsley Metrodome (Metrodome Leisure Complex) is a sports and leisure facility that was opened in 1989 by Neil Kinnock. The facility is 5 minutes from the Barnsley Interchange and close to Junction 37 off the M1. It is located along Queen ...

in Barnsley, England. The 33rd edition of the Welsh Open, first held in 1992, it was the 13th ranking event of the 2023–24 season, following the

German Masters The German Masters is a professional ranking snooker tournament held at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany since 2011. The 2021 event was held at Milton Keynes in England because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Zhao Xintong is the reigning champion, h ...

and preceding the Players Championship. It was the fourth and last tournament in the

Home Nations Series The Home Nations Series is a snooker tournament series in the four home nations of the United Kingdom. It began in the 2016–17 snooker season, combining two existing tournaments, the Scottish Open and Welsh Open, with two newly created tourname ...

, following the Scottish Open, and the eighth and last tournament in the season's

European Series The BetVictor European Series is a snooker tournament series established in 2019. It was expanded from four tournaments in the 2019–20 season to six tournaments in the 2020–21 season and then to eight tournaments in the 2021–22 season and ...

, following the German Masters. Sponsored by

BetVictor BetVictor is an online gambling company headquartered in Gibraltar. Founded in 1946, it offers products such as sports betting and online casino. The company is currently owned by Michael Tabor. History The company was founded by William Ch ...

, the tournament was broadcast by the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

domestically, by

Eurosport Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through its international sports unit, it operates two main channels— Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2—across most of its territories, ...

and

Discovery+ Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...

in the United Kingdom and Europe, and by other broadcasters worldwide. The winner received the

Ray Reardon Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

trophy and £80,000 from a total prize fund of £427,000.

Robert Milkins Robert Milkins (born 6 March 1976) is an English professional snooker player. Considered one of the most naturally talented and quickest players in the game, Milkins has been a mainstay on the tour since regaining his tour card in 1998. Milkin ...

was the defending champion, having defeated

Shaun Murphy Shaun Peter Murphy (born 10 August 1982) is an English professional snooker player who won the 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murphy is noted for his straight cue action and his long potting. Born in Harlow, Essex and r ...

97 in the final of the 2023 event, but he lost 04 to Gary Wilson in the last 16. Wilson went on to win the tournament with a 9–4 victory over first-time ranking finalist Martin O'Donnell. It was the third ranking title of his career, following his wins at the Scottish Open in 2022 and 2023. He advanced to a career high of 12th in the world rankings after his win. The tournament's main stage produced a total of 52 century breaks, the highest of which was a

maximum break A maximum break (also known as a maximum, a 147, or orally, a one-four-seven) is the highest possible in a single of snooker. A player compiles a maximum break by potting all 15 with 15 for 120 points, followed by all six for a further 27 ...

by Gary Wilson in the second frame of his semi-final match against

John Higgins John Higgins, (born 18 May 1975) is a Scottish professional snooker player. He has won 31 career ranking titles, placing him in third position on the all-time list of ranking event winners, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan (39) and Stephen Hendry ( ...

. It was Wilson's fifth maximum break in professional competition and the 11th maximum in Welsh Open history. Mark Allen made the 600th century break of his professional career in his last-64 match against

Ma Hailong Ma Hailong (; born 4 September 2003) is a snooker player from China. In February 2023, he won the 2023 World Snooker Federation Championship, and with it earned a two-year card on the World Snooker Tour. Early life At the age of thirteen, Ma ...

. The qualifiers produced an additional 14 centuries, the highest being a 146 break by

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

in his match against

Peng Yisong Peng Yisong (, born 13 November 2001) is a Chinese professional snooker player. Peng turned professional in 2022 having earned his place through the CBSA China Tour and gained a two-year tour card for the 2022–23 The dash is a punctuat ...

Format

The event was the 33rd consecutive edition of the Welsh Open since it was first played in 1992, making it snooker's third longest running ranking tournament after the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

and

UK Championship The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican Centre, York. Ronnie O'Sullivan ...

