The 2024 World Grand Prix (officially the 2024 Spreadex World Grand Prix) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 15 to 21 January 2024 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England.[1] The eleventh ranking event of the 2023‍–‍24 season, following the Scottish Open and preceding the German Masters, it was the first of three events in the Players Series, preceding the Players Championship and the Tour Championship. Organised by the World Snooker Tour and sponsored by betting company Spreadex, the event was broadcast by ITV domestically, by Eurosport in Europe, and by other broadcasters worldwide. The winner received £100,000 from a total prize fund of £380,000.

2024 Spreadex World Grand Prix
Tournament information
Dates15–21 January 2024 (2024-01-15 – 2024-01-21)
VenueMorningside Arena
CityLeicester
CountryEngland
OrganisationWorld Snooker Tour
FormatRanking event
Total prize fund£380,000
Winner's share£100,000
Highest break Shaun Murphy (ENG) (145)
Final
Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG)
Runner-up Judd Trump (ENG)
Score10–7
2023

The event featured the top 32 players in the one‑year ranking list as it stood after the 2023 Scottish Open. Mark Allen was the defending champion, having defeated Judd Trump 10‍–‍9 in the previous final, but he lost 2‍–‍4 to Zhang Anda in the last 16. Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Trump 10‍–‍7 in the final to capture his third World Grand Prix title, and a record-extending 41st ranking title.

Format

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The event took place from 15 to 21 January 2024 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, United Kingdom.[1][2] It featured the top 32 players in the one‑year ranking list as it stood after the 2023 Scottish Open.

The last-32 and last-16 matches were played as the best of seven frames; the quarter-finals were the best of nine frames; the semi-finals were the best of 11 frames, and the final was the best of 19 frames, played over two sessions.[2] The defending champion was Northern Irish player Mark Allen, who won his first World Grand Prix title in 2023, defeating England's Judd Trump 10‍–‍9 in the final.[3]

Broadcasters

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The event was broadcast by ITV in the UK; Discovery+ and Eurosport in Europe (including the UK and Ireland); CCTV-5, Migu, Youku, and Huya in Mainland China; DAZN in the US and Brazil; Now TV in Hong Kong; Astro SuperSport in Malaysia and Brunei; TrueVisions in Thailand; Sportcast in Taiwan; Premier Sports Network in the Philippines; Fastsports in Pakistan; and Matchroom.live in all other territories.[4]

Seeding list

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Unlike other events where the defending champion is seeded first, the reigning World Champion second, and the rest based on the world rankings, the qualification and seedings in the Players Series tournaments are determined by the one-year ranking list. The below list shows the top 32 players with the most ranking points acquired during the 2023‍–‍24 season, as of after the Scottish Open:[5][6]

Seed Player Points
1   Judd Trump (ENG) 406,000
2   Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) 306,500
3   Zhang Anda (CHN) 260,500
4   Mark Williams (WAL) 173,000
5   Barry Hawkins (ENG) 159,500
6   Ding Junhui (CHN) 150,000
7   Tom Ford (ENG) 139,500
8   Ali Carter (ENG) 117,000
9   Mark Selby (ENG) 113,500
10   Gary Wilson (ENG) 104,000
11   Noppon Saengkham (THA) 89,000
12   John Higgins (SCO) 89,000
13   Hossein Vafaei (IRN) 89,000
14   Mark Allen (NIR) 88,500
15   Zhou Yuelong (CHN) 81,000
16   Lyu Haotian (CHN) 79,500
Seed Player Points
17   Chris Wakelin (ENG) 79,000
18   Stephen Maguire (SCO) 60,000
19   Jack Lisowski (ENG) 59,500
20   Matthew Selt (ENG) 58,000
21   Shaun Murphy (ENG) 56,500
22   Xiao Guodong (CHN) 56,500
23   David Gilbert (ENG) 53,000
24   Yuan Sijun (CHN) 50,500
25   Wu Yize (CHN) 50,000
26   Jordan Brown (NIR) 49,500
27   Ricky Walden (ENG) 48,000
28   Cao Yupeng (CHN) 48,000
29   Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) 45,000
30   Dominic Dale (WAL) 44,000
31   Pang Junxu (CHN) 43,500
32   Jamie Jones (WAL) 42,000

Prize fund

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The event featured a total prize fund of £380,000, with the winner receiving £100,000. The breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below:

  • Winner: £100,000
  • Runner-up: £40,000
  • Semi-final: £20,000
  • Quarter-final: £12,500
  • Last 16: £7,500
  • Last 32: £5,000
  • Highest break: £10,000
  • Total: £380,000

Summary

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Last 32

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The first round matches were played from 15 to 17 January.[2] Cao Yupeng, seeded 28, defeated fifth seed Barry Hawkins 4‍–‍3. Shaun Murphy, seeded 21, whitewashed 12th seed John Higgins 4‍–‍0 in a match that lasted only 41 minutes, with Murphy making a century break of 145 in the first frame.[7] Despite having problems with deteriorating eyesight, 48 year old Mark Williams beat Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4‍–‍3, making a 134 break in the third frame.[8] Mark Allen made three century breaks of 103, 110, and 108 in defeating Jack Lisowski 4‍–‍2.[9]

Last 16

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The second round matches were played from 17 to 18 January.[2] Judd Trump whitewashed Lyu Haotian 4‍–‍0, setting up a quarter final meeting with Mark Selby who defeated Ali Carter 4‍–‍3. There was also a 4‍–‍0 whitewash victory for Cao over Murphy.[10] Zhang Anda defeated defending champion Allen 4‍–‍2, setting up a meeting with Ding Junhui in the quarter finals, after Ding beat Noppon Saengkham 4‍–‍1. Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Zhou Yuelong 4‍–‍3.[11]

Quarter finals

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The quarter-finals were played from 18 to 19 January.[2] In a dominant performance, Trump defeated Selby 5‍–‍1, making a 119 break in the fourth frame. Cao beat Williams 5‍–‍4 and O'Sullivan defeated Gary Wilson 5‍–‍1 making a 129 break in the third frame. Ding beat Zhang 5‍–‍2.[12][13]

Semi finals

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The semi-finals were played from 19 to 20 January.[2] In the first semi-final, Trump beat Cao 6‍–‍2, making a 106 break in the second frame.[14][15] In the second semi-final O'Sullivan defeated Ding 6‍–‍1 in only 1 hour and 12 minutes, making four centuries of 135, 128, 128, and 124.[16][17][18]

Final

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The final was played over two sessions between Trump and O'Sullivan on 21 January as the best of 19 frames.[2] In the afternoon session, Trump won four frames in a row to lead 4‍–‍0 at the mid-session interval. O'Sullivan took the next two frames, making a 60 break in the sixth, to narrow the score to 4‍–‍2, and then to 5‍–‍3 at the end of the session. Trump made a break of 66 to win the opening frame of the evening session, advancing to 6‍–‍3. However, O'Sullivan won six consecutive frames, making breaks of 58, 74, 52, and 51, to lead by 9‍–‍6. Trump closed in to 9‍–‍7 by winning the 16th frame, but O'Sullivan took the next with a break of 52 to capture a 10‍–‍7 victory, claiming his third World Grand Prix title, and a record-extending 41st ranking title.[19][20]

Tournament draw

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The draw for the tournament is shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the players' seedings, and players in bold denote match winners. The last-32 and last-16 matches were played as the best of seven frames; the quarter-finals were the best of nine frames; the semi-finals were the best of 11 frames, and the final was the best of 19 frames, played over two sessions.[21][22]

Last 32
Best of 7 frames
Last 16
Best of 7 frames
Quarter-finals
Best of 9 frames
Semi-finals
Best of 11 frames
Final
Best of 19 frames
          
