Abdulraouf Saigh came within a few balls of making history, as the first Saudi player to win a professional match, before bowing out 4-3 to tour rookie Robbie McGuigan in a thrilling encounter.
The momentous maiden running of Saudi Arabia’s first ever ranking event kicked off this afternoon, beginning a nine-day festival of snooker where 144 players are battling it out for a top prize of £500,000.
Saigh delighted his supporters in the opening stages with a break of 93 to take a 2-1 lead. The following two frames were shared to leave 37-year-old Saigh on the verge of victory, but it was McGuigan who forced a decider to make it 3-3.
The last frame came down to the final red, but a misjudged safety from Saigh saw him go in off and leave the balls at European Amateur Champion McGuigan’s mercy. He obliged to claim victory on the pink. He now faces Ma Hailong in round two.
20-year-old McGuigan said: “The facilities are immaculate and the table was fantastic. It is just a shame how we played. It was a nervy affair and I’ve no idea how I won that match. I was 48-0 down in the decider and my head was completely gone. He has let me off the hook. When I got my chance to clear up I was never going miss. That was the opportunity to win the match.”
Returning professional Michael Holt scored an emphatic 4-0 win over Kuwait’s Ahmad Abul. Afterwards the Hitman admitted this showpiece event has served as a reminder of how much he has missed competing on snooker’s biggest stages.
Former Shoot Out champion Holt suffered relegation from the circuit in 2022, but last year returned thanks to his performances on the Q Tour. He looked to be in good touch this afternoon as breaks of 78 and 68 helped him coast to victory. Next up for Holt is Liu Hongyu.
It’s been a busy couple of days for Holt, who joined Jimmy White, Stan Moody and Liam Davies to help coach young players at the Saudi Federation Billiards and Snooker Hall.
Holt said: “It was brilliant getting the youngsters involved. They obviously have a place there that they can play. Look at what has happened to China. They are at the early stages here but if you keep opening places like that and giving kids the chance to play, hopefully one day they will produce a World Champion.
“It’s the first time here and it is a new place for us. I’ve been out to get some good food and the venue is amazing. I just had to go out there and play and I did. I’m really pleased.
“I’ve missed everything. Just being around some of the lads and the fact these events are huge. The atmosphere is different. One of my motivations to get back was to play in events like this. It is a privilege to be playing out there.”
Egyptian wildcard Mohamed Elkhayat scored a 4-3 win over former Women’s World Champion Baipat Siripaporn, in what was his first ever appearance on the World Snooker Tour.
Belgium’s Julien Leclercq put on a fine display to defeat Welshman Dylan Emery 4-2. The former Shoot Out runner-up hammered home breaks of 112, 94 and 91 on his way to booking a second round meeting with 2006 World Champion Graeme Dott.
Oliver Lines scored a 4-0 whitewash win over Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Bahashwan, while Chris Totten beat Haris Tahir 4-2.