World Women’s Snooker Championship 2024 | Tournament Preview
The 2024 World Women’s Snooker Championship will begin next Monday (11 March) as the biggest tournament in women’s snooker heads to a new venue at the Changping Gymnasium, Dongguan, China.
To be held from 11-17 March, the prestigious tournament represents the jewel in the crown of the World Women’s Snooker (WWS) Tour and will once again be a World Snooker Tour qualifying event, with this year’s winner set to earn a two-year professional card from the start of the 2024/25 season.
The tournament will be held in China for the first time, with Thailand’s Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan set to defend the title that she so memorably won for the first time 12 months ago in Bangkok.
She is joined by a stellar line-up which includes her compatriot and 2022 world champion Mink Nutcharut, record 12-time world champion Reanne Evans of England and Hong Kong China’s Ng On Yee, winner of the event on three occasions to date.
Among the players hoping to claim the title for the first time will be the likes of current professional Rebecca Kenna, reigning Eden Masters champion Mary Talbot and three-time UK Championship winner Tessa Davidson. There will also be a strong threat from Asia with World Cup holders Amee Kamani and Anupama Ramachandran looking to go deep, as well as the talented Narantuya Bayarsaikhan, one of a record eight players from Mongolia set to compete in the event.
The main competition will see all 45 players divided into nine groups of five players, with the group winners to progress straight to the last 16 and a further 14 to face off in a preliminary knockout round. Two players have been seeded per group, in accordance with the latest world ranking list.
Group A
Reigning world champion Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan will begin her title defence in Group A and will once again be hoping for a strong run at a tournament at which she has always reached at least the quarter-final stage since her debut in 2017.
It has so far been a stop-start season as world champion for the Thai player who reached the semi-finals of the UK Championship last September, but has yet to add to her maiden ranking title that she won so dramatically a year ago.
Awaiting her will be Miina Tani of Japan, who makes her fourth consecutive World Championship appearance and will be hoping to match her last 16 run in 2022.
The two seeded players will be joined by a trio of Tour debutants in Wing Man Shiu of Hong Kong China, Han Fang of China and Mongolia’s Zolboo Unurbayar.
Group B
World number four Rebecca Kenna begins her seventh tilt at the title in Group B and will be looking to further improve upon her strong record in the event which has seen her reach no fewer than four semi-finals since 2016.
The English player has established herself as one of the most consistent players on the circuit over the past decade, but will have to be on her game from the start in Changping as part of an interesting group section.
She will be joined by Mongolia’s Narantuya Bayarsaikhan as the second seeded player, who notably stunned three-time world champion Ng On Yee at the last 16 stage of the event last year on her tournament debut and has since gone on to break into the world’s top 30 for the first time. Intriguingly the pair were also drawn together at the recent Belgian Women’s Open, at which Bayarsaikhan claimed a 2-0 win.
Also in the group will be Yee Ting Cheung of Hong Kong China, who reached the knockout rounds in both 2018 and 2019, as well as two Chinese debutants in the form of Li Bi Han and Xia Yu Ying.
Group C
Home favourite and 2023 runner-up Bai Yulu will begin her second quest to claim the World Women’s Snooker Championship title in Group C as she looks to earn a place on the professional tour for the first time.
The 20-year-old Dongguan resident made an immediate impact on her Tour debut a year ago as she crafted a stunning break of 127 – the highest ever recorded at the World Women’s Snooker Championship – in her opening match, before ultimately losing out in the title match.
A ranking event winner at last year’s British Open, Bai will begin her tournament in a group which features world number 12 Diana Schuler of Germany, who has twice reached the last 16 stage of the flagship event in 2016 and 2017.
The pair will be joined by the experienced Pui Ying Chu of Hong Kong China, who reached the last 16 stage on her debut in 2017. Compatriot Chan Wai Lam makes her first appearance on the Tour this week, as will Urantuul Tsolmon of Mongolia.
Group D
Record twelve-time world champion Reanne Evans returns to the competition looking to lift the Mandy Fisher Trophy for the first time since 2019 and will begin this year’s tournament in Group D.
Victory for the 38-year-old would see her become the oldest winner of the tournament in over 40 years, but for many the English player remains the woman to beat having established herself as the most successful player of all-time on the WWS Tour.
Her round robin group will see her take on So Man Yan of Hong Kong China, a two-time ranking event finalist most recently in 2017, who will be making her tenth appearance in the competition, reaching the quarter-finals on three occasions.