  Judd Trump (ENG) (1) 4
  Jamie Jones (WAL) (32) 2
  Judd Trump 4
  Lyu Haotian 0
  Lyu Haotian (CHN) (16) 4
  Chris Wakelin (ENG) (17) 3
  Judd Trump 5
  Mark Selby 1
  Mark Selby (ENG) (9) 4
  Yuan Sijun (CHN) (24) 3
  Mark Selby 4
  Ali Carter 3
  Ali Carter (ENG) (8) 4
  Wu Yize (CHN) (25) 3
  Judd Trump 6
  Cao Yupeng 2
  Barry Hawkins (ENG) (5) 3
  Cao Yupeng (CHN) (28) 4
  Cao Yupeng 4
  Shaun Murphy 0
  John Higgins (SCO) (12) 0
  Shaun Murphy (ENG) (21) 4
  Cao Yupeng 5
  Mark Williams 4
  Hossein Vafaei (IRN) (13) 4
  Matthew Selt (ENG) (20) 3
  Hossein Vafaei 1
  Mark Williams 4
  Mark Williams (WAL) (4) 4
  Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) (29) 3
  Judd Trump 7
  Ronnie O'Sullivan 10
  Zhang Anda (CHN) (3) 4
  Dominic Dale (WAL) (30) 2
  Zhang Anda 4
  Mark Allen 2
  Mark Allen (NIR) (14) 4
  Jack Lisowski (ENG) (19) 2
  Zhang Anda 2
  Ding Junhui 5
  Noppon Saengkham (THA) (11) 4
  Xiao Guodong (CHN) (22) 1
  Noppon Saengkham 1
  Ding Junhui 4
  Ding Junhui (CHN) (6) 4
  Ricky Walden (ENG) (27) 3
  Ding Junhui 1
  Ronnie O'Sullivan 6
  Tom Ford (ENG) (7) 4
  Jordan Brown (NIR) (26) 1
  Tom Ford 2
  Gary Wilson 4
  Gary Wilson (ENG) (10) 4
  David Gilbert (ENG) (23) 2
  Gary Wilson 1
  Ronnie O'Sullivan 5
  Zhou Yuelong (CHN) (15) 4
  Stephen Maguire (SCO) (18) 1
  Zhou Yuelong 3
  Ronnie O'Sullivan 4
  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) (2) 4
  Pang Junxu (CHN) (31) 2

Final

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Final: Best of 19 frames. Referee: Olivier Marteel
Morningside Arena, Leicester, England, 21 January 2024
Judd Trump (1)
  England
7–10 Ronnie O'Sullivan (2)
  England
Afternoon: 74–0, 102–1, 72–52, 85–15, 18–85, 15–114, 102–28, 33–96
Evening: 81–45, 12–114, 0–74, 57–64, 0–87, 48–58, 62–72, 112–0, 40–79
(frame 1) 74 Highest break 74 (frame 11)
0 Century breaks 0

Century breaks

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A total of 30 century breaks were made in the tournament.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Spreadex World Grand Prix". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "World Grand Prix (2024)". snooker.org. 21 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Allen edges Trump in epic". World Snooker Tour. 22 January 2023. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  4. ^ "How to watch the Spreadex World Grand Prix". World Snooker Tour. 9 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  5. ^ "1 Year List after the 2023 BetVictor Scottish Open" (PDF). World Snooker Tour. 17 December 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  6. ^ "World Grand Prix Rankings". snooker.org. 18 December 2023. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b "John Higgins v Shaun Murphy". World Snooker Tour. 16 January 2024. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Life's a blur for winning Williams". World Snooker Tour. 16 January 2024. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Champ Allen fires three centuries". World Snooker Tour. 17 January 2024. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Selby to face Trump in quarters". World Snooker Tour. 17 January 2024. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  11. ^ "O'Sullivan keeps streak going". World Snooker Tour. 18 January 2024. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  12. ^ Kane, Desmond (19 January 2024). "World Grand Prix 2024 snooker - Ronnie O'Sullivan to face Ding Junhui in semi-finals". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  13. ^ "O'Sullivan to face Ding in semis". World Snooker Tour. 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  14. ^ "World Grand Prix: Judd Trump sets up final against Ronnie O'Sullivan or Ding Junhui". BBC Sport. 20 January 2024. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Judd Trump v Cao Yupeng". World Snooker Tour. 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  16. ^ "World Grand Prix: Ronnie O'Sullivan thrashes Ding Junhui to set up final with Judd Trump". BBC Sport. 20 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Ding Junhui v Ronnie O'Sullivan". World Snooker Tour. 20 January 2024. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Ronnie O'Sullivan's best snooker performance of all time vs Ding Junhui at 2024 World Grand Prix". YouTube. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  19. ^ "O'Sullivan overturns Trump to extend trophy sequence". World Snooker Tour. 21 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  20. ^ "The final: frame by frame". World Snooker Tour. 21 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  21. ^ "Matches". World Snooker Tour. 21 January 2024. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  22. ^ "World Grand Prix 2024 bracket". snooker.org. 21 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  23. ^ "Centuries: World Grand Prix 30". snookerinfo.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
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