# 2009–10 snooker season

The 2009–10 snooker season was a series of snooker tournaments played between 16 May 2009 and 8 May 2010. There were six ranking events, two less than in the previous season. The Bahrain Championship was not held again, and the Northern Ireland Trophy was removed from the calendar too. The Jiangsu Classic was held for the first time.

## New professional players

Countries
* Belgium
* China
* England
* Ireland
* Malta
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Thailand
* Wales
Note: new means in these case, that these players were not on the 2008/2009 professional Main Tour.

## Calendar

The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.

### World Snooker Tour

| Start | Finish | Country | Tournament name | Venue | City | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
| 4 Jun | 7 Jun | CHN | Jiangsu Classic | Wuxi City Sports Park Stadium | Wuxi | Mark Allen | Ding Junhui | 6–0 |
| 7 Jul | 12 Jul | THA | Six-red World Grand Prix | Montien Riverside Hotel | Bangkok | Jimmy White | Barry Hawkins | 8–6 |
| 28 Jul | 30 Jul | ENG | Pro Challenge Series – Event 1 | Northern Snooker Centre | Leeds | Stephen Maguire | Alan McManus | 5–2 |
| 31 Aug | 1 Sep | WAL | Pro Challenge Series – Event 2 | Pontin's | Prestatyn | Ken Doherty | Martin Gould | 6–2 |
| 7 Sep | 13 Sep | CHN | Shanghai Masters | Shanghai Grand Stage | Shanghai | Ronnie O'Sullivan | Liang Wenbo | 10–5 |
| 3 Oct | 11 Oct | SCO | Grand Prix | Kelvin Hall | Glasgow | Neil Robertson | Ding Junhui | 9–4 |
| 26 Oct | 29 Oct | WAL | Masters Qualifying Event | Pontin's | Prestatyn | Rory McLeod | Andrew Higginson | 6–1 |
| 9 Nov | 11 Nov | ENG | Pro Challenge Series – Event 3 | Willie Thorne Snooker Centre | Leicester | Robert Milkins | Joe Jogia | 5–3 |
| 3 Sep | 29 Nov | ENG | Premier League | Potters Leisure Resort | Hopton-on-Sea | Shaun Murphy | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 7–3 |
| 5 Dec | 13 Dec | ENG | UK Championship | Telford International Centre | Telford | Ding Junhui | John Higgins | 10–8 |
| 10 Jan | 17 Jan | ENG | Masters | Wembley Arena | London | Mark Selby | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 10–9 |
| 25 Jan | 31 Jan | WAL | Welsh Open | Newport Centre | Newport | John Higgins | Ali Carter | 9–4 |
| 16 Feb | 18 Feb | ENG | Pro Challenge Series – Event 5 | George Scott Snooker Club | Liverpool | Barry Hawkins | Michael Holt | 5–1 |
| 4 Jan | 25 Mar | ENG | Championship League | Crondon Park Golf Club | Stock | Marco Fu | Mark Allen | 3–2 |
| 29 Mar | 4 Apr | CHN | China Open | Beijing University Students Gymnasium | Beijing | Mark Williams | Ding Junhui | 10–6 |
| 17 Apr | 3 May | ENG | World Snooker Championship | Crucible Theatre | Sheffield | Neil Robertson | Graeme Dott | 18–13 |
* Ranking event
* Non-ranking event

### World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association

| Start | Finish | Country | Tournament name | Venue | City | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
| 12 Sep | 12 Sep | ENG | Wytech Masters | North East Derbyshire Snooker Centre | Chesterfield | Reanne Evans | Maria Catalano | 3–0 |
| 13 Sep | 13 Sep | ENG | UK Ladies Championship | North East Derbyshire Snooker Centre | Chesterfield | Reanne Evans | Maria Catalano | 3–0 |
| 10 Oct | 10 Oct | ENG | East Anglian Championship | Cambridge Snooker Centre | Cambridge | Reanne Evans | Emma Bonney | 3–0 |
| 14 Nov | 14 Nov | ENG | British Open | Newmarket Snooker & Bowl | Newmarket | Reanne Evans | Katie Henrick | 3–1 |
| 6 Feb | 6 Feb | ENG | South Coast Classic | Q Ball Snooker Club | Eastbourne | Reanne Evans | Maria Catalano | 3–1 |
| 6 Mar | 6 Mar | ENG | Connie Gough Memorial | Stadium Snooker Club | Birmingham | Reanne Evans | Maria Catalano | 3–1 |
| 3 Apr | 7 Apr | ENG | World Ladies Championship | Cambridge Snooker Centre | Cambridge | Reanne Evans | Maria Catalano | 5–1 |