. The fourth and last event in the season's

, the eighth and last event in the

, and the 13th ranking tournament of the

2023–24 snooker season The 2023–24 snooker season is an ongoing professional snooker season with tournaments played between 26 June 2023 and 26 May 2024. Players The World Snooker Tour in the 2023–24 season initially involved 130 professional players, but drop ...

, it took place from 12 to 18 February 2024 at

in Llandudno, Wales. Qualification for the tournament took place from 25 to 27 January at the

in Barnsley, England. Qualifying matches involving the top 16 players in the world rankings and two Welsh wildcards (Riley Powell and Liam Davies) were held over and played at the main venue in Llandudno. All matches were played as the best of seven until the quarter-finals, which were the best of nine. The semi-finals were the best of 11, and the final was a best of 17 frames match played over two . The defending champion was

, who defeated

97 in the 2023 final.

Broadcasters

The main stage of the event was broadcast by BBC Wales,

BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

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, and DMAX in the United Kingdom;

and

in the rest of Europe;

CCTV-5 CCTV-5 (), also known as the Sports Channel, part of the China Central Television family of networks, is the main sports broadcaster in the People's Republic of China. CCTV-5 began broadcasting on 1 January 1995. CCTV-5 now broadcasts 24 hours ...

, , and Huya in Mainland China;

Now TV Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * No ...

in Hong Kong;

Astro SuperSport Astro SuperSport is an English language in-house subscription satellite television network in Malaysia dedicated to broadcasting sports-related content 24 hours a day. It is available on the Astro via Channels 810 & 831 (HD) to subscribers of ...

in Malaysia and Brunei;

TrueVisions TrueVisions is a cable and satellite television operator in Thailand. TrueVisions is owned by the True Corporation. Until February 2007, it was called the United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), or UBC-True. History International Broadcasting ...

in Thailand; Sportcast in Taiwan; Premier Sports Network in the Philippines; Fastsports in Pakistan; and Matchroom.live in all other territories. The qualifying matches were broadcast by Discovery+ in Europe (including the United Kingdom); Migu and Huya in China; and Matchroom.live in all other territories.

Prize fund

The tournament winner received the

trophy. The breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below: * Winner: £80,000 * Runner-up: £35,000 * Semi-final: £17,500 * Quarter-final: £11,000 * Last 16: £7,500 * Last 32: £4,500 * Last 64: £3,000 * Highest break: £5,000 * Total: £427,000

Summary

Qualifying

Qualifying for the tournament took place from 25 to 27 January at the

in Barnsley, England.

Martin Gould Martin Gould (born 14 September 1981) is an English professional snooker player from Pinner in the London Borough of Harrow. He has appeared in four ranking finals and won one ranking title, the 2016 German Masters. Career Gould began his pr ...

withdrew for medical reasons, and was replaced by

Sydney Wilson Sydney Wilson (born 6 April 1990 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex) is an English former professional snooker player. Career Wilson began playing snooker at the age of three with his father teaching him the basics of the game. He later took lessons f ...

Si Jiahui Si Jiahui (; born 11 July 2002) is a Chinese professional snooker player. Career In May 2019, Si qualified for the 2019–20 and 2020–21 professional Main Tour as Q School, as the highest ranked player on the Q School ranking list who didn' ...

won three frames in a row to defeat

Stephen Maguire Stephen Maguire (born 13 March 1981) is a Scottish professional snooker player. He has won six major ranking tournaments, including the 2004 UK Championship, and has twice since reached the finals of that event. Maguire turned professional in ...

42.

Matthew Stevens Matthew Stevens (born 11 September 1977) is a Welsh professional snooker player. He has won two of the game's Triple Crown events, the Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been a two-time runner-up in the other triple ...

made back-to-back century breaks of 137 and 120 as he defeated

Louis Heathcote Louis Heathcote (born 3 July 1997) is an English people, English professional snooker player. Career In May 2019, Heathcote came through Q School 2019 - Event 2, Q-School - Event 2 by winning six matches to earn a two-year card on the World Snoo ...

