2017 UK Championship

2017 Betway UK Championship
Tournament information
Dates28 November – 10 December 2017 (2017-11-28 – 2017-12-10)
VenueBarbican Centre
CityYork
CountryEngland
OrganisationWorld Snooker
FormatRanking event
Total prize fund£850,000
Winner's share£170,000
Highest break Michael White (WAL) (142)
Final
Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG)
Runner-up Shaun Murphy (ENG)
Score10–5
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2018 →

The 2017 UK Championship (officially the 2017 Betway UK Championship)[1] was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place from 28 November to 10 December 2017 at the Barbican Centre in York, England. The event was the 41st edition of the UK Championship, first held in 1977, organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. It was the eleventh ranking and first Triple Crown event of the 2017/2018 season. The event saw 128 players compete, with no qualification round. The prize fund was a total of £850,000, with £170,000 received by the winner.

Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled Steve Davis's record of six UK titles by defeating Shaun Murphy 10–5 in the final. This was O'Sullivan's 31st ranking and 18th Triple Crown title, also equalling Stephen Hendry's record for most Triple Crown championships. Mark Selby was the defending champion, but he was defeated by Scott Donaldson 3–6 in the last 64. Michael White won the highest break prize, with a 142 made in the second round. The event followed the Northern Ireland Open, and preceded the Scottish Open.

Prize fund

[edit]

The championship's prize money was identical to that of the previous year's event, with the event winner earning £170,000.[2][3] The highest break prize of £5,000 was won by Michael White, who completed a 142 break during his second round match with Matthew Selt. The "rolling 147 prize" for a maximum break stood at £15,000, but went unclaimed.[4] The breakdown of prize money is shown below:[3]

  • Last 64: £5,000
  • Last 32: £10,000
  • Last 16: £15,000
  • Quarter-final: £22,500
  • Semi-final: £35,000
  • Runner-up: £75,000
  • Winner: £170,000
  • Highest break: £5,000
  • Total: £850,000

Tournament summary

[edit]

The 2017 UK Championship was the eleventh ranking and first Triple Crown event of the 2017/2018 snooker season.[5] The event saw 128 players from the World Snooker Tour take part, with all matches until the final being played as best of 11 frame matches, with the final being played as best of 19 frame match, held over two sessions.[6][7] The first round of the competition started on 28 November 2017, with players being seeded according to their world rankings.[a][8]

Early rounds (first–fourth round)

[edit]
picture of Jimmy White.
Jimmy White defeated Ali Carter in the first round, despite being more than 100 places lower in the rankings.

The first round saw few upsets, with most of the highest ranked players progressing.[9] However, Ding Junhui (second seed) was defeated by world number 130 Leo Fernandez 6–5, despite having led 5–1, and having a chance to win the match in frame 7.[10] Fernandez had only recently returned to the professional circuit after serving a 15-month ban for a corruption charge.[11] Elsewhere, Ali Carter (11th seed) lost 6–2 to Jimmy White (118). Despite Carter having been ahead 2–1, White won the next five frames to progress.[12][13] Another upset saw Lyu Haotian (104) defeat Anthony Hamilton (25) 6–1.[14]

The second round of the tournament was played from 2–3 December and began with defending champion, and world number one Mark Selby losing to Scott Donaldson (64) 3–6.[10] Donaldson had lost all 10 matches of his season prior to the tournament, won six of the last seven frames to win the match, having trailed 0–2.[15][16] The remaining top 16 players progressed through the second round, with the lowest ranked player to proceed being Lyu – ranked 104 – who defeated Peter Ebdon 6–3 to reach the third round.[14]

Lyu Haotian ranked 104 defeated Marco Fu, Anthony Hamilton and Peter Ebdon to reach the fourth round.

Round three was played between the remaining 32 players, from 4–5 December 2017, seeing more top 16 players be defeated. Graeme Dott (30) overcame Judd Trump (3) 6–2, despite trailing 2–0. Dott compiled five 50+ breaks, and won the next six frames.[17] Hoatian who had defeated Hamilton and Ebdon in prior round, defeated Marco Fu (8) 6–4.[14][17] Both Neil Robertson (9) and Mark Williams (16) were also defeated at this stage, 5–6.[17] Robertson was defeated by Mark Joyce (41), and caused him to miss the 2018 Masters, after dropping out of the top 16, thanks to the loss.[17] Sunny Akani (87) whitewashed Barry Hawkins (10) 6–0, with Hawkins commenting after the match that he was "in a state of shock" with the result, commenting on both Akani's performance, and the poor playing conditions.[18] Williams lost to fellow Welshman Ryan Day (17), having been ahead at 4–1.[17]

