2017 European Masters (snooker)
The 2017 European Masters (officially the 2007 888sport European Masters) was a professional Snooker world rankings, ranking snooker tournament that took place from 2–8 October 2017 in Lommel, Belgium. It was the sixth ranking event of the Snooker season 2017/2018, 2017/2018 season. It was the first full ranking event to be held in Belgium since the European Open (snooker), European Open was played in Antwerp in 1994. Qualifying took place from 3–4 August in Preston, Lancashire, Preston. Judd Trump was the defending champion, having beaten Ronnie O'Sullivan 9–8 in the 2016 final in Bucharest, Romania. He successfully defended the title, defeating Stuart Bingham 9–7 in this year's final. Prize fund The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below: * Winner: Pound sterling, £75,000 * Runner-up: £35,000 * Semi-final: £17,500 * Quarter-final: £11,000 * Last 16: £6,000 * Last 32: £4,000 * Last 64: £2,000 * Televised highest break: £1,500 * Total: £366,500 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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888sport
888sport is an international sports betting brand owned by Evoke plc. It was founded in 2008, and is headquartered in Gibraltar. The company provides online sports betting, predominantly in European markets. History 888sport was launched as the dedicated sports arm of 888 Holdings in March 2008, and as part of 888's gambling arm. 888sport began to get involved in sports sponsorship in 2010, starting with a sponsored stand at Fontwell Park Racecourse. Former Spanish national team footballer Santiago Cañizares joined 888sport in 2011 as European brand ambassador, in 2012, English former professional footballer Ian Wright as pundit during The Euros, and Channel 4 Racing presenter Emma Spencer joined in 2014 as horse racing expert. 888sport received media coverage for the way it utilised social media prior to and during the fight between George Groves and Carl Froch fight in 2014. In 2013, the Nevada Gaming Commission licensed 888 Holdings to provide online gaming, making it ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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European Open (snooker)
The European Masters is a professional ranking snooker tournament that has been staged periodically since 1989 as the European Open. Between 2005 and 2008 it was known as the Malta Cup and was the sole ranking tournament in Europe outside the British Isles, before being discontinued. In 2016, the event was resurrected and rebranded the European Masters. History Before the 1988/89 season, there were no ranking events outside the United Kingdom. There were, however, many successful invitation events, so the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association decided to extend the tour with some overseas events. The first two were held in Canada and mainland Europe. The first European event was the European Open in 1988 in Deauville, France, with the sponsorship of ICI. The event then was held at the Palais des Sports in Lyon, France, for 1992 and at the Imax Centre in Rotterdam, Netherlands with the sponsorship of Tulip Computers. The event was then moved to Belgium. It was h ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Zhang Yong (snooker Player)
Zhang Yong (; born 21 July 1995) is a Chinese former professional snooker player. Career Prior to turning professional Zhang featured in Asian Players Tour Championship events from 2012 to 2015, as well as being a semi-finalist in the 2015 ACBS Asian Snooker Championship. He made losing wildcard appearances at the 2014 Shanghai Masters and 2015 China Open. Zhang earned a two-year professional World Snooker Tour card for the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons after his performances in the 2014/2015 Asian Tour events, with the highlight being a quarter-final appearance in the 2015 Xuzhou Open where he beat professionals Jimmy Robertson and Dechawat Poomjaeng, seeing him finish 25th on the Order of Merit. Zhang won three matches in the early part of the 2015/2016 season, but then lost seven in a row until he beat Joe Swail 10–7 in the first round of World Championship qualifying, before losing 10–3 to Matthew Stevens. He qualified for the 2016 Indian Open, World Open ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chen Zifan
Chen Zifan (; born 17 September 1995) is a Chinese professional snooker player who, in 2023, received a five-year ban from professional competition after committing match-fixing offences. In December 2022, Chen was suspended from the professional tour amid a match-fixing investigation. In January 2023, he was charged with fixing matches on the tour. In June 2023, he was banned from professional competition until 20 December 2027. Career Chen Zifan started to play snooker aged 10, helped by his uncle, who ran a club in Xi'an. At first, his parents were reluctant, but after showing great talent, they allowed him to quit mainstream school at the age of 11 to concentrate on snooker. In 2008, Chen won third place in Chinese National Junior Championship. Coached by former professional Liu Song, he began playing in minor-ranking Asian Players Tour Championship events. In 2012 he reached the last 64 in the Event 1 in Zhangjiagang where he lost 4–2 to Michael White. In 2013, he w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mark King (snooker Player)
Mark King (born 28 March 1974) is an English former professional snooker player. Having turned professional in 1991, King was World snooker rankings, ranked within the world's top 32 players between 1996 and 2015, and won his first ranking event title in 2016, defeating Barry Hawkins 9–8 in the final of the 2016 Northern Ireland Open, Northern Ireland Open. He has also appeared in two other ranking tournament finals: the 1997 Welsh Open (snooker), 1997 Welsh Open, where he lost 2–9 to Stephen Hendry; and the 2004 Irish Masters, where Peter Ebdon defeated him 10–7. King has reached the last 16 of the World Snooker Championship, World Championship seven times, in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009 and 2013, but has never progressed beyond this stage. In November 2024, it was announced that King had been banned from snooker for five years after being found guilty of match fixing and providing inside information relating to his match against Joe Perry (snooker player), Joe Pe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sam Baird
