WSF Open 2020

WSF Open 2020
Attendees:	152
Venue:	Snooker Academy, Ħamrun , Malta
Opening:	January 10, 2020
Endgame:	17th January 2020
Winner:	Ashley Hugill
Finalist:	Julian Boyko
Highest Break:	132 ( Jamie Jones )
← 2018

The WSF Open 2020 was a snooker tournament hosted by the World Snooker Federation . It took place from January 10th to 17th, 2020 at the Malta Snooker Academy in Ħamrun , Malta . In 2018, the international association held a qualifying tournament for the professional tour for the first time under the name WSF Championship . For organizational reasons, the tournament was canceled the following year, in 2020 it returned under a new name and with an additional junior tournament .

The winner was the Englishman Ashley Hugill . He defeated Julian Boyko of Ukraine in the final 5-3. Originally, only the title holder had a place on the Pros' Snooker Main Tour, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and tournament cancellations , the qualification was reorganized and both Hugill and Bojko were given the right to start for the 2020/21 and 2021 seasons / 22 .

Group stage

152 players from 34 countries registered for the tournament. 38 groups with 4 players each were formed, in which everyone played against everyone for the placements. The first two of each group qualified for the final round. The Austrian Andreas Ploner was one of the players who were eliminated in the preliminary round.

Final round

The final round was played in knockout mode . The group leaders in the preliminary round and the 14 best runners-up in the group qualified directly for the second main round. The remaining 24 runners-up played an opening round and the 12 winners filled the 64 places in the second round.

Round 1

game	Player 1	Result	Player 2
1	Mark Vincent	13 : 13	Pierre Pace
2	Kevin Hanssens	32: 32	Manasawin Phetmalaikul
3	Alexander Davis	03 : 03	Tony Mifsud
4th	Jeremy Lee	32: 32	Jenson Kendrick
5	Mohamed Abdelkader	32: 32	James Height
6th	Saqib Nasir	31: 31	Chris Totten
7th	Matthew Glasby	03 : 03	Mario Abela
8th	Diogo Badalo	30: 30	Joshua Cooper
9	Philip Ciantar	23 : 23	Syimyk Uraiimov
10	Dylan Emery	03 : 03	Rodion Judin
11	Ben Hancorn	03 : 03	Ivan Kakovskiy
12	Halim Hussain	31: 31	Ryan Thomerson

Round 2 to the final

	Round 2 best of 5 frames				Round 3 best of 5 frames				Round of 16 best of 5 frames				Quarterfinals Best of 7 Frames				Semi-final best of 7 frames				Final best of 9 frames
	Jamie Curtis-Barrett	0
	Mark Vincent	3
					Mark Vincent	1
					Lukas Kleckers	3
	Lukas Kleckers	3
	Florian Nuessle	1
									Lukas Kleckers	0
									Ben Fortey	3
	Sean McAllister	3
	Elliott Weston	0
					Sean McAllister	2
					Ben Fortey	3
	Ben Fortey	3
	Ben Mertens	1
													Ben Fortey	1
													Julian Boyko	4th
	Michael Collumb	3
	Manasawin Phetmalaikul	2
					Michael Collumb	0
					Julian Boyko	3
	Julian Boyko	3
	Nickolas Neale	2
									Julian Boyko	3
									Sean O'Sullivan	0
	Heikki Niva	2
	Alex Millington	3
					Alex Millington	2
					Sean O'Sullivan	3
	Sean O'Sullivan	3
	Alexander Davis	1
																	Julian Boyko	4th
																	Ross Muir	1
	Stuart Watson	3
	Jenson Kendrick	0
					Stuart Watson	3
					Steven Hallworth	2
	Jamie Jones	1
	Steven Hallworth	3
									Stuart Watson	0
									Wu Yize	3
	Wu Yize	3
	Keishin Kamihashi	0
					Wu Yize	3
					Mark Lloyd	1
	Mark Lloyd	3
	James Height	1
													Wu Yize	3
													Ross Muir	4th
	Andrew Pagett	0
	Ross Muir	3
					Ross Muir	3
					Callum Beresford	0
	Callum Beresford	3
	Steven Hughes	0
									Ross Muir	3
									Chris Totten	1
	Wayne Townsend	3
	Brian Ochoiski	1
					Wayne Townsend	1
					Chris Totten	3
	Adam Duffy	0
	Chris Totten	3
																				Julian Boyko	3
																					Ashley Hugill	5
	Brian Cini	3
	Matthew Glasby	1
					Brian Cini	2
					Ashley Hugill	3
	Kuldesh Johal	0
	Ashley Hugill	3
									Ashley Hugill	3
									Connor Benzey	1
	Daniel Holoyda	2
	Connor Benzey	3
					Connor Benzey	3
					Vladyslav Vyshnevskyy	1
	Vladyslav Vyshnevskyy	3
	Daniel Blunn	1
													Ashley Hugill	4th
													Allan Taylor	3
	Alex Taubman	3
	Joshua Cooper	0
					Alex Taubman	3
					Elfed Evans	2
	Elfed Evans	3
	Joseph Casha	1
									Alex Taubman	0
									Allan Taylor	3
	Umut Dikme	3
	Pierfrancesco Garzia	2
					Umut Dikme	1
					Allan Taylor	3
	Allan Taylor	3
	Philip Ciantar	1
																Ashley Hugill	4th
																	Dylan Emery	1
	Zhang Yang	0
	Dylan Emery	3
					Dylan Emery	3
					Alex Clenshaw	0
	Alex Clenshaw	3
	Mateusz Baranowski	1
									Dylan Emery	3
									Rory McLeod	1
	Tony Drago	1
	Rory McLeod	3
					Rory McLeod	3
					George Pragnell	1
	George Pragnell	3
	Ben Hancorn	1
													Dylan Emery	4th
													Ryan Thomerson	2
	Andres Petrov	3
	Patrick Whelan	1
					Andres Petrov	3
					Tyler Rees	2
	Tyler Rees	3
	Every man	1
									Andres Petrov	2
									Ryan Thomerson	3
	Luke Pinches	1
	Sanderson Lam	3
					Sanderson Lam	1
					Ryan Thomerson	3
	Hesham Shawky	0
	Ryan Thomerson	3