Round four saw the remaining sixteen players play from 6–7 December 2017. Only four top 16 seeded players reached the last 16 of the tournament – John Higgins (4), Shaun Murphy (5), Mark Allen (6) and Ronnie O'Sullivan (7).[19] This was the fewest top 16 seeds to reach that stage in the tournament's 40-year history.[20] Higgins played Mark King (21), where he was defeated 5–6. King trailed at both 2–4, and 4–5 but won the match despite making a highest break of just 69.[21] Murphy would defeat Ricky Walden 6–1, with Walden only winning frame four.[22] Mark Allen lost to Joe Perry (22) 6–4.[23][24] O'Sullivan played Sunny Akani in this round, winning the match 6–5, despite being 4–5 behind. O'Sullivan commented after the match that he felt as though he had "robbed" Akani of the win, describing him as being unlucky.[22]

Later stages (quarter-finals–final)

[edit]

The quarter-finals took place on 8 December 2017 on two tables. Shaun Murphy completed a 6–1 victory over Mark King.[25] Post-match, both Murphy and King commented on the audience, with a man being removed for snoring and a woman for talking during the match.[26] Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Martin Gould 6–3, after leading 5–0.[27]

picture of Ronnie O'Sullivan
O'Sullivan won the event, defeating Shaun Murphy in the final 10–5, winning the last five frames in a row.

Stephen Maguire defeated Joe Perry 6–3 to set up a semi-final match with O'Sullivan, in a repeat of the 2007 UK Championship final. After beating Maguire in 2007, O'Sullivan commented that Maguire would "dominate for a decade". Reacting to the match from 10 years prior, Maguire stated that O'Sullivan "talks some bollocks", having not dominated the game since that match.[28][29] Ryan Day also overcame Mark Joyce in a deciding frame 6–5.[30]

The semi-finals were played on 9 December 2017. The first semi-final saw O'Sullivan defeat Maguire 6–4. O'Sullivan took a 4–0 lead at the interval, before Maguire won four of the next five frames, with O'Sullivan winning the match in frame ten.[31] The second semi-final saw Shaun Murphy overcome Ryan Day 6–3. Murphy would take a 5–1 lead, before losing the next two frames, and winning the match in frame nine.[32]

The final was played as best of 19 frames, over two sessions on 10 December 2017. Both O'Sullivan and Murphy had met in the final of the 2017 Champion of Champions the month prior, with Murphy winning 10–8.[32] Murphy and O'Sullivan would share the first session 4–4, despite Murphy being behind at 2–4.[33] In the second session, O'Sullivan put together six 50+ breaks including two centuries to win six of the next seven frames to win the match 10–5, winning five frames in a row.[34][35]

Post match, pundit John Parrott described O'Sullivan as "a genius of a juggernaut", commenting on the impressiveness of the clinical win.[34][36] The win would be O'Sullivan's sixth UK Championship victory equalling that achieved by Steve Davis, and his 18th Triple Crown victory overall,[37] equalling the record set by Stephen Hendry.[38][39]

Main draw

[edit]

Below is the results for the tournament. Players in bold denote winners of matches.[1][40] The player's seedings are based on the player's world ranking prior to the tournament.[1]

Top half

[edit]

Section 1

[edit]
Last 128
Best of 11 frames 		Last 64
Best of 11 frames 		Last 32
Best of 11 frames 		Last 16
Best of 11 frames
            
1  Mark Selby (ENG) 6
128  Basem Eltahhan (EGY) 4
1 England Mark Selby 3
64 Scotland Scott Donaldson 6
64  Scott Donaldson (SCO) 6
65  John Astley (ENG) 2
64 Scotland Scott Donaldson 1
32 China Li Hang 6
32  Li Hang (CHN) 6
97  Gerard Greene (NIR) 1
32 China Li Hang 6
33 England Robert Milkins 4
33  Robert Milkins (ENG) 6
96  Chen Zhe (CHN) 1
32 China Li Hang 5
17 Wales Ryan Day 6
16  Mark Williams (WAL) 6
113  Paul Davison (ENG) 0
16 Wales Mark Williams 6
49 England Andrew Higginson 2
49  Andrew Higginson (ENG) 6
80  Sam Craigie (ENG) 0
16 Wales Mark Williams 5
17 Wales Ryan Day 6
17  Ryan Day (WAL) 6
112  Jamie Curtis-Barrett (ENG) 0
17 Wales Ryan Day 6
48 Thailand Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 3
48  Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) 6
81  Elliot Slessor (ENG) 5

