2007 Welsh Open (snooker)

Tournament summary

Background

The Welsh Open began as a ranking tournament in 1992 initially in February, occurring after the Masters, but later replaced the Classic in January. The event was sponsored by the cigarette brand Regal until 2003 (known as the Regal Welsh Open), but UK restrictions on tobacco advertising left it unsponsored until 2009. The Welsh Cup was first held at the Newport Centre in Newport in 1992 before it moved to the Cardiff International Arena (now called Motorpoint Arena Cardiff) in 1999. It was held at the Welsh Institute of Sport in 2004 and returned to the Newport Centre in 2005.

The 2007 tournament took place at the Newport Centre in Newport, South East Wales between 12 and 18 February. It was the fifth of seven World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) ranking competitions in the 2006/2007 season, following the Malta Cup and preceding the China Open. Held between January and February, the Malta Cup was won by 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy, who defeated Ryan Day by nine frames to four (9–4) in the final. The defending Welsh Open champion from 2006 was Stephen Lee, who defeated Murphy by the same scoreline. The total prize fund was £225,500, and the host broadcasters were BBC Cymru Wales and Eurosport. All matches were best-of-nine frames until the semi-finals.

Two-time Welsh Open champion Ronnie O'Sullivan was the pre-tournament favourite to win his third title in Wales. Reigning world champion and world number 2 Graeme Dott spoke of his delight to enter the Welsh Open in contention to top the world rankings but vowed not to lose his concentration, "If you have big expectations, they can hamper the way you play and create extra pressure. That's the last thing I want."

Qualifying

The qualifying rounds were played to the best-of-nine frames between players ranked lower than 32 for one of 16 places in the final stage, at Pontin's Snooker Centre, Prestatyn, Wales from 6 to 8 January 2007. It was contested over three rounds and higher-ranked players received byes to the second and third rounds. Provisional world number 56 Jimmy White narrowly missed out qualifying for the fifth successive tournament of the season with a 5–4 defeat to Mark Allen in the third qualifying round. The successful qualifiers included the 1991 world champion John Parrott, Andrew Higginson, Ricky Walden and Ben Woollaston.

Round 1

The 16 first-round matches on 12 and 13 February were between players ranked 17–32 and those who had made it through the qualifying stage. In this round Joe Perry came from 2–1 behind with a break of 127 in frame five to defeat Parrott 5–2 after the latter missed a straightforward red ball shot in frame seven, Gerard Greene whitewashed Mark King 5–0, David Gilbert won 5–1 over James Wattana, Breaks of 65, 68, and 70 enabled the 1995 World Championship runner-up and 1996 British Open winner Nigel Bond to edge out Liang Wenbo (who achieved breaks of 86, 56, 48 and 45) 5–3 and avenge his opponent's 5–0 whitewash of him from the 2006 tournament. The two-time Welsh Open runner-up Alan McManus compiled a breaks of 113 and runs of 71 and 54 to defeat Rod Lawler 5–2, bemoaning afterwards of the lack of an audience in the arena because he felt more comfortable playing in front of a larger crowd.

Marco Fu lost his match 2–5 to Higginson after the latter tied 2–2 and compiled a break of 125 along with runs of 70, 67 and 81. Stuart Bingham made a match-winning break of 115 to whitewash Joe Delaney 5–0. Another whitewash occurred when Ryan Day was defeated 5–0 by Michael Judge, a match in which Day's highest break was 24 and Judge compiled a 137 total clearance to win the game. World number 54 Jamie Burnett made a match-high break of 43 en route to winning 5–3 against Robert Milkins. Breaks of 110 and 79 gave Jamie Cope a 5–1 victory over the struggling Ding Junhui.

Round 2

The winners of round one went through to face members of the top 16 in the second round between 13 and 14 February. In this round Selby took just over an hour to defeat Matthew Stevens 5–1 with a 98% potting success rate and breaks of 65, 64, 133, 80 and 68. John Higgins, the 2000 Welsh Open champion, was defeated 5–3 by the unranked Higginson. Trailing 3–0 Higginson took advantage of an error from Higgins to achieve successive breaks of 68, 50, 60 and 121 and won the match in the eighth frame following a fluked green ball and putting Higgins in a snookered position behind the brown ball.