4–3.

made a 146 break, the highest of his career and the highest of the qualifying stage, as he

. The 2021 champion Jordan Brown lost the first three frames against Lyu Haotian, but recovered to win four consecutive frames, taking the deciding frame on the last .

Stuart Bingham Stuart Bingham (born 21 May 1976) is an English professional snooker player who is a former world and Masters champion. Bingham won the 1996 World Amateur Championship but enjoyed little sustained success in the early part of his professional ...

and

Zhou Yuelong Zhou Yuelong (; born 24 January 1998) is a Chinese professional snooker player. He has been runner-up at three ranking events, the January 2020 European Masters, the 2020 Snooker Shoot Out, and the 2022 Northern Ireland Open. Career Between 2 ...

both face disciplinary action for frames before the stage in their respective defeats to

Marco Fu Marco Fu Ka-chun, MH, JP (, born 8 January 1978) is a Hong Kong professional snooker player. He is a three-time snooker world rankings, ranking event winner, having won the 2007 Grand Prix (snooker), 2007 Grand Prix, the 2013 Australian ...

and

Adam Duffy Adam Duffy (born 30 March 1989) is an English professional snooker player. Duffy qualified for the 2011–12 professional Main Tour as one of four semi-finalists from the third and final Q School event. Career Debut season As a new player o ...

Fan Zhengyi Fan Zhengyi (, born 27 January 2001) is a Chinese professional snooker player. He won the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship in 2017, and turned professional in 2018. He had a breakthrough season in 2021–22 when he reached his first ra ...

defeated the 2022 champion Joe Perry 42. David Gilbert made a 136 break as he whitewashed

Ken Doherty Ken Doherty (born 17 September 1969) is an Irish professional snooker player, commentator and radio presenter. As an amateur, Doherty won the Irish Amateur Championship twice, the World Under-21 Amateur Championship and the World Amateur C ...

, who scored only 15 points in the match. Three-time winner

Stephen Hendry Stephen Gordon Hendry (born 13 January 1969) is a Scottish professional snooker player who dominated the sport during the 1990s, becoming one of the most successful players in its history. After turning professional in 1985 at age 16, Hendry ...

lost 24 to Ross Muir. Qualifying matches featuring the top 16 seeds and two Welsh wildcards were held over and played in Llandudno on 12 and 13 February. The top two players in the world rankings,

Ronnie O'Sullivan Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan (born 5 December 1975) is an English professional snooker player who is the current world champion and world number one. Widely recognised as one of the most talented and accomplished players in the sport's history, ...

and

Judd Trump Judd Trump (born 20 August 1989) is an English professional snooker player, a former world champion and former world number one. Widely regarded as one of the sport's most talented players, he is currently sixth on the list of all-time ranki ...

, withdrew from the tournament and were replaced respectively by Alfie Davies and

Duane Jones Duane L. Jones (April 11, 1937July 22, 1988) was an American actor and theatre director, best known for his lead role as Ben in the 1968 horror film ''Night of the Living Dead''. He was later director of the Maguire Theater at the State Universi ...

, both Welsh amateurs.

David Grace David Grace (born 1949 in Rugby, Warwickshire, England) is a British racing driver and businessman. He was the CEO at Rockingham Motor Speedway between 2000 and 2002, and oversaw the opening of the track and the return, after many years, of CART ...

also withdrew and was replaced by amateur

Barry Pinches Barry Pinches (born 13 July 1970 in Catton, Norwich) is an English professional snooker player, recognisable for his bright and flamboyant waistcoats, which usually feature the yellow and green colours of Norwich City F.C. He is a former top 3 ...

, who came from 23 behind to defeat the seventh seed

, winning the deciding frame on the last black after having required a . The defending champion

trailed Jamie Jones 23, but won the deciding frame on the .

Neil Robertson Neil Robertson (born 11 February 1982) is an Australian professional snooker player who is a former world champion and former world number one. The only Australian to have won a ranking event, he is also the only player from outside the United ...

made eight breaks of 50 or more, including a 103, as he defeated

Jackson Page Jackson Page (born 8 August 2001 in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent) is a Welsh professional snooker player. He is a former European U-21 champion and the former Under-18 World Snooker Champion and in 2017 also became the Under-18 European Snooker Ch ...

