The matchup between the game’s two top-ranked players for a ranking title crown was a rematch of the Gilchrist-won 2023 World Championship final.
To fight for the title, fifty-nine players from five different countries gathered in the town of Fife. The competition started on Saturday with a group stage that cut the field down to 32 competitors.
Causier and Gilchrist breezed past their four-man groups and went on to win all three matches.
In peak condition, Causier dominated his opening two knockout matches, winning by margins of over 600 points apiece and unleashing a devastating 452-point blow to easily defeat Korbin Lowe 873-66.
Causier book witnessed victories over Chris Coumbe (874-242) and Robert Hall (613-292).
Gilchrist’s path to the later stages wasn’t quite as straightforward; in the quarterfinal matchup with Ryan Mears, the reigning world champion prevailed by a mere 57 points. Gilchrist was particularly closely contested in that match. But in the semi-finals, he raised his game, and with a strong break of 280, Gilchrist defeated Peter Sheehan 767-223 to set up a rematch of the World Championship final.
Causier took the lead early in the final with a break of 84 points, but Gilchrist responded with a run of 163 points to take the lead.
The Singaporean player’s luck, though, was short-lived as Causier dominated the rest of the match and breaks of 150 and 136 enabled him to win.
Next up on the World Billiards calendar is the Austrian Open, which takes place 1-3 March in Vienna.
Beginning on Monday and lasting until Thursday (October 30 to November 2) is the qualifying round for the BetVictor Scottish Open. The winners advance to the championship round in Edinburgh in December.
In Edinburgh, Gary Wilson won the BetVictor Scottish Open for the second consecutive year and kept the Stephen Hendry Trophy after defeating Noppon Saengkham of Thailand 9–5.
Twelve months ago, here in Edinburgh, the Wallsend cueman triumphantly lifted his maiden ranking crown. Wilson won the title that time by crushing Joe O’Connor 9 to 2. Even though it was a huge victory, it came after 18 years of professional struggle, two final losses, and three semi-final failures.
Wilson was unable to build on the momentum he had gained from his historic triumph in the following year. But Edinburgh will always hold a special place in the hearts of English snooker players, since the Scottish capital served as the backdrop for another moment of brilliance. Wilson candidly acknowledged that he had trouble with his form at first this week, but he persevered and proved his class in the final.
Wilson made a miraculous comeback in the semifinals to secure his spot in the championship match. In the final frame against Zhou Yuelong, he needed three snookers, but he forced a re-spotted black and eventually deposited it to secure the most thrilling of 6-5 triumphs. Today, he gave a more at ease performance, taking ful
In his first-ever ranking final appearance, Saengkham experiences defeat. But he can look back on a week in which, at the fifth time of asking, he managed to finally break through the semi-final barrier. Along the road to the final, he overcame opponents like John Higgins and Ali Carter, earning himself a £35,000 runner-up cheque.
Wilson took the lead in the afternoon session and led 6-2 heading into tonight’s championship match. Play began, and Saengkham’s run of 81 made the difference five frames. However, Saengkham responded with breaks of 132 and 97 to remain in the match at 7-4. Wilson, though, vitally won the final before the halfway point of the session, meaning he just needed one more ” to win 8–4.
After the interval, Saengkham survived a close 13th to stay in it, but the respite was fleeting. Wilson crossed the finish line and won the match with a match-winning 53 in the following.
“This game is absurd. I had been completely unemployed for some time and had no expectations for this week. I discovered a little bit more and more slowly, but eventually, to the point where I am really fairly happy of myself for the final. I’ve wanted to play in a championship game once again and perform well, just as I did when I was younger. I thought I played that way,” Wilson, 38, remarked.
“I was really relieved to finally
“After winning my first ranking event, I felt a great sense of relief and decided not to worry about the outcome.” Eventually, I was able to obtain one. Even after that, I was still having a lot of trouble, and I only recently happened to come upon a small game.
There’s something about certain locations that makes you feel content and at ease. That’s how I felt both the previous year and this year. A year didn’t seem to pass. It appeared to be several months.
“I would like to give Noppon all the credit. He’s given a really amazing performance. He’s doing his first final, I know. In my first final, I recall being completely lost. To light th
“I have to give all the credit to Gary,” stated Saengkham. He was really strong during the first session. He controlled everything with the safety game and scored a lot of goals. He was excellent and didn’t miss, so I was under a lot of pressure.
“I promise I will be back one day. I have to say thanks to all of the fans. Thank you.”
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