Mark Selby whitewashed Mark Joyce 6-0 at the MrQ UK Championship in York to set up a last 16 clash with close friend Barry Hawkins, who he is sharing an apartment with this week.

York hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds for Selby in recent times. He suffered early exits in each of the last two years at the hands of Iran’s Hossein Vafaei. However, he is a two-time winner of the event, having most recently picked up the title in 2016 by beating Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final.

The four-time World Champion has enjoyed good form so far this season despite having not yet captured silverware. He was runner-up to Mark Williams at the British Open and made semi-finals at the Shanghai Masters and European Masters. Selby’s defeat in the European Masters came at the hands of his upcoming opponent, Hawkins.

Joyce came through three rounds of qualifying to make it to the final stages, beating Iulian Boiko, Xiao Guodong and Joe Perry to earn a place in York. However, today’s result extends a losing streak against Selby, who he has never beaten. The Jester from Leicester now leads their head-to-head standings 6-0.

This evening’s tie lasted just an hour and 43 minutes, with Selby ruthlessly sprinting for the line. He compiled breaks of 82, 61, 75 and 80 on his way to the whitewash win.

“It is tough, I’ve been on the end of it myself over the years. He’s done brilliantly to qualify and it is massive occasion for him in a great venue. He wants to go out there and put a performance in. He didn’t do too much wrong though,” said 40-year-old Selby.

“Barry will be making me a cup of tea with some cyanide in! I will have to blank him now. It’s a lovely apartment we are in but we are in the next room to each other. At the start of the competition he said that he’d looked at the accommodation and asked if I fancied sharing an apartment. The draw came out for the seeds and we knew if we both won we would play each other. I said to him that I was going to have the apartment all to myself! Barry is a great lad, one of my best friends on the tour and a great player. He is one of the form players so I will need to play somewhere similar to today to compete.”

On the other table, Jamie Jones came through a nerve-shredding encounter with Jack Lisowski 6-4 to set up a second round showdown with 2019 World Champion Judd Trump.

Jones had trailed 2-0, after Lisowski came from behind to take the first and then won the second on a re-spot having fluked the black twice. A break of 101 saw the Welshman get his first frame on the board and he then took the fourth on the pink to restore parity at 2-2.

The fifth frame saw Jones fire in a fine break of 113 to take the lead for the first time at 3-2. The following two frames were traded, before Lisowski claimed a tight eighth to make it 4-4. Jones went on to take the next two in a row and ensure his place in the next round.

Home » Ding Junhui, Headline, Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson

Luca Brecel reaches the Final at the 2023 Shanghai Masters

19 September 2023

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China’s Zhang Anda is through to his second final of the season after a sensational 9-6 defeat of seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi-finals of the International Championship in Tianjin.

Zhang first turned professional back in 2009, but it has taken until this season for him to showcase his full potential. He defeated the likes of O’Sullivan and Anthony McGill on the way to making his maiden ranking final at the English Open. He had looked set for the title when he led Judd Trump 7-3, but lost six on the bounce to succumb to a 9-7 loss.

Today’s result for Zhang means that his compatriot Ding Junhui, who won the Six Red World Championship, will now miss next week’s Champion of Champions. Instead, the winner of Sunday’s final between Zhang and Tom Ford will secure the spot.

Tomorrow’s clash will be contested over the best of 19-frames with a top prize of £175,000 on the line, with both players vying for their maiden ranking title. If Zhang wins he will also knock Ding out of the top 16 in the world rankings and take his automatic place in the final stages of the MrQ UK Championship.

Defeat means world number one O’Sullivan will have to wait to secure the 40th ranking title of his career. However, his showing this week ensures he will remain on top of the world rankings for the time being, having seen off challenges from Judd Trump, Mark Allen and Luca Brecel. The Rocket now turns his attention to the Champion of Champions, where he will face the winner of tomorrow’s final in the opening round.

The afternoon session ended with the players level, after Zhang surrendered a two-frame. He had an opportunity to go 5-2 up, but missed the final pink and O’Sullivan pounced to claim two on the bounce and make it 4-4.

When they got underway this evening it was O’Sullivan who continued to push on and breaks of 52 and 54 on his way to securing a 6-4 advantage. However, from that moment on Zhang took control of proceedings.

