By Blake Bint
The ICC Wales will be hoping this year’s Welsh Open Snooker is as exciting as last year.
In what was one of snooker’s biggest ever upsets No. 81 seed Jordan Brown defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final.
Brown, who is the No. 1 seed this year, went into last year’s tournament as a 750-1 outsider. By winning the Welsh Open he became the lowest ranked player to win a ranking event since 1993.
The Northern Irishman will face up to Mitchell Mann in his qualifier today.
The Welsh Open is the final home nation open event of the 2021/22 season and round from tomorrow until the final on Sunday, March 6, at the International Convention Centre at the Celtic Manor resort.
Following the European Masters in Milton Keynes, the majority of players will travel down to Newport to compete in the field of 82 players.
The qualifiers were held earlier this month in Wolverhampton with the players fighting for a place in the round of 64. However, the top 16 seeds will play their qualifying matches in Newport on the opening day of the competition, along with the two local wildcards.
These are the players to keep an eye over the next week.
The Wildcards
Amateur locals, Dylan Emery and Liam Davies will make an appearance at Celtic Manor on Monday in their qualifying matches.
Emery, a 20-year-old from Caerphilly is the recent European under-21 champion and has experience playing against the top professionals, noticeably in qualifiers of events. Emery appeared in the Welsh Open for the first-time last year where he was knocked out by the seeded Joe Perry. Claiming his European title since then as well as qualifying for multiple professional main draws of events, he will be hoping to set up a draw with either Stuart Bingham or Sean Maddocks if he can get past Elliot Slessor.
The other wildcard is 15-year-old Liam Davies from Tredegar. Davies, who is coached by former ranking semi-finalist Lee Walker, has already competed in the qualifying school prior to this season where had mixed success.
Davies will face up to Ukrainian teenager Iulian Boiko for a place in the last 64 against world No. 11 Mark Allen or former world champion, Ken Doherty.
Michael White
Despite not having professional status for this season, Michael White is still recording impressive results in ranking competitions.
The 30-year-old from Neath, qualified for the Welsh Open with a 4-0 demolition over Xiao Guodong, seeded 31st for the event. ‘Lightning’ also has a win over last year’s winner Jordan Brown in the German Masters this season as well as pushing six-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the UK Championship in November before coming up short at 6-3.
White will have to get past Allan Taylor in round one in Newport, before a potential match up with second seed, Mark Selby.
Neil Robertson
The two-time Welsh Open winner from Australia comes into the event as the fifth seed and in remarkable form.
Facing up to veteran, Jimmy White in his qualifier, Robertson looks to set up a tie with Hammad Miah in the last 64. He comes in as favourite (joint with Judd Trump) to win the competition following his remarkable 5-0 win at the European Masters, which included four consecutive century breaks.
Zhao Xintong
The 24-year-old comes into the Welsh Open on the back of an incredible season so far. Starting the season ranked 26th in the world and a best ranking performance of quarter final defeats, Xintong’s rise in the rankings has been like no other. Finding himself top of the one-year ranking list and now seventh in the world with two ranking titles, one of which being the UK Championship, the second highest paying event on the calendar. Seeded ninth for this event, Xintong will come up against Oliver Lines in a race to four frames where he can secure a match-up with 28-year-old Jak Jones from Cwmbran.
Elsewhere in the draw, Mark Williams is seeded 10th and will need to come through a qualifier with Michael Judge to make the first round as will Dominic Dale against sixth seed Kyren Wilson.
Ng On-Yee bettered Reanne Evans in the qualifiers as the only two women on the tour, On-Yee has made the last 64 following a win over Wu Yize whereas Reanne Evans lost out 4-1 to Soheil Vahedi.
Luca Bracel will be absent in Newport as the 17th seed was defeated by Rory McLeod in Wolverhampton.
The home nations’ Matthew Stephens, Ryan Day, Jamie Clarke, Jamie Jones and Andrew Pagett all secured places in the last 64 in Newport.