Here is what Neil had to say after his win as reported by WST:“I haven’t won for a couple of years and I was looking great at 8-2. I played brilliantly in the first session and capitalised on every minor error he had. I then had everything thrown at me,” said 42-year-old Robertson.

“I was trying to use little bits of motivation to stay calm. There wasn’t much I could do, because he played amazing. It is just about keeping my composure at all times. You need to be ready for when the chance comes your way and I was.

“This was the last opportunity for me to win with my dad Ian over, before he goes back to Australia. He’s a man of very few words, but he will be chuffed to bits tonight. I’ve spent 20 years as a professional and he’s never seen me win a final in person. I’m really happy to get one for him.
“Up until 8-2 in the final, you could argue this was the best I’ve ever played in a tournament. I controlled so many matches and only conceded five frames to get to the final. I am really pleased with everything. It is nice to get a win with Joe Perry in my corner. There may have been people questioning if it was working with him and this proves it definitely is.”

It was indeed a great battle and Wu Yize showed his class and resolve ou there. He had a bad first session. He had to come back from 7-1 and 8-2 down and nearly did it! He’s some player that boy!

Wu Yize was interviewd on stage by Tai Chengzhe. Here is what he had to say:

“I think for the second half of the match I was into it and under no pressure. I felt really good, but it was a little bit too late. This was my first final, so I felt a bit of pressure in the afternoon.

“I wasn’t setting myself any goal in this match. In the last 16 I played Judd and I wanted to beat him. I got my revenge and did that. It was great to play in the final in front of such a great crowd. There are no regrets from me.”

Ding didn’t play in the event. Travel issues prevented him to get in Brentwood in time.
Mark Selby reached the quarter final, beaten by Ishpreet Singh Chadah by 5-4. Judd Trump exited the tournament at the same stage … beaten by Wu Yize. Luca Brecel had been beaten in round 2 by Pang Junxu.

Although he didn’t win the championship, Mark made history. Indeed he made a 147 in the final, the first-ever maximum break in a World Snooker Championship final.

You can watch it here:

Here is what Mark had to say after the match, as reported by WST.

Selby said: “I battled and gave everything but every credit to Luca he deserves it. Congratulations to Luca, he’s a great talent and a great lad with a lovely family. I wish him all the best. It was great to make a 147 at the Crucible, I never thought I would do it in a final.

“It was an amazing achievement and something I will remember for the rest of my life but it’s not about me today, it is about Luca, he played fantastic over the two days.”

The other Grove players involved in the Championship though didn’t fare well. Ali Carter, Judd Trump and Ding Junhui all lost in round 1. Neil Robertson reached round 2. All detailed results are on snooker.org.

All detailed results are available on snooker.org

This was Mark Selby’s second ranking title of the season and the 22nd of his career. He beat Pang Junxu 6-2 in the final. He made three centuries during that match.

Here is what Mark had to say to World Snooker after the Final:

“I played well all day, against John Higgins in the quarter-finals and Ali in the semis, then continued that in the final. I was just gutted at the end not to make a fourth century! I have been striking the ball well in practice and it was nice to take that to the match table. Even when I won the English Open in December I wasn’t hitting the ball as well as I was this week. Hopefully, I can carry that into the Tour Championship and then the World Championship. I’ll be going to Sheffield confident

The other grove players involved, Ding Junhui, Judd Trump, and Mark Selby, all lost in round one.

After the match, Ali, who had been brilliant all week, had no complaints but was disappointed by his performance in the Final. (source WST)

“Shaun played great. I think he played the best all week. There wasn’t really much of my game there today. I was struggling to find anything. Normally my strongest part is my safety and I wasn’t finding the baulk cushion. Shaun was just potting every long ball he was looking at. When he is on we all know what happens. It is unbelievable he hasn’t won for three years.”

All detailed results are available on snooker.org

Judd was outplayed during the first session, trailing by 6-2 at the end of the afternoon, and he lost the first frame in the evening as well. But from 7-2 down he made a real fight of it and managed to force a deciding frame. It was in vain though as Mark Allen eventually emerged as the winner.

Judd was gracious in defeat:

“I had my chances in the last frame. I was just trying to make a fight of it and trying to give the crowd something to cheer about. The support was amazing.

“I want to say congratulations to Mark. Although I felt I had chances to win, he was very solid all day and put himself in that position where he had a few chances to get over the line“

Ding Junhui, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson and Ali Carter were also in the draw but all lost in the first round.

Judd won the prestigious Masters for the second time at Alexandra Palace, beating Mark Williams by 10-8 in a high-quality final.

The tournament was played from the 8th of January to the 15th of January 2023, in Alexandra Palace, in London. All detailed results can be found on snooker.org.

