2025 British Open: Difference between revisions

 

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* {{flagathlete|[[Mitchell Mann]]|ENG}} v {{flagathlete|[[Barry Hawkins]]|ENG}}

* {{flagathlete|[[Mitchell Mann]]|ENG}} v {{flagathlete|[[Barry Hawkins]]|ENG}}

* {{flagathlete|[[Chang Bingyu]]|CHN}} v {{flagathlete|[[Joe O’Connor (snooker player)|Joe O’Connor]]|ENG}} or {{flagathlete|[[Mark Selby]]|ENG}}

* {{flagathlete|[[Chang Bingyu]]|CHN}} v {{flagathlete|[[Joe O’Connor (snooker player)|Joe O’Connor]]|ENG}} or {{flagathlete|[[Mark Selby]]|ENG}}

* {{flagathlete|[[Cheung Ka Wai]]|HKG}} or {{flagathlete|[[Lei Peifan]]|CHN}} v {{flagathlete|[[Mark Williams (snooker player)|Mark Williams]]|WAL}} or {{flagathlete|[[Mark Allen (snooker player)|Mark Allen]]|NIR}}

* {{flagathlete|[[Lei Peifan]]|CHN}} v {{flagathlete|[[Mark Williams (snooker player)|Mark Williams]]|WAL}} or {{flagathlete|[[Mark Allen (snooker player)|Mark Allen]]|NIR}}

* {{flagathlete|[[Liam Davies (snooker player)|Liam Davies]]|WAL}} v {{flagathlete|[[Louis Heathcote]]|ENG}}

* {{flagathlete|[[Liam Davies (snooker player)|Liam Davies]]|WAL}} v {{flagathlete|[[Louis Heathcote]]|ENG}}

* {{flagathlete|[[Shaun Murphy]]|ENG}} or {{flagathlete|[[Neil Robertson]]|AUS}} v {{flagathlete|[[Judd Trump]]|ENG}} or {{flagathlete|[[Martin O’Donnell (snooker player)|Martin O’Donnell]]|ENG}}

* {{flagathlete|[[Shaun Murphy]]|ENG}} or {{flagathlete|[[Neil Robertson]]|AUS}} v {{flagathlete|[[Judd Trump]]|ENG}} or {{flagathlete|[[Martin O’Donnell (snooker player)|Martin O’Donnell]]|ENG}}

Snooker tournament

Snooker tournament

The 2025 British Open (officially the 2025 Unibet British Open)^[1] is a professional snooker tournament that is taking place from 22 to 28 September 2025 at the Centaur in Cheltenham, England. Qualifying took place from 25 to 28 June at the Leicester Arena in Leicester. The fifth consecutive edition of the tournament since it was revived in 2021, it is the fifth ranking event of the 2025–26 snooker season, following the 2025 English Open and preceding the 2025 Xi’an Grand Prix. It is being broadcast by ITV in the United Kingdom and Ireland, by local channels in China and elsewhere in Asia, and by WST Play in mainland Europe and all other territories. The winner will receive £100,000 from a total prize fund of £502,000.

Mark Selby is the defending champion, having defeated John Higgins 10‍–‍5 in the 2024 final.

The tournament began in 1980 as the non-ranking British Gold Cup, won by Alex Higgins.^[2] Held as the non-ranking Yamaha Organs Trophy in 1981 and the non-ranking Yamaha International Masters from 1982–84, it was renamed the British Open in 1985, when it also gained ranking status.^[3] Staged 21 times from 1985 until its discontinuation after the 2004 edition, the tournament was revived in 2021. In 2022, the tournament trophy was named the Clive Everton Trophy to honour the longtime commentator and snooker journalist.^[4]

Sponsored by online sports betting company Unibet, which also sponsored the 2024 edition,^[1] the 2025 edition of the tournament is being held from 22 to 28 September at the Centaur in Cheltenham, England.^[5] Qualifying took place from 25 to 28 June at the Leicester Arena in Leicester.^[6] The 16 qualifying matches featuring the highest ranked players were held over to be played in Cheltenham. The tournament is the fifth ranking event of the 2025–26 snooker season, following the 2025 English Open and preceding the 2025 Xi’an Grand Prix.^[1][5] Mark Selby is the defending champion, having defeated John Higgins 10‍–‍5 in the 2024 final.^[7]

There is no seeding system and the draw will be randomised for every round.^[8] All matches up to the quarter‑finals are played as the best of 7 frames. The quarter‑finals are the best of 9 frames, the semi‑finals are the best of 11 frames, and the final is the best of 19 frames, played over two sessions.^[9]

Several players withdrew from the event and were replaced in the draw by the highest available players from the Q School top-up list. Luca Brecel withdrew before the qualifiers in Leicester and was replaced by Ashley Carty.^[10] Ronnie O’Sullivan and Tom Ford withdrew for medical reasons before the held-over qualifiers in Cheltenham and were replaced respectively by Daniel Womersley and Alfie Davies.^[11][12][13]

The qualifying round was broadcast by Discovery+ in Germany, Austria and Italy; by HBO Max in other European territories; by Huya Live, Migu [zh], the CBSA‑WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel and the CBSA‑WPBSA Academy Douyin in China; and by WST Play in the United Kingdom and all other territories worldwide without a broadcast agreement in place.^[14]

The main stage is being broadcast in the UK and Ireland by ITV, which is carrying the tournament for the final time as its contract with the World Snooker Tour expires. Domestic coverage of the event will move to 5 for the 2026 edition.^[15] The main stage is being broadcast in mainland China by the same broadcasters as the qualifying round. It is being 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 mainland Europe, and in territories where no other coverage is available, the tournament is being streamed via WST Play.^[16][17]

The winner of the event will receive £100,000 from a total prize fund of £502,000. The breakdown of prize money for this event is shown below:^[8]

At the qualifiers held in Leicester, Marco Fu lost the first three frames against Stephen Maguire but made breaks of 140, 81, and 104 to tie the scores at 3–3 and then won the deciding frame. Jackson Page trailed Elliot Slessor 1–2 but won three consecutive frames for a 4–2 victory. Haris Tahir beat Ken Doherty 4–3, making an 81 break in the decider. Amateur player Ryan Davies, competing in the event via the Q School Order of Merit, defeated Jimmy Robertson on the last black of the deciding frame. Jack Lisowski made a 72 break in the decider to beat Liam Highfield, while Liam Davies defeated Jimmy White 4–2.^[18] Michał Szubarczyk, aged 14, the youngest player ever to turn professional, took a 3–2 lead over amateur player Umut Dikme, also competing in the event via the Q School Order of Merit. However, Dikme came from behind to win frame six on the colours and then made a 55 break to win the decider. Stuart Bingham made breaks of 102, 56, and 75 as he beat the 2022 champion Ryan Day. Ben Mertens trailed Liam Pullen 1–3 but recovered to win the match in a deciding frame. Chang Bingyu made breaks of 118, 93, 64, and 70 as he beat Kreishh Gurbaxani 4–2.^[19]

Two female players advanced to the last 64, the reigning World Women’s Champion Bai Yulu and the 12-time World Women’s Champion Reanne Evans. Bai defeated Artemijs Žižins 4–2. Žižins attempted a maximum break in the second frame of the match but missed the 14th black. Evans secured a 4–1 victory over 16-year-old Lan Yuhao, who was beginning his first season on the professional tour. In other matches, Robbie McGuigan defeated Lyu Haotian 4–2, while Stan Moody made breaks of 55, 66, and 97 as he beat Zhou Yuelong by the same score. Returning to professional competition after an extended absence due to a neck injury, Sam Craigie recorded his first professional victory in 16 months as he defeated Yao Pengcheng 4–1. New tour player Leone Crowley won his first professional match with a whitewash victory over Hatem Yassen, while Matthew Selt whitewashed David Gilbert and Lei Peifan whitewashed Mateusz Baranowski. From 46 points behind in the decider against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Long Zehuang won the frame and match with a 57 clearance. Robert Milkins advanced with a 4–2 victory over Fan Zhengyi.^[20][21]

At the held-over qualifiers played in Cheltenham, the defending champion Mark Selby defeated David Grace 4–1, and the previous year’s runner-up John Higgins recovered from 1–3 behind to defeat Mark Davis in a deciding frame. The world number one Judd Trump made two centuries of 103 and 101 as he whitewashed Aaron Hill in 53 minutes. “I have felt good this season, the results just haven’t quite come,” said Trump, who had not won a title in 2025. “Games like the one tonight give you a boost. I have scored well in most matches, my opponents have just potted some brilliant balls at the winning line and not given me a chance.” The reigning World Champion Zhao Xintong defeated amateur player Ashley Hugill in a deciding frame, and Neil Robertson whitewashed amateur player Alfie Davies. Kyren Wilson made a 141 break as he beat Chris Wakelin 4–1, and Mark Williams made a 127 in the last frame of his 4–2 victory over Si Jiahui. Shaun Murphy advanced by beating Ross Muir 4–1.^[22] Mark Allen, recent winner of the 2025 English Open, defeated Jiang Jun by the same score.^[23]