### Pontin's International Open Series

| Start | Finish | Country | Tournament name | Venue | City | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
| 22 Jun | 26 Jun | WAL | PIOS I | Pontin's | Prestatyn | Jack Lisowski | Liam Highfield | 6–5 |
| 27 Jul | 31 Jul | WAL | PIOS II | Pontin's | Prestatyn | Liam Highfield | Neal Jones | 6–2 |
| 23 Aug | 28 Aug | WAL | PIOS III | Pontin's | Prestatyn | Paul Davison | Kyren Wilson | 6–4 |
| 19 Oct | 23 Oct | WAL | PIOS IV | Pontin's | Prestatyn | Jamie Jones | Jak Jones | 6–0 |
| 7 Dec | 11 Dec | WAL | PIOS V | Pontin's | Prestatyn | Anthony McGill | Farakh Ajaib | 6–0 |
| 28 Feb | 5 Mar | WAL | PIOS VI | Pontin's | Prestatyn | Kyren Wilson | Liam Highfield | 6–4 |
| 11 Apr | 16 Apr | WAL | PIOS VII | Pontin's | Prestatyn | Paul Davison | Justin Astley | 6–2 |
| 4 May | 8 May | WAL | PIOS VIII | Pontin's | Prestatyn | Jack Lisowski | Justin Astley | 6–1 |

### Other events

| Start | Finish | Country | Tournament name | Venue | City | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
| 16 May | 17 May | IRL | World Series of Snooker Killarney | INEC | Killarney | Shaun Murphy | Jimmy White | 5–1 |
| 7 Jul | 12 Jul | CHN | Beijing International Challenge | Beijing University Students Gymnasium | Beijing | Liang Wenbo | Stephen Maguire | 7–6 |
| 13 Jul | 17 Jul | HKG | General Cup | General Snooker Club | Hong Kong | Ricky Walden | Liang Wenbo | 6–2 |
| 22 Jul | 26 Jul | ENG | Paul Hunter English Open | Northern Snooker Centre | Leeds | Stuart Bingham | Simon Bedford | 6–0 |
| 22 Jul | 26 Jul | TWN | World Games | Chung Cheng Martial Arts Stadium | Kaohsiung | Nigel Bond | David Grace | 3–0 |
| 24 Jul | 26 Jul | IRL | Irish Classic | Celbridge Snooker Club | Kildare | Joe Swail | Fergal O'Brien | 5–0 |
| 13 Aug | 16 Aug | GER | Paul Hunter Classic | Stadthall | Fürth | Shaun Murphy | Jimmy White | 4–0 |
| 17 Oct | 18 Oct | CZE | World Series of Snooker Prague | Aréna Sparta Podvinný Mlýn | Prague | Jimmy White | Graeme Dott | 5–3 |
| 31 Oct | 1 Nov | SCO | Legends of Snooker | Rothes Halls | Glenrothes | Stephen Hendry | Ken Doherty | 5–3 |
| 31 Oct | 7 Nov | VIE | Asian Indoor Games | Phan Đình Phùng Gymnasium | Ho Chi Minh City | Jin Long | Nader Khan Sultani | 4–0 |
| 14 Nov | 15 Nov | WAL | Pontin's Pro Am Series | Pontin's | Prestatyn | Stuart Bingham | Ken Doherty | 3–1 |
| 15 Dec | 18 Dec | IRL | Six-red World Championship | INEC | Killarney | Mark Davis | Mark Williams | 6–3 |
| 19 Dec | 20 Dec | NED | Dutch Open | De Dieze | 's-Hertogenbosch | Bjorn Haneveer | Matthew Couch | 6–3 |
| 12 Feb | 14 Feb | FIN | Finnish Snooker Challenge | Turku Sports Club | Turku | Mark Williams | Robin Hull | 6–1 |

## Official rankings

The top 16 of the world rankings, these players automatically played in the final rounds of the world ranking events and were invited for the Masters.
| No. | Player | Points 2007/08 | Points 2008/09 | Total |
| 1 | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 29700 | 23875 | 53575 |
| 2 | Stephen Maguire | 25975 | 22075 | 48050 |
| 3 | Shaun Murphy | 23700 | 23475 | 47175 |
| 4 | John Higgins | 14825 | 31000 | 45825 |
| 5 | Ali Carter | 18425 | 24100 | 42525 |
| 6 | Ryan Day | 19425 | 21250 | 40675 |
| 7 | Mark Selby | 20050 | 17925 | 37975 |
| 8 | Marco Fu | 18075 | 19275 | 37350 |
| 9 | Neil Robertson | 12400 | 22825 | 35225 |
| 10 | Stephen Hendry | 16900 | 16225 | 33125 |
| 11 | Mark Allen | 15075 | 17800 | 32875 |
| 12 | Joe Perry | 18250 | 14625 | 32875 |
| 13 | Ding Junhui | 15869 | 13775 | 29644 |
| 14 | Peter Ebdon | 14975 | 14425 | 29400 |
| 15 | Mark Williams | 15100 | 14219 | 29319 |
| 16 | Mark King | 13675 | 14625 | 28300 |

