2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters
The 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 30 August to 7 September 2024 at Green Halls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[1] It was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was part of the 2024–25 snooker season. The tournament featured a total prize fund of £2,302,000, the second-highest after the World Championship.[1] It is one of snooker's four major tournaments.[2] Judd Trump won the tournament, defeating Mark Williams 10–9 in the final.[3] There were 91 century breaks made in the event, the highest being a 147 by Noppon Saengkham.[4][5] FormatThere were 17 amateur wildcard players from the Middle East included in the draw, including 7 from Saudi Arabia.[6] Rounds 1, 2, and 3 were the best of 7 frames; rounds 4 and 5 were the best of 9 frames; round 6, the quarter‑finals and the semi‑finals were the best of 11 frames; and the final was a best of 19 frames match, played over two sessions.[7] The tournament was broadcast on Eurosport and Discovery+ in Europe and by various broadcasters worldwide. It was also available on Matchroom Live.[8] Prize fundThe prize fund for the tournament is detailed below:[1]
SummaryEarly roundsRound 1Round 1 (last 144) matches were played on 30 August as the best of 7 frames.[7] In the afternoon session Robbie McGuigan beat Abdulraouf Saigh 4–3, and Michael Holt whitewashed Ahmad Abul.[10] In the evening session Jimmy White defeated Mohammed Shehab 4–2, and Stan Moody whitewashed Ziyad Alqabbani.[11] Round 2Round 2 (last 112) matches were played on 31 August as the best of 7 frames.[7] In the afternoon session Artemijs Žižins beat Xu Si 4–3, and Jimmy White defeated Andrew Higginson 4–1.[12] In the evening session Antoni Kowalski whitewashed He Guoqiang, and Bulcsú Révész beat Mark Davis 4–3.[13] Round 3Round 3 (last 80) matches were played on 1 September as the best of 7 frames.[7] In the afternoon session Hossein Vafaei beat Ishpreet Singh Chadha 4–1, and Joe O'Connor defeated Louis Heathcote 4–3.[14] In the evening session Neil Robertson defeated Paul Deaville 4–1. Noppon Saengkham made a maximum break in the first frame of his 4–1 win over Amir Sarkhosh,[15] his third in professional competition and the first maximum of the 2024–25 season.[5] Saengkham had also made the 13th and last maximum of the previous season.[16] Round 4Round 4 (last 48) matches were played on 2 September as the best of 9 frames.[7] In the afternoon session Ben Woollaston beat Hossein Vafaei 5–3, and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh defeated Chris Wakelin 5–4.[17] In the evening session David Gilbert beat Jordan Brown 5–3, and Neil Robertson defeated Gong Chenzhi 5–1.[18] Final roundsRound 5Round 5 (last 32) matches were played on 3 September as the best of 9 frames.[7][19] In the afternoon session Judd Trump fought back from 0–4 behind to beat Wu Yize 5–4, and Xiao Guodong defeated Mark Allen 5–1.[20][21] In the evening session Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Lei Peifan 5–1, and Zhang Anda whitewashed Ben Woollaston, making four century breaks in the five frames. Stuart Bingham beat Ding Junhui 5–4. In the deciding frame Ding's break ended when the tip came off his cue and hit a red ball. Bingham then made a 63 break to win the match.[22] Round 6Round 6 (last 16) matches were played on 4 September as the best of 11 frames.[7] In the afternoon session Neil Robertson defeated Gary Wilson 6–1, and Judd Trump beat Jack Lisowski 6–1.[23] In the evening session Ronnie O'Sullivan recovered from 3–0 down to defeat Zhang Anda 6–5, and Mark Williams beat Stuart Bingham 6–2.[24][25] Jimmy Robertson beat the reigning world champion Kyren Wilson 6–4.[26] Quarter finalsThe quarter-finals were played on 5 September as the best of 11 frames.[7] In the afternoon session Shaun Murphy defeated Xiao Guodong 6–2, and Judd Trump beat Neil Robertson 6–3.[27] In the evening session Mark Williams whitewashed Jimmy Robertson, and Si Jiahui beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 6–4.[28][29] Semi finalsThe semi-finals were played on 6 September as the best of 11 frames.[7] In the first semi‑final in the afternoon session Judd Trump played Shaun Murphy. At the mid‑session interval Trump led Murphy 3–1, and then went on to win the match 6–5.[30][31] In the second semi‑final in the evening session Mark Williams played Si Jiahui. At the mid‑session interval Williams led Si 3–1, and then went on to win the match 6–3, although Si made two century breaks.[32][33][34] FinalThe final took place on 7 September as the best of 19 frames, played over two sessions,[7] between Mark Williams and Judd Trump. In the afternoon session, Trump took a 5–3 lead.[35] However, Williams tied the scores at 6–6 and 8–8 and then made a 138 total clearance, his fourth century of the match, to move one from victory at 9–8. Trump tied the scores at 9–9 with a 90 break. The deciding frame was described as the most lucrative frame in snooker history, given the £300,000 difference between the prizes for the winner and the runner-up.[36] Williams made a 62 break but missed a red, and Trump responded with a 72 clearance to win the match 10–9 on the final black. Trump said afterwards: "I'm in shock. Mark [Williams] was the much better player, I just found something at the end." Williams praised his opponent, saying: "It just shows what a great champion he is. What a break he has made there. For half a million pounds, 62 behind and two reds safe. What can I say? Congratulations to him."[3][37][38] Final roundsThe draw for the final rounds is shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the players' seeding. Players in bold denote match winners.[39][7]
Early roundsThe draw for the early rounds is shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the players' seeding, an "a" indicates amateur players who were not on the main World Snooker Tour. Players in bold denote match winners.[40][39][7]
Final
Century breaksA total of 91 century breaks were made during the tournament.[4]
Notes
References
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