41.

Barry Hawkins Barry Hawkins (born 23 April 1979) is an English professional snooker player from Ditton, Kent. He turned professional in 1996, but only rose to prominence in the 2004–05 snooker season, when he reached the last 16 of the 2004 UK Championship ...

made a 142 break as he whitewashed

He Guoqiang He Guoqiang (; born October 1. 1943) is a retired senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Between 2007 and 2012, He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), China's highest ruling council, and the Secretary of the Cent ...

. The reigning World Champion

Luca Brecel Luca Brecel (born 8 March 1995) is a Belgian professional snooker player. He won the European Under-19 title at the age of 14 and went on to break Stephen Hendry's record as the youngest player ever to compete at the Crucible Theatre. He made h ...

won his first professional match in two months as he defeated

Jiang Jun Jiang may refer to: * ''Jiang'' (rank), rank held by general officers in the military of China *Jiang (surname), several Chinese surnames **Jiang Zemin (1926–2022), as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party *Jiang River, an ancient riv ...

in a deciding frame.

Mark Selby Mark Anthony Selby (born 19 June 1983) is an English professional snooker player, who is a four-time World Snooker Champion. Ranked world number one on multiple occasions, he has won a total of 21 ranking titles, placing him eighth on the ...

defeated

Yuan Sijun Yuan Sijun (Chinese: 袁思俊; born 29 May 2000) is a Chinese professional snooker player. Career Yuan started to play snooker at the age of 10 and played as a wildcard in many professional tournaments between ages of 13 and 16. Yuan first drew ...

42, winning the match in the 69-minute sixth frame after Yuan failed six times to escape from a snooker on the last , conceding 30 foul points.

Elliot Slessor Elliot Slessor (born 4 August 1994) is an English professional snooker player. In May 2013, Slessor qualified for the 2013–14 and 2014–15 professional Main Tour as one of four semi-finalists from the first Q School event. Career Slessor ...

defeated the 11th seed

Ali Carter Allister Carter (born 25 July 1979) is an English professional snooker player. He has twice been the World Championship runner-up, in 2008 and 2012, losing both finals to Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has won four ranking titles and briefly reached numb ...

41.

Early rounds

Last 64

Mark Allen at Snooker German Masters (DerHexer) 2015-02-05 01

The last-64 matches were played from 12 to 14 February as the best of seven frames. Defending champion Milkins made breaks of 140 and 83 to defeat Allan Taylor.

Xiao Guodong Xiao Guodong (, born 10 February 1989) is a Chinese professional snooker player. He turned professional in 2007 after winning the Asian Under-21 Championships. Career 2007–2010 Xiao appeared as a wildcard in the 2007 China Open, and beat t ...

made a 134 break to level the score at 33 against Hawkins, but Hawkins won the deciding frame. Jamie Clarke was whitewashed by Duffy. Gary Wilson made two century breaks of 120 and 105 in his 42 win over Iulian Boiko. Mark Williams defeated

Sanderson Lam Sanderson Lam () (born 28 January 1994) is an English professional snooker player. Early life Lam was born to Chinese parents in Leeds, England. His parents moved to England in the 1980s. Career In 2011 Lam started to take part in the Players ...

43 with breaks of 90, 117, and 96. Robbie Williams led the 12th seed

Ding Junhui Ding Junhui (; born 1 April 1987) is a Chinese professional snooker player. He is the most successful Asian player in the history of the sport. Throughout his career, he has won 14 major ranking titles, including three UK Championships (200 ...

20 and went on to win the match 42, making a 119 break in the fifth frame.

Ricky Walden Ricky Walden (born 11 November 1982) is an English professional snooker player from Chester. Walden turned professional in 2000 and it took him eight years to win his first ranking title at the Shanghai Masters. He has since won the 2012 Wuxi ...

came from 03 behind to beat Stevens 43. Martin O'Donnell defeated

Chris Wakelin Chris Wakelin (born 16 March 1992) is an English professional snooker player from Rugby, Warwickshire. He practices in Bar 8 in Rugby. Career Early career Wakelin started playing snooker aged 8, when his parents Mark and Angie bought him his ...

