For the first time since the Cazoo World Championship, UK fans will be in attendance for the final stages of a ranking event next week at the Cazoo British Open..
With a random draw in operation there are sure to be shocks, stunning snooker and headlines throughout the week. In the run up to the event we’ve spoken to some of the big names involved, here is what they had to say…
John Higgins
The Scot has shown signs of a return to form this season after a frustrating 22/23 campaign, in which he failed to go beyond the quarter-finals of a ranking event. Higgins made the semi-finals of the European Masters and the Shanghai Masters, but suffered deciding frame losses at the hands of Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan respectively. He faces Long Zehuang up first next week.
“You don’t know what to expect. If you manage to win your match you are always on tenterhooks wondering who you could be playing. It could be the world number one or the world number 128. You obviously watch the draw. It is the same as the Shoot Out, you are always wondering who will be playing each other. It adds mystique to the event and I’m all for it,” said 31-time ranking event winner Higgins.
“It is good to go to Cheltenham, it is a great venue and it lends itself to snooker. I didn’t qualify for the World Grand Prix in Cheltenham last year which was disappointing but the feedback from everyone was all positive. I can’t wait to go back and hopefully do well.”
Judd Trump
After a fine run to the final of the recent European Masters, Trump came up short against Barry Hawkins in the final. The Bristolian is looking forward to competing close to home and faces Anton Kazakov in the first round.
Trump said: “It is different this time being in Cheltenham as that is a venue I normally do pretty well at. It is close to home, so I don’t need to stay at a hotel which is great. I always get good support, so it is one that I look forward to. I can really feel the support and it brings out the best in me. There are so many tournaments going on at the moment and you want to do well in every single one.
“The random draw is perfect for me, because I never look at the draw and only find out when talking to the media who I have next. In my first five or six years as a professional I would study the draw and see who I could get. I think that is the worst thing you could ever do. If the draw opens up you get excited and end up losing. Now I don’t want to know until I’ve won the game. It is perfect for me. There is a lot of excitement as you could get two great players together early on and two lower ranked as well. I think this is the kind of tournament where the lower ranked guys see themselves as having a chance of winning.”
Luca Brecel
The World Champion is fresh from a run to last week’s Shanghai Masters final, where he was pipped to the title by world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan. Belgium’s Brecel faces stern opposition against Ding Junhui in Cheltenham but is looking forward to taking to the baize and the chance to score a first ever win over the Chinese legend.
“It is a very good event. I’ve played some good stuff in it. The tournament is short and quick. I want to have a good run, get some ranking points and have a bit of good feeling for the season. I’ve obviously been doing well already, but it would be nice to play well in an event on UK soil. I have a really tough draw in Ding Junhui first round. It doesn’t get much harder than that, so hopefully it isn’t my last match in the event,” said 28-year-old Brecel
“I’ve actually never beaten Ding before. He’s beaten me a couple of times in deciders. I had a really bad one in Thailand when he snookered on a ball then cleared up. Hopefully it will go better this time.”
Mark Williams
Williams is a two-time winner of the event and most recently captured the title back in 2021. After battling his way through the tournament, he faced Gary Wilson in the final and put on a strong display to emerge a 6-4 victor. He plays Peng Yisong in round one next week.
“It is a good format and a random draw so it can be tough. Having won it a couple of years ago I have good memories from the event so hopefully I can do well in it again this time,” said the 24-time ranking event winner.
“I just remember that I was struggling with my form when I won. I barely made two 30 breaks on the way to the final, where I played some good stuff. I suppose it just shows that when you are struggling you have to stick in. If you can win a couple of games that you shouldn’t then it can turn around in the latter stages.”
