2017 China Championship

The 2017 China Championship (officially the 2017 Evergrande China Championship) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 16 and 22 August 2017 in China.^[1] It was the second ranking event of the 2017/2018 season.^[2]

2017 Evergrande China Championship

Tournament information
Dates	16–22 August 2017 (2017-08-16 – 2017-08-22)
Venue	Guangzhou Sport University
City	Guangzhou
Country	China
Organisation	World Snooker
Format	Ranking event
Total prize fund	£700,000[1]
Winner's share	£150,000
Highest break	Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) (144)
Final
Champion	Luca Brecel (BEL)
Runner-up	Shaun Murphy (ENG)
Score	10–5
← 2016 2018 →

This was the first time the event was a ranking tournament. John Higgins was the defending champion, but was knocked out in the second round by Tom Ford.^[3][4]

Luca Brecel won his first ranking tournament, beating Shaun Murphy 10–5 in the final. He became the first player from mainland Europe to win a ranking event.^[5][6]

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:^[7]

Winner: £150,000 Runner-up: £75,000 Semi-final: £32,000 Quarter-final: £18,000 Last 16: £12,000 Last 32: £7,000 Last 64: £4,000

Televised highest break: £3,000 Total: £700,000

The "rolling 147 prize" for a maximum break stood at £15,000

Main draw

	Last 64 Best of 9 frames					Last 32 Best of 9 frames					Last 16 Best of 9 frames					Quarter-finals Best of 9 frames					Semi-finals Best of 11 frames
	Mark Selby		5
	Noppon Saengkham		1
						Mark Selby		4
						Zhou Yuelong		5
	Zhou Yuelong		5
	Chen Zifan		4
											Zhou Yuelong		5
											Martin Gould		2
	Martin Gould		5
	Andrew Higginson		2
						Martin Gould		5
						Mark Joyce		2
	Anthony McGill		2
	Mark Joyce		5
																Zhou Yuelong		2
																Shaun Murphy		5
	Rory McLeod		1
	Stephen Maguire		5
						Stephen Maguire		5
						Yan Bingtao		1
	Yan Bingtao		5
	Stuart Bingham		3
											Stephen Maguire		0
											Shaun Murphy		5
	Peter Ebdon		3
	Anthony Hamilton		5
						Anthony Hamilton[nb 1]		0
						Shaun Murphy		5
	Ken Doherty		4
	Shaun Murphy		5
																					Shaun Murphy		6
																					Ali Carter		4
	Barry Hawkins		5
	Oliver Lines		2
						Barry Hawkins		3
						Mark Davis		5
	Ben Woollaston		4
	Mark Davis		5
											Mark Davis		1
											Ali Carter		5
	Ali Carter		5
	Aditya Mehta		4
						Ali Carter		5
						David Grace		4
	Ian Preece		4
	David Grace		5
																Ali Carter		5
																Fergal O'Brien		2
	Fergal O'Brien		5
	Mark King		3
						Fergal O'Brien		5
						Kurt Maflin		2
	Kurt Maflin		5
	Michael Georgiou		0
											Fergal O'Brien		5
											Alan McManus		4
	Elliot Slessor		3
	Alan McManus		5
						Alan McManus		5
						Ding Junhui		0
	Alfie Burden		2
	Ding Junhui		5
	Judd Trump		5
	Daniel Wells		2
						Judd Trump		3
						Graeme Dott		5
	Graeme Dott		5
	Robert Milkins		3
											Graeme Dott		0
											Ronnie O'Sullivan		5
	Ronnie O'Sullivan		5
	Sam Baird		2
						Ronnie O'Sullivan		5
						David Gilbert		3
	David Gilbert		5
	Stuart Carrington		4
																Ronnie O'Sullivan		4
																Luca Brecel		5
	Mike Dunn		5
	Joe Perry		1
						Mike Dunn		5
						Allan Taylor		4
	Allan Taylor		5
	Ian Burns		4
											Mike Dunn		3
											Luca Brecel		5
	Jimmy Robertson		2
	Luca Brecel		5
						Luca Brecel		5
						Marco Fu		2
	Hossein Vafaei		3
	Marco Fu		5
																					Luca Brecel		6
																					Li Hang		5
	Neil Robertson		4
	Li Hang		5
						Li Hang		5
						Michael White		4
	Michael White		5
	Xiao Guodong		3
											Li Hang		5
											Matthew Stevens		4
	Mark Allen		4
	Matthew Stevens		5
						Matthew Stevens		5
						Thepchaiya Un-Nooh		2
	Michael Holt		2
	Thepchaiya Un-Nooh		5
																Li Hang		5
																Mark Williams		3
	Cao Yupeng		3
	Ryan Day		5
						Ryan Day		0
						Mark Williams		5
	Tian Pengfei		2
	Mark Williams		5
											Mark Williams		5
											Tom Ford		3
	Matthew Selt		1
	Tom Ford		5
						Tom Ford		5
						John Higgins		2
	Chris Wakelin		2
	John Higgins		5

Notes

1. Hamilton retired at 0–1 due to a neck injury

Final

Final: Best of 19 frames. Referee: Deng Shihao. Guangzhou Sports University, Guangzhou, China, 22 August 2017.
Shaun Murphy  England	5–10	Luca Brecel  Belgium
Afternoon: 68–2 (55), 78–31 (68), 15–68 (64), 107–0 (107), 49–63, 19–56, 53–77 (Murphy 53), 5–78 (78), 58–54 Evening: 0–66, 30–62, 109–1 (77), 52–53, 30–70, 37–61
107	Highest break	78
1	Century breaks	0
5	50+ breaks	2

Qualifying

These matches were held between 3 and 6 June 2017 at the Preston Guild Hall in Preston, England. All matches were the best of 9 frames.^[8]

Mark Selby (ENG) 5–1[nb 1]  Luo Honghao (CHN)[nb 2]  Noppon Saengkham (THA) 5–4  Rhys Clark (SCO)  Zhou Yuelong (CHN) 5–3  Christopher Keogan (ENG)  Dominic Dale (WAL) 3–5  Chen Zifan (CHN)  Martin Gould (ENG) 5–1  Adam Duffy (ENG)  Andrew Higginson (ENG) 5–1[nb 1]  Hu Hao (CHN)[nb 2]  Anthony McGill (SCO) 5–3  Craig Steadman (ENG)  Mark Joyce (ENG) 5–3  Rod Lawler (ENG)  Rory McLeod (ENG) 5–3  Chen Zhe (CHN)  Stephen Maguire (SCO) 5–1  Jamie Curtis-Barrett (ENG)  Yan Bingtao (CHN) 5–1  Wang Yuchen (CHN)  Stuart Bingham (ENG) 5–0  Billy Joe Castle (ENG)  Peter Ebdon (ENG) 5–3  Nigel Bond (ENG)  Anthony Hamilton (ENG) 5–2  Robin Hull (FIN)  Gary Wilson (ENG) 1–5  Ken Doherty (IRL)  Shaun Murphy (ENG) 5–2  Zhang Anda (CHN)  Barry Hawkins (ENG) 5–4  John Astley (ENG)  Oliver Lines (ENG) 5–2  Duane Jones (WAL)  Ben Woollaston (ENG) 5–3  Lukas Kleckers (GER)  Mark Davis (ENG) 5–2  Alexander Ursenbacher (SUI)  Ali Carter (ENG) 5–2  Ross Muir (SCO)  Robbie Williams (ENG) 4–5  Aditya Mehta (IND)  Ricky Walden (ENG) 0–5  Ian Preece (WAL)  David Grace (ENG) 5–4  Mei Xiwen (CHN)  Fergal O'Brien (IRL) 5–3  Sam Craigie (ENG)  Mark King (ENG) w/o–w/d  Li Yuan (CHN)  Kurt Maflin (NOR) 5–3  Thor Chuan Leong (MAS)  Kyren Wilson (ENG) 1–5  Michael Georgiou (CYP)  Jamie Jones (WAL) 0–5  Elliot Slessor (ENG)  Alan McManus (SCO) 5–4  Hammad Miah (ENG)  Alfie Burden (ENG) 5–2  Paul Davison (ENG)  Ding Junhui (CHN) 5–1[nb 1]  Niu Zhuang (CHN)