41 with breaks of 113 and 97. Mark Allen whitewashed tour debutant

, making a of 141 in the third frame, the 600th century of his professional career.

Jack Lisowski Jack Adam Lisowski (born 25 June 1991) is an English professional snooker player from Churchdown, Gloucestershire. He turned professional in 2010 by finishing first in the 2009/2010 PIOS rankings. A left-handed player, he is known for his atta ...

beat

Liam Pullen Liam Pullen (born 11 July 2005) is an English snooker player from Yorkshire. In April 2023 he became the England under-18 snooker champion. He has earned a two-year card on the World Snooker Tour starting with 2023–24 snooker season. Career ...

42, winning the final frame on the last black.

received a

walkover John_Carpenter_was_disqualified,_prompting_his_teammates_John_Taylor_(athlete).html" ;"title="John_Carpenter_(athlete).html" "title="Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres">men's 400 metres running in a walkover. Americ ...

to the last-32 after

Andrew Higginson Andrew Higginson (born 13 December 1977) is an English former professional snooker player from Widnes, Cheshire. He is best known for being the surprise finalist of the 2007 Welsh Open. Career Early years After some success in amateur tourn ...

withdrew. Higginson's father, Dave Higginson, passed away on the morning of 14 February.

Stan Moody Stan Moody (born 14 September 2006) is a British professional snooker player from Halifax, West Yorkshire. In February 2023 he won the WSF World Junior Championship, and with it earned a two-year card on the World Snooker Tour starting with 20 ...

made a 103 break to level the score at 22 against Jordan Brown, and went on to win in a deciding frame. Alfie Davies made a 125 break in the first frame and led

Dominic Dale Dominic Dale (born Christopher Dale on 29 December 1971) is a Welsh professional snooker player and snooker commentator and presenter for the BBC and Eurosport. Career Dale was born in Coventry, England. He won the Welsh Amateur Championship, ...

31, but Dale recovered to win the match in a deciding frame. Brecel made breaks of 83, 119, 62, and 75 as he whitewashed Joe O'Connor, who scored only 29 points in the match.

Kyren Wilson Kyren Wilson (; born 23 December 1991) is an English professional snooker player from Kettering and a five-time ranking event winner. He has been a runner-up at two of the three Triple Crown events, having reached the final at both the 2018 ...

made a break of 111 to win the first frame against Anthony Hamilton, but Hamilton won four frames in a row for a 41 victory. After losing the first two frames, Dott won four consecutive frames to defeat

Wu Yize Wu Yize (; born 14 October 2003) is a Chinese professional snooker player. Career Wu Yize won the IBSF U-21 World Championship in 2018 when he was just fourteen years old, defeating Pongsakorn Chongjairak from Thailand 6–4 in the final. Wu ...

42.

Dylan Emery Dylan Emery (born 31 March 2001) is a Welsh professional snooker player. The winner of the 2021 EBSA European Under-21 Snooker Championships, he defeated Julien Leclercq in the final, 5–2. As a result of this win, he has earned a place on the ...

beat

Noppon Saengkham Noppon Saengkham (; born 15 July 1992) is a Thai professional snooker player. Career Early years In April 2009, Saengkham lost in the final of the ACBS Asian Under-21 Snooker Championship 1–5 to Zhang Anda. He went one better at the 2009 IBS ...

42, making a 121 break in the sixth frame. Jak Jones defeated the 14th seed

Zhang Anda Zhang Anda (born 25 December 1991) is a Chinese professional snooker player, who made his debut on the Main Tour for the 2009–10 season. He qualified by winning the ACBS Asian Under-21 Championship. Standing at 5 ft. 3 in. tall, h ...

