China Open (snooker)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Image:Snooker-15reds.png
Snooker
tournaments
World Championship
Ranking tournaments
UK Championship
Grand Prix
Malta Cup
Welsh Open
China Open
Northern Ireland Trophy
Other tournaments
Masters
Pot Black

The China Open is a professional snooker tournament. It is one of a number of ranking tournaments.

The event was revived for the 2004/05 season due to the increasing popularily of snooker in China. To this extent, an extra wildcard round was included before the first round proper to allow for sixteen of the top Chinese players to showcase their abilities. It was the first ranking tournament to be played in Asia for three years.

The tournament currently takes place at the Beijing University Students Gymnasium, Haidian District, Beijing in March. It is the last ranking event before the World Championship, although its qualifying tournament is held in December, before several others, due to the organisational logistics of players travelling outside Europe.

The China Open was also a ranking tournament between 1995/96 and 2001/02, with a one season hiatus in 1997/98, played under the names of China International, Asian Classic and Thailand Classic.


[edit] Winners

Year Winner Opponent Final score Season
Thailand Classic
1995 John Parrott Nigel Bond 9 - 6 1995/96
Asian Classic
1996 Ronnie O'Sullivan Brian Morgan 9 - 8 1996/97
China International
1997 Steve Davis Jimmy White 7 - 4 1997/98
1998 John Higgins Billy Snaddon 9 - 3 1998/99
1999 Ronnie O'Sullivan Stephen Lee 9 - 2 1999/00
China Open
2000 Ronnie O'Sullivan Mark Williams 9 - 3 2000/01
2001 Mark Williams Anthony Hamilton 9 - 8 2001/02
2005 Ding Junhui Stephen Hendry 9 - 5 2004/05
2006 Mark Williams John Higgins 9 - 8 2005/06