2023 World Women's Snooker Championship Explained

The 2023 World Women's Snooker Championship was a women's snooker tournament that took place from 28 February to 4 March 2023 at the Hi-End Snooker Club in Bangkok, Thailand, sponsored by the venue and by the Billiard Sports Association of Thailand.^[1] The winner received £8,000 from a total prize fund of £25,800 and also earned a two-year tour card on the main professional World Snooker Tour from the start of the 2023–24 snooker season.^[2]

Mink Nutcharut was the defending champion, having defeated Wendy Jans 6–5 in the 2022 final,^[3] but she lost 2–5 to Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjam in the semi-finals.^[4] Nuanthakhamjan defeated Bai Yulu 6–3 in the final to win her first women's world title.^[5] The second Thai player to win the title, she entered the top 10 in the women's world rankings for the first time.^[6]

Bai's 127 break in her Group L match against Amee Kamani was the highest in the tournament's history, surpassing the 125 break made by Kelly Fisher at the 2003 event.^[7] It was the only century break of the tournament.^[8]

Background

The Women's Professional Snooker Championship was held ten times between 1934 and 1950, with no tournaments staged between 1941 and 1947. Ruth Harrison won eight of those ten events.^[9] The Women's World Open, first held in 1976, is recognised as the beginning of the modern World Women's Snooker Championship.^{[10] [11]} English player Reanne Evans holds the record for the most wins, having won 12 titles, including ten consecutive victories from 2005 to 2014.^[12]

Format

There were nine groups with four players and three groups with five players. The best eight of the twelve players who finished top of their group advanced to the last 16, while the remaining four players and the runners-up in their group advanced to the last 24. It is a single elimination knockout from the last 24 onwards.

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below:^[13]

• Winner: £8,000
• Runner-up: £4,000
• Semi-final: £2,000
• Quarter-final: £1,000
• Last 16: £500
• Preliminary Round : £200
• Highest break: £200
• Total: £25,800

Main draw

The draw and results for the knockout stage are shown below.^[14]

External links

• Group standings at WPBSA SnookerScores
• Knockout results at WPBSA SnookerScores
• Breaks of 30 or more at WPBSA SnookerScores

Notes and References

1. News: 2023 World Women's Snooker Championship . Snooker Scores . 26 January 2023.
2. Web site: World women's snooker championship to return to Thailand . World Women's Snooker . 22 November 2022 . 6 December 2022.
3. News: World Women's Snooker Championship: Nutcharut Wongharuthai beats Wendy Jans . 27 January 2023 . 14 February 2022 . BBC Sport.
4. Web site: 2023-03-03 . Teenager Bai Reaches Women's Final . https://web.archive.org/web/20230305083400/https://wst.tv/teenager-bai-reaches-womens-final/ . dead . 5 March 2023 . 2023-03-08 . World Snooker . en-US.
5. News: Chui . Shirley . China's wait for snooker world champion goes on as 'female Ding' Bai Yulu loses women's final . South China Morning Post . 4 March 2023.
6. Web site: Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan . 2023-03-09 . World Women's Snooker . en-GB.
7. Web site: Bai Yulu makes 127 in Thailand . World Women's Snooker . 1 March 2023 . 2 March 2023.
8. Web site: 2023 World Women's Snooker Championship - 30+ Breaks . WPBSA SnookerScores . 4 March 2023.
9. Book: Everton, Clive . Clive Everton . 1985 . Guinness Snooker – The Records . Guinness Superlatives . 154–156 . 978-0-85112-448-3 .
10. Book: Morrison, Ian . 1987 . The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker – revised edition . Twickenham . Hamlyn . 978-0-600-55604-6 . 156–157.
11. Web site: World champions . World Women's Snooker . 27 January 2023.
12. Web site: Reanne Evans wins 12th Women's World Snooker Championship title . . 23 June 2019 . BBC Sport . 27 January 2023 .
13. Web site: World Women’s Snooker Championship 2023 entry pack . WLBS . 3 March 2023.
14. Web site: 2023 World Women's Snooker Championship – Knockout . WPBSA SnookerScores . 3 March 2023.