A break of 83 from Zhang reduced his arrears to 6-5 and he then claimed a 35-minute 12th to restore parity at 6-6. He then cranked up the heat on his illustrious opponent with a fine contribution of 114 to lead 7-6. Zhang showed no signs of faltering as the finish line came into sight and took two tight frames after that to get over the line for a momentous 9-6 victory.

“I feel that the first session of the game was better than the second. When I was 6-4 behind, I tried not to think about the result and slowly adjusted my mentality and did a good job,” said world number 37 Zhang.

“When you are behind, you try to slowly get yourself back into the game. If you do that, you rarely think about winning or losing, you will not be afraid of mistakes, and you will be less nervous.

“I personally like to play the long matches, because my performance in these matches is quite good. It makes it easier for me to feel involved, and it will slowly get me into the rhythm of the game.”

O’Sullivan said: “He played well and deserved to win. He was the better player on the day, so fair play to him. I expected him to be like that as I’ve played him a few times, he was solid. He is a fantastic player, I don’t know where he has been for the last ten years.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan is through to the 89th ranking event semi-final of his career after a 6-4 win over Ali Carter at the International Championship in Tianjin.

Victory for O’Sullivan enhances his already dominant head-to-head record with Carter, which he now leads 17-1. However, he was made to work for it this evening against the typically tenacious Carter, who has been in good form this season and was runner-up to Judd Trump at the Wuhan Open.

World number one O’Sullivan was already safe in the knowledge that he will end this tournament on top of the rankings, despite having faced challenges from Trump, Mark Allen and Luca Brecel before their exits from the event. He is now just two wins away from the 40th ranking crown of his career and the first since winning the 2022 World Championship.

After going 1-0 down this evening, O’Sullivan responded by taking two on the bounce to claim the lead. A break of 60 saw O’Sullivan hold the advantage in the fourth, but Carter hit back with a brilliant 69 clearance to steal on the black and draw level at 2-2.

A break of 44 saw O’Sullivan reply by taking the fifth by a single point and he then added the sixth to go 4-2 ahead. Carter refused to wilt and took the next two frames to restore parity. He had chances to move ahead, but it was O’Sullivan who crafted breaks of 60 in consecutive frames to close the door and get over the line. Next up is a semi-final clash with Zhang Anda on Saturday.

“Each match I win nowadays is one of the best wins of my life, because I’m old. I’ve been around a long time,” said 47-year-old O’Sullivan.

“I’m not getting better and if anything I’m not the player I was. Players are all striving to achieve, young and hungry. It is harder now. Normally I would win tournaments quite easily and wouldn’t drop many frames even against the top players. It is tough now. I enjoy any win I get. Ali is one of the in form players this season. He is the in form player and I managed to beat him. So for me it is a great win.

“Every occasion is a good one when I play, so it doesn’t matter who I am against really. I’ve always had good crowds, every match I have played is a big one. People want to beat me and take me down. I’ve had to deal with that all of my life so I’ve never played a match which isn’t a big one.”

Zhang progressed with a 6-3 win over 14-time ranking event winner and Chinese compatriot Ding Junhui. That means Zhang is through to his second semi-final of the campaign, after a run to the final of the English Open where he was runner-up to Trump.

The result keeps Zhang’s hopes of automatic qualification for the MrQUK Championship alive, while world number 15 Ding will have to wait a bit longer for his place to be confirmed.

Northern Ireland’s Jordan Brown is through to the second ranking event semi-final of his career after a thrilling 6-5 defeat of Stephen Maguire.

Brown sensationally landed a maiden ranking title in 2021, by beating Ronnie O’Sullivan 9-8 in the 2021 Welsh Open final. It was a result which sent shockwaves through the snooker world, with Brown starting the event as a 750-1 outsider. However, he hasn’t been able to hit those heights since then, failing to go beyond the last 16 of ranking events in the aftermath.

The Antrim Ferrari has rediscovered his form this week and is now gearing up for one of the most important matches of his career tomorrow in the last four. He came into this afternoon’s quarter-final full of confidence after a stunning 6-3 win over Maguire’s Scottish compatriot and four-time World Champion John Higgins yesterday.

Brown led this afternoon’s tie 5-2, before Maguire came roaring back into contention. Breaks of 94, 77 and 115 saw him surge to three on the bounce and a deciding frame at 5-5. However, Brown composed a gutsy break of 57 which helped him to take the final frame and get over the line and earn a last four encounter with Tom Ford tomorrow.