Sam Baird (born 17 June 1988) is an English former professional snooker player. He first entered the professional tour for the 2009/10 season, by winning the EBSA Pro-Ticket Tour Play-offs. Career 2011/2012 season Baird reached the main draw of a ranking event for the first time in 2012 by coming through four qualifying matches, concluding with a 4–2 win over Dominic Dale, to make the 2012 Welsh Open. He played against world number 1, Mark Selby in the first round of the event and almost pulled off the result of his career as he led the best-of-seven match, 3–2. Baird then missed a blue off the spot with two balls remaining when he required just the blue and pink for the match and, despite chances in the decider, he would lose the game 3–4. Baird also qualified for the 2012 World Open in Haikou, China. He again won four matches, sealing his place with a 5–4 victory over Mark Davis. He was required to play in a wild-card round in China to make the last 32 of the even ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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David Gilbert (snooker Player)
David Gilbert (born 12 June 1981) is an English professional snooker player who has won one ranking title. Never having previously been beyond the last 16 of a ranking event, Gilbert reached the final of the 2015 International Championship where he lost 5–10 to John Higgins. On 22 January 2019 he hit the milestone of the 147th maximum break, in the 2019 Championship League, Championship League. On 4 May 2019 he narrowly missed out on his first World Snooker Championship final, losing out 16–17 to John Higgins in the semi-final. On 13 August 2021 Gilbert won his first world ranking title, the 2021 Championship League (2021–22 season), 2021 Championship League, beating Mark Allen (snooker player), Mark Allen 3–1 in the final. Gilbert is a former World Snooker Young Player of Distinction. Snooker career Early career Gilbert began his professional career by playing Challenge Tour (snooker), UK Tour in 1999, at the time the second-level professional tour. In t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Martin O'Donnell (snooker Player)
Martin O'Donnell (born 4 June 1986) is an English professional snooker player. He gained a two-year place on the main snooker tour by coming through the 2012 Q School. He finished with the most points during the Q Tour of the 2022–23 season and gained a two-year tour card as a result. He is known as "The Minister of Defence" because his initials spell out "MoD" as reference to the UK government body responsible for the Armed Forces. Career Early career As an amateur, O'Donnell played in all 12 of the Players Tour Championship events during the 2010/2011 season. He reached the second round on three occasions, but could not progress any further, however, in Event 3 he defeated former world champion, Shaun Murphy 4–3. O'Donnell finished 109th on the Order of Merit. He entered the 2011 Q School in an attempt to turn professional and in the final event he was one match away from achieving this. He played Kurt Maflin and lost 1–4. In the 2011/2012 season, O'Donnell ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jamie Jones (snooker Player)
Jamie Jones (born 14 February 1988) is a Welsh professional snooker player from Neath. At the age of 14 he was the youngest ever player to make a maximum 147 break in competition, a record that has since been beaten by Judd Trump. At the 2012 World Snooker Championship, Jones reached his first ranking quarter-final. He made his second appearance in the quarter-finals of a Triple Crown tournament at the 2016 UK Championship. Jones made his first official maximum break in the third frame of his last-64 match against Lee Walker at the 2018 Paul Hunter Classic. It was his first professional maximum break. In October 2018, Jones was suspended from the snooker tour pending a match-fixing investigation. The match in question was a 2016 International Championship qualifier between former world champion Graeme Dott and Jones's good friend and compatriot David John. In January 2019, Jones was acquitted of match-fixing following a hearing at which he was represented by sports barri ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Adam Duffy
Adam Duffy (born 30 March 1989) is an English former professional snooker player. Duffy qualified for the 2011–12 professional Main Tour as one of four semi-finalists from the third and final 2011 Q School event. Career Debut season As a new player on the tour Duffy would need to win four qualifying matches to reach the main stage of the ranking event tournaments. He came closest to doing this in the sixth event of the year, the Welsh Open, where he received a bye through round one and then beat James Wattana and Jack Lisowski, before being whitewashed 0–4 by former world champion Peter Ebdon in the final qualifying round. He also reached the last 16 of Event 2 of the minor-ranking Players Tour Championship series, which included a 4–0 victory over world number one Mark Selby. Duffy finished his first year as a professional ranked world number 62, inside the top 64 who guarantee their places for the 2012–13 season. He was the second highest ranked of all the new pla ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Maximum Break
A maximum break (also known as a maximum, a 147, or orally, a onefourseven) is the highest possible in snooker in normal circumstances and is a special type of . A player compiles a maximum break by potting all 15 with 15 for 120 points, followed by all six for a further 27 points. Compiling a maximum break is regarded as a highly significant achievement in the game of snooker, and may be compared to a ninedart finish in darts, a holeinone in golf, or a 300 game in tenpin bowling. Joe Davis made the first officially recognised maximum break in a 1955 exhibition match in London. At the Classic in January 1982, Steve Davis achieved the first recognised maximum in professional competition, which was also the first in a televised match. The following year, Cliff Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum at the World Snooker Championship. As of April 2025, over 200 officially recognised maximum breaks have been made in professional tournament play. Ronnie O'Sull ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Bucharest metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 2.3 million residents, which makes Bucharest the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 8th most-populous city in the European Union. The city area measures and comprises 6 districts (''Sectors of Bucharest, Sectoare''), while the metropolitan area covers . Bucharest is a major cultural, political and economic hub, the country's seat of government, and the capital of the Muntenia region. Bucharest was first mentioned in documents in 1459. The city became the capital in 1862 and is the centre of Romanian media, culture, and art. Its architecture is a mix of historical (mostly History of architecture#Revivalism and Eclecticism, Eclectic, but also Neoclassical arc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |