At The Trickshot in Bruges, Mink Nutcharut of Thailand won the Belgian Women’s Open for the second time in her career with a 4-2 victory over Ng On Yee of Hong Kong, China.
The current world number one from Saraburi won in Belgium, her second championship of the season after winning the US Women’s Open in August. This is the first time in her career that she has successfully defended a ranking event title on the World Women’s Snooker Tour. Since her victory in the 2019 Australian Open, Mink has now won seven titles overall in a little more than four years.
The 24-year-old started her campaign with a victory over England’s Connie Stephens, who on Saturday night equaled her best-ever ranking performance, with a top break of 65 to advance to the final day. She had been seeded through to the last 16 stage as the defending champion.
She then defeated the formidable Bayarsaikhan Narantuya of Mongolia 3-0 in a surprisingly close quarterfinal to set up an enticing match with Reanne Evans, the 2019 Belgian Open champion and 12-time world champion. A thrilling encounter that went either way in the end, Mink prevailed on the colors in the seventh and decisive frame when Evans was unable to obtain the snookers she needed.
After the three-time global champion overcame Anja Vandenbussche, Tessa Davidson, and Wendy Jans to go to the title match for the third time since 2019, Ng On Yee, the 2020 Bruges winner, was waiting for her in the final. Most famously, Ng trailed Davidson, ranked tenth, 1-2 in their quarterfinal match before a masterful break of 74 in the fourth game reversed the tide and she won a more comfortable decider.
The match ended in a high-quality fashion, with Ng opening with a break of 88 and Nutcharut matching it with a break of 87 to tie the score at 1-1. The match was a rematch of the trophy match at the US Open that began the season.
Ng reclaimed the lead following the third frame with a steely clearance of 33, but from there it was Thailand’s Mink who seized the initiative with runs of 55, 34 and 46 to claim the following three frames and secure her latest Tour victory. The title ensures that Mink will consolidate her position at the head of the world rankings with four events still to be played this season. Away from the final, the highest break of the week was made by Wendy Jans, the Belgian star compiling a superb 108 on her first visit of the tournament – her third century on the WWS Tour and first in four years, also at the Belgian Open.There was also a successful title defence in the Seniors tournament as England’s Tessa Davidson defeated compatriot Mary Talbot 3-0 in a repeat of last season’s final. Top ranked Davidson would not drop a frame in the competition as she reached the final with victories against Belgian duo Caty Dehaene and Vanessa Vermeulen, before ending a run of two defeats against reignining Seniors world champion Talbot in the climactic match.The 6-Red Challenge Cup tournament for players who did not reach the quarter-finals was won by Ho Yee Ki of Hong Kong China, who downed Emilie Demeester, Connie Stephens, Kate Le Gallez and finally Caty Dehaene in the final, also without the loss of a frame. Most notably, Ki completed a superb break of 70 during her last 16 victory, only five points short of a 6-Red maximum and the highest on Tour at a 6-Red event since Ng On Yee crafted a 71 break at the 2019 6-Red World Women’s Championship.World Women’s Snooker is grateful to The Trickshot, our host venue, and Olivier Vandenbohede and his staff for their hospitality and support, which includes fitting 11 new tournament cloths for the occasion.
