Tournament information | |
---|---|
Dates | 28 March – 3 April 2022 |
Venue | Venue Cymru |
City | Llandudno |
Country | Wales |
Organisation | World Snooker Tour |
Format | Ranking event |
Total prize fund | £380,000 |
Winner's share | £150,000 |
Highest break | ![]() |
Final | |
Champion | ![]() |
Runner-up | ![]() |
Score | 10–9 |
← 2021 |
The 2022 Tour Championship (officially the 2022 Cazoo Tour Championship) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 28 March to 3 April 2022 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales. Organised by the World Snooker Tour, it comprised the top eight players on the one-year ranking list. It was the fourth edition of the Tour Championship, first held in 2019, and the 15th and penultimate ranking event of the 2021–22 snooker season, following the Gibraltar Open and preceding the World Championship. Broadcast by ITV4 in the United Kingdom, the event featured a prize fund of £380,000, of which the winner received £150,000.
The defending champion was Neil Robertson, who had defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 10–4 in the 2021 final. After beating O'Sullivan 10–9 in the semi-finals, Robertson trailed John Higgins 4–9 in the final, but he won six consecutive frames to win the match 10–9 and successfully defend his title. It was Robertson's 23rd ranking title, which put him level with Judd Trump at sixth place on the all-time list of ranking event winners. Robertson also won the season's Cazoo Cup, having won the Players Championship and been runner-up in the World Grand Prix, the other two tournaments in the Cazoo series. This was Higgins's fifth defeat in a final during the season.
A total of 33 century breaks were made during the event, with Trump making the highest break of 140. O'Sullivan made five century breaks during both his quarter-final and semi-final matches, marking the first time a player had made five century breaks in two consecutive matches.
Format
The 2022 Tour Championship (officially the 2022 Cazoo Tour Championship)[1] was the third and final event in the 2021–22 Cazoo Cup series, first introduced in the 2018–19 snooker season; the other events were the World Grand Prix and the Players Championship. Organised by the World Snooker Tour, it was the 15th and penultimate ranking event of the 2021–22 snooker season, following the Gibraltar Open and preceding the World Championship.[2] The players qualified by virtue of their placement on the one-year ranking list (the ranking points won over the course of the 2021–22 season), rather than by their world ranking positions.[3] The Tour Championship featured the top eight players from the one-year ranking list taking part in a single-elimination tournament.[4] All matches were played as the best of 19 frames.[5]
The event took place at the Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales, between 28 March and 3 April 2022.[5] It was broadcast by ITV4 in the United Kingdom,[6][7] and sponsored by car retailer Cazoo.[8][9][10] The defending champion was Neil Robertson, who won the 2021 event, defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan 10–4 in the final.[11]
Qualification
The participants were determined by the points won in the 14 ranking tournaments preceding the Tour Championship, from the 2021 Championship League to the 2022 Gibraltar Open.[12][13]
Seed | Player | Total Points |
---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
311,500 |
2 | ![]() |
261,000 |
3 | ![]() |
232,500 |
4 | ![]() |
216,000 |
5 | ![]() |
205,500 |
6 | ![]() |
166,500 |
7 | ![]() |
160,000 |
8 | ![]() |
147,500 |
Prize fund
The total prize fund for the event was £380,000, with the winner receiving £150,000. A breakdown of the prize money for the event is shown below:[14]
- Winner: £150,000
- Runner-up: £60,000
- Semi-final: £40,000
- Quarter-final: £20,000
- Highest break: £10,000
- Total: £380,000
Summary
Quarter-finals
