The Players Championship is underway in Telford, with 16 players scrapping it out to lift the prestigious trophy on Sunday night.
Mark Williams and Kyren Wilson were the first winners on Monday evening as they beat Ding Junhui and Mark Allen respectively to set up a quarter-final clash.
Only the top 16 on the one-year ranking list qualified for the big event this week, meaning there are some high profile absentees, none more so than Ronnie O’Sullivan.
However, plenty of big hitters have been in good form this season and arrive in Telford confident of more success, including the likes of Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby.
There is much to play for this week, chiefly the £150,000 top prize, but also a place in the upcoming Tour Championship in Manchester, which features just the top 12 on the one-year ranking list.
The likes of Lei Peifan, Chris Wakelin and Stuart Bingham are not currently in that elite group but can win their way into it with victories at the Telford International Centre.
We are now firmly in the business end of the season, with the World Championship starting next month and there is plenty of jockeying for position to do before Sheffield.
Players Championship results and schedule
Monday 17 March
Mark Williams 6-2 Ding Junhui
Kyren Wilson 6-3 Mark Allen
Tuesday 18 March
1pm
Mark Selby 6-3 Si Jiahui
Neil Robertson 6-4 Stuart Bingham
7pm
Judd Trump 6-2 Lei Peifan
Barry Hawkins 4-6 Shaun Murphy
Wednesday 19 March
1pm
Xiao Guodong 6-5 Wu Yize
John Higgins 6-5 Chris Wakelin
7pm – Quarter-finals
Mark Williams 3-6 Kyren Wilson
Thursday 20 March
1pm
Neil Robertson 6-3 Mark Selby
7pm
Judd Trump 6-0 Shaun Murphy
Friday 21 March
1pm
Xiao Guodong vs John Higgins
7pm – Semi-final
Neil Robertson vs Kyren Wilson
Saturday 22 March
7pm
Judd Trump vs Xiao/Higgins
How to watch the Players Championship
The tournament is being shown live on ITV4, with table two being streamed on ITVX.
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For viewers outside the UK, a full schedule is available here.
Players Championship prize money
Winner: £150,000
Runner-up: £70,000
Semi-final: £35,000
Quarter-final: £20,000
Last 16: £15,000
Highest break: £10,000
Players Championship previous winners
2024: Mark Allen 10-8 Zhang Anda
2023: Shaun Murphy 10-4 Ali Carter
2022: Neil Robertson 10-5 Barry Hawkins
2021: John Higgins 10-3 Ronnie O’Sullivan
2020: Judd Trump 10-4 Yan Bingtao
2019: Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-4 Neil Robertson
2018: Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-4 Shaun Murphy
2017: Judd Trump 10-8 Marco Fu
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