WineCellars.com US Open 2024 | Tournament Preview
The WineCellars.com US Open gets underway this Friday 9 August 2024 as the 2024/25 World Women’s Snooker Tour season breaks off at Ox Billiards in Seattle.
Won by Jamie Hunter and most recently Mink Nutcharut a year ago, the third staging of the US Open is set to welcome a strong field featuring a mix of leading players and local talent, who will contest the first world ranking event of the new campaign.
To be held once again at Ox Billiards in Seattle, home to four Xing Pai tables and host of the 2022 US National Snooker Championships, the event also welcomes back WineCellars.com as title sponsors, a leading designer, manufacturer, and distributor of custom wine cellars in North America.
The field is set to feature three of the world’s top four players, including former world champions Mink Nutcharut and Ng On Yee, who both compiled historic century breaks in the event last August.
The format will see all players contest a round robin group stage, to be followed by quarter-finals, semi-final and the final in the knockout rounds.
The tournament will once again see live action broadcast from Table 1 via the Ox Billiards social media platforms, to include YouTube, Facebook and Twitch.
Group A
England’s Rebecca Kenna returns for her third tilt at the US Open title, hoping to go one better than her final run at the inaugural staging of the event in 2022.
One of the most consistent performers on the Tour, the two-time English national champion will begin in a group that features the player who she beat to win that crown back in May as Tessa Davidson makes her first competitive appearance on US soil.
Davidson, who is the reigning world women’s seniors champion following her victory in China earlier this year, will be aiming to reach her first world ranking event semi-final in 25 years since she lost out to Lynette Horsburgh in the final of the 1999 British Open.
The group will be completed by US duo Caroline Purcell and Kara Cox, who will both make their WWS debuts at Ox.
Group B
Three-time world champion Ng On Yee is set to return to Seattle as the winner of two of the last three ranking events held on the WWS Tour.
With more ranking points earned than any other player during the 2023/24 season following title wins in Australia, Albania and the UK, the Hong Kong China player will be a strong start to the season as she bids to regain a place on the World Snooker Tour next season.
Awaiting her will be a group which features rising star Anupama Ramachandran of India, with the former world under-21 champion now established as a consistent performer on the circuit with four quarter-final runs from her five Tour appearances to date.
Canada’s Maryann McConnell will return to Ox for a second successive year having reached the knockout rounds a year ago and most recently having competed at the British Open in May.
Also set to return will be Kaarin Lysen of the United States, alongside Northwest Women’s Pool Association star Molina Ortiz, who will make her snooker debut this weekend.
Group C
Defending champion Mink Nutcharut returns to Ox Billiards looking to repeat her feat of 12 months ago when she became the second player to lift the US Open trophy.
The world number one enjoyed another strong season on Tour during the 2023/24 season and will begin her title defence against a group including the talented Narantuya Bayarsaikhan of Mongolia, who is one of six players set to compete in Seattle for the first time.
The remaining three players in the section are ever-present at the US Open, with Jing Liu of China, Frances Tso and Jaime Miller all set to return to take their place in a high-quality field in Seattle.
Seniors
For a second successive year there will be a Seniors tournament held as part of the US Open, with top ranked Tessa Davidson gunning for what would be an 11th win since she rejoined the circuit in January 2022.
Standing in her way will be Canadian veteran Maryann McConnell, as well as US players Kara Cox and Jaime Miller.
The action gets underway on Friday from approximately 11:00am local time, with the latest match results and standings available via WPBSA SnookerScores.