Judd had struggled for most of the tournament and was one ball away from going out in the first round, but showed tremendous battling qualities throughout. He was proud of his tenacity and thrilled to win. Here is what he had to say after his victory (source WST):

“This is more special than winning the Masters in 2019, as it’s the first Triple Crown event I have won twice,”
“Everyone has been writing me off, I have read a lot of stuff about my best days being behind me. So to win this by digging in and beating someone as good as Mark is incredible. I have a long time left, hopefully I can have the longevity of the likes of Mark, and keep winning these tournaments.
“There’s a big difference between winning and losing these finals in terms of your CV. When you get there you have to get over the line, because there are only three a season. Over a career you might only play in 45 or 50, so to win four already is a big achievement. This is a big win and it feels well overdue.
“At 8-7 I missed a couple of chances and he just didn’t take the chance to go 9-7, which might have been game over. He played a very attacking game and maybe that came back to bite him in the last couple of frames. At 8-8, I went to the toilet and splashed water on my face, came back out and played the way I should be playing. I felt good at the end, I wasn’t nervous. I should have lost three of my four games this week, I was just able to battle through. I felt as if I was out of the tournament so many times.”

The other Grove players involved in the tournament were Mark Selby and Neil Robertson. Neil was the defending Champion. Both went out in the first round.

This was a very important win for Mark whose last title before this one was already more than a year and a half old. It was also a very emotional win for a man who had been battling mental health issues for years and had been very open about his struggles over the recent years.

Here is the report by WST:

Selby Ends Barren Streak With English Title

Mark Selby won his first silverware in 19 months as he pulled away from 4-4 to beat Luca Brecel 9-6 in the final of the BetVictor English Open in Brentwood.

A tearful Selby described his victory as his “biggest achievement.” In January he revealed he was facing a long-term battle with mental health, a challenge he admits he may never fully overcome. He is learning to appreciate snooker as a game to enjoy whatever the result, rather than allowing defeats to devastate him. This success, and the chance to lift the trophy alongside wife Vikki and daughter Sofia, will bring the 39-year-old immense satisfaction.

Selby’s last title came at the Crucible in May 2021 when he won the World Championship for the fourth time, so tonight’s triumph is a welcome resolution to a long spell where his form and confidence have wavered. It’s the 21st ranking title of his career and he holds the Steve Davis Trophy for a second time having won the event in 2019.

The £80,000 top prize lifts the Leicester cueman from third to second in the official world rankings and from 21st to fifth on the one-year list. He’s also up to second in the BetVictor Series rankings, just £3,000 behind leader Mark Allen, with only three events to go until the £150,000 bonus is awarded.

Beating Neil Robertson in the semi-finals on Saturday, ending a sequence of seven consecutive defeats against the same player, was a significant breakthrough in terms of self-belief, and he showed his trademark coolness under pressure tonight in a tense conclusion.

Brecel battled back bravely from 4-1 down to 4-4, but made too many errors in the evening session, and also had the disappointment of missing the chance of a 147 in frame 14. The 27-year-old Belgian, who has now lost half of his six ranking finals, banks £35,000 and climbs one place to tenth in the world.

Selby has won five of his seven meetings with Brecel
After finishing the opening session tied at 4-4, Selby took the first frame this evening with an excellent 51 clearance, and the Englishman went on to make a 61 in the next to lead 6-4. Brecel replied with a 122, the highest break of the match.

The key moment of the pivotal 12th frame came when Brecel, trailing 36-45, failed to gain prime position on the last red, then missed a thin cut to a top corner. Selby took advantage with a cool clearance to go 7-5 ahead at the interval. Frame 13 came down to the last red and Selby trapped his opponent in a difficult snooker, and from the chance that followed he went three up with four to play.

Brecel’s 147 attempt in frame 14 reached 113 before he over-cut a tricky pot on the 15th black. And when he missed a difficult long red at the start of the next frame, it proved his last shot as Selby sealed the result with a superb 87.

“It has been a long time coming,” said Selby, who has now won 21 of his 31 ranking finals. “I was disappointed to finish the first session 4-4, I was probably the better player but credit to Luca because he dug in from 4-1 down.

“This means everything to me, it is my biggest achievement for sure. I know I have won four world titles and a lot of other tournaments, but I have been to the well and back over the last year, it was been emotionally and physically draining. So it’s a special one today. At the end, after I had potted match ball, I saw Vikki and I was welling up. In the interviews at the end, I struggled to get my words out. It shows how tough it has been. If I had lost I would have been gutted, but still felt I have come a long way.

“The crowds this week have been fantastic, I said that to Luca before the final. They appreciate good shots. I hope we come back here to Brentwood next year.

“This doesn’t give me a right to win anything else, it could be another 19 months, but it gives me confidence. I can look forward to going to the Masters now. Last time there it wasn’t very nice, this time I will go with a smile on my face.”

All detailed results are available on snooker.org

All Grove players reached at least the last 32 round. Ding and Ali Carter lost at that stage.
Mark Selby, Judd Trump, and Neil Robertson reached the quarter-finals: Judd lost to Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the deciding frame on a respotted black! Neil beat Mark by 5-2.
Neil, who was only just recovering from a chest infection, lost to Joe O’Connor by 6-3 in the semi-finals.

Judd had made a 147 in the first round. It was his 8th maximum break.

All the results are available on snooker.org