Ford sealed his progression with a battling 6-4 win over European Masters champion Barry Hawkins. Leicester’s Ford hammered home breaks of 65, 125, 106 and 77 on his way to this afternoon’s victory. This will be the ninth ranking semi-final of his career.

Scotland’s Stephen Maguire ended Judd Trump’s 22-game win streak, scoring a 6-3 win over the Englishman in the last 32 of the International Championship in Tianjin.

Trump has been in scintillating form this season, becoming only the fourth player to win three consecutive ranking events. He picked up back-to-back silverware at the English Open, Wuhan Open and the Northern Ireland Open. With his streak coming to an end this evening, his ambitions of turning world number one are also over for now.

This evening’s result is a massive one for 2004 UK Champion Maguire, who failed to reach it to a single quarter-final last season. He has already achieved that this term at the Northern Ireland Open where he was beaten by Trump. Maguire earned his revenge today.

Breaks of 56 and 69 helped Maguire to move 2-0 ahead this evening, before a run of 88 saw Trump get his first frame on the board to make it 2-1. However, it was Maguire who took the fourth to head in for the mid-session 3-1 ahead.

When play resumed the first two frames were shared and Maguire then hammered home a run of 88 to move one from victory at 5-2. Trump pulled one back, but it was to no avail as the Glaswegian got himself over the line for an important 6-3 victory. Next up he faces a last 16 clash with Ryan Day.

“I feel very proud to beat Judd. The run he has been on, winning three back-to-back tournaments, is incredible. Especially with all of the good players that are out there just now. It is a good result for me to win the match and to beat Judd as well, because be beat me last week,” said 42-year-old Maguire.

“He would have wanted to keep that run going. Once you start winning matches, you get used to winning matches. In the back of Judd’s mind he knows it is going to come to an end at some point, whether it was this match or the next match. If anybody was feeling pressure today I’d imagine it was him. To me it was just another match.”

World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan is now certain to remain at the top of the world rankings this week, he scored a hard fought 6-4 win over Jak Jones this evening to progress.

The Rocket started the tournament with three players chasing his world number one spot. However, he is now safe after World Champion Luca Brecel lost out to Mark Davis yesterday and Mark Allen fell to a 6-4 defeat against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh today, as well as Trump’s exit.

O’Sullivan was pushed hard this evening by Jones, but eventually got himself over the line in the 10th frame with a stunning run of 130. He now faces Anthony McGill tomorrow evening.

McGill progressed thanks to an impressive 6-2 defeat of Jack Lisowski. The former Indian Open and Shoot Out champion put on a break building masterclass with runs of 129, 58, 63, 74, 73 and 54 on his way to victory.

Scotland’s McGill is currently experimenting with his game, using a carbon fibre pool style cue, as well as wearing a glove on his bridge hand. He believes that players need to be open to innovations.

McGill said: “I think you should always be open minded. If you’ve got a closed mind about anything then it can’t be good. I think snooker players are very set in their ways at times and resistant to change, especially from other cue sports. We have this snobbery about us and think we are the best. I’m sure we can learn a lot from other cue sports. I’m giving it my best.

“I watched Ronnie’s game against Ken Doherty in the first round. It was just gorgeous the way he played. It was phenomenal. I was lying in my bed watching it and thinking how does this guy ever get beat and how did I beat him at the Crucible? It will be an amazing atmosphere. The other night when I was playing I could hear the crowd during his match with Mark Joyce. It will be good to be a part of an atmosphere like that.”

China’s 14-time ranking event winner Ding Junhui moved a step closer to confirming his place in the final stages of the MrQ UK Championship with a 6-4 win over Gary Wilson, while four-time World Champions Mark Selby and John Higgins both progressed. Selby defeated Xiao Guodong 6-2 and Higgins overcame Dylan Emery 6-1.

The battle for the world number one spot heated up on day one of the International Championship in Tianjin, with wins for all four contenders; Ronnie O’Sullivan, Luca Brecel, Judd Trump and Mark Allen.

Current incumbent and seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan scored a 6-1 win over 1997 Crucible king Ken Doherty to ensure his progression to the last 64.

The Rocket has already landed silverware on Chinese soil this season, after beating Brecel 11-9 in a thrilling Shanghai Masters final. However, with that event being an invitational and exits in the last 16 and the quarter-finals at the English Open and Wuhan Open respectively, his place at the summit of the rankings is under threat.

O’Sullivan was in red-hot form this evening and crafted breaks of 112, 81, 66, 78 and 68 on his way to victory. Next up for the 39-time ranking event winner is a second round meeting with Mark Joyce.

Trump has forced his way into contention for the top spot after sensationally registering three consecutive ranking event wins at the English Open, Wuhan Open and the Northern Ireland Open. The Ace in the Pack extended his winning streak to 21 matches with a 6-0 whitewash defeat of Chinese 12-year-old prospect Wang Xinzhong.

His recent tournament win in Belfast saw him join Ray Reardon, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ding Junhui as the only players to win three consecutive ranking events. Trump would become only the second (after Hendry) to win four in a row by taking the title this week. He already has a strong history in this event and is defending champion having won the last staging back in 2019.

Runs of 116, 109, 67 and 89 helped Trump to this evening’s win. He knows he must make at least the quarter-finals to stand a chance of becoming world number one and will face Michael White in the last 64. Afterwards, Trump admitted he is near to his best form.

“The whole season has been on a knife-edge. There have been opportunities for Luca Brecel and Mark Allen already. Ronnie has missed a couple of events but this is massive tournament. The International Championship is the event that has taken the crown as the biggest one in China,” said 26-time ranking event winner Trump.

“I think I am playing to a very similar level to when I won six events in the 2019/20 season. It is always hard to say you are playing better or worse, but to do something I’ve never done before and only four people have done by winning three consecutive events is special.”

Last season’s Player of the Year Allen kept his hopes alive by coming from 3-1 down to beat Oliver Lines 6-3.

The Pistol is currently ranked fourth in the world after winning titles at last season’s Northern Ireland Open, UK Championship and World Grand Prix. However, he needs to win the event this week to overhaul O’Sullivan. The Antrim cueman top scored with 137 this morning and now plays Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who beat Matthew Selt 6-5.

Allen said: “Judd has got himself well into the conversation having won the last three ranking tournaments. He wasn’t on anyone’s lips at the start of the season. It shows what can happen in the game. It is a good story for you guys, but we just have to concentrate on going out there and winning matches. If I win matches and tournaments, then the ranking will take care of itself.”

World Champion Brecel earned his slot in the next round courtesy of a 6-2 win over Daniel Womersley.

The Belgian currently occupies second place in the rankings and must reach at least the last 16 to go top. He made breaks of 79, 58 and 76 during this afternoon’s encounter and now plays Mark Davis.

This season’s European Masters winner Barry Hawkins put on a sensational display to whitewash Tian Pengfei 6-0. The Hawk soared with contributions of 123, 114, 50, 139 and 67 in what was a break building masterclass.

China’s 14-time ranking event winner Ding Junhui surged to a 6-1 win over Ian Burns, while Stuart Bingham edged past Matthew Stevens 6-5.

The draw for the 2023 Champion of Champions is complete where UK Champion and World Grand Prix winner Mark Allen is set to open the event against World Senior’s champion Jimmy White, live on ITV4 and broadcasters worldwide from the Bolton Stadium Hotel, University of Bolton Stadium.

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Ronnie O’Sullivan will begin his title defence of the Champion of Champions on Wednesday 15th November in the opening match of Group One against either the winner of the International Championship, or Six-Red world champion Ding Junhui if the International winner has already qualified for the event. Four-time world champion John Higgins faces Shoot Out winner and recent Northern Ireland Open runner-up Chris Wakelin in the other match in Group One.

World champion Luca Brecel’s Champion of Champions campaign begins on Tuesday 14th November against the European Masters winner Barry Hawkins. After qualifying with victory in the British Open last month, Mark Williams will face Welsh Open champion Robert Milkins in the second match in Group Two.

Judd Trump will be looking to continue his recent hot streak in Bolton, after snapping up the English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open in October. The Ace in the Pack takes to the green baize on Thursday 16th November against the World Women’s champion Baipat Siripaporn. Meanwhile Championship League Snooker Ranking winner Shaun Murphy lines up against Scottish Open winner Gary Wilson.

Following the tournament opener between Mark Allen and Jimmy White, World Championship runner-up and WST Classic winner Mark Selby faces German Masters champion Ali Carter to round out the first afternoon session.