The 2006 Malta Cup champion Ken Doherty took a 5–3 win over Swail from breaks of 49, 79, 116, 47 and 84 with Swail producing two breaks of 87 and a 65 to prevent his opponent from claiming an easy victory. Neil Robertson claimed a 5–2 victory against Holt. after which he said his playing technique needed improving. Anthony Hamilton ended a ten match and ten-month losing streak with a 5–4 victory over Perry. Coming from 3–1 behind at the mid-session interval Hamilton rallied to tie the match at 3–3 until Perry won the eighth frame on the pink ball. Hamilton won the final frame decider with a break of 119.

Stephen Hendry, a three-time Welsh Open champion, The final second round match saw Ali Carter defeat Bingham 5–3.

Round 3

In the third round held on 15 February, O'Sullivan won 5–1 against Selby. He took the first frame by potting the pink ball, made a break of 70 in the second and won the third before Selby compiled a 100 break for a 3–1 score at the mid-session interval. A break of 80 in frame five and a sixth frame win earned O'Sullivan the victory. Hamilton overcame Harold 5–3 with a break of 120 to win his second game of the season in a match that lasted almost 3 hours and 20 minutes. Davis reached the 84th quarter-final of his career in a world ranking competition by defeating Dott 5–3. He built a 3–1 advantage with breaks of 82, 69 and 76 that Dott reduced by taking two successive frames. Dott missed a yellow ball shot to a baulk pocket in frame eight and Davis won the match with a clearance to the pink ball. Murphy prevailed 5–4 in a 3-hour and 48-minute match against Burnett. After trailing 2–0 and 4–2, Burnett recovered to force a final frame decider with a break of 104 in frame seven and he claimed the eighth on the blue ball after Murphy missed an easy brown ball shot. Murphy won frame nine unchallenged.

In his match against Hendry, Robertson took a 4–0 lead, a period in which Hendry did not pot a single ball in 39 minutes and Robertson achieved a 141 total clearance. Hendry responded to win three successive frames as he accumulated 255 points without reply from breaks of 64, 96 and 83. However, Robertson won the match 5–3 in frame eight with a run of 51. Robertson said after the match, "This is first time since then I've had that really hungry attitude back", and Hendry praised his opponent for his performance during the eighth frame. Higginson reached the first quarter-final of his career with a 5–1 win over Judge, while Carter recovered from 3–0 down to narrowly defeat Bond 5–4.

Quarter-finals

In the quarter-finals held on 16 February, Higginson achieved a maximum break in the second frame of his 5–1 victory over Ali Carter. It was the first maximum break of his career, the third in the history of the Welsh Open and the 56th in professional competition. Frames three and four were won by Higginson with breaks of 83 and 48 and accrued 342 points without reply. Carter prevented a whitewash with a break of 54 in frame five but Higginson won the match with a break of 104.

Robertson won 5–4 against O'Sullivan in a closely contested match. Robertson went 2–0 up with breaks of 135 and 45, which O'Sullivan tied with breaks of 69 and 122 in the following two frames. O'Sullivan compiled a 109 break in frame five as he accumulated 322 unanswered points but Robertson had a reprieve when a button on O'Sullivan's waistcoat made contact with the yellow ball and won frame six. O'Sullivan won a fragmented seventh frame and Robertson took the match to a final frame decider with a century break of 124. Robertston won the match with a clearance and a 74–45 scoreline after O'Sullivan missed a straightforward red ball shot.

Davis overcame Hamilton by the same scoreline to enter the 58th semi-final of a ranking tournament in his career. Coming from 3–0 and 4–3 behind Davis achieved a break of 61 after Hamilton (leading 46–0) grazed the black ball while attempting to pot a red ball in frame eight. Davis took advantage of three errors from Hamilton to complete the match and claim victory with a clearance from the green to pink balls in the final frame decider. Maguire twice came from a frame behind in his match against Murphy before gaining the lead in the fifth frame. He was able to maintain his advantage to win 5–3 and complete the semi-final lineup.

