The 30th edition of the tournament is currently under way at Celtic Manor
WELSH snooker is hoping for its first homegrown champion in over 20 years, after six players reached the final 64 at the Welsh Open.
This week sees the Welsh Open celebrate its 30th anniversary and return to Celtic Manor in Newport, after eight years at the Cardiff Motorpoint Arena.
The Open, which is the closing event of the Home Nations series, features 128 competitors, 14 of which are from Wales.
However, after the opening round, only five Welsh players remain. The last and only Welsh player to ever lift the Ray Reardon Trophy was Mark Williams in 1999.
Williams got off to a solid start after defeating fellow Welshman Michael White, four frames to one. White was the last player to reach a quarter-final back in 2016.
The match was a low-scoring affair, with the ‘Welsh Potting Machine’, as he is known by fans, putting his skills on full display.
Ranked 14th in the world, Williams now faces Englishman Liam Highfield in the last 64.
However, Wales’ one-to-watch could be Dylan Emery from Pontypridd. The 19-year-old is making his debut in the Welsh Open and he narrowly made it through his opening match against Lu Ning, from China, four frames to three.
The amateur player now has a challenging fight on his hands, after being drawn against Joe Perry for the second round.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the teenager said: “I’ve always wanted to play in it. It would be great to have a Welsh winner for the Welsh Open, obviously you’d love to win it being the home tournament.”
Other Welsh hopefuls include Ryan Day, from Bridgend, who narrowly defeated Ian Burns in the first round. Day is on a strong run of form, after taking home the Snooker Shoot Out title earlier this month.
Day, who is ranked 32nd in the world, will be meeting Mark Davis in the second round.
Round 2 will also see a Celtic duel, with Matthew Stevens from Carmarthen, facing Scotsman Stephen Maguire to reach the last 32. Maguire defeated Dominic Dale, who represented Wales, to make it to the last 64.
Two further Welsh additions are Jak Jones from Cwmbran and Jamie Jones from Neath (no relation), both of whom face Englishmen – David Grace and Mark King respectively in the second round.
Defending champion Shaun Murphy will be facing stiff competition to retain his title, with Judd Trump the bookies’ favourite at 11/4 to take home the trophy.
World number one, Trump, will be hoping that he can finally add the Welsh Open title to his records after winning the English Open and the Northern Ireland Open earlier this season.
The winner of the Welsh Open will receive £70,000 in prize money and the tournament continues until Sunday, February 21.
