# 2018–19 snooker season

The 2018–19 snooker season was a series of professional snooker tournaments played between 10 May 2018 and 23 June 2019. The season was made up of ranking tournaments, non-ranking tournaments and variant tournaments. In total, 54 events were competed in the 2018–19 season, beginning with the pro–am 2018 Vienna Open, and ending with the 2019 World Snooker Championship.
To be eligible to play in most tournaments, players had to have qualified to play on the World Snooker Tour, however, some wildcard former professional, and amateur players were eligible in certain competitions. The season also saw four events strictly for over 40s, as a part of the World Seniors Tour.
Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson and Judd Trump each won three ranking events with Mark Allen, Stuart Bingham and Kyren Wilson each winning twice. Robertson reached six ranking event finals during the season.

## Players

The Main Tour consists of 128 professional players for the 2018/2019 season. The top 64 players from the prize money rankings after the 2018 World Championship and the 34 players earning a two-year card the previous year (excluding Lyu Haotian, who already climbed into the top 64 of the world rankings following the first year of his two-year tour card) automatically qualified for the season. Next, eight places were allocated from the top 8 on the One Year Ranking List, who had not already qualified for the Main Tour. Another two players came from the EBSA Qualifying Tour Play-Offs, two players came from the CBSA China Tour and a further 12 places were available through the 2018 Q School, four from each of the three events. The six remaining entries on to the tour were allocated from the international amateur events.
Due to the disputes between the IBSF and the WPBSA, the WPBSA decided that the winners of the tournaments organised by the IBSF or any continental confederations which were not affiliated to the World Snooker Federation would not be awarded tour cards. The only exception was the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship, which had been concluded before the decision was made.

### New professional players

All players listed below received a tour card for two seasons.

## Calendar

The following tables outline the dates and results for all the World Snooker Tour, World Women's Snooker Tour, World Seniors Tour, Challenge Tour, and other events in the season.