Semi-finals

The semi-final matches held on 17 February were increased to the best-of-11 frames. Robertson won 6–3 against Davis and was the first player to enter the final. Davis won the opening frame, with Robertson responding with a runs of 42 and 41 in the second after Davis missed a red ball shot. Robertson drew clear to lead 4–1 with breaks of 70, 109 and 79. Frame six was taken by Davis who came from 51–0 behind to compile a 54 clearance but lost a disjointed seventh frame to Robertson . Davis won frame eight with a break of 91 but Robertson completed the match in the ninth frame. Davis bemoaned missing a straightforward red ball in the second frame, "When you do that Neil scores a lot of points. If your safety doesn't work against him there's damage done."

The other semi-final game saw Higginson become the first unranked player to enter the final of a ranking tournament since Terry Griffiths in the 1979 World Snooker Championship with his defeat over Maguire by the same scoreline. Higginson opened a two-frame lead with breaks of 66 and 94 in frames six and seven and a further break of 64 in the eighth after Maguire overran his intended position on the black ball while on a run of 48. Maguire delayed Higginson's win in frame eight but the latter compiled runs of 53 and 57 to take the victory in the ninth frame. Afterwards, Higginson called it "a dream, totally surreal" and said he would benefit from the ranking points, prize money and the additional experience, "This is unbelievable. Before the start I was very nervous because I suddenly realised that I'd got a great chance to do something that was beyond my wildest dreams."

Final

The best-of-17 frames final on 18 February was played against Robertson and Higginson. It was refereed by Michaela Tabb, who became the first woman in history to take charge of a ranking snooker event final. The pre-final favourite to win the tournament was Robertson, while his opponent Higginson was a 500–1 outsider in his third appearance in the main stages of a professional competition.

Robertson won the first five of the six frames with breaks of 98, 76 and 71 as Higginson compiled a break of 114 in the second frame. Although Higginson clinched the seventh frame, Robertson produced a break of 74 in the eighth to conclude the first session 6–2 up. In the second session the first six frames were won by Higginson from breaks of 54, 100, 97, 64 and 81 en route to a 8–6 lead and outscored Robertson 425–49. This left Higginson within a solitary frame of winning the first ranking tournament of his career. However, Robertson compiled a clearance of 92, and breaks of 32 and 59 in frame fifteen to force the match to a final frame decider. Robertson maintained his composure to win the tournament and the match after Higginson missed a plant at the start of the last frame.

After the match, Robertson praised Higginson's performance and said he had to remain patient and believe in himself despite feeling anxious, "It was just a matter of getting a chance and thankfully I got it." Higginson said he was not disappointed to lose the tournament and revealed he entered the tournament without any anticipation since he was the underdog in most of his matches, "I needed to win one more match to take the title and if someone had told me this would happen a week ago, I would have sent them for a drugs test. Getting this far is a dream come true.''

It was Robertson's second ranking tournament win of the season after the Grand Prix in October 2006. He joined Cliff Thorburn, James Wattana and Ding Junhui as the fourth non-British or Irish player in history to win more than one career ranking competition. The victory earned Robertson £35,000; he moved to seventh in the provisional world rankings while Higginson rose to 40th. The event, according to Phil Yates of The Times, would be remembered for Higginson's performance and praised him for "greatly enhancing the tournament by so nearly defying ante-post odds of 500–1."

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:

• Winner: £35,000
• Runner Up: £17,500
• Semi Finalists: £8,750
• Quarter Finalist: £6,500
• Last 16: £4,275
• Last 32: £2,750
• Last 48: £1,725
• Last 64: £1,325
• Stage one highest break: £500
• Stage two highest break: £2,000
• Stage one maximum break: £1,000
• Stage two maximum break: £20,000
• Total: £225,500