The top four seeds, defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, world champion Luca Brecel, Masters champion Judd Trump and UK champion Mark Allen were all drawn into individual groups. The following four seeds were then assigned to the corresponding groups. The remainder of the field were drawn randomly to complete the draw for the 2023 Champion of Champions.

Tickets start from £15 a session with fans also offered the opportunity to experience one of snooker’s finest spectacles in VIP from £110. VIP includes front two row seats, a two course meal, free programme on arrival, drinks vouchers, access to the practice table viewing area and much more.

Action is live from 12:45pm daily on ITV4 in the UK with fans in China able to watch on Rigour. You can find full details of all international broadcasters and how to watch in your territory here.

Draw and Match Schedule

Monday 13th November | Group Four | 1pm – Group Semi-Finals (Best of 7)
Mark Allen vs Jimmy White
Mark Selby vs Ali Carter
7pm – Group Final (Best of 11)

Tuesday 14th November | Group Two | 1pm – Group Semi-Finals (Best of 7)
Luca Brecel v Barry Hawkins
Mark Williams v Robert Milkins
7pm – Group Final (Best of 11)

Wednesday 15th November | Group One | 1pm – Group Semi-Finals (Best of 7)
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ding Junhui or International Championship winner
John Higgins vs Chris Wakelin
7pm – Group Final (Best of 11)

Thursday 16th November | Group Three | 1pm – Group Semi-Finals (Best of 7)
Judd Trump vs Baipat Siripaporn
Shaun Murphy vs Gary Wilson
7pm – Group Final (Best of 11)

Friday 17th November | 7pm | Semi-Final (Best of 11)
Group Two Winner vs Group Three Winner

Saturday 18th November | 7pm | Semi-Final (Best of 11)
Group One Winner vs Group Four Winner

Sunday 19th November | 1 pm (Afternoon Session), 7pm (Evening Session) | Champion of Champions final (Best of 19)
Please be aware that the schedule is subject to change following the International Championship.

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Umut Dikme is targeting top spot in the UK/Europe Q Tour rankings, and with it a professional tour card, after his victory on home soil at Event Three in Germany.

Despite not entering Event One and only reaching the third round of Event Two, success in Heilbronn, culminating in a 5-1 win over Hamim Hussain in the final, lifted Dikme to third in the rankings. Bettered only by fellow event winners Liam Davies and Michael Holt respectively.

And now with four events remaining in snooker’s second tier this season, the 23-year-old has admitted his goals have shifted somewhat. Only the player sat top of the rankings after Event Seven in Leeds secures a two-year tour card automatically, with at least the next 16 highest ranked players advancing into the Global Q Tour Playoff.

Prior to his recent victory, the German youngster had never progressed further than the last 16 at a Q Tour event. We’ve caught up with Dikme to find out what changed in order for him to get his hands on the title…

Congratulations on the victory Umut, you must have been delighted with the win. How do you feel you played over the two days?

“I’m really happy to get my first win on the Q Tour, happy days! I wasn’t flying. I wasn’t on my A game, to be honest. But I played solid all weekend. It was really special playing on home soil. I didn’t expect it to be like that, because I’ve never experienced it really. Before on Q Tour there has never been a tournament in Germany like this one. But yeah, the locals supported me and the club was just half an hour away from my home. The goal was to get to the Sunday (final day) to get some ranking points and play it match by match, so everything else was a bonus.”

As it was on home soil, were you parents able to come and watch?

“My parents were watching the results, but they couldn’t make it. But they’ve been really happy. My father has always been very supportive of me, because he’s been a snooker player for 30 years. So he was just really happy and delighted that I won.”

When we spoke to you at Q School 2022, you had finished your apprenticeship with Mercedes and committed to playing snooker full time. Where are you at with your career 18 months on?

“The goal is still to get on the Tour and see what happens from there. I’m still a full time player. Last year, I was just based in Germany and just coming over for the tournaments but now I commute between Germany and London. So I play here in London and the Whetstone Snooker Club. And 100% my game has improved since going full-time. I can feel the difference. Much more practice, much more experience. The game was always there in practice, but you have to put it on the match table, handle the pressure and play more consistent.

