The format for the inaugural Saudi Arabia Masters has been announced with a field of 144 players set to do battle in Riyadh at the end of August.
Scheduled to begin on August 30, the tournament, the first of its kind held in Saudi Arabia, will follow the same structure as the World Championship.
The top 16 seeds will enter the competition in Round 5, which commences on September 3, and face the eventual winners of the remaining 128 players.
WST chairman Steve Dawson revealed that the world ranking event is just one part of a 10-year partnership with the Saudi Federation.
Dawson said: “Given the magnitude of this outstanding new event, in working with our partners in Saudi Arabia we felt it was crucial to have all 144 players in Riyadh.
“This will be the only one of snooker’s four majors with such an extensive field competing in the final stages.
“This is a huge ten-year partnership which will focus on developing participation in snooker at all levels, so to have such a wide array of talented players in Riyadh for this incredible new tournament is an important focal point for that journey.”
All 128 tour players are free to enter and will be joined by 16 wild cards, selected by the Saudi Arabian Billiard and Snooker Federation.
A total prize pool of over £2 million is on offer, with the final totake place in Green Halls on Saturday September 7.
Schedule for the Saudi Arabia Masters
August 30: Round 1 – Seeds 81-112 v seeds 113-144
August 31: Round 2 – Those 32 winners v seeds 49 -80
September 1: Round 3 – Those 32 winners v seeds 17-48
September 2: Round 4 – Those 32 winners play each other
September 3: Round 5 – Those 16 winners v seeds 1-16 in the last 32
September 5: Quarter-finals
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Source link : https://www.eurosport.com/snooker/world-snooker-tour-announces-format-for-inaugural-saudi-arabia-masters_sto20020108/story.shtml
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Publish date : 2024-07-22 23:21:41
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