Main draw

Numbers to the left of the players' names are the tournament seedings. Players in bold indicate match winners. | team-width = 200 Best of 9 frames Best of 9 frames Best of 9 frames Best of 9 frames Best of 11 frames Best of 17 frames | RD1-seed01=20 | RD1-team01=Nigel Bond | RD1-score01=5 | RD1-seed02= | RD1-team02=Liang Wenbo | RD1-score02=3 | RD1-seed03=24 | RD1-team03=Stuart Bingham | RD1-score03=5 | RD1-seed04=63 | RD1-team04=Joe Delaney | RD1-score04=0 | RD1-seed05=17 | RD1-team05=Ryan Day | RD1-score05=0 | RD1-seed06=43 | RD1-team06=Michael Judge | RD1-score06=5 | RD1-seed07=22 | RD1-team07=Marco Fu | RD1-score07=2 | RD1-seed08= | RD1-team08=Andrew Higginson | RD1-score08=5 | RD1-seed09=27 | RD1-team09=Ding Junhui | RD1-score09=1 | RD1-seed10=47 | RD1-team10=Jamie Cope | RD1-score10=5 | RD1-seed11=32 | RD1-team11=Robert Milkins | RD1-score11=3 | RD1-seed12=54 | RD1-team12=Jamie Burnett | RD1-score12=5 | RD1-seed13=19 | RD1-team13=Alan McManus | RD1-score13 = 5 | RD1-seed14=46 | RD1-team14=Rod Lawler | RD1-score14=2 | RD1-seed15=30 | RD1-team15=Joe Swail | RD1-score15=5 | RD1-seed16=40 | RD1-team16=Adrian Gunnell | RD1-score16=1 | RD1-seed17=23 | RD1-team17=David Gray | RD1-score17=3 | RD1-seed18= | RD1-team18=Ben Woollaston | RD1-score18=5 | RD1-seed19=21 | RD1-team19=Michael Holt | RD1-score19=5 | RD1-seed20=36 | RD1-team20=Ricky Walden | RD1-score20=4 | RD1-seed21=28 | RD1-team21=Mark Selby | RD1-score21=5 | RD1-seed22= | RD1-team22=Ian Preece | RD1-score22=0 | RD1-seed23=26 | RD1-team23=Ian McCulloch | RD1-score23=5 | RD1-seed24=61 | RD1-team24=Mark Allen | RD1-score24=4 | RD1-seed25=31 | RD1-team25=Andy Hicks | RD1-score25=4 | RD1-seed26=35 | RD1-team26=Dave Harold | RD1-score26=5 | RD1-seed27=18 | RD1-team27=Joe Perry | RD1-score27=5 | RD1-seed28=42 | RD1-team28=John Parrott | RD1-score28=2 | RD1-seed29=25 | RD1-team29=James Wattana | RD1-score29=1 | RD1-seed30= | RD1-team30=David Gilbert | RD1-score30=5 | RD1-seed31=29 | RD1-team31=Mark King | RD1-score31=0 | RD1-seed32=38 | RD1-team32=Gerard Greene | RD1-score32=5 | RD2-seed01=1 | RD2-team01=Stephen Lee | RD2-score01=2 | RD2-seed02=20 | RD2-team02=Nigel Bond | RD2-score02=5 | RD2-seed03=15 | RD2-team03=Ali Carter | RD2-score03=5 | RD2-seed04=24 | RD2-team04=Stuart Bingham | RD2-score04=3 | RD2-seed05=12 | RD2-team05=Barry Hawkins | RD2-score05=2 | RD2-seed06=43 | RD2-team06=Michael Judge | RD2-score06=5 | RD2-seed07=6 | RD2-team07=John Higgins | RD2-score07=3 | RD2-seed08= | RD2-team08=Andrew Higginson | RD2-score08=5 | RD2-seed09=7 | RD2-team09=Shaun Murphy | RD2-score09=5 | RD2-seed10=47 | RD2-team10=Jamie Cope | RD2-score10=0 | RD2-seed11=9 | RD2-team11=Mark Williams | RD2-score11=4 | RD2-seed12=54 | RD2-team12=Jamie Burnett | RD2-score12=5 | RD2-seed13=10 | RD2-team13=Stephen Maguire | RD2-score13=5 | RD2-seed14=19 | RD2-team14=Alan McManus | RD2-score14=0 | RD2-seed15=4 | RD2-team15=Ken Doherty | RD2-score15=5 | RD2-seed16=30 | RD2-team16=Joe Swail | RD2-score16=3 | RD2-seed17=3 | RD2-team17=Stephen Hendry | RD2-score17=5 | RD2-seed18= | RD2-team18=Ben Woollaston | RD2-score18=2 | RD2-seed19=13 | RD2-team19=Neil Robertson | RD2-score19=5 | RD2-seed20=21 | RD2-team20=Michael Holt | RD2-score20=2 | RD2-seed21=14 | RD2-team21=Matthew Stevens | RD2-score21=1 | RD2-seed22=28 | RD2-team22=Mark Selby | RD2-score22=5 | RD2-seed23=5 | RD2-team23=Ronnie O'Sullivan | RD2-score23=5 | RD2-seed24=26 | RD2-team24=Ian McCulloch | RD2-score24=1 | RD2-seed25=8 | RD2-team25=Peter Ebdon | RD2-score25=4 | RD2-seed26=35 | RD2-team26=Dave Harold | RD2-score26=5 | RD2-seed27=16 | RD2-team27=Anthony Hamilton | RD2-score27=5 | RD2-seed28=18 | RD2-team28=Joe Perry | RD2-score28=4 | RD2-seed29=11 | RD2-team29=Steve Davis | RD2-score29=5 | RD2-seed30= | RD2-team30=David Gilbert | RD2-score30=0 | RD2-seed31=2 | RD2-team31=Graeme Dott | RD2-score31=5 | RD2-seed32=38 | RD2-team32=Gerard Greene | RD2-score32=3 | RD3-seed01=20 | RD3-team01=Nigel Bond | RD3-score01=4 | RD3-seed02=15 | RD3-team02=Ali Carter | RD3-score02=5 | RD3-seed03=43 | RD3-team03=Michael Judge | RD3-score03=1 | RD3-seed04= | RD3-team04=Andrew Higginson | RD3-score04=5 | RD3-seed05=7 | RD3-team05=Shaun Murphy | RD3-score05=5 | RD3-seed06=54 | RD3-team06=Jamie Burnett | RD3-score06=4 | RD3-seed07=10 | RD3-team07=Stephen Maguire | RD3-score07=5 | RD3-seed08=4 | RD3-team08=Ken Doherty | RD3-score08=3 | RD3-seed09=3 | RD3-team09=Stephen Hendry | RD3-score09=3 | RD3-seed10=13 | RD3-team10=Neil Robertson | RD3-score10=5 | RD3-seed11=28 | RD3-team11=Mark Selby | RD3-score11=1 | RD3-seed12=5 | RD3-team12=Ronnie O'Sullivan | RD3-score12=5 | RD3-seed13=35 | RD3-team13=Dave Harold | RD3-score13=3 | RD3-seed14=16 | RD3-team14=Anthony Hamilton | RD3-score14=5 | RD3-seed15=11 | RD3-team15=Steve Davis | RD3-score15=5 | RD3-seed16=2 | RD3-team16=Graeme Dott | RD3-score16=3 | RD4-seed01=15 | RD4-team01=Ali Carter | RD4-score01=1 | RD4-seed02= | RD4-team02=Andrew Higginson | RD4-score02=5 | RD4-seed03=7 | RD4-team03=Shaun Murphy | RD4-score03=3 | RD4-seed04=10 | RD4-team04=Stephen Maguire | RD4-score04=5 | RD4-seed05=13 | RD4-team05=Neil Robertson | RD4-score05=5 | RD4-seed06=5 | RD4-team06=Ronnie O'Sullivan | RD4-score06=4 | RD4-seed07=16 | RD4-team07=Anthony Hamilton | RD4-score07=4 | RD4-seed08=11 | RD4-team08=Steve Davis | RD4-score08=5 | RD5-seed01= | RD5-team01=Andrew Higginson | RD5-score01=6 | RD5-seed02=10 | RD5-team02=Stephen Maguire | RD5-score02=3 | RD5-seed03=13 | RD5-team03=Neil Robertson | RD5-score03=6 | RD5-seed04=11 | RD5-team04=Steve Davis | RD5-score04=3 | RD6-seed01= | RD6-team01=Andrew Higginson | RD6-score01=8 | RD6-seed02=13 | RD6-team02=Neil Robertson | RD6-score02=9

