2024 World Masters of Snooker

Last updated

2024 Riyadh Season
World Masters of Snooker
2024 World Masters of Snooker cover.jpg
Tournament information
Dates4–6 March 2024 (2024-03-04 – 2024-03-06)
VenueGlobal Theatre
City Boulevard City, Riyadh
CountrySaudi Arabia
Organisation World Snooker Tour
FormatNon-ranking event
Total prize fund£785,000
Winner's share£250,000
Highest breakFlag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding Junhui  (CHN) (138)
Final
ChampionFlag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)
Runner-upFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Luca Brecel  (BEL)
Score5‍–‍2
2025 →

The 2024 World Masters of Snooker (officially the 2024 Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place from 4 to 6 March 2024 at the Global Theatre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Organised by the World Snooker Tour and part of the Riyadh Season festival in the entertainment district Boulevard City within Riyadh, the event was the first professional snooker tournament held in Saudi Arabia, and the inaugural staging of the World Masters of Snooker. It introduced a new 20-point gold ball called the "Riyadh Season ball", which could only be potted after a player had completed a maximum break of 147 to extend the break to 167. The event was broadcast locally in the Middle East and North Africa and worldwide. The winner received £250,000 from a total prize fund of £785,000.

Contents

The event featured 12 players, including the top ten players on the snooker world rankings, with the reigning World Champion, Luca Brecel, as the top seed, as well as two local wildcard players, Ali Alobaidli from Qatar and Omar Alajlani from Saudi Arabia.

World number one player Ronnie O'Sullivan won the event, defeating Brecel 5‍–‍2 in the final, capturing his fifth professional title of the 2023–24 season. [1]

The tournament produced 16 century breaks. O'Sullivan made six, the most of any player. The highest break was a 138 made by Ding Junhui. No player successfully compiled a maximum break for a chance to pot the new "Riyadh Season" gold ball. John Higgins made an attempt in his second-round match against Mark Williams, potting all 15 reds with blacks , but lost position and missed the yellow to end the break at 120. [2] Higgins was defeated in the quarter-finals by eventual winner O'Sullivan 0‍–‍4. Despite the match starting at 1:48 am local time, O'Sullivan made breaks of 135, 129, 102, and 82 to complete the whitewash, with Higgins having not potted a single ball in the whole match. In another quarter-final match, Mark Allen recovered from 0‍–‍2 and 1‍–‍3 behind to beat Mark Selby 4‍–‍3, winning the deciding frame on the last black. [3]

Overview

In December 2019, World Snooker Tour (WST) announced a 10-year deal with Saudi Arabia, including ranking tournaments that will be hosted in the country. [4] However, no snooker tournaments were held in Saudi Arabia in the next four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [5] In January 2024, WST announced a new non-ranking tournament called the World Masters of Snooker, scheduled to take place from 4 to 6 March 2024 at the Boulevard Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. [6] It was the first professional snooker tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia. [7]

Format

ColourValue
Snooker ball red.png Red 1 point
Snooker ball yellow.png Yellow 2 points
Snooker ball green.png Green 3 points
Snooker ball brown.png Brown 4 points
Snooker ball blue.png Blue 5 points
Snooker ball pink.png Pink 6 points
Snooker ball black.png Black 7 points
Gold circle.svg Riyadh Season ball20 points

All matches were played as the best of seven frames except the final, which was played as the best of nine frames. [8]

The matches were played under regular snooker rules, but the event introduced a new gold ball worth 20 points, called the "Riyadh Season ball". The gold ball was placed on the centre of the baulk cushion , in line with the brown , blue , pink , and black balls. It could only be potted after a player had completed a maximum break of 147, to extend the break to 167. It would be a four-point foul if the gold ball were potted earlier in the frame , or hit before the object ball . The gold ball stayed on the table as long as it was possible for either player to complete a maximum break, then it was removed from the table until the next frame. [9] [10]

Participants

The event was originally planned to feature ten players, including the top eight players on the snooker world rankings, with the reigning World Champion, Luca Brecel, seeded first, and the rest based on their rankings. It also features two local wildcard players, Ali Alobaidli from Qatar and Omar Alajlani from Saudi Arabia. [11] [12] On 29 February, WST announced that the tournament was expanded to 12 players, with the addition of world number nine and ten, Ding Junhui and John Higgins. [10]

Broadcasters

The tournament was broadcast locally with Arabic commentary across the Middle East and North Africa by MBC Action, MBC Egypt, Saudi Sport, webook, and Shahid. It was also broadcast by Eurosport and Discovery+ in Europe (including the United Kingdom and Ireland); by Migu and Huya in Mainland China; Now TV in Hong Kong; Astro SuperSport in Malaysia; TrueVisions in Thailand; Sportcast in Taiwan; Premier Sports Network in the Philippines; Sportstars and Vision+ in Indonesia; Skynet in Myanmar; Hang Meas in Cambodia; and DAZN in all other territories. [13]

