The 2024 Welsh Open (officially the 2024 BetVictor Welsh Open) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 12 to 18 February 2024 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales. Qualifiers took place from 25 to 27 January at the Barnsley Metrodome in Barnsley, England. The 33rd edition of the Welsh Open, first held in 1992, it was the 13th ranking event of the 2023–24 season, following the German Masters and preceding the Players Championship. It was the fourth and last tournament in the Home Nations Series and the eighth and last tournament in the season's European Series. Sponsored by BetVictor, the tournament was broadcast by the BBC and DMAX domestically, by Eurosport and Discovery+ in the United Kingdom and Europe, and by other broadcasters worldwide. The winner received the Ray Reardon Trophy and £80,000 from a total prize fund of £427,000.
Robert Milkins was the defending champion, having defeated Shaun Murphy 9–7 in the final of the 2023 event, but he lost 0–4 to Gary Wilson in the last 16. Wilson went on to win the tournament with a 9–4 victory over firsttime ranking finalist Martin O'Donnell. It was the third ranking title of his career, following his wins at the Scottish Open in 2022 and 2023. He advanced to a career high of 12th in the world rankings after his win.
The tournament's main stage produced a total of 52 century breaks, the highest of which was a maximum break by Gary Wilson in the second frame of his semifinal match against John Higgins. It was Wilson's fifth maximum break in professional competition and the 11th maximum in Welsh Open history. Mark Allen made the 600th century break of his professional career in his last64 match against Ma Hailong. The qualifiers produced an additional 14 centuries, the highest being a 146 break by Robbie Williams in his match against Peng Yisong.
Overview
The event was the 33rd consecutive edition of the Welsh Open since it was first played in 1992, making it snooker's third-longest-running ranking tournament after the World Championship and UK Championship. The fourth and last event in the season's Home Nations Series, the eighth and last event in the European Series, and the 13th ranking tournament of the 2023–24 season, it took place from 12 to 18 February 2024 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales. The defending champion was Robert Milkins, who defeated Shaun Murphy 9–7 in the 2023 final.
Format Qualifiers took place from 25 to 27 January at the Barnsley Metrodome in Barnsley, England. Qualifying matches involving the top 16 players in the world rankings and two Welsh wildcards (Riley Powell and Liam Davies) were held over and played at the main venue in Llandudno. All matches were played as the best of seven until the quarterfinals, which were the best of nine. The semifinals were the best of 11, and the final was played as the best of 17 frames, held over two .
Broadcasters The main stage of the event was broadcast by BBC Wales, BBC Online, BBC Red Button, and DMAX in the United Kingdom; Eurosport and Discovery+ in the rest of Europe; CCTV-5, , and Huya in mainland China; Now TV in Hong Kong; Astro SuperSport in Malaysia and Brunei; TrueVisions in Thailand; Sportcast in Taiwan; Premier Sports Network in the Philippines; Fastsports in Pakistan; and Matchroom.live in all other territories.
The qualifying matches were broadcast by Discovery+ in Europe (including the United Kingdom); Migu and Huya in China; and Matchroom.live in all other territories.
Prize fund The tournament winner received the Ray Reardon Trophy. The breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below:
Winner: £80,000 Runner-up: £35,000 Semi-final: £17,500 Quarter-final: £11,000 Last 16: £7,500 Last 32: £4,500 Last 64: £3,000 Highest break: £5,000
Total: £427,000
Summary Qualifying
Qualifying took place from 25 to 27 January at the Barnsley Metrodome in Barnsley, England. Martin Gould withdrew for medical reasons and was replaced by Sydney Wilson. Si Jiahui won three in a row to defeat Stephen Maguire 4–2, while Matthew Stevens made back-to-back century breaks of 137 and 120 as he defeated Louis Heathcote 4–3. Robbie Williams made a 146 break, the highest of his career and the highest of the qualifying stage, as he Peng Yisong. The 2021 champion Jordan Brown lost the first three frames against Lyu Haotian but recovered to win four consecutive frames, taking the on the last . Stuart Bingham and Zhou Yuelong received warnings for frames before the stage in their respective defeats to Marco Fu and Adam Duffy. Fan Zhengyi defeated the 2022 champion Joe Perry 4–2. David Gilbert made a 136 break as he whitewashed Ken Doherty, who scored only 15 points in the match. Three-time winner Stephen Hendry lost 2–4 to Ross Muir.
Qualifying matches featuring the top 16 seeds and two Welsh wildcards were held over and played in Llandudno on 12 and 13 February. The top two players in the world rankings, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump, withdrew from the tournament and were replaced respectively by Alfie Davies and Duane Jones, both Welsh amateurs. David Grace also withdrew and was replaced by amateur Barry Pinches, who came from 2–3 behind to defeat the seventh seed Shaun Murphy, winning the deciding frame on the last black after requiring a . The defending champion Robert Milkins trailed Jamie Jones 2–3 but won the match after taking the deciding frame on the . Neil Robertson made eight breaks of 50 or more, including a 103, as he defeated Jackson Page 4–1. Barry Hawkins made a 142 break as he whitewashed He Guoqiang. The reigning World Champion Luca Brecel won his first professional match in two months as he defeated Jiang Jun in a decider. Mark Selby defeated Yuan Sijun 4–2, winning the match in the 69-minute sixth frame after Yuan failed six times to escape from a snooker on the last . Elliot Slessor defeated the 11th seed Ali Carter 4–1.