Section 2

[edit]
Last 128
Best of 11 frames 		Last 64
Best of 11 frames 		Last 32
Best of 11 frames 		Last 16
Best of 11 frames
            
41  Mark Joyce (ENG) 6
88  Thor Chuan Leong (MAS) 3
41 England Mark Joyce 6
24 England David Gilbert 4
24  David Gilbert (ENG) 6
105  Christopher Keogan (ENG) 4
41 England Mark Joyce 6
9 Australia Neil Robertson 5
56  Gary Wilson (ENG) 3
73  Ken Doherty (IRL) 6
73 Republic of Ireland Ken Doherty 2
9 Australia Neil Robertson 6
9  Neil Robertson (AUS) 6
120  Rod Lawler (ENG) 1
41 England Mark Joyce 6
104 China Lyu Haotian 4
40  Peter Ebdon (ENG) 6
89  Allan Taylor (ENG) 3
40 England Peter Ebdon 3
104 China Lyu Haotian 6
25  Anthony Hamilton (ENG) 1
104  Lyu Haotian (CHN) 6
104 China Lyu Haotian 6
8 Hong Kong Marco Fu 4
57  Rory McLeod (ENG) 5
72  Zhao Xintong (CHN) 6
72 China Zhao Xintong 4
8 Hong Kong Marco Fu 6
8  Marco Fu (HKG) 6
121  Nigel Bond (ENG) 2

Section 3

[edit]
Last 128
Best of 11 frames 		Last 64
Best of 11 frames 		Last 32
Best of 11 frames 		Last 16
Best of 11 frames
            
5  Shaun Murphy (ENG) 6
124  Hamza Akbar (PAK) 1
5 EnglandShaun Murphy 6
69 England Liam Highfield 5
60  Daniel Wells (WAL) 4
69  Liam Highfield (ENG) 6
5 England Shaun Murphy 6
37 England Jimmy Robertson 3
28  Alan McManus (SCO) 6
101  Robin Hull (FIN) 3
28 Scotland Alan McManus 5
37 England Jimmy Robertson 6
37  Jimmy Robertson (ENG) 6
92  Alex Borg (MLT) 1
5 England Shaun Murphy 6
21 England Ricky Walden 1
12  Kyren Wilson (ENG) 6
117  Sean O'Sullivan (ENG) 1
12 England Kyren Wilson 6
53 China Yu Delu 4
53  Yu Delu (CHN) 6
76  Ian Preece (WAL) 2
12 England Kyren Wilson 2
21 England Ricky Walden 6
21  Ricky Walden (ENG) 6
108  Duane Jones (WAL) 1
21 England Ricky Walden 6
44 Wales Jamie Jones 5
44  Jamie Jones (WAL) 6
85  Craig Steadman (ENG) 3

Section 4

[edit]
Last 128
Best of 11 frames 		Last 64
Best of 11 frames 		Last 32
Best of 11 frames 		Last 16
Best of 11 frames
            
45  Mike Dunn (ENG) 6
84  Fang Xiongman (CHN) 2
45 England Mike Dunn 4
20 England Mark King 6
20  Mark King (ENG) 6
109  Boonyarit Keattikun (THA) 0
20 England Mark King 6
13 Belgium Luca Brecel 3
52  Sam Baird (ENG) 5
77  Aditya Mehta (IND) 6
77 India Aditya Mehta 3
13 Belgium Luca Brecel 6
13  Luca Brecel (BEL) 6
116  Soheil Vahedi (IRN) 4
20 England Mark King 6
4 Scotland John Higgins 5
36  Yan Bingtao (CHN) 6
93  Zhang Yong (CHN) 1
36 China Yan Bingtao 6
29 England Ben Woollaston 1
29  Ben Woollaston (ENG) 6
100  Li Yuan (CHN) 2
36 China Yan Bingtao 3
4 Scotland John Higgins 6
61  Tian Pengfei (CHN) 5
68  Cao Yupeng (CHN) 6
68 China Cao Yupeng 4
4 Scotland John Higgins 6
4  John Higgins (SCO) 6
125  Chris Totten (SCO) 1

Bottom half

[edit]

Section 5

[edit]
Last 128
Best of 11 frames 		Last 64
Best of 11 frames 		Last 32
Best of 11 frames 		Last 16
Best of 11 frames
            