Prize money

The event featured a total prize pool of £785,000. An additional prize of $500,000 (about £395,000) would have been given to the first player to compile a 167 break. [10] However, no player was able to do so and the prize was not collected. [1] The breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below:

  • Winner: £250,000
  • Runner-up: £125,000
  • Semi-finals: £75,000
  • Quarter-finals: £50,000
  • Round 2: £25,000
  • Round 1: £5,000
  • 167 break: $500,000 (about £395,000) for first made
  • Total: £785,000

Tournament draw

Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the players' seedings, and players in bold denote match winners. All matches were played as the best of seven frames except the final, which was played as the best of nine frames. [8] [14]

Round 1
Best of 7 frames 		Round 2
Best of 7 frames 		Quarter-finals
Best of 7 frames 		Semi-finals
Best of 7 frames 		Final
Best of 9 frames
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Luca Brecel  (BEL)(1)4
Flag of England.svg  Ali Carter  (ENG)(8)1
Flag of England.svg  Ali Carter  (ENG)(8)4
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding Junhui  (CHN)(9)4 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Ding Junhui  (CHN)(9)3
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Omar Alajlani (SAU)0 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Luca Brecel  (BEL)(1)4
Ulster Banner.svg  Mark Allen  (NIR)(4)2
Ulster Banner.svg  Mark Allen  (NIR)(4)4
Flag of England.svg  Mark Selby  (ENG)(5)3
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Luca Brecel  (BEL)(1)2
Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)(2)5
Flag of England.svg  Judd Trump  (ENG)(3)4
Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG)(6)3
Flag of England.svg  Judd Trump  (ENG)(3)1
Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)(10)4 Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)(2)4
Flag of Qatar.svg Ali Alobaidli (QAT)0 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Mark Williams  (WAL)(7)2
Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)(10)4
Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)(2)4
Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)(10)0

Final

Final
Final: Best of 9 frames. Referee: Tatiana Woollaston
Global Theatre, Boulevard City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 6 March 2024.
Luca Brecel (1)
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 		2–5 Ronnie O'Sullivan (2)
Flag of England.svg  England
Frame scores: 3–118, 107–9, 81–0, 29–94, 0–121 (121), 0–69, 0–131 (124)
(frame 3) 81Highest break124 (frame 7)
0Century breaks2

Controversies

Promotional poster for the event featuring the "Riyadh Season" gold ball 2024 World Masters of Snooker promotional poster.jpg
Promotional poster for the event featuring the "Riyadh Season" gold ball

The announcement of the event, hailed as a "huge breakthrough" by WST chairman, Steve Dawson, was met with criticism accusing Saudi Arabia of sportswashing. [15] Amnesty International criticised snooker's involvement in Saudi Arabia, amid its human rights abuses. Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK's Economic Affairs director, said: "It was just a matter of time before Saudi Arabia's huge sportswashing machine sucked in snooker along with almost every other major world sport. If the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump play in Riyadh, they shouldn't hesitate to speak out about human rights." Some players have also criticised WST of overly focusing on events featuring the top players. Amateur player Steven Hallworth tweeted: "Was starting to lose sleep with worry that the top eight players might run out of events and cash soon, thank God for this." [16]

The introduction of the 20-point gold ball was criticised by The Independent journalist Luke Baker, who called it a "ludicrous gimmick" and "the sign of a desperate sport". [17] The Daily Telegraph chief sports writer Oliver Brown described the Saudi invention as "warping the very rules of the game for its own hubristic ends", calling it "frivolous, tasteless, wretched". [18]

Former World Champion Shaun Murphy, however, defended the event and the gold ball, saying: "the new promoters in Saudi will want their event to stand out and be different. At the end of the day you'd rather have the event than not." Murphy added: "if we (WST) only traded with countries with perfect human rights records, it would be a very, very small pool to pick from... We wouldn't be trading with the UK either." [19]

Century breaks

A total of 16 century breaks were made in the tournament. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maximum break</span> Highest single score in the cue sport snooker

A maximum break is the highest possible break in snooker in normal circumstances. A player compiles a maximum break by potting all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points, followed by all six colours for a further 27 points. Compiling a maximum break is regarded as a highly significant achievement in the game of snooker, and may be compared to a nine-dart finish in darts or a 300 game in ten-pin bowling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Selby</span> English snooker player (born 1983)

