Neil Robertson
Table:
Outcome

No.

Year

Championship

Opponent in the final

Score

Winner
1.
2006
Grand Prix
Jamie Cope
9–5

Winner
2.
2007
Welsh Open
Andrew Higginson
9–8

Winner
3.
2008
Bahrain Championship
Matthew Stevens
9–7

Winner
4.
2009
Grand Prix (2)
Ding Junhui
9–4

Winner
5.
2010
World Championship
Graeme Dott
18–13

Winner
6.
2010
World Open (3)
Ronnie O'Sullivan
5–1

Runner-up
1.
2012
Players Tour Championship Finals
Stephen Lee
0–4

Runner-up
2.
2012
International Championship
Judd Trump
8–10

Runner-up
3.
2013
Players Tour Championship Finals (2)
Ding Junhui
3–4

Winner
7.
2013
China Open
Mark Selby
10–6

Winner
8.
2013
Wuxi Classic
John Higgins
10–7

Runner-up
4.
2013
Australian Goldfields Open
Marco Fu
6–9

Winner
9.
2013
UK Championship
Mark Selby
10–7

Runner-up
5.
2014
China Open
Ding Junhui
5–10

Winner
10.
2014
Wuxi Classic (2)
Joe Perry
10–9

By analysing the tabular data as well as the background passages provided at the end.

Provide an answer to this question: In what year did the championship that is the leading snooker tournament both in terms of prestige and prize money , occur ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

The 2006 Royal London Watches Grand Prix was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 21 and 29 October 2006 at the A.E.C.C . in Aberdeen , Scotland . Neil Robertson won his first ranking title by defeating Jamie Cope 9-5 in the final . Earlier on Jamie Cope compiled a 147 maximum break in his round robin win over Michael Holt .
The World Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament . It had previously been known as the Professional Players Tournament , the LG Cup and the Grand Prix . During 2006 and 2007 , it was played in a unique round-robin format , more similar to association football and rugby tournaments than the knock-out systems usually played in snooker . The knock-out format returned in 2008 with an FA Cup-style draw . The random draw was abandoned after the 2010 edition . Judd Trump is the defending champion .
Jamie Cope ( born 12 September 1985 ) is an English former professional snooker player . A finalist in two ranking tournaments , the 2006 Grand Prix and the 2007 China Open , Cope also reached the semi-finals of the 2011 Masters . He reached his highest ranking , 13th , in September 2010 , but thereafter developed a tremor which has been attributed to being either an essential tremor or the yips , which makes his cue arm shake . This condition caused Cope to slip markedly down the rankings in the 2010s , culminating in his relegation from the main tour at the end of the 2016/2017 season . He was known for his fast , entertaining style , being nicknamed Shotgun due to his speed around the table and aggressive playing style .
The 2007 Welsh Open was the 2007 edition of the Welsh Open professional snooker tournament and was held from 12 to 18 February 2007 at the Newport Centre in Newport , South East Wales . It was the 16th staging of the competition since 1992 and the tenth time it took place at the Newport Centre . The tournament was the fifth of seven World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association ( WPBSA ) ranking events in the 2006/2007 season . The host broadcasters were BBC Cymru Wales and Eurosport . Grand Prix winner Neil Robertson won the tournament , defeating 500-1 outsider Andrew Higginson , competing in his third appearance in a main stages of a professional competition , nine frames to eight ( 9-8 ) in the final . It was Roberston 's second ranking tournament victory , becoming the fourth non-British and Irish player to win more than one ranking title . Robertson won against Michael Holt and world champions Stephen Hendry , Ronnie O'Sullivan and Steve Davis en route to the final . Higginson achieved the tournament 's highest break with a maximum break in the second frame of his quarter-final match with Ali Carter . The Welsh Open preceded the China Open and followed the Malta Cup .
The Welsh Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament , a part of the Home Nations Series . It replaced the Welsh Professional Championship , which started in 1980 and was only open to Welsh players . Since the tournament 's creation in 1992 , Mark Williams has been the only Welsh player to win the championship ( in 1996 and 1999 ) . John Higgins holds the record for the most wins , with five Welsh Open titles . Ronnie O'Sullivan has won four titles , while Stephen Hendry has won the tournament three times . Shaun Murphy is the reigning champion .
Andrew Higginson ( born 13 December 1977 , Cheshire , England ) is an English professional snooker player , currently living in Widnes . He is best known for being the surprise finalist of the 2007 Welsh Open .
The 2008 Bahrain Championship was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 8 and 15 November 2008 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre in Manama , Bahrain . It was the fourth ranking event of the 2008/2009 season . Due to a clash with a previously arranged Premier League match-day , three leading players ( John Higgins , Mark Selby and Ding Junhui ) were forced to miss the event . This meant that they earned no ranking points . While Matthew Stevens ( # 17 ) , Ken Doherty ( # 18 ) and Jamie Cope ( # 19 ) qualified automatically due to the extra spaces in the draw . Likewise , the players ranked from 33-35 and 49-51 played one qualifier less than usual . Additionally , Ronnie O'Sullivan withdrew three days before the tournament for unspecified medical reasons . Steve Davis was also involved in Premier League action , playing on 13 November , but did not withdraw from the tournament . He played his qualifying match and received a walkover due to O'Sullivan 's withdrawal , meaning that he reached the last sixteen . However , before his last 16 match he withdrew from the event as an ear infection prevented him from flying to Bahrain . Liang Wenbo made the 65th official maximum break during his qualifying match against Martin Gould . This was Liang 's first official 147 .
The 2008 Bahrain Championship was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 8 and 15 November 2008 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre in Manama , Bahrain . It was the fourth ranking event of the 2008/2009 season . Due to a clash with a previously arranged Premier League match-day , three leading players ( John Higgins , Mark Selby and Ding Junhui ) were forced to miss the event . This meant that they earned no ranking points . While Matthew Stevens ( # 17 ) , Ken Doherty ( # 18 ) and Jamie Cope ( # 19 ) qualified automatically due to the extra spaces in the draw . Likewise , the players ranked from 33-35 and 49-51 played one qualifier less than usual . Additionally , Ronnie O'Sullivan withdrew three days before the tournament for unspecified medical reasons . Steve Davis was also involved in Premier League action , playing on 13 November , but did not withdraw from the tournament . He played his qualifying match and received a walkover due to O'Sullivan 's withdrawal , meaning that he reached the last sixteen . However , before his last 16 match he withdrew from the event as an ear infection prevented him from flying to Bahrain . Liang Wenbo made the 65th official maximum break during his qualifying match against Martin Gould . This was Liang 's first official 147 .
Matthew Stevens ( born 11 September 1977 ) is a Welsh professional snooker player . Stevens has won two of the game 's most prestigious events , the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003 . He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions , in 2000 and 2005 . Stevens reached a career high ranking of No . 4 for the 2005/2006 season . As a prolific break-builder , Stevens has compiled more than 300 century breaks during his career . He is considered by many experts to be one of the greatest players to never win the World Championship . [ citation needed ]
The 2009 Grand Prix was a professional ranking tournament that took place between 3-11 October 2009 at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow , Scotland . Neil Robertson won in the final 9-4 against Ding Junhui .
Ding Junhui ( Chinese : 丁俊晖 ; born 1 April 1987 ) is a Chinese professional snooker player who has been considered the most successful Asian player in the history of the sport . Throughout his career , he has won 14 major ranking titles , including three UK Championships in 2005 , 2009 , and 2019 ; two Shanghai Masters titles in 2013 and 2016 ; and one German Masters title in 2014 . He has also twice reached the final of the Masters , winning once in 2011 . Representing China at the Asian Games , Ding has won five gold medals in individual and team events . In 2016 , he became the first Asian player to reach the final of the World Championship . The same year , he won his first Six-red World Championship . Ding began playing snooker at age nine and rose to international prominence in 2002 after winning the Asian Under-21 Championship , the Asian Championship . At age 15 , he became the youngest winner of the IBSF World Under-21 Championship . In 2003 , Ding turned professional at the age of 16 . His first major professional successes came in 2005 when he won the China Open and the UK Championship , becoming the first player from outside Great Britain and Ireland to win the title . In the 2013/2014 season , Ding tied Stephen Hendry 's record of winning five ranking titles in a single season . During his career , Ding - who is known as a prolific break-builder - has compiled more than 500 century breaks , including six maximum breaks , in professional play .
The 2010 World Snooker Championship ( also referred to as the 2010 Betfred.com World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship ) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 17 April and 3 May 2010 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield , England . John Higgins , who entered the tournament as the defending champion , lost in the second round 11-13 against Steve Davis . In the semi-finals , Neil Robertson defeated Ali Carter 17-12 and Graeme Dott beat Mark Selby 17-14 . Robertson won the final 18-13 , becoming the first Australian in the modern era to win the title . The tournament was sponsored by online casino Betfred.com .
The World Snooker Championship is the leading snooker tournament both in terms of prestige and prize money . The first championship was held in 1927 and was won by Joe Davis . Davis won the first 15 championships before retiring from the event , undefeated , after his 1946 success . In the 1950s snooker went into a period of decline and the championship was not held after 1952 , although an unofficial championship was held until 1957 . In 1964 the championship was revived on a challenge basis and in 1969 the championship became a knock-out event again . Since 1977 it has been played at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield , England . The tournament is currently played over 17 days and ends on the first Monday in May . In the modern era ( since 1969 ) , the best record is that of Stephen Hendry , who won the title seven times . Steve Davis and Ray Reardon both won six times while Ronnie O'Sullivan has won five titles . The current champion is Judd Trump , whose 2019 win was his first .
Graeme Dott ( born 12 May 1977 ) is a Scottish professional snooker player and snooker coach from Larkhall . He turned professional in 1994 and first entered the top 16 in 2001 . He has won two ranking titles , the 2006 World Snooker Championship and the 2007 China Open , and was runner-up in the World Championships of 2004 and 2010 . He reached number 2 in the world rankings in 2007 , but a subsequent episode of clinical depression seriously affected his form , causing him to drop to number 28 for the 2009/2010 season . He then recovered his form , regained his top-16 ranking , and reached a third World Championship final . In 2011 , he published his autobiography , Frame of Mind : The Autobiography of the World Snooker Champion . By reaching the final of the 2020 World Grand Prix , Dott became the first player to reach a ranking final in four different decades , the first being the 1999 Scottish Open .
The 2010 12bet.com World Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament held between 18-26 September 2010 at the S.E.C.C . in Glasgow , Scotland . This was the first time that the World Open was sponsored by 12bet.com . Ronnie O'Sullivan made the 73rd official maximum break during his match against Mark King . This was O'Sullivan 's record 10th official 147 , however he had to be persuaded by referee Jan Verhaas to play the final black , as he became aware that there was no distinct prize money for a maximum break in the tournament and planned to end his break at 140 . There was only a £4,000 prize for the highest break of the tournament . Neil Robertson was the defending champion , and he retained his title by defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-1 in the final .
The World Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament . It had previously been known as the Professional Players Tournament , the LG Cup and the Grand Prix . During 2006 and 2007 , it was played in a unique round-robin format , more similar to association football and rugby tournaments than the knock-out systems usually played in snooker . The knock-out format returned in 2008 with an FA Cup-style draw . The random draw was abandoned after the 2010 edition . Judd Trump is the defending champion .
Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan OBE ( born 5 December 1975 ) is an English professional snooker player who is one of the most successful players in the history of the sport . Since turning professional in 1992 , he has won five World Championships , a record seven Masters titles , and a record seven UK Championships , setting a record total of 19 titles in Triple Crown tournaments . He shares the record for the most ranking titles ( 36 ) with Stephen Hendry and also holds the record as the youngest winner of a ranking title ( 1993 UK Championship , aged 17 years and 358 days ) as well as the youngest winner of the Masters ( in 1995 , aged 19 years and 69 days ) . In the 2017/2018 season , O'Sullivan won five ranking events in a single season , a record that he shares with Hendry , Ding Junhui and Mark Selby . His career prize money of over £11 million is the highest amount earned by any player in snooker history . A prolific break-builder , O'Sullivan is the only player to have reached 1,000 career century breaks . He has also achieved the highest number of officially recognized maximum breaks in professional competition ( 15 ) , and the fastest competitive maximum break , compiled in a time of 5 minutes and 8 seconds at the 1997 World Championship . He first became world number one in the 2002/2003 season and held the position for five out of eight seasons , ending in May 2010 . He regained the top ranking in March 2019 after a nine-year absence , the longest time any player has spent between spells as world number one , and held it until August 2019 . O'Sullivan has often been a controversial figure in the sport . Noted for his unpredictable temperament and his struggles with alcohol , drugs , and depression , he has received many warnings and sanctions from the sport 's governing body over his conduct and comments . He took a prolonged break from the sport during the 2012/2013 season and is known for repeatedly declaring his intention to retire .
The 2012 Players Tour Championship Grand Final ( also known as the 2012 Betfair Players Tour Championship Grand Finals for sponsorship purposes ) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 14-18 March 2012 at the Bailey Allen Hall in Galway , Ireland . Shaun Murphy was the defending champion , but he finished 37th on the Order of Merit , and did n't qualify . Stephen Lee won his fifth ranking title by defeating Neil Robertson 4-0 in the final . It was Lee 's first ranking title for six years , and Robertson 's first defeat in a televised final .
The Players Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament . Ronnie O'Sullivan is the current champion .
Stephen Lee ( born 12 October 1974 ) is an English former professional snooker player . He turned professional in 1992 and was ranked in the top 16 between the 1997/1998 and 2007/2008 snooker seasons , reaching a career-high of fifth in the rankings . He won five ranking titles between 1998 and 2006 , reached the semi-finals of the 2003 World Championship and the final of the 2008 Masters . Thereafter , his form declined dramatically and as a result he dropped out of the top 16 after a run of eleven consecutive seasons , meaning he would no longer automatically qualify for tournaments . A return to form in the 2011/2012 season saw Lee reach two consecutive finals in ranking tournaments and collect his fifth title , as well as regaining his top 16 seeding . Lee was a strong break-builder compiling 184 competitive century breaks during his career , and his smooth cue action is regarded by some pundits as the most natural the game has seen . Lee 's playing career came to a premature end when he was suspended from WSA competition on 12 October 2012 on match-fixing charges . He was found guilty by an independent tribunal in September 2013 of influencing the outcome of seven matches in 2008 and 2009 . He received a twelve-year ban backdated to the start of his suspension and which will run until 12 October 2024 , the day of his 50th birthday .
The 2012 International Championship was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 28 October and 4 November 2012 at the Sichuan International Tennis Center in Chengdu , China . It was the fourth ranking event of the 2012/2013 season , and the fifth ranking tournament in China . [ deprecated source ] It was named as the first overseas 'major ' , as the tournament had the same level of ranking points as the UK Championship . Judd Trump won the third ranking title of his career by defeating Neil Robertson 10-8 in the final . Trump also became the world number one as a result of reaching the final .
The International Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament . The reigning champion is Judd Trump .
Judd Trump ( born 20 August 1989 ) is an English professional snooker player from Bristol and the reigning World Champion . He enjoyed considerable success in youth tournaments before turning professional in 2005 . On 3 April 2011 , he won his first ranking title , beating Mark Selby 10-8 in the final of the China Open . Following his success in China , he reached the final of the 2011 World Championship where he finished runner-up to John Higgins . He then won the 2011 UK Championship , defeating Mark Allen 10-8 in the final to claim his first Triple Crown title . In November 2012 , Trump won the inaugural International Championship and in doing so he became world number one , a position he held for five weeks ; he reclaimed the top spot on 18 February 2013 . He won his fourth ranking title at the Australian Goldfields Open in July 2014 , defeating Neil Robertson 9-5 in the final . He won the inaugural 2015 World Grand Prix with a 10-7 final victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan . He has accrued three Championship League titles ( 2009 , 2014 , 2016 ) as well as a second win at the China Open in April 2016 . He achieved two consecutive wins at the European Masters ; in October 2016 , he defeated O'Sullivan 9-8 to claim the title , which he successfully defended the following season by defeating Stuart Bingham 9-7 . Trump claimed the Masters title in January 2019 , again defeating O'Sullivan 10-4 in the final . In May 2019 , he completed his career Triple Crown by winning the World Snooker Championship for the first time , beating Higgins 18-9 in what was described by some commentators as the highest-quality final ever played .
The 2013 Players Tour Championship Grand Final ( also known as the 2013 Dafabet Players Tour Championship Grand Finals for sponsorship purposes ) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 12-17 March 2013 at the Bailey Allen Hall in Galway , Ireland . It was the ninth ranking event of the 2012/2013 season . Stephen Lee was the defending champion , but he could n't compete due to his suspension from professional snooker . Ding Junhui won his sixth ranking title by defeating Neil Robertson 4-3 in the final . Ding also made the 97th official maximum break during his quarter-final match against Mark Allen . This was Ding 's fifth 147 break and the ninth in the 2012/2013 season .
The 2013 Bank of Beijing China Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 25 and 31 March 2013 at the Beijing University Students ' Gymnasium in Beijing , China . It was the tenth ranking event of the 2012/2013 season . Peter Ebdon was the defending champion , but he lost 3-5 against Marcus Campbell in the last 32 . [ deprecated source ] Mark Selby attempted a maximum break in his last 32 match against Mark King , but missed the final black at 140 . Thus he became the fourth player along with Ken Doherty , Barry Pinches and Robin Hull to do so in a professional tournament . Neil Robertson won his seventh ranking title by defeating Selby 10-6 in the final .
The China Open is a professional snooker tournament . It is one of a number of ranking tournaments and began in 1997 . The reigning champion is Neil Robertson .
Mark Anthony Selby ( born 19 June 1983 ) is an English professional snooker player . He has been World Snooker Champion three times and was number one in the world rankings for over four years continuously . He has won 17 ranking titles , which puts him in seventh place by ranking tournament wins in history . Selby joined the main professional snooker tour in 1999 at the age of 16 , after competing on the UK Challenge Tour in 1998 . [ citation needed ] He was runner-up to John Higgins at the 2007 World Snooker Championship . Having won three Masters titles ( 2008 , 2010 , and 2013 ) , two UK Championships ( 2012 and 2016 ) , and three World Championships ( 2014 , 2016 , and 2017 ) , he was the sixth player to win all of snooker 's Triple Crown events at least twice . His other ranking titles include the Welsh Open in 2008 , the Shanghai Masters in 2011 , the German Masters in 2015 , the China Open in 2015 , 2017 , and 2018 , the Paul Hunter Classic in 2016 , the International Championship in 2016 and 2017 , the China Championship in 2018 , the English Open in 2019 , and the Scottish Open also in 2019 . Known as a patient , tough competitor with strong safety play , Selby is also a prolific break-builder and has compiled over 600 century breaks in his professional career . His nickname , The Jester from Leicester , was given to him by snooker compere Richard Beare . Selby is also a pool player . He was the 2006 WEPF eight-ball pool world champion and was the 2015 Chinese Pool World Championship runner-up .
The 2013 Sports Lottery Cup Wuxi Classic was a professional ranking snooker tournament held between 17-23 June 2013 at the Wuxi City Sports Park Stadium in Wuxi , China . It was the first ranking event of the 2013/2014 season . The tournament was the first to use the new format , similar to the one used in the minor-ranking Players Tour Championship events , where every player , including members of the top 16 , started in the first round . Some of the sport 's biggest names did not reach the tournament 's final stage . Reigning world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan withdrew for personal reasons shortly before his qualifying match against Michael Wasley . World number one Mark Selby lost his qualifying match 3-5 to Andrew Pagett . World number four Shaun Murphy also exited the tournament at the qualifying stage , losing 1-5 to Alex Davies . Nine-time women 's world champion Reanne Evans defeated Thailand 's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-4 in her qualifying match to become the first woman ever to reach the final stages of a major professional ranking tournament . Evans was chosen as one of four players to play against local opponents in the wildcard round , and she lost 2-5 against Chinese teenager Zhu Yinghui . Ricky Walden was the defending champion , but he lost 2-5 against Jimmy White in the last 64 . Neil Robertson won his eighth ranking title by defeating John Higgins 10-7 in the final . Robertson also made the 98th official maximum break during his qualifying match against Mohamed Khairy .
The Wuxi Classic was a professional snooker tournament held from 2008 to 2014 . It was a ranking event from 2012 through 2014 . For the 2015/16 season , World Snooker reduced the number of ranking events held in China , which saw the tournament replaced by the snooker World Cup , also held in the city of Wuxi . The last champion was Neil Robertson , who won the event in 2013 and retained his title in 2014 .
John Higgins , MBE ( born 18 May 1975 ) is a Scottish professional snooker player . Since turning professional in 1992 , he has won 30 ranking titles , including four World Championships and three UK Championships , as well as two Masters titles , making him one of the most successful players in the history of the sport . In terms of world titles in the modern era , Higgins is fifth behind Stephen Hendry ( 7 ) , Steve Davis ( 6 ) , Ray Reardon ( 6 ) and Ronnie O'Sullivan ( 5 ) . His 30 career ranking titles puts him in third place behind Hendry ( 36 ) and O'Sullivan ( 36 ) . Known as a prolific break-builder , he has compiled more than 750 century breaks in professional tournament play , second only to O'Sullivan . He has also compiled 9 competitive maximum breaks , placing him third behind O'Sullivan ( 15 ) and Hendry ( 11 ) . For 16 consecutive full seasons from 1996/1997 to 2011/2012 , Higgins never fell below 6th in the world rankings , and was world number 1 on four occasions . In 2010 , the News of the World tabloid newspaper carried out a sting operation in a hotel room in Ukraine , which claimed to show Higgins and his then-manager arranging to lose specific frames in future matches for money . Although an investigation cleared Higgins of match-fixing allegations , it found that he had brought the sport into disrepute by failing to report , and giving the impression of agreeing with , an invitation to breach the sport 's betting rules . The WPBSA banned Higgins from professional competition for six months and fined him £75,000 . He returned to the tour midway through the 2010/2011 season . After his return to snooker , Higgins added a third UK Championship title and claimed his fourth world title in 2011 .
The 2013 Australian Goldfields Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 8-14 July 2013 at the Bendigo Stadium in Bendigo , Australia . It was the second ranking event of the 2013/2014 season . Michael White attempted a maximum break in his qualifying match against Nigel Bond , but he missed the final black at 140 . With this he became the fifth player along with Mark Selby , Ken Doherty , Barry Pinches and Robin Hull to do so in a professional tournament . Shaun Murphy criticised his fellow professionals after eight of the top 16 players and reigning world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan decided not to register for the event . Another top 16 player , Ding Junhui , withdrew from the tournament at the last minute due to a passport issue . Barry Hawkins was the defending champion , but he lost 4-5 against Tom Ford in the last 16 . Marco Fu won his second ranking title by defeating Neil Robertson 9-6 in the final .
The Australian Goldfields Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament . The final champion is John Higgins .
Marco Fu Ka-chun , MH , JP ( Chinese : 傅家俊 , born 8 January 1978 ) is a Hong Kong professional snooker player . He won the 2007 Grand Prix , beating Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final , and was the runner-up in the 2008 UK Championship and the 2011 Masters . He also won the 2013 Australian Goldfields Open and the 2016 Scottish Open and was runner-up in the 2013 German Masters and 2013 International Championship . In addition , Fu reached the semi-finals of the World Championship twice - in 2006 and in 2016 . Fu 's career high world ranking is fifth , achieved in 2017 . As a prolific break-builder , Fu has compiled 500 century breaks in professional competition , including four maximum 147 breaks . He currently resides in London .
The 2013 williamhill.com UK Championship was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 26 November-8 December 2013 at the Barbican Centre in York , England . It was the sixth ranking event of the 2013/2014 season . Mark Selby made the 100th official maximum break during his semi-final match against Ricky Walden . This was Selby 's second official 147 break and the third maximum break in the 2013/2014 season . Neil Robertson won his ninth ranking title by defeating defending champion Selby 10-7 in the final , despite trailing 1-5 and 3-6 during the match . Robertson became the eighth player to win all Triple Crown events at least once , and the first overseas player to achieve this feat . Selby became the first defending champion to reach the final of the UK Championship since Mark Williams in 2000 .
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament . It is one of snooker 's prestigious Triple Crown events , along with the World Championship and the Masters . It is the second-biggest ranking tournament , after the World Championship . Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the tournament a record seven times , followed by Steve Davis with six titles and Stephen Hendry with five . Ding Junhui is the reigning champion .
The 2014 China Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament , that took place between 31 March and 6 April 2014 at the Beijing University Students ' Gymnasium in Beijing , China . It was the eleventh ranking event of the 2013/2014 season . Ding Junhui won his 11th ranking title by defeating defending champion Neil Robertson 10-5 in the final , and became the sixth on the list of players with the most ranking titles behind Stephen Hendry ( 36 titles ) , Steve Davis ( 28 ) , Ronnie O'Sullivan ( 26 ) , John Higgins ( 25 ) and Mark Williams ( 18 ) . Ding also equalled Hendry 's record from 1990/1991 to win five ranking titles in a single season .
The 2014 Sports Lottery Cup Wuxi Classic was a professional ranking snooker tournament held between 23-29 June 2014 at the Wuxi City Sports Park Stadium in Wuxi , China . It was the first ranking event of the 2014/2015 season . Neil Robertson defended his title , which he won in 2013 , by defeating Joe Perry 10-9 in the final . This was Robertson 's 10th ranking title .
Joe Perry ( born 13 August 1974 ) is an English professional snooker player . Often referred to as the Fen Potter and also nicknamed the Gentleman , he was born in Wisbech , Cambridgeshire . He climbed the rankings steadily after turning professional in 1991 , and reached the top sixteen for the first time in 2002 . His first ranking final came at the 2001 European Open and he had to wait another 13 years for a second which came at the 2014 Wuxi Classic . Perry then won his first major ranking title at the 2015 Players Championship Grand Final , at the age of 40 and in his 23rd season as a professional . He also won the minor-ranking 2013 Yixing Open and 2015 Xuzhou Open . Perry reached the final of a Triple Crown tournament for the first time at the Masters in 2017 , having previously reached the UK Championship semi-finals in 2004 and 2005 , and the semi-finals of the World Championship in 2008 .
The 2014 Australian Goldfields Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 30 June-6 July 2014 at the Bendigo Stadium in Bendigo , Australia . It was the second ranking event of the 2014/2015 season . Marco Fu was the defending champion , but he decided not to compete this year . Judd Trump won his fourth ranking title by defeating Neil Robertson 9-5 in the final .
The 2015 Betway UK Championship was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 24 November and 6 December 2015 at the Barbican Centre in York , England . It was the fourth ranking event of the 2015/2016 season . The 2014 champion Ronnie O'Sullivan , who had not played in professional competition since April , decided not to defend his title . He made his debut as a pundit during the tournament , providing in-studio expert analysis for Eurosport alongside Jimmy White . On the opening day of the tournament , amateur player Adam Duffy defeated world number 9 and two-time UK Champion Ding Junhui 6-2 , a result that was described as one of the biggest upsets in UK Championship history . In the sixth frame of his third-round match against Neil Robertson , Thailand 's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh came close to achieving his first maximum break in professional competition , but missed the final black off the spot . The final between Australia 's Neil Robertson and China 's Liang Wenbo marked the first time that a British player did not compete in the UK Championship final . In the sixth frame , Robertson made the 115th official maximum break in professional competition , and the first 147 break ever attained in a Triple Crown snooker final , for which he earned £44,000 ( a rolling prize of £40,000 for a 147 break , plus the tournament 's £4,000 highest break prize ) . It was the fourth time in a row , that a maximum was made in a UK Championship . Robertson went on to defeat Liang 10-5 to claim his second UK Championship title , and the 11th ranking title of his career . A record 104 centuries were made during the tournament , including nine from Robertson and eight from Liang .
Liang Wenbo ( Chinese : 梁文博 , pinyin : Liáng Wénbó ; born 5 March 1987 ) is a Chinese professional snooker player . He is left-handed . Liang is based at the Oracle Snooker Club , Abingdon Oxfordshire , England , United Kingdom .
The 2016 BetVictor Welsh Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament held at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff from 15 to 21 February 2016 . It was the sixth ranking event of the 2015/2016 season . The defending champion John Higgins lost 1-4 against Michael White in the last 16 . Playing Barry Pinches in the first round , Ronnie O'Sullivan declined the opportunity to make a maximum break , describing the £10,000 prize money on offer as too cheap . He potted the pink off the penultimate red and made a 146 . World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn called O'Sullivan 's actions unacceptable and disrespectful . Ding Junhui made the 117th official maximum break in the sixth frame of his quarter-final against Neil Robertson . It was Ding 's sixth maximum break in professional competition . O'Sullivan met Robertson in the final . From 2-5 behind , O'Sullivan won seven frames in a row , finishing with a break of 141 in the 14th frame , to defeat Robertson 9-5 and equal John Higgins 's record of four Welsh Open titles . It was O'Sullivan 's 28th ranking title , which put him in joint second place with Higgins and Steve Davis for the number of career ranking titles .
The 2016 Kaspersky Riga Masters was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 22-24 June 2016 at the Arena Riga in Riga , Latvia . It was the first ranking event of the 2016/2017 season . This was the first time for which the event was a ranking tournament , having previously been a minor-ranking event of the Players Tour Championship . Barry Hawkins was the defending champion , but he decided not to defend his title . Neil Robertson won the 12th ranking title of his career , defeating Michael Holt 5-2 in the final , from trailing 1-2 .
The Riga Masters or Riga Open until 2016 ( also known as the Kaspersky Riga Masters for sponsorship reasons ) is a ranking snooker tournament . The tournament started in 2014 as a part of the Players Tour Championship and was staged at the Arena Riga in Riga , Latvia . It has been the opening ranking event of the season since becoming a ranking event in 2016 . Yan Bingtao is the reigning champion .
Michael Holt ( born 7 August 1978 ) is a professional snooker player from Nottingham , England . A former world top 20 player , he has won two minor-ranking tournaments and has reached two ranking event finals - the Riga Masters and the Snooker Shootout - as well as five further quarter-finals and the Shanghai Masters semi-final .
The 2017 Dafabet Scottish Open was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place from 11 to 17 December 2017 at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow , Scotland . It was the twelfth ranking event of the 2017/2018 season and a part of the Home Nations Series . Marco Fu was the defending champion , but he lost 4-3 to Xiao Guodong in the last 16 . Cao Yupeng made his first professional maximum break in the third frame of his first round match against Andrew Higginson . It was the 134th official maximum in professional competition . Neil Robertson won the tournament , coming from 4-8 down to win 9-8 in the final against Cao Yupeng .
The Scottish Open is a ranking professional snooker tournament held in Scotland . The tournament had many name changes in its history , as the tournament was formerly called International Open , Matchroom Trophy and Players Championship . Apart from a hiatus in the 1990/1991 and 1991/1992 seasons , the tournament remained a ranking event until 2003/2004 . In the 2012/2013 season the tournament was added back to the calendar as part of the Players Tour Championship minor-ranking series . The most recent champion is Mark Selby . On 29 April 2015 , Barry Hearn announced it would return to the main tour in 2016 at the Emirates Arena Glasgow , as part of a new Home Series with the existing Welsh Open and new English Open and Northern Ireland Open tournaments .
Cao Yupeng ( Chinese : 曹宇鹏 ; pinyin : Cáo Yǔpéng ; born 27 October 1990 ) is a snooker player from the People 's Republic of China . He won the 2011 Asian Under-21 Championship , thus qualifying for the professional main tour for the 2011/2012 season . In his first season on the circuit , he reached the last 16 of the World Championship . He is currently serving a ban for match-fixing from 25 May 2018 until 24 November 2020 . He received a ban from the sport on 1 December 2018 , after pleading guilty to manipulating the outcome of matches .