3  Judd Trump (ENG) 6
126  Matthew Bolton (AUS) 0
3 England Judd Trump 6
62 England Chris Wakelin 0
62  Chris Wakelin (ENG) 6
67  Lee Walker (WAL) 1
3 England Judd Trump 2
30 Scotland Graeme Dott 6
30  Graeme Dott (SCO) 6
99  Josh Boileau (IRL) 2
30 Scotland Graeme Dott 6
35 Wales Dominic Dale 5
35  Dominic Dale (WAL) 6
94  Adam Duffy (ENG) 0
30 Scotland Graeme Dott 2
19 Scotland Stephen Maguire 6
14  Liang Wenbo (CHN) 6
115  Sanderson Lam (ENG) 1
14 China Liang Wenbo 6
78 England Mitchell Mann 1
51  Stuart Carrington (ENG) 2
78  Mitchell Mann (ENG) 6
14 China Liang Wenbo 5
19 Scotland Stephen Maguire 6
19  Stephen Maguire (SCO) 6
110  Yuan Sijun (CHN) 1
19 Scotland Stephen Maguire 6
83 Wales Jak Jones 0
46  David Grace (ENG) 4
83  Jak Jones (WAL) 6

Section 6

[edit]
Last 128
Best of 11 frames 		Last 64
Best of 11 frames 		Last 32
Best of 11 frames 		Last 16
Best of 11 frames
            
43  Jack Lisowski (ENG) 6
86  Wang Yuchen (CHN) 4
43 England Jack Lisowski 3
22 England Joe Perry 6
22  Joe Perry (ENG) 6
107  Billy Joe Castle (ENG) 1
22 England Joe Perry 6
54 Norway Kurt Maflin 3
54  Kurt Maflin (NOR) 6
75  Alexander Ursenbacher (SUI) 1
54 Norway Kurt Maflin 6
118 England Jimmy White 2
11  Ali Carter (ENG) 2
118  Jimmy White (ENG) 6
22 England Joe Perry 6
6 Northern Ireland Mark Allen 4
38  Mark Davis (ENG) 5
91  Xu Si (CHN) 6
91 China Xu Si 2
102 England Peter Lines 6
27  Zhou Yuelong (CHN) 5
102  Peter Lines (ENG) 6
102 England Peter Lines 4
6 Northern Ireland Mark Allen 6
59  Oliver Lines (ENG) 6
70  Mei Xiwen (CHN) 3
59 England Oliver Lines 4
6 Northern Ireland Mark Allen 6
6  Mark Allen (NIR) 6
123  Lukas Kleckers (GER) 2

Section 7

[edit]
Last 128
Best of 11 frames 		Last 64
Best of 11 frames 		Last 32
Best of 11 frames 		Last 16
Best of 11 frames
            
7  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) 6
A  Jackson Page (WAL) 3
7 England Ronnie O'Sullivan 6
71 Cyprus Michael Georgiou 1
58  Alfie Burden (ENG) 5
71  Michael Georgiou (CYP) 6
7 England Ronnie O'Sullivan 6
26 Wales Michael White 1
26  Michael White (WAL) 6
103  Ross Muir (SCO) 5
26 Wales Michael White 6
39 England Matthew Selt 1
39  Matthew Selt (ENG) 6
90  Ian Burns (ENG) 2
7 England Ronnie O'Sullivan 6
87 Thailand Sunny Akani 5
10  Barry Hawkins (ENG) 6
119  Kurt Dunham (AUS) 1
10 England Barry Hawkins 6
74 England Hammad Miah 2
55  Matthew Stevens (WAL) 3
74  Hammad Miah (ENG) 6
10 England Barry Hawkins 0
87 Thailand Sunny Akani 6
23  Michael Holt (ENG) 6
106  Niu Zhuang (CHN) 5
23 England Michael Holt 4
87 Thailand Sunny Akani 6
42  Fergal O'Brien (IRL) 5
87  Sunny Akani (THA) 6

Section 8

[edit]
Last 128
Best of 11 frames 		Last 64
Best of 11 frames 		Last 32
Best of 11 frames 		Last 16
Best of 11 frames
            
47  Robbie Williams (ENG) 6
82  Martin O'Donnell (ENG) 3
47 England Robbie Williams 2
18 England Martin Gould 6
18  Martin Gould (ENG) 6
111  Joe Swail (NIR) 3
18 England Martin Gould 6
50 Iran Hossein Vafaei 4
50  Hossein Vafaei (IRN) 6
79  James Wattana (THA) 4
50 Iran Hossein Vafaei 6
15 Scotland Anthony McGill 5
15  Anthony McGill (SCO) 6
114  Ashley Hugill (ENG) 2
18 England Martin Gould 6
34 China Xiao Guodong 4
34  Xiao Guodong (CHN) 6
95  Chen Zifan (CHN) 0
34 China Xiao Guodong 6
31 England Tom Ford 1
31  Tom Ford (ENG) 6
98  Eden Sharav (SCO) 1
34 China Xiao Guodong 6
63 Thailand Noppon Saengkham 3
63  Noppon Saengkham (THA) 6
66  Zhang Anda (CHN) 2
63 Thailand Noppon Saengkham 6
127 Republic of Ireland Leo Fernandez 0
2  Ding Junhui (CHN) 5
127  Leo Fernandez (IRL) 6

Finals

[edit]
Quarter-finals
Best of 11 frames 		Semi-finals
Best of 11 frames 		Final
Best of 19 frames
         
17 Wales Ryan Day 6
41 England Mark Joyce 5
17 Wales Ryan Day 3
5 England Shaun Murphy 6
5 England Shaun Murphy 6
20 England Mark King 1
5 England Shaun Murphy 5
7 England Ronnie O'Sullivan 10
19 Scotland Stephen Maguire 6
22 England Joe Perry 3
19 Scotland Stephen Maguire 4
7 England Ronnie O'Sullivan 6
7 England Ronnie O'Sullivan 6
18 England Martin Gould 3

Final

[edit]
Final: Best of 19 frames. Referee: Paul Collier.
Barbican Centre, York, England, 10 December 2017.[1]
Shaun Murphy (5)
 England 		5–10 Ronnie O'Sullivan (7)
 England
Afternoon: 124–0 (123), 39–83 (62), 9–108 (103), 76–62 (O'Sullivan 62), 18–72, 48–57, 70–27 (69), 60–57 (52, 52)
Evening: 1–75 (75), 84–32 (80), 0–104 (104), 0–84 (76), 18–103 (103), 49–86 (86), 0–108 (59)
123 Highest break 104
1 Century breaks 3
4 50+ breaks 10

Century breaks

[edit]

A total of 99 breaks were made at the event, the highest of which – a 142 – was made by Michael White in the second round.[7]

Sponsorship and broadcasting

[edit]

The event was sponsored by betting company Betway, sponsors of the UK Championship since 2015.[36] The tournament's broadcasters were dependent on country, with the BBC and Eurosport televising across the United Kingdom and Europe respectively. The event was broadcast in China by Superstars Online, and China Central Television. In Hong Kong, NowTV simulcasted the event with additional commentary.[41]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The winner of the previous year's event would usually be the number one seed for the tournament, with the world champion ranked second. However, as Mark Selby was both the reigning world champion, defending UK Champion, and world number 1, the order of rankings was not affected.[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Betway UK Championship 2017 Provisional Format of Play" (PDF). World Snooker. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Indicative prize money rankings schedule 2016/2017 season" (PDF). World Snooker. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Indicative Prize Money Rankings Schedule 2017/2018 Season" (PDF). worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 14 July 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  4. ^ "Rolling 147 Prizes". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Snooker calendar – 2017/2018 Season" (PDF). worldsnooker.com. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  6. ^ "2017/18 World Snooker Calendar" (PDF). World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 14 July 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  7. ^ a b "UK Championship 2017: Frame scores, full results & highest break". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  8. ^ a b "UK Snooker Championship 2017: Mark Selby thrilled to prove he can mix style with substance". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  9. ^ "UK Championship: Draw unveiled for early rounds at the Barbican". York Press. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Great Scott floors champ Selby". World Snooker. 2 December 2017. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  11. ^ "UK Snooker Championship 2017: Ding Junhui loses to world number 130 Leo Fernandez". BBC Sport. 28 November 2017. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Jimmy White Beats Ali Carter as UK Championship First Round Concludes – SnookerHQ". SnookerHQ. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  13. ^ "Whirlwind sends Captain crashing". World Snooker. 30 November 2017. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  14. ^ a b c Humphries, Adrian. "Lyu Haotian primed for more progress in first Major". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Great Scott Floors Champ Selby". World Snooker. 2 December 2017. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Defending champion Mark Selby stunned by Scott Donaldson in second round". Eurosport UK. 12 February 2017. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  17. ^ a b c d e "UK Snooker Championship 2017: Judd Trump and Neil Robertson out". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  18. ^ "UK Snooker Championship 2017: Barry Hawkins 'in state of shock' after 6–0 loss". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 6 June 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  19. ^ "UK Championship: O'Sullivan compares himself to Ballesteros and Woods after reaching last 16". York Press. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  20. ^ "UK Snooker Championship 2017: Shaun Murphy says 'shocks don't shock him'". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  21. ^ "UK Snooker Championship 2017: Mark King beats John Higgins, Maguire knocks out Dott".