John Higgins is a Scottish professional snooker player. He has won 31 ranking titles, placing him in third position on the all-time list of ranking event winners, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan (40) and Stephen Hendry (36). Since turning professional in 1992, he has won four World Championships, three UK Championships and two Masters titles, for a total of nine Triple Crown titles; this puts him behind only O'Sullivan (23), Hendry (18) and Steve Davis (15), and level with Mark Selby. A prolific break-builder, Higgins has compiled over 900 century breaks in professional competition, including 12 maximum breaks, second to O'Sullivan's 15. He has reached the world number 1 ranking position four times.
Alain Robidoux is a Canadian retired professional snooker player. Robidoux played on the sport's main tour from 1987 to 2004, and reached the final of the 1996 German Open, which he lost 7–9 to Ronnie O'Sullivan.
The 1990 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 13 and 29 April 1990 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the ninth and final world ranking tournament of the 1989–90 snooker season following the European Open. Featuring a total prize fund of £620,000, the winner received £120,000; and was sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy.
The 2008 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 19 April and 5 May 2008 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 32nd consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship was held at the Crucible Theatre, and the seventh and final ranking event of the 2007–08 snooker season. The tournament was organised by World Snooker, and sponsored by betting company 888.com. The tournament featured a total prize fund of £1,050,000 with £250,000 being awarded to the winner.
The 2004 British Open was the 2004 edition of the British Open snooker tournament, held from 8 to 14 November 2004 at Brighton Centre, Brighton, England. John Higgins won the tournament, defeating Stephen Maguire nine frames to six in the all-Scottish final to lift his first ranking-event title since the 2001 edition of this event. In the semi-finals, Higgins defeated Shaun Murphy 6–0 and Maguire defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 6–1. The defending champion Stephen Hendry lost in the quarter-finals. Higgins made the highest tournament break with his two breaks of 144. The tournament was the second of eight WPBSA ranking events in the 2004/2005 snooker season, following the Grand Prix in October, which was won by O'Sullivan. It preceded the third ranking event of the season, the UK Championship.
The 2011 German Masters was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 2–6 February at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany.
The 2013 German Masters was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 30 January – 3 February 2013 at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany. It was the sixth ranking event of the 2012/2013 season.
The 2017 Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place from 15 to 22 January 2017 at Alexandra Palace in London, England. It was the 43rd staging of the Masters and the second Triple Crown event of the 2016/17 snooker season, following the 2016 UK Championship and preceding the 2017 World Snooker Championship.
The 2018 Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 14 and 21 January 2018 in London, England, and the second Triple Crown event of the 2017–18 snooker season. It was the 44th staging of the Masters, and was broadcast in Europe by the BBC and Eurosport.
The 1995 German Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 3 and 10 December 1995 at the Messe Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany. It was the first ranking event held in Germany. John Higgins won the inaugural event defeating Ken Doherty 9–3 in the final.
The 1996 German Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 9 and 15 December 1996 at the Roberts Barracks in Osnabrück, Germany. It was the second edition of the event, with 16 players competing in the final stage. Ronnie O'Sullivan won the event, beating Alain Robidoux 9–7 in the final. It was Robidoux's only appearance in a ranking event final.
The 1997 German Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 8 and 14 December 1997 at the Atlantis Rheinhotel in Bingen am Rhein, Germany. It was the third edition of the tournament, with 16 players competing in the final stage. John Higgins won the event for the second time, defeating John Parrott 9–4 in the final.
The 2019 Shanghai Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place at the Regal International East Asia Hotel in Shanghai, China from 9 to 15 September 2019. It was the 12th edition of the Shanghai Masters, which was first held in 2007. Ronnie O'Sullivan was the defending champion, having defeated Barry Hawkins 11–9 in the 2018 final, and also having won the tournament in 2017. O'Sullivan successfully defended his title for a second consecutive year, defeating Shaun Murphy 11–9 in the final. This was the third consecutive title for O'Sullivan in this tournament.
The 2020 German Masters was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place from 29 January to 2 February 2020 in the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany. The tournament was the tenth ranking event of the 2019–2020 snooker season. It was the 14th edition of the German Masters, first held in 1995 as the 1995 German Open. The event featured a prize fund of £400,000 with £80,000 being given to the winner.
The 2020 World Grand Prix was a professional snooker tournament which took place from 3 to 9 February 2020 in the Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, England. It was the eleventh ranking event of the 2019–20 snooker season, and the first of three Coral Cup tournaments. The 2020 edition of the World Grand Prix was sponsored by the betting company Coral. The event had 32 participants, with players qualifying by virtue of their ranking points during the 2019–20 season. It had a prize fund of £380,000, with £100,000 going to the winner.
The 2021 Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 10 and 17 January 2021 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England. It was the 47th staging of the Masters tournament, which was first held in 1975, and the second of three Triple Crown events in the 2020–21 season, following the 2020 UK Championship and preceding the 2021 World Snooker Championship. The top sixteen players from the snooker world rankings were invited to compete in a knockout tournament. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association organised the tournament, which was broadcast by the BBC and Eurosport in Europe. The event was sponsored by sports betting company Betfred. It was played behind closed doors because of COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom. Two players, world number one Judd Trump and Jack Lisowski, withdrew from the event after testing positive for COVID-19.
The 2021 Welsh Open was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 15 to 21 February 2021 at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales. It was the 10th ranking event of the 2020–21 snooker season and the 30th edition of the Welsh Open, first held in 1992. It was the fifth of six tournaments in the European Series and the fourth and final event of the Home Nations Series. The event was sponsored by sports betting company BetVictor, with the winner being awarded £70,000 from a total prize fund of £405,000.
The 2022 German Masters was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place from 26 to 30 January 2022 at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany. The tournament was the ninth ranking event of the 2021–22 snooker season and the 16th edition of the German Masters, first held in 1995 as the German Open. The fifth of eight tournaments in the European Series, it was the first professional snooker tournament held outside the United Kingdom in almost two years, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2023 German Masters was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 1 to 5 February 2023 at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany. Organised by the World Snooker Tour and sponsored by sports betting company BetVictor, the tournament was the tenth ranking event of the 2022–23 snooker season and the seventh of the eight events in the European Series. The 17th edition of the German Masters, first held in 1995 as the German Open, the tournament was broadcast by Eurosport in Europe and by multiple other broadcasters internationally. The winner received £80,000 from a total prize fund of £427,000.
The 2024 German Masters was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 29 January to 4 February 2024 at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany. Qualifying for the tournament took place from 18 to 22 December 2023 at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England. The 18th edition of the German Masters, first held in 1995 as the German Open, it was the twelfth ranking event of the 2023–24 snooker season, following the World Grand Prix and preceding the Welsh Open. It was the seventh of eight events in the 2023–24 European Series. Organised by the World Snooker Tour and sponsored by BetVictor, the event was broadcast by Eurosport in Europe and by other broadcasters worldwide. The winner received the Brandon Parker Trophy and £80,000 from a total prize fund of £427,000.
Judd Trump (ENG)