![photo of Mark Williams](https://web.archive.org/web/20220706102539im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Mark_Williams_at_Snooker_German_Masters_%28Martin_Rulsch%29_2014-01-29_01.jpg/220px-Mark_Williams_at_Snooker_German_Masters_%28Martin_Rulsch%29_2014-01-29_01.jpg)
The quarter-finals were held between 28 and 31 March.[5] Zhao Xintong, who had won the UK Championship and German Masters earlier in the season, made his debut at the event on 28 March against John Higgins, who narrowly qualified for the tournament after both Ricky Walden and Kyren Wilson were unable to win enough points during the Gibraltar Open.[15] Zhao won the first frame before Higgins made three breaks over 50 to win the next two. Zhao then won four consecutive frames, which included two centuries of 108 and 124, to take a 5–2 lead, but Higgins won the last frame of the session to reduce his deficit.[16] Zhao began strongly in the evening session, winning three of the first four frames to move 8–4 ahead at the midsession interval, but he scored just 53 points across the next four frames as Higgins came back to draw level at 8–8.[16] Higgins won the 17th to take a 9–8 lead, but Zhao won the 18th with a 64 break to set up a decider. Higgins made three scoring visits to the table in the final frame,[17] clinching a 10–9 victory after Zhao missed a four-ball plant. In all, Higgins won six of the last seven frames.[16] Afterward, he called coming from behind to beat Zhao "one of my best wins ever".[18][19]
In the second quarter-final, played on 29 March, the season's English Open and Players Championship winner Robertson faced the Northern Ireland Open champion Mark Allen. Robertson took a 7–0 lead, making breaks of 76, 125, 94, 103, 68 and 125, with Allen scoring just 55 points in the first seven frames. Allen avoided a session whitewash by winning the eighth and final frame of the session.[20] Allen then took the first three frames of the evening session, winning the 11th on a re-spotted black, before Robertson won frame 12 to lead 8–4 at the mid-session interval. Allen won the 13th and 14th frames, before Robertson produced back-to-back century breaks of 121 and 130 to win the match 10–6.[21] Afterward, Robertson stated that the match had reassured him he could respond strongly against a comeback.[22]
In the third quarter-final, played on 30 March, the season's World Grand Prix champion O'Sullivan faced British Open winner Mark Williams, who had not defeated O'Sullivan in a two-session ranking match since the semi-finals of the 2000 UK Championship.[23] Williams won the 29-minute opening frame, but O'Sullivan then won three consecutive frames, making a 131 break in the fourth, to lead 3–1 at the midsession interval. Williams won the fifth, but O'Sullivan made a 128 break to take the sixth. O'Sullivan led by 50 points in the seventh, helped by his opponent conceding 16 points in fouls, but Williams made a 92 clearance to win the frame. O'Sullivan took the last frame of the session with an 89 break to lead 5–3.[24][25]
Williams began the evening session with a 103 break to win the ninth frame, but O'Sullivan responded with a 100 in the tenth. Williams made an 89 break to win the 11th, but O'Sullivan took the 12th with a 75 break to lead 7–5. Williams won two consecutive frames after the mid-session interval to level the scores at 7–7, and then took a 24-point lead in the 15th frame. However, Williams accidentally potted the pink after cannoning into the pack of reds, and O'Sullivan made a 106 break to restore his lead at 8–7. Williams leveled the scores again at 8–8, but O'Sullivan made a 127 break in the 17th frame, his fifth century of the match, to lead 9–8.[26] Williams fell 47 points behind in the penultimate frame, but he recovered to win it on the colours and force a decider.[27] Both players had chances to win, but O'Sullivan clinched the match after Williams missed a long pot on the final red.[24] The quality of the match was widely praised, with media calling it a "classic",[24] an "epic",[27][28] and a "thriller".[29] "It is probably the best he has ever played against me and the best I’ve ever played against him”, stated O’Sullivan.[24][30][23] Williams responded that he enjoyed the quality of the match, but said "I could and should have won".[29]