41. The sixth seed Selby lost 24 to Aaron Hill, in a match that included a 10-minute safety battle on the last green in the fourth frame. Afterward, Hill commented: "Mark elbyis one of the greats and one of the players I look up to, I know my game is good enough to be beating them."

Last 32

The last-32 matches were played from 14 to 15 February as the best of seven frames.

Anthony McGill Anthony McGill (born 5 February 1991) is a Scottish professional snooker player. He is a practice partner of retired snooker player Alan McManus. McGill turned professional in 2010, after finishing fourth in the 2009/2010 PIOS rankings. He wo ...

defeated the ninth seed and two-time winner Mark Williams 41.

Matthew Selt Matthew Selt (born 7 March 1985) is an English professional snooker player originally from Romford, east London and now living in Chelmsford, Essex. He qualified for the professional tour by finishing seventh on the Pontin's International Open ...

made a 135 break in his 41 win over Duane Jones. Robbie Williams defeated Duffy 42. Milkins made breaks of 77 and 91 as he whitewashed Gilbert. Higgins defeated Ryan Day 41, making a 124 break in the third frame. Allen made breaks of 63, 76, 110, and 52 to defeat Si 41. Neil Robertson made breaks of 68 and 69 to win the first two frames against Walden, but Walden took four consecutive frames with breaks of 96, 68, 69, and 65 to win 42. Trailing Gary Wilson 13, Lisowski won the next two frames with breaks of 65 and 113, but Wilson won the deciding frame on the colours. After losing the first two frames to Daniel Wells, Fu tied the scores with back-to-back centuries of 122 and 113, and went on to win 42.

Hossein Vafaei Hossein Vafaei ( fa, حسین وفایی ایوری; born 15 October 1994) is an Iranian professional snooker player. He is the first professional player from Iran. He won his first professional title at the 2022 Snooker Shoot Out, beating Mark ...

made a 116 break against Jak Jones, but Jones won 42. Dale defeated Moody 41, making a 122 break in the second frame. Hamilton won the first two frames against O'Donnell, taking the first frame after two , and the second with a 133 break. However, O'Donnell won four frames in a row, making breaks of 71, 62, and 110, to capture a 42 victory.

Tom Ford Thomas Carlyle Ford (born August 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer and filmmaker. He launched his eponymous luxury brand in 2005, having previously served as the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. Ford wrote and direct ...

defeated Hawkins 41. Fan lost the first frame to Hill, but took the next four with breaks of 80, 59, 97, and 79 to win 41. Brecel defeated Dott 41 and Slessor beat Emery by the same score.

Last 16

The last-16 matches were played on 15 February as the best of seven frames. Allen made a 110 break in the fourth frame to complete a whitewash win over Robbie Williams. Allen said: "I have come here to win, it would be great to add another Home Nations title to my cabinet. I am fighting for everything out there, choosing the correct shots and giving it my best." Gary Wilson eliminated the defending champion Milkins, also with a whitewash. Trailing McGill 02, Walden won three frames in a row with breaks of 138 and 99 to lead 32, but McGill took the next two frames for a 43 victory. Brecel lost the first frame to Ford, but won four consecutive frames for a 41 victory, reaching his first ranking quarter-final of the season. From 13 behind, Higgins took the next two frames to level the match against Selt. In a deciding frame that lasted over 40 minutes, Selt missed the , allowing Higgins to claim a 43 victory. Welshman Dale whitewashed Jak Jones, and commented: "To win another ranking title would be unthinkable for me, at my age. But to do it in the Welsh Open would be the icing on the cake." Slessor won the deciding frame against Fan with a 77 break. O'Donnell defeated Fu 42 in a match that finished close to 1:00 a.m.

