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TOURNAMENT HISTORIES - ASIA - Thailand, China, Hong Kong
Whereas up to the
1980s, the main challenge to the home based players came fro
In 1989/90 the Asian
Open in Bangkok was scheduled to be the Far East’s first ranking event
but, as it happened, the Australian Open was cancelled at the last m
The following season
saw just one ranking event in this part of the world, the Asian Open,
held, on this occasion, in Guangzhou in China where Stephen Hendry
retained his title. This event moved back to Bangkok in 1991/2. Steve
Davis was the winner and he had also won the non-ranking Thailand Ma
The Asian Open became the Thailand Open in 1993/4 and James Wattana was a popular home winner, a feat that he repeated the next season. In 1995/96 a second event was held in the region as the Thailand Classic took over the early season spot previously occupied by the Dubai Classic. This event, and the Thailand Open continued for two seasons although, for some unexplained reason, the former was named the Asian Classic in 1996/97 despite the fact that it was still held in Bangkok.
In 1997
The cash strapped World Snooker Association decided it could not afford to run the Far East events in the 2002/03 season but it is to be hoped that this is only a temporary measure. The number of players from this region, especially Thailand, has been increasing every season and in 2002/3, on the Main Tour there were four Thais, 2 Chinese and one from Hong Kong as well as one from India on the Main Tour. For the continued growth of snooker in the east it is vital that the ranking events are restored to the calendar as soon as possible.
It was back to business as usual in 2006, as Mark Williams won his fifth major title on Asian soil, but it was a close run thing as he edged out John Higgins in the deciding frame.
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Canada and Australia and, to a lesser extent, South Africa, there
can be no doubt that in recent years the Far East has provided the
bulk of the overseas contingent on the main tour and five world
amateur champions have come from that region. Barry Hearn spotted
the potential in the region and in 1985 began taking his Matchroom
players to play a series of events in China, Thailand, Japan,
Singapore and Malaysia. Ranking events have been held in the region
since the autumn of 1989 although the fact that the titles have
changed many times leads to some confusion.
inute
and moved to Hong Kong and so the Hong Kong Open has that distinction.
Mike Hallett gained his one and only ranking title in that event
sponsored by 555 who also backed the Asian Open. Stephen Hendry
spoiled the fun for the locals by beating Thailand’s sporting hero,
James Wattana in the final.
sters
in the same city earlier in the season. The next season, still in
Bangkok, the event provided us with the lowest ranked winner of a
ranking event when Dave Harold the world number 93 took the title.
/98
the Classic was dropped and the Open renamed as the Thailand Masters,
a name which had been used before for several non-ranking events.
China also staged an invitation event, the Catch China International
this season, which provided the only official maximum break to have
been made outside the British Isles, as James Wattana became only the
second player to make three maximums. The following season this event
became a ranking event and continued in tandem
with
the Thailand Masters for the next four seasons although it was renamed
China Open in 1999. Two maximums came in the qualifying rounds at
Plymouth in 1998/99, by Adrian Gunnell in the Thailand Masters and
Mehmet Husnu in the China International.
History
was made in 2006 when Ding Junhui, entered as a wildcard, came through
to win the event, on home soil, beating Stephen Hendry 9-5 in the
final. Ironically, Ding, who withdrew from the tournament's qualifying
rounds, received neither ranking points nor prize money as a wildcard.