The 2025 English Open (officially the 2025 BetVictor English Open) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 11 to 21 September 2025 at the Brentwood Centre in Brentwood, England. The 10th consecutive edition of the tournament since it was first staged in 2016, it was the fourth ranking event of the 2025–26 snooker season, following the 2025 Wuhan Open and preceding the 2025 British Open. It was the first of four tournaments in the season's Home Nations Series, preceding the 2025 Northern Ireland Open, the 2025 Scottish Open, and the 2026 Welsh Open. The tournament was broadcast by TNT Sports, Discovery+, and DMAX in the United Kingdom and Ireland; by Eurosport, Discovery+, and HBO Max in Europe; by local channels in China and elsewhere in Asia; and by WST Play in all other territories. The winner received £100,000 from a total prize fund of £550,400.
Neil Robertson was the defending champion, having defeated Wu Yize 9–7 in the 2024 final, but he lost 1–4 to Jackson Page in the fourth round. Mark Allen faced Zhou Yuelong in the final and led 6–2 after the first session. Zhou recovered to lead 8–7 in the second session, but Allen won the last two frames of the match for a 9–8 victory. It was Allen's first English Open title, the 12th ranking title of his career, and his first ranking win since the 2024 Players Championship in February 2024. He won five consecutive matches at the event in deciding frames . Following the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and the 2025 Wuhan Open, it was the first time that three consecutive ranking finals had gone to deciding frames.
The event produced 82 century breaks, including two maximum breaks. Aaron Hill made the first maximum of his career during his second-round match against Yao Pengcheng, and Ali Carter made the fourth maximum of his career in his fourth-round match against Hill. These were respectively the ninth and tenth maximums of the season and the 226th and 227th official maximums in professional snooker history. Judd Trump made the 1,100th century break of his career during his third-round match against Michael Holt. Ng On-yee made a 137 break in her first-round match against Liam Highfield, setting a new record for the highest break by a woman in professional competition.
Overview
The tournament was held at the Brentwood Centre in Brentwood, England, for a fourth consecutive year.
The English Open was first staged in 2016 and the inaugural winner was Liang Wenbo, who defeated Judd Trump 9–6 in the final to win his maiden ranking title.[1] The winner receives the Steve Davis Trophy, which was named to honour the six-time World Champion following his retirement at the end of the 2015–16 snooker season.[2]
The tournament used a tiered format first implemented for the Home Nations Series in the 2024–25 snooker season. In round one, players seeded 65–96 faced those seeded 97 and below, including selected amateurs. In round two, the winners from round one faced players seeded 33–64. In round three, the winners from round two faced the top 32 seeds.[9] All matches were played as the best of 7 frames until the quarter‑finals, which were the best of 9. The semi‑finals were the best of 11, and the final was a best‑of‑17-frame match played over two sessions .[10]
Broadcasters
Rounds one and two were broadcast in the United Kingdom by Discovery+; rounds three and onwards were broadcast in the UK and Ireland by Discovery+, TNT Sports, and DMAX. The tournament was broadcast by Discovery+ in Germany, Italy, and Austria and by HBO Max in other European territories; rounds three and onwards were also broadcast in mainland Europe by Eurosport. The tournament was broadcast in mainland China by the CBSA‑WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel, the CBSA‑WPBSA Academy Douyin, Huya Live, and Migu[zh]. Rounds three and onwards were broadcast in Hong Kong by Now TV, in Malasyia and Brunei by Astro SuperSport, in Thailand by TrueSports, in Taiwan by Sportcast, and in the Philippines by TAP Sports. In territories where no other coverage is available, the tournament was streamed via WST Play.[11]
Prize fund
The prize fund for the tournament is detailed below.[10][12] In addition, the player who wins the most cumulative prize money across the season's four Home Nations Series events will receive a bonus of £150,000.[7]
Winner: £100,000
Runner-up: £45,000
Semi-final: £21,000
Quarter-final: £13,200
Last 16: £9,000
Last 32: £5,400
Last 64: £3,600
Last 96: £1,000
Highest break: £5,000
Total: £550,400
Summary
Round one (last 128)
Ng On-yee(pictured in 2017) made a 137 break , a new record for the highest break by a woman in professional competition.
The arena at the Brentwood Centre, pictured during the event.
