Bai Claims Maiden UK Crown
China’s Bai Yulu has ended the reign of Reanne Evans at the Taom UK Women’s Snooker Championship following a 4-0 final victory at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds.
Record 12-time champion Evans was looking to extend a run which had seen her lift the title on four successive occasions, but it was reigning world champion Bai who dominated the title match to lift her third title on the World Women’s Snooker Tour since May 2023.
The 21-year-old Chinese star becomes the first winner of the UK Championship other than Evans and Ng On Yee in 12 years and the first player to win the world and UK titles during the same calendar year since Evans in 2019.
The victory will also see Bai rise to a new career-high world ranking of fourth position, behind only Mink Nutcharut, Ng and Evans.
Having been seeded through to the last 16 stage as reigning world champion, Bai progressed to the final with victories against Emma Powers-Richardson, recent US Open finalist Anupama Ramachandran and world number one Mink Nutcharut.
Awaiting her would once again be top seeded Evans, who survived a scare in the last 16 stage from India’s Amee Kamani to win 3-2, before she saw off So Man Yan and compatriot Rebecca Kenna – who had defeated Ng On Yee in the last eight – to set up a repeat of last year’s Leeds final.
In 2023 it had been Evans who ran out a 4-1 winner, but it would be a different story a year on as Bai quickly earned a 2-0 lead, before claiming a crucial third frame on the pink to move to within one frame of the title. Bai was not to be denied as she edged a final close frame to claim her first victory since her world title win in March and further cement her reputation as one of the leading Tour players.
Bai also achieved the highest break of the tournament with a run of 99 during her semi-final victory against Mink Nutcharut.
Side Tournaments
The Under-21 side tournament saw 13-year-old Ellise Scott claim her second successive junior title following her breakthrough win at the British Open back in May.
England’s Scott did not win a match during the group stages of the main competition, but enjoyed a successful run in the Under-21s with victories against Daisy May Oliver, Zoe Killington and Chloe Payne.
The Seniors side-tournament saw England’s Tessa Davidson lift her 12th over-40s crown following victory against Sarah Dunn in a repeat of the 2022 final in Leeds.
Davidson – who remains unbeaten at Seniors events since November 2023 – defeated Maureen Rowland, Mhairi Mackay and Dunn to win her second UK seniors title.
The Challenge Cup tournament for players who did not reach the quarter-finals saw Jasmine Bolsover lift her first WWS Tour title in nine years following a 2-1 success against Amee Kamani.
Winner of the Under-21 and Plate competitions at the 2015 World Championship, Bolsover won five matches during the final day under the six-red format to secure victory.
World Women’s Snooker would like to thank everyone who contributed to another hugely successful event, most notably our title sponsors Taom Billiards, our long-standing hosts at the Northern Snooker Centre and of course the players and officials without whom the event would not have been possible.
The 2024/25 season continues with the Australian Women’s Snooker Open from 5-8 October 2024 at the Mounties venue in Sydney, Australia.
