|
China International
China Open
Shanghai Masters Jiangsu / Wuxi Classic |
World Ranking / Invitation Events |
Brief History
of the Major Snooker Events in China
The first major international tournament in China was the
Catch China International in September 1997, an invitation event with a mixture
of top sixteen stars and Local Chinese players. The following season it became
a full ranking event initially held in March. The following season it changed
its name to the China Open and moved to December so there were actually two
events in 1999. In 2001/02 it reverted to its March slot in the calendar. There
were no ranking tournaments held in the Far East
for the next two seasons but the event returned to the schedule in March 2004.
As with most of the overseas ranking events it had become common practice for a
number of local ‘wild cards’ to be invited to play against some of the
qualifiers. By now China
had three players on the tour and they were invited to play as wild cards
rather than try and qualify in the usual way. Ding Junhui was one of these and
he took his opportunity beating Peter Ebdon and Ken Doherty, without conceding
a frame, before meeting Stephen Hendry in the final and beating him 9-5.
Because he had entered as a wild card he did not get the prize money or ranking
points but a new star had arrived.
In the 2008 China Open, Stephen Maguire made a 147 maximum in the
semi finals on his way to taking the title. Even though James Wattana made one
in the inaugural, non-ranking, China International, this was the first maximum
ever in a ranking event in Asia. Neil Robertson made his first 147 in the 2010 event which Mark Williams won for the third time.
The huge interest in the game in China
brought forward welcome sponsors and in 2007/8 a second ranking event was
introduced, the Shanghai
Masters
which was initially staged at the Shanghai Grand Stage in mid August.
In 2009 China had its first finalist in this event when Liang Wenbo
lost 105 to Ronnie O'Sullivan.
A World Snooker backed
invitation event, the Jiangsu Classic,
was introduced in 2008 with eight top 16
professionals and four Chinese qualifiers played on a round robin basis
with
two groups plus semi final and final. Early rounds were played in
Nanjing with the final in Wuxi City. In its second year there were ten
top 16 professionals plus two invited Chinese professionals and then in
2010 it was renamed the Wuxi Classic.
© Chris Turner 2010
Roll of Honour
CHINA INTERNATIONAL/ OPEN
Season |
Venue |
Sponsor |
Winner |
Runner Up |
Score |
1st Prize |
1997/8* |
Beijing |
Catch |
Steve Davis |
Jimmy White |
7-4 |
£10,000 |
1998/99 |
JC Mandarin Hotel, Shanghai |
none |
John Higgins |
Billy Snaddon |
9-3 |
£42,000 |
Renamed |
CHINA OPEN |
1999/00 |
JC Mandarin Hotel, Shanghai |
none |
Ronnie O'Sullivan |
Stephen Lee |
9-2 |
£50,000 |
2000/1 |
Mission Hills, Shenzan |
Mission Hills |
Ronnie O'Sullivan |
Mark J. Williams |
9-3 |
£50,000 |
2001/2 |
Int. Gymnastics Centre, Shanghai |
none |
Mark J. Williams |
Anthony Hamilton |
9-8 |
£50,000 |
2004/5 |
Haidian Stadium, Beijing |
none |
Ding Junhui |
Stephen Hendry |
9-5 |
£30,000 |
2005/6 |
Beijing University Student's Gymnasium |
Star Dragon Woods Villa |
Mark J. Williams |
John Higgins |
9-8 |
£30,000 |
2006/7 |
Beijing University Student's Gymnasium |
Honghe Industrial |
Graeme Dott |
Jamie Cope |
9-5 |
£35,000 |
2007/8 |
Beijing University Student's Gymnasium |
Honghe Industrial |
Stephen Maguire |
Shaun Murphy |
10-9 |
£48,000 |
2008/9 |
Beijing University Student's Gymnasium |
Bank of Beijing |
Peter Ebdon |
John Higgins |
10-8 |
£52,000 |
2009/10 |
Beijing University Student's Gymnasium |
Sanyuan Foods |
Mark J. Williams |
Ding Junhui |
10-6 |
£55,000 |
2010/11 |
Beijing University Student's Gymnasium |
Bank of Beijing |
Judd Trump |
Mark Selby |
10-8 |
£60,000 |
*Non Ranking
Maximum Breaks - China International/Open
Final Stages |
James Wattana |
1997/8* |
Quarter Final v. Pang Wei Guo |
Stephen Maguire |
2007/8 |
Semi Final v. Ryan Day |
Neil Robertson |
2009/10 |
Last 16 v. Peter Ebdon |
Qualifying Rounds |
Mehmet Husnu |
1998/9 |
Qual R1 v. Eddie Barker (Aug '98) |
*non-ranking
SHANGHAI
MASTERS
Season |
Venue |
Sponsor |
Winner |
Runner Up |
Score |
1st Prize |
2007/8 |
Shanghai Grand Stage |
Roewe |
Dominic Dale |
Ryan Day |
10-6 |
£48,000 |
2008/9 |
Shanghai Grand Stage |
Roewe |
Ricky Walden |
Ronnie O'Sullivan |
10-8 |
£52,000 |
2009/10 |
Shanghai Grand Stage |
Roewe |
Ronnie O'Sullivan |
Liang Wenbo |
10-5 |
£55,000 |
2010/11 |
Shanghai Grand Stage |
Roewe |
Allister Carter |
Jamie Burnett |
10-7 |
£60,000 |
2010/11 |
Shanghai Grand Stage |
Bank of Communication |
Mark Selby |
Mark J. Williams |
10-9 |
£65,000 |
Maximum Breaks- Shanghai
Masters
Final Stages |
Jamie Cope |
2008/9 |
Last 16 v. Mark Williams |
JIANGSU / WUXI CLASSIC Invitation Event
(Jiangsu Classic 2008 & 2009; Wuxi Classic from 2010
Season |
Venue |
Sponsor |
Winner |
Runner Up |
Score |
1st Prize |
2008 |
Nanjing & Wuxi City |
Guolian Securities |
Ding Junhui |
Mark Selby |
6-5 |
£20,000 |
2009/ |
Wuxi City |
Wuzhou International Group |
Mark Allen
|
Ding Junhui
|
6-0
|
£20,000 |
2010 |
Wuxi City |
Rundili |
Shaun Murphy
|
Ding Junhui
|
9-8
|
£20,000 |
2011 |
Wuxi City |
none |
Mark Selby
|
Allister Carter
|
9-7
|
£20,000 |
Maximum Breaks- Jiansu / Wuxi Classic
Mark Selby |
2009 |
Group Stage v. Joe Perry |
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