final

The big surprise of the tournament was the 14-year-old Ukrainian Julian Bojko . With only 4 given frames he got through the main tournament and clearly defeated experienced players like the two ex-professionals Sean O'Sullivan and Ross Muir . He had already drawn attention to himself earlier in the season when he won the amateur qualification for the 2019 Paul Hunter Classic . Ashley Hugill had to go to the decider twice on the way to the final, but he was almost exactly 11 years older and had previously played on the professional tour for two years . With a century break in the first frame, the Englishman immediately set a mark and with a 50 break he increased to 2-0. But Bojko was not very impressed and even without very high breaks he got the next two frames to equalize. With a 62-point break, he even turned the score into a lead. Ultimately, the better breakbuilding decided the victory. In the next two frames, Bojko had the first chance, but remained below 30 points. Both times Hugill turned the game with breaks over 50 points and got the frames. In the 8th frame he was the first to break and with 89 points in a row he decided the game and with it the match 5-3.

Final: Best of 7 Frames Referee: Gergő Almasi Malta Snooker Academy,  Ħamrun , Malta , January 17, 2020
Julian Boyko	3: 5	Ashley Hugill
16: 113 (113), 4: 84 (56), 55 : 13, 76 : 27, 73 : 13 (62), 34: 101 (65), 29: 80 (50), 0: 89 (89)
62	Highest break	113
-	Century breaks	1
1	50+ breaks	5

Century breaks

There were 14 century breaks during the tournament. 12 players managed 100 or more points in a row, only one, tournament winner Ashley Hugill , managed that more than once. He played one of his three Centurys in the final. Welshman Jamie Jones achieved the highest break of 132 points in his first group match on the opening day.

Jamie Jones 132 Brian Ochoiski 124 Ashley Hugill 113 (2 ×), 109 Allan Taylor 113 Brian Cini 108 Steven Hallworth 108

Sergey Isaenko 104 Sanderson Lam 104 Ross Muir 104 Jamie Curtis-Barrett 101 Ben Mertens 101 Mark Lloyd 100

swell

1. ↑ Malta 2020: Event Information. WSF , January 1, 2020, accessed June 17, 2020 . 
2. ↑ Snooker Continues To Lead Sport's Return With Tour Structure Plans. WPBSA , June 8, 2020, accessed June 17, 2020 . 
3. ↑ 2020 WSF Open - Knockout. WSF , January 17, 2020, accessed June 17, 2020 . 
4. ↑ 2020 WSF Open. CueTracker, January 17, 2020, accessed June 17, 2020 . 
5. ↑ Match Sheet: Final - Ashley Hugill vs Iulian Boiko. WSF , January 17, 2020, accessed June 17, 2020 . 
6. ↑ 2020 WSF Open - 50+ Breaks. WSF , January 17, 2020, accessed June 17, 2020 . 

Web links

• 2020 WSF Open (World Snooker Federation)