Early rounds Last 64
The last-64 matches were played from 12 to 14 February as the best of seven frames. The defending champion Milkins made breaks of 140 and 83 to defeat Allan Taylor. Xiao Guodong made a 134 break to tie the scores at 3–3 against Hawkins, but Hawkins won the deciding frame. Jamie Clarke was whitewashed by Duffy. Gary Wilson made two century breaks of 120 and 105 in his 4–2 win over Iulian Boiko, and Mark Williams defeated Sanderson Lam 4–3, making breaks of 90, 117, and 96. Robbie Williams defeated the 12th seed Ding Junhui 4–2, making a 119 break in the fifth frame. Ricky Walden lost the first three frames against Stevens but recovered to win the match by taking four consecutive frames. Martin O'Donnell made breaks of 113 and 97 as he defeated Chris Wakelin 4–1. Mark Allen whitewashed tour debutant Ma Hailong, making a of 141 in the third frame, the 600th century of his professional career. Jack Lisowski beat Liam Pullen 4–2, winning the final frame on the last black.
Elliot Slessor received a walkover to the last 32 after Andrew Higginson withdrew. Higginson's father, Dave Higginson, died on the morning of 14 February. Stan Moody made a 103 break to tie the scores at 2–2 against Brown and went on to win in a deciding frame. Facing Dominic Dale, Alfie Davies made a 125 break in the first frame and led 3–1, but Dale recovered to win the match in a decider. Brecel made breaks of 83, 119, 62, and 75 as he whitewashed Joe O'Connor, who scored only 29 points in the match. Kyren Wilson made a 111 break to win the first frame against Anthony Hamilton, but Hamilton won four frames in a row for a 4–1 victory. After losing the first two frames, Graeme Dott won four in a row to defeat Wu Yize 4–2, while Dylan Emery beat Noppon Saengkham by the same score, making a 121 break in the sixth frame. Jak Jones defeated the 14th seed Zhang Anda 4–1. The sixth seed Selby lost 2–4 to Aaron Hill in a match that included a 10-minute battle on the last in the fourth frame. Afterwards, Hill commented: "Mark [Selby] is one of the greats and one of the players I look up to, I know my game is good enough to be beating them."
Last 32 The last-32 matches were played from 14 to 15 February as the best of seven frames. Anthony McGill defeated the ninth seed and two-time winner Mark Williams 4–1. Matthew Selt made a 135 break in his 4–1 win over Duane Jones. Robbie Williams defeated Duffy 4–2. Milkins made breaks of 77 and 91 as he whitewashed Gilbert. Higgins defeated Ryan Day 4–1, making a 124 break in the third frame, and Allen made breaks of 63, 76, 110, and 52 to defeat Si 4–1. Neil Robertson made breaks of 68 and 69 to win the first two frames against Walden, but Walden took four consecutive frames with breaks of 96, 68, 69, and 65 to win 4–2. Trailing Wilson 1–3, Lisowski won the next two frames with breaks of 65 and 113, but Wilson won the deciding frame on the .
After losing the first two frames to Daniel Wells, Fu tied the scores with back-to-back centuries of 122 and 113 and went on to win 4–2. Hossein Vafaei made a 116 break against Jak Jones, but Jones won 4–2. Dale defeated Moody 4–1, making a 122 break in the second frame. Hamilton won the first two frames against O'Donnell, taking the first frame after two and the second with a 133 break. However, O'Donnell won four frames in a row, making breaks of 71, 62, and 110, as he secured a 4–2 victory. Tom Ford defeated Hawkins 4–1. Fan lost the first frame to Hill, but took the next four with breaks of 80, 59, 97, and 79 to win 4–1. Brecel defeated Dott 4–1 and Slessor beat Emery by the same score.
Last 16
The last-16 matches were played on 15 February as the best of seven frames. Allen made a 110 break in the fourth frame to complete a whitewash win over Robbie Williams. Allen said: "I have come here to win, it would be great to add another Home Nations title to my cabinet. I am fighting for everything out there, choosing the correct shots and giving it my best." Wilson eliminated the defending champion Milkins, also with a whitewash. Trailing McGill 0–2, Walden made breaks of 138 and 99 as he won three frames in a row to lead McGill 3–2, but McGill took the last two frames for a 4–3 victory. Brecel lost the first frame to Ford but won four consecutive frames to reach his first ranking quarter-final of the season.
From 1–3 behind against Selt, Higgins tied the scores at 3–3 and the match went to a deciding frame that lasted over 40 minutes. Higgins secured victory after Selt missed the last . Dale whitewashed Jones, and commented: "To win another ranking title would be unthinkable for me, at my age. But to do it in the Welsh Open would be the icing on the cake." Slessor won a deciding frame against Fan with a 77 break, and O'Donnell defeated Fu 4–2.
Later rounds Quarter-finals
The quarter-finals were played on 16 February as the best of nine frames. Higgins made breaks of 62 and 131 as he won the first two frames against Allen. Allen tied the scores at the mid-session interval but Higgins won three consecutive frames for a 5–2 victory, reaching his fourth ranking semi-final of the season. Higgins commented: "[Allen] is one of the elite players, you have to play well to beat him. It's a brilliant win for me." He attributed the win to his new cue, saying: "I went back to the size I used about 25 years ago. That seems to be working right now. Hopefully things can come together because I have been knocking on the door for a while and it hasn't opened yet." Slessor compiled a 128 break as he took a 3–1 lead over Dale. Dale won two of the next three frames, but Slessor took the eighth to win 5–3 and reach the third ranking semi-final of his career. Saying he was "delighted to win", Slessor commented: "I have been working with [coach] Chris Henry this season and my game has turned a corner."