The second round was played on 13 and 14 September, featuring the winners from round one against players seeded 33–64.[4][7]Aaron Hill made the first maximum break of his career in the first frame of his match against Yao Pengcheng. It was the ninth maximum of the season and the 226th official maximum in professional snooker history. Hill went on to secure a 4–2 victory.[18][19]Luca Brecel, who had not competed in the season's first three ranking events, made breaks of 51, 50, and 95 as he defeated White 4–1. Fu made a century of 110 as he whitewashed Mark Davis, his eighth victory out of ten professional matches that season. Jimmy Robertson defeated Wang Yuchen on the final black of a deciding frame, and Zak Surety also won a decider on the colours to beat Haris Tahir. Highfield trailed Oliver Lines 1–3 but tied the scores with breaks of 89 and 79 and then won the decider on the colours. Louis Heathcote made a highest break of 127 against Jordan Brown and went on to win the match in a deciding frame.[20]Michael Holt made two centuries as he whitewashed Nutcharut, while Ricky Walden defeated Bai 4–1. Pullen advanced with a 4–1 win over Stan Moody.[21]
The third round was played on 15 and 16 September, featuring the winners from round two against the top 32 seeds.[4][7] The world number 51 Robbie Williams led the 2024 World Champion and world number two Kyren Wilson 2–0 and 3–1 and went on to win the match 4–2.[22][23] It was the first time Williams had beaten Wilson in professional competition, having lost all five of their previous meetings. Ding Junhui made breaks of 80, 92, 130, and 71 as he defeated Pullen 4–1. Si Jiahui defeated Liu Hongyu 4–2 after Liu lost the fifth frame of the match on the three‑miss rule .[a]Barry Hawkins defeated Heathcote, also by a 4–2 scoreline.[24]Mark Selby, champion in 2019 and 2022, won four consecutive frames to defeat Highfield 4–1, making two centuries of 101 and 103. Shaun Murphy made three consecutive centuries of 125, 135, and 133 and scored 457 points without reply as he whitewashed Zak Surety, who scored only eight points in the match. Mark Williams also advanced with a whitewash victory over Amir Sarkhosh. Brecel defeated Hossein Vafaei in a deciding frame.[22][23]
The defending champion Neil Robertson, recent winner of the 2025 Saudi Arabia Masters, had recently attended a ceremony in Melbourne to receive the Medal of the Order of Australia, having been named in the 2025 Australia Day Honours for services to snooker. Despite suffering from jet lag, he made centuries of 105 and 136 as he defeated Akani 4–1.[25][26][27]Stuart Bingham, who had not won a match at the tournament since it moved to the Brentwood Centre in 2022, made breaks of 116, 86, 103, and 61 as he whitewashed Dylan Emery. "I've broken the duck here in Brentwood," said Bingham afterwards. "I kept my concentration and made four good breaks."[26] The reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong made three centuries of 105, 134, and 110 as he whitewashed Ishpreet Singh Chadha, who had reached the semi-finals the previous year. The match lasted 46 minutes.[27][26]
Having changed his cue for the first time in seven years,[28]Judd Trump made two centuries of 107 and 130 as he whitewashed Holt. His 107 break in the second frame was the 1,100th century break of his professional career.[26][29]Jack Lisowski made a 128 break as he defeated Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4–2, with both players averaging under 15 seconds a shot in the match. Gary Wilson beat Sanderson Lam 4–2, and Elliot Slessor defeated Jimmy Robertson by the same score.[26] Having successfully defended his title at the recent 2025 Wuhan Open, Xiao Guodong won his eighth consecutive professional match as he whitewashed Gong Chenzhi. Xiao attempted a maximum break in the opening frame but missed the 14th black.[27] Facing Stephen Maguire, Hill won the first three frames. Maguire narrowed Hill's lead to 3–2 and took a 60-point lead in frame six, but Hill made a break of 68 to secure a 4–2 victory on the last pink .[30]
Round four (last 32)
Ali Carter(pictured in 2013) made his fourth maximum break. It was the second maximum at the event, following the 147 by Aaron Hill in round two.