In the last quarter-final on 31 March, Judd Trump faced Luca Brecel, who also made his debut in the event. Trump had entered the top eight on the season's money list by winning the Turkish Masters earlier that month, while Brecel had been runner-up at the UK Championship and won the Scottish Open earlier in the season.[31] Brecel took the opening three frames, before Trump won frame four.[31] Brecel, however, won the next frame with a break of 100, and then led 5–1.[31] Trump won the seventh frame with a break of 81 before Brecel won the final frame of the opening session with a 78 break to lead 6–2.[31] During this session, Brecel made a century and four other half-century breaks, while Trump made just one break over 50.[32] The first four frames of the evening session were shared, allowing Brecel to retain his four-frame advantage at 8–4. After the mid-session interval, Trump made back-to-back centuries of 140 (the tournament's highest break) and 103 to reduce Brecel's lead to 8–6, but the Belgian player won the next two frames, making a 73 break in the final frame of the match, to clinch a 10–6 win.[33] It was Brecel's first victory over Trump in a ranking event.[34]
Semi-finals
![photo of Ronnie O'Sullivan](https://web.archive.org/web/20220706102539im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Ronnie_O%27Sullivan_in_Romania.jpg/220px-Ronnie_O%27Sullivan_in_Romania.jpg)
The semi-finals were held on 1 and 2 April. On 1 April, O'Sullivan faced Robertson in a match that reprised the 2019 and 2021 finals. Robertson made a 115 break in the opening frame, but O'Sullivan then won four consecutive frames with breaks of 125, 90, 106 and 128 to take a 4–1 lead.[35] By the beginning of the sixth frame, Robertson had not potted a ball for over an hour. However, Robertson won the final three frames of the session with breaks of 62, 85, and 95 to level the scores at 4–4.[36]
O'Sullivan won the first frame on the resumption of the match, before Robertson won the next three to lead 7–5.[37] O'Sullivan made a break of 63 to win frame 13, before Robertson won frame 14 with a break of 117. O'Sullivan then won the next two frames, including a break of 100 to tie the match at 8–8.[37] O'Sullivan made a 112 break in the next frame, his fifth century of the match.[38] Robertson, however, won the final two frames to win the match 10–9,[39] guaranteeing that he would win the Cazoo Cup, regardless of the outcome of the final.[40] O'Sullivan became the first player to make five century breaks in two consecutive matches.[39] The 19-frame match had only two frames without at least a half-century break.[41] Despite his loss, O'Sullivan replaced Mark Selby as world number one after the event,[42] though O'Sullivan himself called Robertson "the best player in the world".[43]
On 2 April, Higgins played Brecel. The players had faced each other in the Scottish Open final earlier in the season, with Brecel winning 9–5 on that occasion. Brecel began the match strongly, winning the first three frames with breaks of 64,105, and 78. However, Higgins responded with five frames in a row, ending with a century break of 108, to finish the first session with a 5–3 lead.[44] Higgins then moved 7–4 ahead in the evening session before Brecel won three frames in a row, making breaks of 68 and 108, to level the scores at 7–7. However, Higgins responded by also winning three frames in a row, taking advantage of errors by Brecel, to win the match 10–7 and reach the 55th ranking final of his professional career.[45][46]
Final
The final took place on 3 April between Robertson and Higgins, as a best-of-19-frame match played over two sessions. The players met in a ranking final for the second time that season, with Robertson having defeated Higgins 9–8 in the English Open final in November 2021.[46][47] The first frame of the final lasted over 50 minutes, the longest of the tournament, and was won by Higgins on the final black.[48] Higgins then made back-to-back century breaks of 136 and 126 to lead 3–0.[48] Robertson, however made a century break of his own, a 130 and also won the fifth frame. In frame six, Robertson attempted a maximum break, which fell apart on the final blue ball. Higgins, however, made his third century break of the match in frame seven, and also won frame eight with a break of 80 to lead 5–3.[48] During the eight frames, the pair made five century breaks.[48]
In the evening session, Higgins won the first three frames to lead 8–3, before Robertson responded with a 91 break to take frame 12. Higgins took the 13th with an 84 break, but Robertson then came from 4–9 behind to win six consecutive frames, with breaks including 54, 106, 72, 93, and 72, to win the final 10–9. It was the 23rd ranking title of Robertson's career and put him level with Trump in sixth place on the all-time list of ranking event winners.[49] Robertson called his win "the best comeback of my career".[50] It was Higgins's fifth loss in a major final that season, following defeats at the English Open, Northern Ireland Open, Champion of Champions, and Scottish Open.[49] It was also the third time in the season that Higgins had lost a ranking final after requiring just one frame for victory. He led 8–6 in both the English and Northern Ireland Opens, only to lose 8–9.[50]
Tournament draw
The draw for the event is shown below. Players in bold denote match winners.[5]
Quarter-finals Best of 19 frames | Semi-finals Best of 19 frames | Final Best of 19 frames | ||||||||||||
1 | ![]() | 9 | ||||||||||||
8 | ![]() | 10 | ||||||||||||
8 | ![]() | 10 | ||||||||||||
5 | ![]() | 7 | ||||||||||||
4 | ![]() | 6 | ||||||||||||
5 | ![]() | 10 | ||||||||||||
8 | ![]() | 9 | ||||||||||||
2 | ![]() | 10 | ||||||||||||
3 | ![]() | 10 | ||||||||||||
6 | ![]() | 9 | ||||||||||||
3 | ![]() | 9 | ||||||||||||
2 | ![]() | 10 | ||||||||||||
2 | ![]() | 10 | ||||||||||||
7 | ![]() | 6 |
Final
Final: Best of 19 frames. Referee: Brendan Moore Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales, 3 April 2022 | ||
John Higgins (8)![]() |
9–10 | Neil Robertson (2)![]() |
Afternoon: 78–77, 136–0 (136), 126–0 (126), 0–130 (130), 47–76, 0–129 (129), 127–0 (127), 80–0 (80) Evening: 60–41, 101–0 (68), 82–5, 1–91 (91), 84–0 (84), 37–74 (54), 1–119 (108), 35–87, 17–91 (72), 0–93 (93), 10–72 (72) | ||
136 | Highest break | 130 |
3 | Century breaks | 3 |
6 | 50+ breaks | 8 |
Century breaks
A total of 33 century breaks were made during the tournament.[51]
- 140, 103 – Judd Trump
- 136, 127, 126, 108 – John Higgins
- 131, 128, 128, 127, 125, 112, 106, 106, 100, 100 – Ronnie O'Sullivan
- 130, 130, 129, 125, 125, 121, 117, 115, 108, 103 – Neil Robertson
- 128, 124, 108 – Zhao Xintong
- 108, 105, 100 – Luca Brecel
- 103 – Mark Williams
Cazoo Series
The Cazoo Series features three events: the World Grand Prix, the Players Championship, and the Tour Championship. For all three events, qualification is based on players' rankings on the one-year ranking list. Coming into the final event, only O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson were in contention to top the series earnings. However, O'Sullivan was defeated by Robertson in the semi-finals, meaning that Robertson was guaranteed to top the series rankings.[52] The top ten players in the Cazoo Cup series are shown below. Prizes in bold denote an event win.
Player | World Grand Prix | Players Championship | Tour Championship | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
40,000 | 125,000 | 150,000 | 315,000 |
![]() |
100,000 | 15,000 | 40,000 | 155,000 |
![]() |
5,000 | 15,000 | 60,000 | 80,000 |
![]() |
7,500 | 10,000 | 40,000 | 57,500 |
![]() |
5,000 | 50,000 | 0 | 55,000 |
![]() |
12,500 | 30,000 | 0 | 42,500 |
![]() |
5,000 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 40,000 |
![]() |
7,500 | 10,000 | 20,000 | 37,500 |
![]() |
7,500 | 10,000 | 20,000 | 37,500 |
![]() |
5,000 | 10,000 | 20,000 | 35,000 |
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