Later rounds

Quarter-finals

The quarter-finals were played on 16 February as the best of nine frames. Higgins made breaks of 62 and 131 as he won the first two frames against Allen. Allen tied the scores at the mid-session interval but Higgins won three consecutive frames for a 52 victory, reaching his fourth ranking semi-final of the season. Higgins commented: "Mark llenis one of the elite players, you have to play well to beat him, it's a brilliant win for me." He also attributed the win to his new cue, saying: "I went back to the size I used about 25 years ago. That seems to be working right now. Hopefully things can come together because I have been knocking on the door for a while and it hasn't opened yet." Slessor compiled a 128 break as he took a 31 break over Dale. Dale won two of the next three frames to reduce Slessor's lead to one at 43, but Slessor won the eighth frame to win 53 and reach the third ranking semi-final of his career. Slessor said: "I'm delighted to win. I have been working with oachChris Henry this season and my game has turned a corner." Gary Wilson won all four frames before the mid-session interval to lead McGill 40, and won the fifth on the last black to complete a whitewash victory. He said after the match: "I have tried to stick to what I'm doing, because it was working at the Scottish. That has helped me to just go out and play without any rubbish in my head, and to be a bit more consistent. In the past I would not be able to play certain shots, but I don't feel that way any more." The second seed Brecel led world number 76 O'Donnell 21 and 32, but O'Donnell took the next two frames, making a 130 break in the sixth, to lead 43. O'Donnell won frame eight on the last black to defeat the reigning World Champion 53. It was his second win over Brecel that season, after a 42 victory in the last 32 of the 2023 Scottish Open. O'Donnell reached his second career ranking semi-final, after the 2018 Shoot Out. He commented: "I do try hard out there, sometimes too hard. I still try to play as if it means everything, but I am able to handle defeats better and move on. I have played a bit quicker too and that seems to be helping."

Semi-finals

The semi-finals were played on 17 February as the best of 11 frames. In the first semi-final, O'Donnell played Slessor. O'Donnell led 53, but Slessor made breaks of 95 and 65 to force a deciding frame. O'Donnell won the decider with a 126 break, his first victory in a ranking semi-final. He commented: "It means everything to reach my first final. There have been some dark times in the last few years. My fiancée Anna and kids have picked me up and got me through those dark days." Calling his performance "useless" and describing his safety play as "embarrassing", Slessor said: "I have played some good stuff this week but it's very disappointing to play like that in the semis." Facing five-time champion Higgins in the second semi-final, Gary Wilson attempted a

in the first frame, but missed the 14th to end the break at 104. Wilson successfully completed a maximum in the second frame, the fifth of his career and the 11th time a maximum had been made at the Welsh Open. Wilson led 40 and 51 before Higgins won three frames in a row with breaks of 69, 66, and 78 to come within one frame at 54. Wilson took the 10th frame with a 73 break to win 64. Wilson said: "I didn't do a lot wrong and played very well in patches." He added: "The 147 was early in the match, I wasn't even thinking about it at the start, I was just looking to build a lead. I should have had one in the frame before, I had a chance at it." Higgins commented: "He was deadly for the first three-and-a-half frames, incredible. Gary ilsonplayed superbly, I give him credit, there was nothing I could do."

Final

The final was a best-of-17-frames match, played over two on 18 February, between world number 16 Gary Wilson and world number 76 O'Donnell, with Leo Scullion officiating. Wilson competed in his fifth ranking final, while O'Donnell contested the first ranking final of his professional career. Wilson made a 98 break in the opening frame and made three further half-centuries to lead 40 and 51. O'Donnell was six points ahead in the seventh frame when he missed a pot on the last yellow; Wilson cleared the colours to lead 61. O'Donnell made a 92 break to win the last frame of the afternoon session, leaving Wilson with a four-frame advantage at 62. When play resumed for the evening session, O'Donnell won the 41-minute ninth frame after a re-rack. Wilson made a 100 break, the only century of the final, to win the 10th frame. O'Donnell took the 11th with an 85 break, but Wilson won the 43-minute 12th frame to lead 8–4 at the mid-session interval, and went on to complete a 9–4 victory. It was Wilson's first Welsh Open title and his third ranking title, following his wins at the Scottish Open in 2022 and

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

. His second ranking title of the season, it advanced him to a career high of 12th place in the world rankings. Wilson called the final a "scrappy game" and commented: "I lost my cue action in the last few frames. You go through ups and downs all the time—I'm just happy to get over the line and get another tournament." Runner-up O'Donnell, who moved up to 60th in the rankings after the tournament, congratulated his opponent but expressed disappointment with his performance, saying: "I felt okay at the start but then started missing too many easy balls and got tense. I will learn from today and hopefully there are good things coming for me."