Mark Anthony Selby is an English professional snooker player. Ranked world number one on multiple occasions, he has won a total of 22 ranking titles, placing him eighth on the all-time list of ranking tournament winners. He is a four-time World Snooker Champion, and has won the Masters three times and the UK Championship twice for a total of nine Triple Crown titles, putting him on a par with John Higgins, and behind only Ronnie O’Sullivan (23), Stephen Hendry (18) and Steve Davis (15).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Century break</span> Achievement in snooker

In snooker, a century break is a break of 100 points or more, compiled in one visit to the table. A century break requires potting at least 25 consecutive balls, and the ability to score centuries is regarded as a mark of the highest skill in snooker. Ronnie O'Sullivan has described a player's first century break as the "ultimate milestone for any snooker player".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triple Crown (snooker)</span> Series of professional snooker tournaments

The Triple Crown in professional snooker refers to winning the sport's three longest-running and most prestigious tournaments: the World Snooker Championship, the invitational Masters, and the UK Championship. In January 2020, the three tournaments were formally named the Triple Crown Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luca Brecel</span> Belgian professional snooker player

Luca Brecel is a Belgian professional snooker player. A four-time ranking event winner, Brecel is the reigning World Snooker Champion, having won the 2023 event by defeating four-time champion Mark Selby 18–15 in the final. Brecel trailed Si Jiahui 5–14 in the semi-final, but eventually won 17–15. This comeback from nine frames behind is the biggest deficit ever overturned in the history of the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Wilson (snooker player)</span> English snooker player (born 1985)

Gary Wilson is an English professional snooker player from Wallsend in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhao Xintong</span> Chinese snooker player

Zhao Xintong is a Chinese former professional snooker player who is currently serving a 20-month ban from professional competition after committing offences relating to betting on snooker.

The 2019 Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament, that took place between 13 and 20 January 2019 in London, England and the second of three Triple Crown events in the 2018–19 snooker season. It was the 45th staging of the Masters, and was broadcast in Europe by the BBC and Eurosport.

The 2020 Championship League was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place from 1 to 11 June 2020 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England. The event featured 64 players from the World Snooker Tour featuring three rounds of round-robin groups of four. The initial group stage matches were played between 1 and 8 June, with the group winners' stage played on 9 and 10 June, before the finals stage on 11 June. It was the 14th edition of the Championship League. The event was one of the first live sporting events in the United Kingdom since the start of the coronavirus lockdown in March 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 in cue sports</span> Overview of the events of 2020 in cue sports

Professional tournaments in table-top cue sports took place in 2020. These events include snooker, pool disciplines and billiards. Whilst these are traditionally singles sports, some matches and tournaments are held as doubles or as teams. The snooker season runs between May and April, whilst the pool and billiards seasons is listed over the calendar year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was disrupted with many events being cancelled or postponed. Cue sports events were played in January and February, before tournaments were discontinued for all disciplines due to the pandemic, returning in June without an audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Masters (snooker)</span> Snooker tournament

The 2022 Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place from 9 to 16 January 2022 at Alexandra Palace in London, England. It was the 48th staging of the Masters tournament, which was first held in 1975, and the second of three Triple Crown events in the 2021–22 snooker season, following the 2021 UK Championship and preceding the 2022 World Snooker Championship. Broadcast by the BBC and Eurosport in Europe, it was sponsored for the first time by car retailer Cazoo.

The 2021–22 snooker season was a series of snooker tournaments played from July 2021 to May 2022, including the professional World Snooker Tour but also featuring events for female, senior, and Q School players. The season saw a record five players claim their first professional ranking titles: David Gilbert, Zhao Xintong, Hossein Vafaei, Fan Zhengyi, and Robert Milkins. Nutcharut Wongharuthai won her first World Women's Snooker Championship, becoming the only player besides Reanne Evans and Ng On-yee to win the women's world title in 19 years. Ronnie O'Sullivan won the World Snooker Championship, equalling Stephen Hendry's modern era record of seven world titles and becoming the oldest world champion in snooker history at the age of 46 years and 148 days. Lee Walker won his first World Seniors Championship.

The 2021 UK Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 23 November to 5 December 2021 at the York Barbican, in York, England. The event was the first Triple Crown and fifth ranking event of the 2021–22 snooker season. The tournament featured a prize fund of £1,009,000, with the winner receiving £200,000. It was sponsored by car retail company Cazoo and broadcast in the UK by the BBC and Eurosport.

The 2022 Tour Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 28 March to 3 April 2022 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales. Organised by the World Snooker Tour, it comprised the top eight players on the one-year ranking list. It was the fourth edition of the Tour Championship, first held in 2019, and the 15th and penultimate ranking event of the 2021–22 snooker season, following the Gibraltar Open and preceding the World Championship. It was the third and final event of the season's Cazoo Series, following the Players Championship and the World Grand Prix. Broadcast by ITV4 in the United Kingdom, the event featured a prize fund of £370,000, of which the winner received £150,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 World Grand Prix</span> Snooker tournament

The 2021 World Grand Prix was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 13 to 19 December 2021 at the Coventry Building Society Arena in Coventry, England. The event was the first of three events to make up the Cazoo Cup in the 2021–22 snooker season.