## World ranking points

| No. | Ch | Player | Points 08/09 | SM | GP | UK | WO | CO | WSC | Points 09/10 | Total |
| 1 | 3 | John Higgins | 31000 | 4480 | 4480 | 6400 | 5000 | 2660 | 3800 | 26820 | 57820 |
| 2 | 7 | Neil Robertson | 22825 | 980 | 7000 | 3040 | 1900 | 2660 | 10000 | 25580 | 48405 |
| 3 | 2 | Ronnie O'Sullivan | 23875 | 7000 | 2660 | 5120 | 3200 | 980 | 5000 | 23960 | 47835 |
| 4 | 1 | Ali Carter | 24100 | 2660 | 980 | 4000 | 4000 | 4480 | 6400 | 22520 | 46620 |
| 5 | 8 | Ding Junhui | 13775 | 3500 | 5600 | 8000 | 700 | 5600 | 3800 | 27200 | 40975 |
| 6 | 4 | Stephen Maguire | 22075 | 980 | 2660 | 5120 | 3200 | 2660 | 3800 | 18420 | 40495 |
| 7 | 4 | Shaun Murphy | 23475 | 4480 | 980 | 3040 | 700 | 980 | 5000 | 15180 | 38655 |
| 8 | 7 | Mark Williams | 14219 | 2660 | 4480 | 3040 | 2500 | 7000 | 3800 | 23480 | 37699 |
| 9 | 2 | Mark Selby | 17925 | 980 | 980 | 4000 | 2500 | 2660 | 6400 | 17520 | 35445 |
| 10 | 1 | Mark Allen | 17800 | 980 | 3500 | 1120 | 2500 | 4480 | 5000 | 17580 | 35380 |
| 11 | 1 | Stephen Hendry | 16225 | 2660 | 2660 | 3040 | 1900 | 3500 | 3800 | 17560 | 33785 |
| 12 | 6 | Ryan Day | 21250 | 3500 | 980 | 1120 | 2500 | 2660 | 1400 | 12160 | 33410 |
| 13 | 15 | Graeme Dott | 14025 | 1960 | 805 | 2240 | 1900 | 1960 | 8000 | 16865 | 30890 |
| 14 | 6 | Marco Fu | 19275 | 2660 | 980 | 1120 | 700 | 3500 | 1400 | 10360 | 29635 |
| 15 | 1 | Mark King | 14625 | 1960 | 2660 | 3040 | 1900 | 3500 | 1400 | 14460 | 29085 |
| 16 | 10 | Liang Wenbo | 12325 | 5600 | 1960 | 4000 | 575 | 805 | 2800 | 15740 | 28065 |

## Points distribution

2009/2010 Points distribution for world ranking events.
| Tournament | Round → | L96 | L80 | L64 | L48 | L32 | L16 | QF | SF | F | W |
| Shanghai Masters | Unseeded loser | 560 | 910 | 1260 | 1610 | 1960 | 2660 | 3500 | 4480 | 5600 | 7000 |
| Shanghai Masters | Seeded loser | 280 | 455 | 630 | 805 | 980 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Grand Prix | Unseeded loser | 560 | 910 | 1260 | 1610 | 1960 | 2660 | 3500 | 4480 | 5600 | 7000 |
| Grand Prix | Seeded loser | 280 | 455 | 630 | 805 | 980 | – | – | – | – | – |
| UK Championship | Unseeded loser | 640 | 1040 | 1440 | 1840 | 2240 | 3040 | 4000 | 5120 | 6400 | 8000 |
| UK Championship | Seeded loser | 320 | 520 | 720 | 920 | 1120 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Welsh Open | Unseeded loser | 400 | 650 | 900 | 1150 | 1400 | 1900 | 2500 | 3200 | 4000 | 5000 |
| Welsh Open | Seeded loser | 200 | 325 | 450 | 575 | 700 | – | – | – | – | – |
| China Open | Unseeded loser | 560 | 910 | 1260 | 1610 | 1960 | 2660 | 3500 | 4480 | 5600 | 7000 |
| China Open | Seeded loser | 280 | 455 | 630 | 805 | 980 | – | – | – | – | – |
| World Championship | Unseeded loser | 800 | 1300 | 1800 | 2300 | 2800 | 3800 | 5000 | 6400 | 8000 | 10000 |
| World Championship | Seeded loser | 400 | 650 | 900 | 1150 | 1400 | – | – | – | – | – |