### World Snooker Tour

| Start | Finish | Tournament | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 27 Jul | 29 Jul | Riga Masters | Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia | Neil Robertson (AUS) | 5‍–‍2 | Jack Lisowski (ENG) |
| 6 Aug | 12 Aug | World Open | Yushan Number One Middle School in Yushan, China | Mark Williams (WAL) | 10‍–‍9 | David Gilbert (ENG) |
| 22 Aug | 26 Aug | Paul Hunter Classic | Stadthalle in Fürth, Germany | Kyren Wilson (ENG) | 4‍–‍2 | Peter Ebdon (ENG) |
| 3 Sep | 8 Sep | Six-red World Championship† | Bangkok Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand | Kyren Wilson (ENG) | 8‍–‍4 | Ding Junhui (CHN) |
| 10 Sep | 16 Sep | Shanghai Masters† | Regal International East Asia Hotel in Shanghai, China | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) | 11‍–‍9 | Barry Hawkins (ENG) |
| 24 Sep | 30 Sep | China Championship | Guangzhou Tianhe Sports Centre in Guangzhou, China | Mark Selby (ENG) | 10‍–‍9 | John Higgins (SCO) |
| 1 Oct | 7 Oct | European Masters | De Soeverein in Lommel, Belgium | Jimmy Robertson (ENG) | 9‍–‍6 | Joe Perry (ENG) |
| 15 Oct | 21 Oct | English Open | K2 in Crawley, England | Stuart Bingham (ENG) | 9‍–‍7 | Mark Davis (ENG) |
| 24 Oct | 25 Oct | Macau Masters† | JW Marriott Hotel Macau in Macau, China | Barry Hawkins (ENG) Ryan Day (WAL) Zhou Yuelong (CHN) Zhao Xintong (CHN) | 5‍–‍1 | Mark Williams (WAL) Marco Fu (HKG) Joe Perry (ENG) Zhang Anda (CHN) |
| 25 Oct | 25 Oct | Six-red Macau Masters† | JW Marriott Hotel Macau in Macau, China | Barry Hawkins (ENG) | 3‍–‍2 | Mark Williams (WAL) |
| 28 Oct | 4 Nov | International Championship | Baihu Media Broadcasting Centre in Daqing, China | Mark Allen (NIR) | 10‍–‍5 | Neil Robertson (AUS) |
| 5 Nov | 11 Nov | Champion of Champions† | Ricoh Arena in Coventry, England | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) | 10‍–‍9 | Kyren Wilson (ENG) |
| 12 Nov | 18 Nov | Northern Ireland Open | Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland | Judd Trump (ENG) | 9‍–‍7 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
| 27 Nov | 9 Dec | UK Championship | Barbican Centre in York, England | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) | 10‍–‍6 | Mark Allen (NIR) |
| 10 Dec | 16 Dec | Scottish Open | Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland | Mark Allen (NIR) | 9‍–‍7 | Shaun Murphy (ENG) |
| 13 Jan | 20 Jan | Masters† | Alexandra Palace in London, England | Judd Trump (ENG) | 10‍–‍4 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
| 30 Jan | 3 Feb | German Masters | Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany | Kyren Wilson (ENG) | 9‍–‍7 | David Gilbert (ENG) |
| 4 Feb | 10 Feb | World Grand Prix | The Centaur, Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, England | Judd Trump (ENG) | 10‍–‍6 | Ali Carter (ENG) |
| 11 Feb | 17 Feb | Welsh Open | Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales | Neil Robertson (AUS) | 9‍–‍7 | Stuart Bingham (ENG) |
| 21 Feb | 24 Feb | Shoot Out | Watford Colosseum in Watford, England | Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) | 1‍–‍0 | Michael Holt (ENG) |
| 27 Feb | 3 Mar | Indian Open | Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty in Kochi, India | Matthew Selt (ENG) | 5‍–‍3 | Lyu Haotian (CHN) |
| 4 Mar | 10 Mar | Players Championship | Preston Guild Hall in Preston, England | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) | 10‍–‍4 | Neil Robertson (AUS) |
| 1 Jan | 14 Mar | Championship League† | Ricoh Arena and Barnsley Metrodome in Coventry/Barnsley, England | Martin Gould (ENG) | 3‍–‍1 | Jack Lisowski (ENG) |
| 15 Mar | 17 Mar | Gibraltar Open | Tercentenary Sports Hall in Gibraltar, Gibraltar | Stuart Bingham (ENG) | 4‍–‍1 | Ryan Day (WAL) |
| 19 Mar | 24 Mar | Tour Championship | Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) | 13‍–‍11 | Neil Robertson (AUS) |
| 1 Apr | 7 Apr | China Open | Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Beijing, China | Neil Robertson (AUS) | 11‍–‍4 | Jack Lisowski (ENG) |
| 20 Apr | 6 May | World Championship | Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England | Judd Trump (ENG) | 18‍–‍9 | John Higgins (SCO) |
* Ranking event
* † Non-ranking event