“I’m still based in Germany but when the tournaments are held in the UK, I come two to three weeks before them to practise. And yeah, after the tournaments I go back to Germany. I practise with Hammad Miah, Anthony Hamilton and Alfie Burden, and they help me out a lot, it’s very good for me.”

Snooker in Mainland Europe is growing. Luca Brecel is World Champion, Julian Leclercq had a fantastic Shoot Out, Lukas Kleckers is on tour and Andres Petrov recently beat Mark Allen. Seeing them on the tour, how much does that inspire?

“It doesn’t inspire me a lot to be honest. I think everybody’s on their own path in a way. We’re all very far away from each other, it’s not like we’re all in the same city and same country. But I’m really happy for those players, because I’m happy for snooker to grow in Mainland Europe. It’s spread over three, four or five countries, so more players are coming through. I’m happy for them but I want to get there (on tour), 100%.”

UK/Europe Q Tour Event Four is coming up in Landywood, north of Wolverhampton next month, is the aim to go back-to-back?

“Yes, I mean the aim is now to get the number one spot on the rankings to get a tour card directly. But I’ll take it game by game, frame by frame, and we’ll see what happens.”

Finishing top of the Q Tour rankings is historically very tough. Martin O’Donnell was sixth before he won the final event last season and grabbed top spot from Ross Muir. How do you deal with that challenge mentally?

“I don’t look at it that way. The first goal for the season was to get into the playoffs. But, now I’m in a really good spot, so the aim has changed a bit. If I get there (to number one), I get there, if not, I’ll play the playoffs. But the goal is now to get to number one. Q Tour is always a good level of players. There’s so many ex-professionals, so many good young players coming through, so many older, experienced players. I think it’s a very good field of players for just one automatic spot.”

Event Four on this season’s Q Tour UK/Europe circuit takes place at the Landywood Snooker Club between November 10-12.

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The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and the Pan American Billiards and Snooker Association (PABSA) are excited to announce the launch of the new Q Tour Americas Series as part of the WPBSA Q Tour Global during the 2023/24 season.

Following the launch of the Asia-Pacific region last month, the Americas region is the second to join the newly expanded WPBSA Q Tour Global, which will culminate in a 24-player playoff, with three places on the professional World Snooker Tour to be won from the start of the 2024/25 season.

As in previous seasons, the playoff will feature a minimum of 16 players from the UK/Europe rankings, who will now be joined by up to eight international qualifiers which will now include two players from the Americas region.

AMERICAS SERIES

The WPBSA Q Tour Americas Series will initially include three recognised tournaments across the region.

There will be an America Q Tour ranking list where the top ranked player from North America and the top ranked player from South America and will operate its own ranking list with the top ranked player from North and South America will qualify for the Global Playoff next spring.

The events will be held in both North and South America and will finish before the end of March 2024 with dates and venues to be confirmed shortly.

Events will be open to players born in, or resident in the Pan American region for a minimum of six months.

“A KEY GROWTH AREA”

Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “The Americas region represents a huge growth area for snooker.

“There are players with the dreams and aspirations all over the world, but often vast distance and expense stands in their way. Some players like Neil Robertson have overcome this hurdle, but we must learn from the huge challenges players have often faced. I am therefore delighted with today’s announcement, a clear demonstration of our intent to provide greater opportunities for all players around the world. The localisation of Q Tours is creating a life changing opportunity for talented players, and we are full of excitement as plans unfold.

“I would like to thank Ajeya Prabhakar and his team for their cooperation on this project and their support of our great sport. Through embracing these prestigious events as part of the WPBSA Q Tour Global, it can only help to further the development of snooker in the Pan American region.

Ajeya Prabhakar, PABSA President said: “On behalf of PABSA I am happy to announce this new agreement which will see some of our most prestigious tournaments recognised by the WPBSA for the first time.

“It is hugely exciting that more regions from around the globe are now taking their place within the WPBSA Q Tour Global structure and through the hard work of our team at PABSA and our member countries, we are proud to be a part of this development. We can see this week at The Pan American Snooker Championships, hosted by our friends and colleagues at the CBBS, that standards are rising, more countries want to participate, and more players want the opportunities to progress.

“I have no doubt that our players will lend their backing to this series and look forward to congratulating the overall winners who will travel to compete in the Global Playoff alongside some of the best amateur players in the world next year.”

Full tournament information and results will be available via WPBSA SnookerScores in due course, with the first tournament set to be held next January.