Main draw

The draw for the tournament is shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the top 32 seeded players, and players in bold denote match winners. All matches were played as the best of seven frames until the quarter-finals, which were the best of nine. The semi-finals were the best of 11, and the final was a best of 17 frames match played over two .

Top half

Bottom half

:Note: w/o =

; w/d = withdrawn

Final

Qualifying

Qualification for the tournament took place from 25 to 27 January at the

in Barnsley, England. Matches involving the top 16 players in the world rankings and two Welsh wildcards (Riley Powell and Liam Davies) were held over and played at the final venue. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the top 32 seeded players, and players in bold denote match winners.

Llandudno

The results of the held-over matches played in Llandudno on 12 February were as follows: * 4–3 * 4–2 * 4–2 * 4–1 * 4–1 * 1–4 * 3–4 * 0–4 * 4–2 * 4–3 * 4–0 * 4–0 * 4–3 * 4–3 * 2–4 * 1–4 * 4–2 The result of the one held-over match played on 13 February was as follows: * 0–4

Barnsley

The results of the qualifying matches played in Barnsley were as follows:

25 January

* 4–1 * 4–2 * 2–4 * 4–2 * 4–1 * 2–4 * 0–4 * 3–4 * 4–2 * 4–1 * 4–3 * 4–0 * 4–3 * 4–0 * 0–4 * 4–2

26 January

* 4–1 * 0–4 * 0–4 * 3–4 * 0–4 * 4–1 * 1–4 * 4–3 * 3–4 * 4–0 * 4–3 * 4–0 * 4–2 * 2–4 * 4–3 * 4–2

27 January

* 2–4 * 4–3 * 4–2 * 2–4 * 0–4 * 4–1 * 4–1 * 4–3 * 3–4 * 4–0 * 3–4 * 4–3 * 4–0 * 4–1 * 4–2

Century breaks

Main stage centuries

A total of 52 century breaks were made during the main stage of the tournament. * 147, 120, 105, 104, 100 Gary Wilson * 142, 102

* 141, 110, 110, 101 Mark Allen * 140

* 139, 103

* 138

* 136 Jamie Jones * 135

* 134

* 133 Anthony Hamilton * 131, 124, 118

* 130, 126, 113, 110 Martin O'Donnell * 130

* 129, 128, 101

* 128

* 125, 103 Alfie Davies * 122, 113

* 122

* 121

* 119, 101

* 119 Liam Davies * 119

* 117 Mark Williams * 116

* 113, 113

* 112

* 111

* 105

Graeme Dott Graeme Dott (born 12 May 1977) is a Scottish professional snooker player and snooker coach from Larkhall. He turned professional in 1994 and first entered the top 16 in 2001. He has won two ranking titles, the 2006 World Snooker Championship a ...

* 105

* 103

* 101

Qualifying stage centuries

A total of 14 century breaks were made during the qualifying stage of the tournament. * 146

* 137, 120

* 136 David Gilbert * 123, 103

* 118 Ian Burns * 118 James Cahill * 118 Ashley Hugill * 111

Oliver Lines Oliver Lines (born 16 June 1995) is an English professional snooker player who practices at Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds. He is the son of professional snooker player Peter Lines. Career Amateur Lines switched sports from football to snook ...

* 107

* 103

Pang Junxu Pang Junxu (, born 15 February 2000) is a Chinese professional snooker player. He was awarded the "Rookie of the Year" Award in 2021. Career As a result of Pang's performances on the CBSA Tour, he was awarded a two-year card on the World Snook ...

* 103

* 101 Iulian Boiko

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Welsh Open, 2024 Welsh Open Sport in Wales Home Nations Series European Series February 2024 sports events in the United Kingdom 2024 in Welsh sport

2024 Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1928 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ***''Steamboat Willie'', Walt Disney's f ...