### World Women's Snooker

| Start | Finish | Tournament | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 15 Sep | 16 Sep | UK Women's Championship | Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, England | Ng On-Yee (HKG) | 4‍–‍1 | Rebecca Kenna (ENG) |
| 5 Oct | 8 Oct | European Women's Masters | De Maxx in Neerpelt, Belgium | Reanne Evans (ENG) | 4‍–‍1 | Nutcharut Wongharuthai (THA) |
| 25 Oct | 25 Oct | Australian Women's Open | Mounties in Sydney, Australia | Ng On-Yee (HKG) | 4‍–‍2 | Katrina Wan (HKG) |
| 24 Nov | 25 Nov | Eden Women's Masters | South West Snooker Academy in Quedgeley, England | Reanne Evans (ENG) | 4‍–‍0 | Rebecca Kenna (ENG) |
| 1 Feb | 3 Feb | Belgian Women's Open | The Trickshot in Bruges, Belgium | Reanne Evans (ENG) | 4‍–‍1 | Ng On-Yee (HKG) |
| 13 Apr | 13 Apr | World Women's 10-Red Championship | Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, England | Reanne Evans (ENG) | 4‍–‍3 | Ng On-Yee (HKG) |
| 14 Apr | 14 Apr | World Women's 6-Red Championship | Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, England | Reanne Evans (ENG) | 4‍–‍1 | Nutcharut Wongharuthai (THA) |
| 17 Jun | 19 Jun | Women's Snooker World Cup | Hi-End Snooker Club in Bangkok, Thailand | Thailand A | 4‍–‍0 | Hong Kong A |
| 20 Jun | 23 Jun | World Women's Championship | Hi-End Snooker Club in Bangkok, Thailand | Reanne Evans (ENG) | 6‍–‍3 | Nutcharut Wongharuthai (THA) |

### World Seniors Tour

| Start | Finish | Tournament | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 24 Oct | 25 Oct | UK Seniors Championship | Bonus Arena in Hull, England | Ken Doherty (IRL) | 4‍–‍1 | Igor Figueiredo (BRA) |
| 5 Jan | 6 Jan | Seniors Irish Masters | Goffs in Kill, Ireland | Jimmy White (ENG) | 4‍–‍1 | Rodney Goggins (IRL) |
| 3 Mar | 3 Mar | Seniors 6-Red World Championship | Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland | Jimmy White (ENG) | 4‍–‍2 | Aaron Canavan (JER) |
| 11 Apr | 11 Apr | Seniors Masters | Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England | Joe Johnson (ENG) | 2‍–‍1 | Barry Pinches (ENG) |

### Challenge Tour

| Start | Finish | Tournament | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 2 Jun | 3 Jun | Challenge Tour 1 | Meadowside Leisure Centre in Burton upon Trent, England | Brandon Sargeant (ENG) | 3‍–‍1 | Luke Simmonds (ENG) |
| 10 Jul | 11 Jul | Challenge Tour 2 | Preston Guild Hall in Preston, England | David Grace (ENG) | 3‍–‍0 | Mitchell Mann (ENG) |
| 28 Jul | 28 Jul | Challenge Tour 3 | Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia | Barry Pinches (ENG) | 3‍–‍2 | Jackson Page (WAL) |
| 27 Aug | 28 Aug | Challenge Tour 4 | Stadthalle in Fürth, Germany | Mitchell Mann (ENG) | 3‍–‍0 | Dylan Emery (WAL) |
| 18 Sep | 19 Sep | Challenge Tour 5 | Cueball Derby in Derby, England | David Lilley (ENG) | 3‍–‍1 | Brandon Sargeant (ENG) |
| 4 Oct | 5 Oct | Challenge Tour 6 | De Soeverein in Lommel, Belgium | David Grace (ENG) | 3‍–‍0 | Ben Hancorn (ENG) |
| 13 Oct | 14 Oct | Challenge Tour 7 | Preston Guild Hall in Preston, England | Joel Walker (ENG) | 3‍–‍0 | Jenson Kendrick (ENG) |
| 14 Nov | 25 Nov | Challenge Tour 8 | Snooker Terminál in Budapest, Hungary | Simon Bedford (ENG) | 3‍–‍1 | David Lilley (ENG) |
| 26 Jan | 27 Jan | Challenge Tour 9 | Star Snooker Academy in Sheffield, England | Adam Duffy (ENG) | 3‍–‍1 | Matthew Glasby (ENG) |
| 6 Mar | 7 Mar | Challenge Tour 10 | South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester, England | George Pragnall (ENG) | 3‍–‍2 | Callum Lloyd (WAL) |