Final

Scores in bold denote winning frame scores and the winning player. Breaks over 50 are displayed in brackets.

Qualifying

Qualifying for the tournament took place between 6 and 8 January 2007 at Pontins in Prestatyn, Wales. Players in bold denote match winners.

| team-width=200 Best of 9 frames Best of 9 frames Best of 9 frames | RD1-team01=Liang Wenbo | RD1-score01=5 | RD1-team02=Dene O'Kane | RD1-score02 =0 | RD1-team03=Lee Spick | RD1-score03=5 | RD1-team04=Patrick Einsle | RD1-score04=1 | RD1-team05=Chris Melling | RD1-score05=1 | RD1-team06=Jamie Jones | RD1-score06=5 | RD1-team07=Andrew Higginson | RD1-score07=5 | RD1-team08=Passakorn Suwannawat | RD1-score08=3 | RD1-team09=Mark Joyce | RD1-score09=5 | RD1-team10=Mohammed Shehab | RD1-score10=3 | RD1-team11=Liu Song | RD1-score11=5 | RD1-team12=Jeff Cundy | RD1-score12=2 | RD1-team13=Chris Norbury | RD1-score13=4 | RD1-team14=Sean Storey | RD1-score14=5 | RD1-team15=Matthew Couch | RD1-score15=2 | RD1-team16=Alex Borg | RD1-score16=5 | RD1-team17=Paul Davison | RD1-score17=4 | RD1-team18=Ben Woollaston | RD1-score18=5 | RD1-team19=Tian Pengfei | RD1-score19=4 | RD1-team20=Robert Stephen | RD1-score20 =5 | RD1-team21=Ian Preece | RD1-score21=5 | RD1-team22=Peter Lines | RD1-score22=0 | RD1-team23=Paul Wykes | RD1-score23=2 | RD1-team24=Issara Kachaiwong | RD1-score24=5 | RD1-team25=Lee Page | RD1-score25=4 | RD1-team26=David Morris | RD1-score26=5 | RD1-team27=Judd Trump | RD1-score27=5 | RD1-team28=Mark Boyle | RD1-score28=2 | RD1-team29=Alfie Burden | RD1-score29=3 | RD1-team30=James Leadbetter | RD1-score30=5 | RD1-team31=Roy Stolk | RD1-score31=1 | RD1-team32=Dermot McGlinchey | RD1-score32=5 | RD2-team01=Joe Jogia | RD2-score01=2 | RD2-team02=Liang Wenbo | RD2-score02=5 | RD2-team03=Joe Delaney | RD2-score03=5 | RD2-team04=Lee Spick | RD2-score04=3 | RD2-team05=Tony Drago | RD2-score05=5 | RD2-team06=Jamie Jones | RD2-score06=2 | RD2-team07=Scott MacKenzie | RD2-score07=1 | RD2-team08=Andrew Higginson | RD2-score08=5 | RD2-team09=Mike Dunn | RD2-score09=5 | RD2-team10=Mark Joyce | RD2-score10=1 | RD2-team11=Jamie Burnett | RD2-score11=5 | RD2-team12=Liu Song | RD2-score12=3 | RD2-team13=Andrew Norman | RD2-score13=5 | RD2-team14=Sean Storey | RD2-score14=1 | RD2-team15=Paul Davies | RD2-score15=4 | RD2-team16=Alex Borg | RD2-score16=5 | RD2-team17=Shokat Ali | RD2-score17=3 | RD2-team18=Ben Woollaston | RD2-score18=5 | RD2-team19=Stuart Pettman | RD2-score19=5 | RD2-team20=Robert Stephen | RD2-score20=2 | RD2-team21=Robin Hull | RD2-score21=2 | RD2-team22=Ian Preece | RD2-score22=5 | RD2-team23=Mark Allen | RD2-score23=5 | RD2-team24=Issara Kachaiwong | RD2-score24=1 | RD2-team25=David Roe | RD2-score25=1 | RD2-team26=David Morris | RD2-score26=5 | RD2-team27=Jimmy Michie | RD2-score27=5 | RD2-team28=Judd Trump | RD2-score28=2 | RD2-team29=David Gilbert | RD2-score29=5 | RD2-team30=James Leadbetter | RD2-score30=2 | RD2-team31=Rory McLeod | RD2-score31=5 | RD2-team32=Dermot McGlinchey | RD2-score32=4 | RD3-team01=Mark Davis | RD3-score01=4 | RD3-team02=Liang Wenbo | RD3-score02=5 | RD3-team03=Marcus Campbell | RD3-score03=4 | RD3-team04=Joe Delaney | RD3-score04=5 | RD3-team05=Michael Judge | RD3-score05=5 | RD3-team06=Tony Drago | RD3-score06=2 | RD3-team07=Drew Henry | RD3-score07=0 | RD3-team08=Andrew Higginson | RD3-score08=5 | RD3-team09=Jamie Cope | RD3-score09=5 | RD3-team10=Mike Dunn | RD3-score10=0 | RD3-team11=Dominic Dale | RD3-score11=4 | RD3-team12=Jamie Burnett | RD3-score12=5 | RD3-team13=Rod Lawler | RD3-score13=5 | RD3-team14=Andrew Norman | RD3-score14=3 | RD3-team15=Adrian Gunnell | RD3-score15=5 | RD3-team16=Alex Borg | RD3-score16=0 | RD3-team17=Fergal O'Brien | RD3-score17=2 | RD3-team18=Ben Woollaston | RD3-score18=5 | RD3-team19=Ricky Walden | RD3-score19=5 | RD3-team20=Stuart Pettman | RD3-score20=1 | RD3-team21=Tom Ford | RD3-score21=1 | RD3-team22=Ian Preece | RD3-score22=5 | RD3-team23=Jimmy White | RD3-score23=4 | RD3-team24=Mark Allen | RD3-score24=5 | RD3-team25=Dave Harold | RD3-score25=5 | RD3-team26=David Morris | RD3-score26=3 | RD3-team27=John Parrott | RD3-score27=5 | RD3-team28=Jimmy Michie | RD3-score28=4 | RD3-team29=Barry Pinches | RD3-score29=4 | RD3-team30=David Gilbert | RD3-score30=5 | RD3-team31=Gerard Greene | RD3-score31=5 | RD3-team32=Rory McLeod | RD3-score32=3