The fourth round was played on 17 September.[4][7]Ali Carter made the fourth maximum break of his professional career in his match against Hill. It was the tenth maximum of the season and the 227th official maximum in professional snooker history. Carter made the maximum in the fourth frame to move 3–1 ahead, but Hill recovered to win the match in a deciding frame.[31] Hill said he was "absolutely over the moon" with his comeback win and commented: "When he made the maximum I thought he would be full of adrenaline, so I said to myself this could be my chance to nick it. I managed to steal a frame to get to 3–2 and made a good break to force a decider. I played a solid enough last frame as well."[32] Trump lost the first frame against Yuan Sijun but then won four in a row with breaks including 101, 69, and 61 as he secured a 4–1 victory. Commenting on his decision to replace his cue, Trump said: "The old one lost some of its power. There are some great new cue makers which are making powerful cues. I feel these days you need as much power as you can get. This cue has a different ferrule and feels very good in the balls ." However, Trump said he would "treasure" the cue with which he had won the 2019 World Championship and many other titles.[32]
Page made three consecutive half-century breaks to beat the defending champion Neil Robertson 4–1.[32] Robertson's exit from the event continued a streak whereby no player had ever successfully defended the English Open title.[33] Lisowski beat Zhao by the same score, compiling breaks of 92, 84, and 86.[34] Selby made breaks of 119, 75, 55, and 87 as he whitewashed Lei Peifan, while Hawkins and Slessor also recorded whitewash wins over Tom Ford and Gary Wilson respectively. Zhou Yuelong made a 136 break as he beat Mark Williams 4–1, and Wu Yize advanced with a 4–2 win over Chris Wakelin.[32] Murphy took consecutive frames with breaks of 79 and 140 to beat Fan Zhengyi 4–1, and Brecel won three frames in a row as he defeated Si 4–2.[35][36]Mark Allen defeated Bingham 4–3, making a 118 break to win the deciding frame.[37]
Round five (last 16)
The world number one Judd Trump(pictured in 2014) made the 1,100th century break of his career at the event. He lost to Elliot Slessor in round five.
The fifth round was played on 18 September.[4][7] Slessor won the first two frames against Trump and led by 68 points in the third, but Trump took the frame with a 69 break and also won frames four and five as he moved into a 3–2 lead. However, Slessor tied the scores with a 79 break and made another break of 64 to win the deciding frame. It was the 13th decider he had won out of his last 18 played. Defeat for the world number one Trump meant that he had yet to reach the semi-finals of any tournament that season, having not won a title since the 2024 UK Championship. "If you win a tournament early in the season, it takes the pressure off immediately and you are able to relax," Trump said. "When you don't do that you feel you are chasing."[38] Slessor spoke after the match about his desire to win his first title for his 74-year-old grandfather. "He has driven me around since I was nine," he said. "I would love to be in the position to give him a trophy. The money means nothing compared to what a trophy would mean. I'll keep knocking on the door, keep trying my best and see what happens."[39][40][41]
Allen, who had not won a ranking title since the 2024 Players Championship,[42] lost the first three frames against Ding but recovered to win four consecutive frames and secure a 4–3 victory. Afterwards, he reflected on his recent lack of success on the professional tour. "I had a few years of winning quite a lot. I fancied winning all the time [but] it isn't that easy," he said. "The serial winners like Ronnie [O'Sullivan], [Stephen] Hendry, Trump and Selby make it look easy. It isn't. You have to enjoy every time you can get a victory and not get too down on yourself."[39] Page led Murphy 3–1. Murphy made breaks of 93 and 102 to tie the scores at 3–3, but Page won the decider.[40] Brecel also defeated Robbie Williams in a deciding frame to reach his first quarter-final of the season.[43] Selby beat the previous year's runner-up Wu 4–2, and Zhou defeated Hawkins by the same score.[39][40] Hill defeated Lisowski 4–1, making a century of 123 in the final frame of the match, and advanced to his third ranking quarter-final.[44][39]Jak Jones defeated Walden in a deciding frame.[45][39]
The quarter-finals were played on 19 September as the best of nine frames.[4][7] Brecel made breaks of 81 and 75 as he took a 4–2 lead over Zhou, but Zhou made a 94 break followed by a century of 113 to force a deciding frame. After failing to progress beyond the last 16 of any ranking event the previous season and dropping to number 32 in the world rankings, Zhou won the 52-minute decider to reach the seventh ranking semi-final of his career. "I know [Brecel] is a very aggressive player, so I had prepared myself with more patience, focusing on tactical exchanges and waiting for his mistakes. When I was 4–2 down, I managed to make the most of my chances and force a decider," Zhou commented afterwards. Page led Selby 2–1 and 3–2, but Selby produced a century of 111 in frame six to tie the scores at 3–3 and then won frame seven to move one from victory. Page won frame eight, but Selby took the deciding frame with a century of 131, advancing to the 67th ranking semi-final of his career. The match lasted over three hours.[46][47][48]