Judd Trump (ENG) 5–1  Xu Si (CHN)  Daniel Wells (WAL) 5–2[nb 1]  Ma Chunmao (CHN)[nb 2]  Graeme Dott (SCO) w/o–w/d  Liam Highfield (ENG)  Robert Milkins (ENG) 5–2  Zhao Xintong (CHN)  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) w/o–w/d  Zhang Yong (CHN)  Sam Baird (ENG) 5–2  Josh Boileau (IRL)  David Gilbert (ENG) 5–4  Mitchell Mann (ENG)  Stuart Carrington (ENG) 5–1  Scott Donaldson (SCO)  Mike Dunn (ENG) 5–2  Alex Borg (MLT)  Joe Perry (ENG) 5–1  Eden Sharav (SCO)  Jack Lisowski (ENG) 3–5  Allan Taylor (ENG)  Liang Wenbo (CHN) 3–5[nb 1]  Ian Burns (ENG)  Jimmy Robertson (ENG) 5–0  David John (WAL)  Luca Brecel (BEL) 5–2  Sean O'Sullivan (ENG)  Hossein Vafaei (IRN) 5–0  Soheil Vahedi (IRN)  Marco Fu (HKG) 5–0  Sanderson Lam (ENG)  Neil Robertson (AUS) 5–2  Gerard Greene (NIR)  Li Hang (CHN) 5–3  Joe Swail (NIR)  Michael White (WAL) 5–3  Martin O'Donnell (ENG)  Xiao Guodong (CHN) 5–4  Hamza Akbar (PAK)  Mark Allen (NIR) 5–3  Lee Walker (WAL)  Matthew Stevens (WAL) 5–2  Ashley Hugill (ENG)  Michael Holt (ENG) 5–0  Kurt Dunham (AUS)  Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) 5–4  Chris Totten (SCO)  Yu Delu (CHN) 3–5  Cao Yupeng (CHN)  Ryan Day (WAL) 5–0  Jimmy White (ENG)  Tian Pengfei (CHN) 5–2[nb 1]  Fan Zhengyi (CHN)[nb 2]  Mark Williams (WAL) 5–3  Jak Jones (WAL)  Matthew Selt (ENG) 5–4  Peter Lines (ENG)  Tom Ford (ENG) 5–3  Yuan Sijun (CHN)  Chris Wakelin (ENG) 5–3  Fang Xiongman (CHN)  John Higgins (SCO) 5–0[nb 1]  Lyu Haotian (CHN)

Notes

1. Match held over and played in Guangzhou
2. Wildcard player

Century breaks

Qualifying stage centuries

Total: 29

138 – Zhang Anda 136 – Stuart Carrington 134, 124 – Marco Fu 120 – David Gilbert 115 – Mark Allen 115 – Rhys Clark 111 – Anthony McGill 110 – Chris Wakelin 110 – Mark Williams 109 – Shaun Murphy 107 – Anthony Hamilton 105 – Joe Perry 104 – Barry Hawkins 104 – Xiao Guodong

103 – Ali Carter 103 – Jimmy Robertson 103 – Chen Zifan 102 – Mark Davis 102 – Ken Doherty 102 – Sam Craigie 101 – Peter Ebdon 101 – Stephen Maguire 100 – Judd Trump 100 – Ian Preece 100 – Gerard Greene 100 – Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 100 – Hossein Vafaei 100 – Chris Totten

Televised stage centuries

Total: 40

144 – Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 139, 133, 103 – Li Hang 139, 130, 124, 100 – Ronnie O'Sullivan 137 – Ryan Day 134 – Mark Joyce 133, 127, 112 – Ali Carter 133 – Tom Ford 130, 120 – Stuart Carrington 129, 119 – John Higgins 128, 105, 104 – Judd Trump 128 – Ding Junhui 124, 104 – Zhou Yuelong

124 – Fergal O'Brien 123 – Mark Selby 122 – Yan Bingtao 115 – Mark Williams 110, 107, 103 – Luca Brecel 110 – Barry Hawkins 109 – Mark Davis 107, 104, 100 – Shaun Murphy 104 – Michael White 102 – Marco Fu 102 – Liang Wenbo 100 – Alfie Burden

References

1. "China Championship 2017". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
2. "Calendar 2017/2018". Snooker.org. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
3. "China Championship: John Higgins beats Stuart Bingham in final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
4. "Higgins Is Guangzhou King". World Snooker. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
5. "China Championship: Luca Brecel beats Shaun Murphy for first ranking title". BBC Sport. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
6. "Luca Brecel wins first ranking event with victory over Shaun Murphy". Eurosport. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
7. "Indicative Prize Money Rankings Schedule 2017/2018 Season" (PDF). worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
8. "2017 China Championship Qualifying". Snooker.org. Retrieved 30 May 2017.