Thailand Masters (Snooker)
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| Tournament status | |
|---|---|
| Ranking tournament: | 1989-2002 |
| Minor ranking tournament: | - |
| Invitation tournament: | 1983–1986, 2003, 2006 |
| Tournament dates of the last edition | |
| Venue: | Grand Hotel , Hua Hin |
| Prize money (total): | ? |
| Prize money (winner): | ? |
| Frames in the final: | Best of 9 |
| Records | |
| Most wins: |
 James Wattana Stephen Hendry Mark Williams (3 × each)
  |
| Highest Break: |
147 Adrian Gunnell ( Qualifying 1998 ) |
| Venue (s) on the map | |
The Thailand Masters was a professional snooker tournament in Thailand . It was one of the tournaments of the Snooker Main Tour from 1983 to 1986 and from 1989 to 2002 and initially had the status of an invitation tournament before it became a world ranking tournament in 1989 . In its history, the tournament changed its name several times and was first known as the Thailand Masters , then as the Asian Open , later as the Thailand Open and finally again as the Thailand Masters . In the 1990/91 season it took place for the only time in China. Record winners of the tournament are James Wattana , Stephen Hendry and Mark Williams with three titles each . After the tournament ended on a professional level in 2002, there were two more Thai amateur tournaments in 2003 and 2006.
The tournament was held almost continuously in Bangkok , only in 1990 it took place in Guangzhou, China, and the 2006 edition was played in Hua Hin .
history
1983–1986 and 1991: Thailand Masters
The tournament was held for the first time in 1983 as an invitation tournament for the players of Matchroom Sport and for selected Thai (amateur) players and thus as a tournament without any influence on the world rankings with four professional players and two Thai amateurs at the Thai-Nippon Stadium in Bangkok in the K.- o. system discharged. The tournament, sponsored by both Channel 7 and Pepsi-Cola , was won by Tony Meo , who defeated Steve Davis in the final.
The 1984 edition, sponsored by Camus , was held at the Ambassador Hotel, also in Bangkok. This time five professionals and one Thai amateur player were invited, who only played against each other in a single group. Finally, the two group best played a final against each other, which Jimmy White won 4-3 against Terry Griffiths .
The same mode was retained in the 1985 edition, which was again sponsored by Camus and held in the Ambassador Hotel , but the number of participants was increased to eight players, with six professionals and two Thai amateurs taking part. The winner was Dennis Taylor , who defeated Terry Griffiths 4-0.
In 1986 the tournament, still sponsored by Camus, was held at the Chiang Mai Plaza Hotel in Bangkok. The group phase was abolished and the number of participants was limited to four professionals, including a Thai professional player, and two Thai amateurs, with a first round and then the winners from the semi-finals. The winner was the Thai professional player James Wattana , who defeated Terry Griffiths 2-1 in the final.
The tournament left the Main Tour for the time being and came back in 1989 as the Asian Open . In addition to this tournament, there was another edition of the Thailand Masters in 1991 with twelve professional players and four amateur players, which Steve Davis won 6: 3 against Stephen Hendry .
1989-1993: Asian Open
The Asian Open was to be introduced as the first world ranking tournament in Asia for the 1989/90 season , but the Australian Open, which was also planned as a ranking tournament, was postponed to Hong Kong at short notice and thus became the first ranking tournament in Asia.
The Asian Open 1989 was the second Asian ranking tournament - and thus open to all players on the professional tour - with 128 participants from August 17th to 27th in Channel 12 Studios in Bangkok, Thailand. The winner was Stephen Hendry from Scotland , who defeated the local hero 9: 6 in the James Wattana tournament sponsored by 555 .
A year later, were Asian Open on the one hand from Bangkok to Chinese Guangzhou laid and in the local GDTV Studios discharged - which the tournament was held for the only time in the tournament's history outside Thailand - and also moved in the late October or in early November. With the same sponsorship and number of participants, Stephen Hendry defended his title with a 9-3 win over Dennis Taylor .
With the next edition , the tournament changed to the beginning of the year, so there was no 1991 edition, but the tournament was represented in that same season. The tournament, which was again sponsored by 555 or by Thai Sky due to different information , moved back to Bangkok. Since the professional tour was opened to all players at the beginning of the season, the field increased to more than 430 players, which means that seven qualifying rounds were necessary to determine the participants in the main round. The winner was Steve Davis , who defeated Alan McManus from Scotland 9: 3 in the final .
In 1993 there was again an edition of the Asian Open , which was sponsored by Nescafé , was held in the Imperial Queens Park Hotel , and comprised a field of almost 550 players, so that nine qualifying rounds were played. The tournament, which was postponed again two months and therefore took place at the end of March, was won by Englishman Dave Harold , who won his only ranking tournament with a 9-3 win over Darren Morgan , although he was the player with the lowest ranking position - in Harold's case, ranked 93rd who won a ranked tournament.
1994-1997: Thailand Open
For no particular reason, the tournament was renamed the Thailand Open with the next edition . This left the tournament in the calendar in March and was still in the Imperial Queens Park Hotel is discharged, only the sponsor changed, so that now from Bangkok monastery sponsored the tournament. Although the number of participants fell slightly to around 500, the fact that the main round only started with the round of 32 instead of the previous round of 64 increased the number of qualifying rounds to ten and one wildcard round . Last year's winner Steve Davis , reached the final again, but lost 7: 9 against James Wattana .
A large part of the 1995 edition remained the same, but the number of qualifying rounds fell to eight plus one wildcard round due to the further decline in the number of participants. James Wattana defended his title when he defeated aspiring young player Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-6 in the final, winning his third and final title at the tournament.
With the Thailand Open 1996 the tournament moved to the Montien Riverside Hotel and also received a new sponsor with Singha . Even though there were fewer participants again, there were now nine qualifying rounds and one wildcard round. The tournament was won by the Scot Alan McManus , who only defeated the Irish Ken Doherty in the decider in the final .
The next year the tournament lost its sponsor and was held at the Century Park Hotel . The number of participants fell again, but there were again nine qualifying rounds and a subsequent wildcard round. The tournament was won by Englishman Peter Ebdon , who defeated his compatriot Nigel Bond 9: 7 in the final.
1998-2002: Thailand Masters
For the 1997/98 season the Thailand Open was renamed the Thailand Masters again. At the same time, the 1998 Thailand Masters fell to 99 participants, so that only three qualifying rounds and one wildcard round were necessary. The tournament also returned to the Imperial Queens Park Hotel and received a new sponsor, Beer Chang . The tournament was won by Stephen Hendry , who managed a 9: 6 win over John Parrott in the final . Furthermore, the 23rd official maximum break was played in the tournament qualification of Adrian Gunnell in his game against Mario Wehrmann .
With the Thailand Masters 1999 the number of participants rose again to almost 200, at the same time there were again six qualifying rounds as well as an overseas qualifier and a wildcard round . The tournament, which moved to the Ambassador Hotel , where it had already been held in 1984 and 1985, without a sponsor , was won by Mark Williams with a 9: 7 win over Alan McManus .
In the next year , only 128 players took part in the tournament, so four qualifying rounds were sufficient, and the wildcard round was also omitted. The tournament found two sponsors with Blue Eagle and Thai Airways , and at the same time the tournament returned to the Riverside Montien Hotel , where it had been a guest in 1996. For the second time in a row, Mark Williams won, this time defeating Stephen Hendry 9: 5.
With the next Thailand Masters , the tournament moved to the Mercahant Court Hotel with the same sponsorship . Compared to the previous year, the number of participants increased slightly, so that five qualifying rounds were necessary. For the second time in a row, Stephen Hendry lost in the final, losing to Ken Doherty 3: 9 in the final .
With the Thailand Masters 2002 the field of participants was again limited to 128 players, but five qualifying rounds were necessary. Although the tournament remained at the Mercahant Court Hotel , the sponsor changed and Singha took this position for the second time. The tournament itself won for the third time Mark Williams, who managed a 9-4 victory over Stephen Lee in the final . However, this was the last professional edition of the tournament. Since the World Snooker Association suffered from a severe lack of funds, they decided to cancel the tournaments in Asia due to insufficient income. The Thailand Masters was held again as a Thai amateur tournament in 2003 and 2006. In the first edition, held at the National Stadium in Bangkok, Noppadon Noppachorn defeated Rome Surin 5-3 in the final . The second edition, which was held in the Grand Hotel in Hua Hin , also had a sponsor with Sangsom , the tournament was won by Marco Fu from Hong Kong 5-3 against Issara Kachaiwong .
winner
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b 147 Breaks. World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association , accessed May 20, 2019 .
- ↑ Ron Florax: 1983 Thailand Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 19, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c Chris Turner: Thailand Open / Thailand Classic / Thailand Masters - World Ranking and Invitation Events. (No longer available online.) Chris Turner's Snooker Archive, 2008, archived from the original on April 18, 2016 ; accessed on May 19, 2019 (English).
- ↑ Ron Florax: 1984 Thailand Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Ron Florax: 1985 Thailand Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 19, 2019 .
- ^ Ron Florax: 1986 Thailand Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Ron Florax: 1991 Thailand Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 19, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d Chris Turner: Other Asia Ranking Events: Asian Open / Asian Classic / Hong Kong Open - World Ranking Events. (No longer available online.) Chris Turner's Snooker Archive, 2008, archived from the original on April 18, 2016 ; accessed on May 20, 2019 (English).
- ^ Ron Florax: 1989 Asian Open. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ^ Ron Florax: 1990 Asian Open. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ^ Ron Florax: 1992 Asian Open. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ^ Ron Florax: 1993 Asian Open. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ^ Ron Florax: 1994 Thailand Open. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ^ Ron Florax: 1995 Thailand Open. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ^ Ron Florax: 1996 Thailand Open. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ^ Ron Florax: 1997 Thailand Open. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ↑ Ron Florax: 1998 Thailand Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ↑ Ron Florax: 1999 Thailand Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ↑ Ron Florax: 2000 Thailand Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ↑ Ron Florax: 2001 Thailand Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
- ↑ Ron Florax: 2002 Thailand Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed on May 20, 2019 .