Hill won the first frame against Jones with a 73 break, but Jones won three in a row, making a 79 break in frame four. Hill took frame five, but Jones won the next two for a 5–2 victory.[47][49] After reaching his first ranking semi-final since the 2024 World Championship, he spoke about the impact that becoming a father seven months previously had had on his form. "Last season I wasn't in a good place mentally at all," he said. "This season I feel like a completely different person and my life is good. I feel happier when I'm playing and I'm more focused. I feel that I'm playing well and I'm confident."[46] Facing Allen, Slessor made breaks of 91 and 76 as he took a 4–0 lead. In the fifth frame, Slessor missed a black off its spot , and Allen won the frame with a 55 break; he also won frame six after Slessor missed the black to the same pocket . Allen went on to tie the scores at 4–4 and force a deciding frame. Slessor made a 57 break in the decider, but Allen won the frame to secure a 5–4 victory.[46][48][50]
The semi-finals were played on 20 September as the best of 11 frames.[4][7] In the first semi-final, Zhou played Selby. Zhou won the first two frames and then took the 59-minute third frame to move 3–0 ahead. Selby made a 71 clearance to win frame four on the last black and had the opportunity to win the fifth but missed the last red . Zhao took the frame to lead 4–1. Selby won the seventh, but Zhou took the eighth to move one from victory at 5–2. Selby won frame eight, but Zhao took the ninth to secure a 6–3 victory and reach the fourth ranking final of his career.[51][52] "It is a huge confidence boost for me," said Zhao. "I've gone three years without getting to a final and I played very badly last season. This season is just getting underway and it is a fantastic start."[53]
In the second semi-final, Allen faced Jones, who made breaks of 92, 84, and 61 as he took a 3–1 lead. After the mid-session interval, Allen made breaks of 102 and 62 to tie the scores at 3–3, but Jones won the next two frames to move 5–3 ahead. However, Allen made breaks of 68, 67, and 82 to secure a 6–5 victory.[51][54] It was Allen's third consecutive comeback win at the event, having beaten Ding from 0–3 behind in the fifth round and Slessor from 0–4 behind in the quarter-finals. It was also the second consecutive night that his match ended after midnight. "There's a few events in my career I still want to win and the English Open is one of them," Allen said afterwards. "The Welsh Open is another and obviously the World Championship. I'd love to win tomorrow and make it three out of the four Home Nations events."[55]
The final was played on 21 September as the best of 17 frames, held over two sessions, between the world number 10 Allen and the world number 32 Zhou.[4][7] Allen was playing in the 20th ranking final of his career, while Zhou was competing in his fourth. The two players had previously contested a Home Nations Series final at the 2022 Northern Ireland Open, which Allen won 9–4.[55] The match was refereed by Kevin Dabrowski.[10][56] Allen won the opening frame with a 132 break. Zhou won the second, but Allen then made breaks including 72 and 59 as he won four consecutive frames to move 5–1 ahead. Zhou took the seventh, but Allen won frame eight to end the session with a 6–2 lead.[57]
When play resumed for the second session, Zhou won the 45-minute ninth frame, but Allen took the 10th to lead 7–3. Zhou then won the 11th and 12th to trail by two at 7–5 at the mid-session interval. Allen made a break of 60 in frame 13 but missed a red, and Zhou made a 72 clearance to win the frame on the last black. Zhou then made a break of 60 to tie the scores at 7–7 and a 53 break to win a fifth consecutive frame and move 8–7 in front. In the 16th frame, Allen made a 71 break, leaving Zhou requiring snookers , but went in-off . Zhou got the required foul points , but Allen won the frame on the colours to tie the scores at 8–8. Allen won the decider with a 61 break to secure a 9–8 victory, his first English Open title, the 12th ranking title of his professional career, and his first ranking win since February 2024.[58][59][60]
Allen won five consecutive matches at the event in deciding frames. Following the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and the 2025 Wuhan Open, it was the first time that three consecutive ranking finals had gone to deciding frames. "I thought Zhou battled really hard in that second session. He played some good stuff," said Allen afterwards. "He put me under pressure. I missed a few balls and I was nervous. I missed a few that I shouldn't have but at 8–7 I suddenly switched on a bit. It's a good trait to have. I don't want to keep relying on it but I felt as good as any part of the match in those last two frames." Allen advanced from 10th to 7th in the world rankings after the tournament. Zhou's defeat meant that he had lost all four of the ranking finals he had contested, two of them to Allen. "Of course it will give me confidence," he said of his performance in the final. "[Allen] was very good in the first session. He was 6-2 up and I think I just wanted to give him some trouble this evening. I'm very happy I managed to get 8–7 up. It is a good experience and I will learn from it."[58][59][60]
Final rounds
The draw for the final rounds is shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the players' seeding and players in bold denote match winners.[10][61]
The results of the early rounds are 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, and players in bold denote match winners.[10]
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Mark Allen (NIR)
Zhou Yuelong (CHN)
