Shanghai Masters
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Location
China -
Venue
Shanghai -
Start Date
11 Sep 2023 -
Finish Date
17 Sep 2023 -
Total Prize Money
TBC -
Format
Invitation event -
Winner Prize Money
TBC -
Current Champion(s)
Ronnie O'Sullivan
The World Snooker Tour will stage a minimum of three tournaments in China in 2023, including the first world ranking events since 2019.
Aside from the 2022 Hong Kong Masters which was an eight-player invitation event, these will be the first professional snooker events hosted in China for four years.
The tournaments are:
Shanghai Masters – invitational with 24 players. September 11-17
Wuhan Open – world ranking event. October 9-15
International Championship – world ranking event. November 5-12. Host city to be confirmed
Total prize money for these three events combined will exceed £2 million.
WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “This is a momentous announcement for our sport as we ramp up our return to staging events in Asia. To have a minimum of two world ranking events, plus a major invitation tournament, in China later this year is fantastic for the players and fans.
“Throughout the pandemic we have maintained dialogue and relationships with the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association as well as our key partners and promoters across China. This has allowed us to make a fast return to staging key events now that travel restrictions have lifted.
“We promised our players that this was top of our agenda and we have delivered on that promise, adding more than £2 million in prize money to the tour. We will continue to explore opportunities to stage further events in China and beyond.
The Shanghai Masters is among the most popular snooker events in China
“We are excited to host a tournament for the first time in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province and a vibrant city of 11 million people. The Shanghai Masters has a long history and is renowned for its prestige.
“There is a vast appetite for snooker among fans in China and they will keenly anticipate the return of our star players. We look forward to working with our partners on building a bright future for snooker in the region.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan won the Shanghai Masters for the third consecutive year in 2019 by beating Shaun Murphy 11-9 in the final. O’Sullivan also won the title in 2018, beating Barry Hawkins 11-9, and 2017, beating Judd Trump 10-3.