Century breaks

A total of 31 century breaks were made by 22 different participants during the qualifying rounds of the tournament.

Qualifying stage centuries

• 139, 110, 107 Ricky Walden
• 136 Lee Spick
• 134, 126 Ian Preece
• 132 John Parrott
• 131 Jamie Cope
• 128, 100 Mark Davis
• 127, 122 Andrew Higginson
• 127 Mark Allen
• 122 Stuart Pettman
• 118 Rory McLeod
• 115 Robert Stephen
• 111 Passakorn Suwannawat
• 111 Tony Drago
• 110 Mark Boyle
• 108, 108, 106 Liang Wenbo
• 107 David Gilbert
• 105 Paul Wykes
• 104, 103, 102 Judd Trump
• 104 Chris Norbury
• 104 Joe Jogia
• 100 Sean Storey
• 100 Paul Davies

Televised stage centuries

The main stage of the 2007 Welsh Open saw a total of 45 century breaks compiled by 19 different players.

• 147, 133, 125, 117, 114, 104, 100 Andrew Higginson
• 141, 135, 124, 109 Neil Robertson
• 139, 134, 119, 115 Anthony Hamilton
• 137 Michael Judge
• 136, 115 Stuart Bingham
• 135, 134, 123, 102, 101 Shaun Murphy
• 133 Mark Selby
• 131, 115, 104 Michael Holt
• 130 Dave Harold
• 128 Stephen Hendry
• 127, 110 Joe Perry
• 122, 109, 109, 100 Ronnie O'Sullivan
• 121, 111, 104 Stephen Maguire
• 116, 111 Ken Doherty
• 114 Graeme Dott
• 113 Alan McManus
• 110 Jamie Cope
• 104 Jamie Burnett
• 102 Gerard Greene

References

References

1. Turner, Chris. "Welsh Open". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive.
2. (5 February 2007). "New game works wonders as Murphy wins 9–4". [[The Times of Malta]].
3. "2007 Welsh Open – Information". Global Snooker Centre.
4. (13 February 2007). "Day confident of claiming first title on home soil". [[Western Mail (Wales).
5. (13 February 2007). "Dott Wants Welsh Redemption". [[Sky Sports]].
6. (8 January 2007). "Uncertain future for White". [[RTÉ Sport]].
7. (13 February 2007). "John as sick as a Parrott". [[Eurosport]].
8. Dee, John. (13 February 2007). "Sweet revenge as Bond shows his experience". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
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