Also present will be Thailand’s Narucha Phoemphul, who narrowly missed out on qualification for the knockout rounds a year ago, as well as debut pair Erdenetugs Dash of Mongolia and Deng Xin Shun of China.
Group E
Three-time winner Ng On Yee returns to the World Women’s Snooker Championship as one of the most in-form players having won two of her previous three ranking tournaments, while reaching a further two finals since last August.
Having recently defeated the likes of Reanne Evans, Rebecca Kenna and Mink Nutcharut to triumph in Albania last month, Ng will be hoping to improve upon a recent World Championship record which has seen her fail to return to the semi-final stage since her third title win – without the loss of a frame – in 2018.
India’s Natasha Chethan will be among those hoping to stop her in the round robin stage, with the talented 15-year-old set to make her second appearance in the tournament following her debut a year ago, and looking to continue her ascent up the world rankings which has taken her to 32nd position so far.
Completing the group are home player Lynn Shi, who has competed regularly on the circuit from 2021-2023 prior to relocating back to China, as well as Mongolia’s Byambasuren Sergelenbaatar who made her debut last year in Thailand and second Chinese player Bai Ya Ru.
Group F
World number one Mink Nutcharut will begin her bid for a second world title in Group F and will head to the tournament feeling confident following victories in the US and Belgium already so far this season.
The 24-year-old has established herself as the number one ranked player for much of the past 12 months, but with maximum points to be defended at this event following her success in 2022, could be overtaken this week by Ng On Yee should results go against her.
Among those in her opening group will be experienced Hong Kong China duo Jaique Ip Wan In – a semi-finalist back in 2015 – and Mei Mei Fong, who has twice reached the last 16 stage at the event.
The gorup is made up by debutants Liu Wei Yi Lu of China and Mongolia’s Jambaa Sosorbaram.
Group G
England’s Tessa Davidson prepares to make her 12th appearance in the Tour’s premier event, having twice reached the semi-finals back in 1991 and 1994.
The 54-year-old returned to the Tour following a 23-year absence in 2022 and has demonstrated that she has lost none of her ability, re-establishing herself as a consistent performer and reclaiming a place back inside of the world’s top 10.
Having reached the last 16 during each of the past two years, Davidson will be hoping to go further still and will be joined by Yee Ki Ho of Hong Kong China in an interesting group draw, with Ki also having progressed to the last 16 stage in 2023.
India’s Mohitha R T. is set to make her second appearance in the competition having made her bow in Thailand last year, while China’s Yang Meng and Otgonbayar Jigden of Mongolia will play in the event for the first time.
Group H
Former world under-21 champion Emma Parker is set to head up the penultimate group as she makes just her fourth appearance in the competition since her Tour debut back in 2015.
The 24-year-old reached the quarter-finals for the first time in 2022 and will therefore be targeting a strong performance to successfully defend those ranking points and climb back up the rankings having dropped to ninth position in recent months.
Set to challenge her in Group H will be India’s Amee Kamani, who notably reached her first world ranking event final last October at the Australian Women’s Open and will be hoping to reach the knockout rounds for the first time at her third attempt.
Elsewhere in the group, Hong Kong China’s Katrina Wan makes her return to the competition for the first time since she reached back-to-back quarter-finals in 2016 and 2017, with Chinese duo Liu Zi Ling and He Dan Ni set to make their debuts.
Group I
Reigning Eden Masters champion Mary Talbot leads the final round robin group as she looks to continue a memorable season which has seen her achieve a career-high world ranking of number six in recent months.
The 43-year-old previously reached the quarter-finals stage of the World Championship in 1997 and more recently has earned consecutive last 16 places since her Tour return in September 2021.
She faces a tricky group, however, which will see her joined by 21-year-old rising star Anupama Ramachandran of India, who recently defeated Talbot 3-1 at the last 16 stage of the Albanian Women’s Open only last month.
Also present will be Yuk Fan Lau of Hong Kong China, who made her WWS debut at the Australian Women’s Open earlier this season, reaching the quarter-finals, as well as Altangerel Bolortuya of Mongolia and China’s Mo Tian Tian.
Side-Tournaments
Alongside the main competition, there will also be side-tournaments staged for the Under-21 and Seniors players during the week, with the majority of matches planned to be completed on Monday 11 March (subject to change).
A new champion is guaranteed in the Under-21 competition with last year’s winner Anupama Ramachandran having since turned overage, while previous two Seniors winners Mary Talbot and Tessa Davidson are on course to meet in this year’s over-40s final should each progress.
The action gets underway on Monday from 10:00am CST with the latest match results and standings available via WPBSA SnookerScores.