The 2022 Gibraltar Open was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 24 to 26 March 2022 at the Europa Point Sports Complex. The 14th ranking event of the 2021–22 snooker season, it followed the Turkish Masters and preceded the Tour Championship. It was the seventh -- and currently final -- edition of the Gibraltar Open, first held in 2015, and the eighth and final event of the 2021–22 European Series.

The 2023 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 15 April to 1 May 2023 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, the 47th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship was staged at the venue. The qualifying rounds took place from 3 to 12 April 2023 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. The 15th and final ranking tournament of the 2022–23 snooker season, it was organised by the World Snooker Tour and sponsored for the first time by car retailer Cazoo. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC, in Europe by Eurosport, and elsewhere in the world by Matchroom Sport and other broadcasters. The total prize fund was £2,395,000, of which the winner received £500,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Players Championship (snooker)</span> Snooker tournament

The 2024 Players Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 19 to 25 February 2024 at the Telford International Centre in Telford, England. The 14th ranking event of the 2023–24 season, following the Welsh Open and preceding the World Open, it was the second of three events in the Players Series, following the World Grand Prix and preceding the Tour Championship. Organised by the World Snooker Tour and sponsored by Johnstone's Paint, the event was broadcast by ITV and ITVX domestically, by Eurosport and Discovery+ in Europe, and by other broadcasters worldwide. The winner received £125,000 from a total prize fund of £385,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Masters of Snooker</span> Snooker non-ranking tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The World Masters of Snooker is a professional snooker non-ranking tournament held at the Global Theatre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Organised by the World Snooker Tour and part of the Riyadh Season festival in the entertainment district Boulevard City within Riyadh, the inaugural 2024 event was the first professional snooker tournament held in Saudi Arabia. The tournament introduced a special 20-point gold ball called the "Riyadh Season ball", which could only be potted after a player had completed a maximum break of 147 to extend the break to 167.

The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters is a professional snooker ranking tournament held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Organised by the World Snooker Tour, the inaugural event is scheduled to be held from 31 August to 7 September 2024. The tournament will feature a total prize fund of £2,000,000, the second-highest after the World Championship.

References

  1. 1 2 "Rocket rules in Riyadh". World Snooker Tour. 6 March 2024. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  2. ↑ "Riyadh: Day one round-up". World Snooker Tour. 4 March 2024. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  3. ↑ "Riyadh: Day two round-up". World Snooker Tour. 5 March 2024. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  4. ↑ Hafez, Shamoon (8 December 2019). "Saudi Arabia to host World Snooker ranking event for first time". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  5. ↑ Caulfield, David (18 January 2024). "World Masters of Snooker event in Saudi Arabia to feature gold ball". SnookerHQ. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "Saudi event to feature 20-point golden ball with 167 break possible". BBC Sport. 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "First invitational event in Saudi announced". World Snooker Tour. 18 January 2024. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Riyadh Season World Masters (2024)". snooker.org. 6 March 2024. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  9. ↑ "Saudi Arabia to host new snooker event with added 20-point golden ball". Sky Sports. 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 "Saudi Arabia set to welcome first pro snooker event with ground breaking 167 prize". World Snooker Tour. 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  11. ↑ "Race to Riyadh - Carter claims last spot". World Snooker Tour. 22 February 2024. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  12. ↑ "Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker – Watch live!". World Snooker Tour. 28 February 2024. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  13. ↑ "DAZN to broadcast Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker worldwide". World Snooker Tour. 3 March 2024. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  14. ↑ "Draw bracket". World Snooker Tour. 6 March 2024. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  15. ↑ Meredith, Sam (22 January 2024). "Saudi Arabia's lavish sports push will now embrace snooker — and introduce a new golden ball". CNBC. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "A maximum break of 167? Saudi snooker plans unveil 20-point gold ball". The Guardian . 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  17. ↑ Baker, Luke (19 January 2024). "A golden ball and a 167 break: Saudi Arabia's mad snooker gimmick is a step too far". The Independent . Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  18. ↑ Brown, Oliver (19 January 2024). "Saudi Arabia's gaudy recasting of snooker's 147 is its worst gimmick yet". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  19. ↑ "Shaun Murphy: Fans should give Saudi Arabia event with golden ball a chance". Yahoo! Sports . 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  20. ↑ "Tournament centuries". SnookerInfo. 6 March 2024. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.