### Other events

| Start | Finish | Tournament | Venue | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| 10 May | 13 May | Vienna Open | 15 Reds Köö Wien Snooker Club in Vienna, Austria | Michael Georgiou (CYP) | 5‍–‍4 | Ross Muir (SCO) |
| 12 Jul | 15 Jul | Golden Q Cup | Golden Q Snooker Club in Baia Mare, Romania | Luca Brecel (BEL) | 5‍–‍1 | Michael Georgiou (CYP) |
| 28 Jul | 31 Jul | Pink Ribbon | South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester, England | Andrew Norman (ENG) | 4‍–‍2 | Harvey Chandler (ENG) |
| 31 Jul | 4 Aug | Haining Open | International Campus Zhejiang University in Haining, China | Mark Selby (ENG) | 5‍–‍4 | Li Hang (CHN) |

## Points distribution

2018/2019 points distribution for World Snooker Tour ranking events:
| RoundTournament | R144 | R128 | R80 | R64 | R48 | R32 | R16 | QF | SF | F | W |
| Riga Masters | — | £0 | — | £1,500 | — | £3,000 | £4,000 | £6,000 | £15,000 | £25,000 | £50,000 |
| World Open | — | £0 | — | £4,000 | — | £8,000 | £13,000 | £20,000 | £32,500 | £75,000 | £150,000 |
| Paul Hunter Classic | — | £0 | — | £600 | — | £1,000 | £1,725 | £3,000 | £4,500 | £10,000 | £20,000 |
| China Championship | — | £0 | — | £4,000 | — | £7,500 | £13,000 | £20,000 | £32,000 | £75,000 | £150,000 |
| European Masters | — | £0 | — | £3,000 | — | £4,000 | £6,000 | £11,000 | £17,500 | £35,000 | £75,000 |
| English Open | — | £0 | — | £2,500 | — | £3,500 | £6,000 | £10,000 | £20,000 | £30,000 | £70,000 |
| International Championship | — | £0 | — | £4,000 | — | £8,500 | £13,500 | £21,500 | £32,000 | £75,000 | £175,000 |
| Northern Ireland Open | — | £0 | — | £2,500 | — | £3,500 | £6,000 | £10,000 | £20,000 | £30,000 | £70,000 |
| UK Championship | — | £0 | — | £5,000 | — | £10,000 | £15,000 | £22,500 | £35,000 | £75,000 | £170,000 |
| Scottish Open | — | £0 | — | £2,500 | — | £3,500 | £6,000 | £10,000 | £20,000 | £30,000 | £70,000 |
| German Masters | — | £0 | — | £3,000 | — | £4,000 | £5,000 | £10,000 | £20,000 | £35,000 | £80,000 |
| World Grand Prix | — | — | — | — | — | £5,000 | £7,500 | £12,500 | £20,000 | £40,000 | £100,000 |
| Welsh Open | — | £0 | — | £2,500 | — | £3,500 | £6,000 | £10,000 | £20,000 | £30,000 | £70,000 |
| Shoot Out | — | £0 | — | £500 | — | £1,000 | £2,000 | £4,000 | £8,000 | £16,000 | £32,000 |
| Indian Open | — | £0 | — | £2,000 | — | £4,000 | £6,000 | £10,000 | £15,000 | £25,000 | £50,000 |
| Players Championship | — | — | — | — | — | — | £10,000 | £15,000 | £30,000 | £50,000 | £125,000 |
| Gibraltar Open | — | £0 | — | £1,500 | — | £2,500 | £3,000 | £4,000 | £6,000 | £12,000 | £25,000 |
| Tour Championship | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | £20,000 | £40,000 | £60,000 | £150,000 |
| China Open | — | £0 | — | £5,000 | — | £11,000 | £18,000 | £27,000 | £45,000 | £90,000 | £225,000 |
| World Championship | £0 | — | £10,000 | — | £15,000 | £20,000 | £30,000 | £50,000 | £100,000 | £200,000 | £500,000 |