The quarter-finals of the 2025 Welsh Open are on Friday at the Venue Cymru with eight players in the draw still vying for the Ray Reardon Trophy.
Five of the remaining contenders know what it takes to win a ranking event, with the other three hoping to achieve the feat for the first time in their careers.
There is plenty to play for across the next few days, with the races heating up to see who can snatch a place at the World Grand Prix and also who will land the Home Nations series bonus.
Let’s take a look at the four upcoming matches in the quarter-finals at the 2025 Welsh Open.
Jackson Page vs Luca Brecel
Luca Brecel beat Pang Junxu 4-1 in the last 16 on Thursday, becoming the last player standing who can prevent Neil Robertson from pocketing the Home Nations prize.
A jackpot bonus worth £150,000 is on offer for the player who earns the most across the four tournaments on the series.
Brecel, who is through to only his third ranking quarter-final since winning the 2023 World Championship, needs to win the title to pinch the prize from the Australian.
The 29 year-old also needs to reach the final this week if he is to secure an unlikely spot at the 32-player World Grand Prix in March, where qualification is based off the one-year rankings list.
In the last eight of the Welsh Open, Brecel will encounter Jackson Page who represents the sole remaining home competitor left in the draw.
Page thumped Tom Ford with a whitewash display on day four to reach this stage of the competition for the first time.
Brecel and Page have met on three occasions, with the former boasting a 2-1 head-to-head advantage.
When is it? Friday, February 14th at 3pm UTC est. (follows the 12pm game)
Mark Selby vs John Higgins
Mark Selby and John Higgins have a long history of important matches against one another, so a Welsh Open quarter-final won’t rank high up their list.
Still, the pair will be hoping to continue their runs in the event as they chase down the £100,000 top prize.
Higgins is the record five-time Welsh Open champion and hasn’t lost a single frame at the 2025 edition thus far, winning all three of his ties with 4-0 scorelines.
Selby’s 2008 Welsh Open triumph represented his first in a ranking event, and the 41 year-old’s confidence is high at present following his success at Championship League Snooker earlier this month.
Higgins and Selby are undoubtedly the new favourites for glory in Llandudno, making this a potential winner-takes-all clash.
They last faced each other in the final of the British Open in September, when Selby overcame his fellow four-time world champion to bolster his superior head-to-head record.
When is it? Friday, February 14th at 12pm UTC
Jack Lisowski vs Stephen Maguire
Is this finally going to be the week when Jack Lisowski breaks his ranking event duck?
The 2025 Welsh Open draw has somewhat opened up for the 33 year-old with the likes of Kyren Wilson, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Shaun Murphy, and Mark Williams all absent from the bottom half of the draw.
Lisowski has made seven century breaks in the 12 frames that he has won in the event so far, so he’ll be a match for anybody if he can keep that level of scoring up.
Next up for the six-time ranking event runner-up is Stephen Maguire – a proven six-time ranking event champion.
Maguire was once one of the major forces of the game but has struggled for form in recent years, and this run represents his first to a quarter-final this season.
The 43 year-old needs to reach the semi-finals to secure a spot at the upcoming World Grand Prix, ensuring that there is a lot riding on this showdown for both.
In the Scot’s favour is a 6-1 head-to-head record over Lisowski, although they haven’t crossed paths since the World Grand Prix in 2021.
When is it? Friday, February 14th at 7pm UTC
Ali Carter vs Joe O’Connor
Ali Carter began the 2024/25 campaign with a bang by capturing the ranking event edition of Championship League Snooker.
But this is in fact his first quarter-final appearance since then, the Captain beating Ryan Day 4-1 on Thursday to end the Welshman’s hopes of a World Grand Prix berth.
Carter next faces Joe O’Connor, who ousted Matthew Stevens by the same margin to similarly damage the hopes of a home winner in 2025.
O’Connor is chasing a maiden ranking crown having previously come so close at another Home Nations event, the Scottish Open in 2022 where he contested the final.
The 29 year-old is additionally trying to qualify for the World Grand Prix, requiring a spot in the final to guarantee his ticket to Hong Kong.
Carter and O’Connor have played each other only once before – at the 2023 Players Championship when the former came out on top.
When is it? Friday, February 14th at 7pm UTC
Featured photo credit: WST