The world number 55 Stan Moody, recently a quarter-finalist at the 2025 Wuhan Open, made a century of 132 as he moved into a 3–1 lead over Kyren Wilson, the 2024 World Champion. Wilson made an 82 break in the fifth frame, but Moody secured a 4–2 victory by winning frame six. Calling it his “best win on tour,” 19-year-old Moody said afterwards: “Beating Ding [at the 2025 Wuhan Open] was very good but this tops it, on ITV in front of a big crowd in Cheltenham. I tried to stay as calm as I could towards the end and managed to get over the line.” Higgins trailed Lisowski 0–2 and 2–3 but won the sixth frame on the colours and then took the deciding frame with a century of 132. Following his second consecutive victory in a decider, Higgins said: “I am so lucky to still be in the tournament. I really need to improve. I know I have not put the effort into practice and you get what you deserve. I should have gone out in the first round. But the last frame today did give me some confidence.” Williams, another Class of ’92 player, also came from 2–3 behind to beat the world number 61 Sanderson Lam in a decider.^[24][25]

Zhao beat Stuart Bingham 4–1, making centuries of 127 and 133 to become the first player that season to reach 20 centuries. Facing Bai, Zhang Anda made three consecutive centuries of 101, 130, and 125 as he took a 3–1 lead. Bai recovered to tie the scores at 3–3 in her effort to become the first woman to win a match at a ranking event against a top-16 opponent. However, Zhang won the decider to advance. Ben Mertens whitewashed Evans, the other female player in the last 64. Robbie McGuigan defeated He Guoqiang, winning the deciding frame on the last black. Anthony McGill defeated Gary Wilson 4–1, although Wilson made a 144 break in the frame he won. Robertson defeated Xu Si by the same score. Allen advanced by beating Bulcsú Révész, also by a 4–1 scoreline, while Iulian Boiko defeated Craigie 4–2.^[24][26] Mitchell Mann arrived late for his match against Gao Yang after his car broke down en route to the venue. He was docked the first frame, and also lost the second, but he recovered to tie the scores at 2–2. Gao won the fifth frame, but Mann forced a decider with a 72 break and then won the decider by clearing from the last red. Trump lost the first frame against new professional player Leone Crowley but won the second after Crowley missed the last yellow and went on to win three further frames for a 4–1 victory. Murphy defeated Scott Donaldson by the same score. The defending champion Selby made breaks of 115 and 94 as he took a 3–0 lead over Liu Hongyu, but Liu made breaks of 86, 58, and 100 as he drew level at 3–3. Selby won the deciding frame with a 65 break.^[27] Cheung Ka Wai also defeated Matthew Stevens in a decider.^[28][29][30]

Higgins, who had spoken during the 2025 Wuhan Open about his struggles for motivation, made breaks of 76, 82, and 55 as he defeated Zhao 4–2. Liam Davies made breaks of 123, 59, and 63 to beat David Lilley by the same score and reach the last 16 of a ranking event for the second time. Mann secured his fifth appearance in the last 16 of a ranking event with a 4–2 win over Antoni Kowalski. Louis Heathcote made a century break of 105 as he advanced with a whitewash win over Zak Surety, while McGill made a highest break of 91 as he beat Oliver Lines 4–1. Barry Hawkins trailed Jak Jones 0–2 and 2–3 but recovered to win the match with an 88 break in the deciding frame. “I was cueing terribly at the start of the match and felt jaded,” Hawkins said afterwards.”It was only in the last frame that I switched on and made a really good break, so I’m delighted to still be in the tournament.”^[31]

Match winners are shown in bold.

All matches are the best of seven frames.

All matches are the best of seven frames.

All matches are the best of seven frames.

The sixteen qualifying matches featuring the highest ranked players were played at the Centaur in Cheltenham on 22 and 23 September:^[6]

The remaining qualifying matches were played at the Leicester Arena between 25 and 28 June.^[6]

A total of 43 century breaks have been made during the main stage of the tournament in Cheltenham.^[33]

A total of 11 century breaks were made during the qualifying stage of the tournament in Leicester.^[34]