2004 British Open
The 2004 British Open was the 2004 edition of the British Open snooker tournament, held from 8 to 14 November 2004 at Brighton Centre, Brighton, England. John Higgins won the tournament, defeating Stephen Maguire nine frames to six in the all-Scottish final to lift his first ranking-event title since the 2001 edition of this event. In the semi-finals, Higgins defeated Shaun Murphy 6–0 and Maguire defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 6–1. The defending champion Stephen Hendry lost in the quarter-finals. Higgins made the highest tournament break with his two breaks of 144. The tournament was the second of eight WPBSA ranking events in the 2004/2005 snooker season, following the Grand Prix in October, which was won by O'Sullivan. It preceded the third ranking event of the season, the UK Championship.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8–14 November 2004 |
| Venue | Brighton Centre |
| City | Brighton |
| Country | England |
| Organisation | WPBSA |
| Format | Ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £200,000 |
| Winner's share | £30,000 |
| Highest break | John Higgins (SCO) (144) |
| Final | |
| Champion | John Higgins (SCO) |
| Runner-up | Stephen Maguire (SCO) |
| Score | 9–6 |
← 2003 2021 → | |
Tournament summary edit
The 2004 British Open was the second ranking event of the 2004/2005 snooker season,[1] after the Grand Prix in October, which was won by world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan—the 2004 and two-time world champion—who defeated Ian McCulloch 9–5 in the final.[2][3] It preceded the UK Championship.[4]
The defending champion was seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry who defeated O'Sullivan 9–6 in last year's final.[5] Hendry was still angry at his loss at the Grand Prix to McCulloch, explaining, "The way I felt at the Grand Prix was down to the fact that I know what I'm still capable of".[6] The total prize fund was £200,000[7] and the host broadcaster was Eurosport.[1][8] O'Sullivan was considered the favourite, with his mentor Ray Reardon saying "Ronnie is in the form of his life and looks very close to being unstoppable at the moment".[9] Although few top players reached the final eight in the Grand Prix, O'Sullivan said he would not be surprised if they performed well in this tournament.[9]
Qualifying edit
The qualifying rounds were played between players ranked lower than 32 for one of 16 places in the final stage, at Pontin's Snooker Centre, Prestatyn, Wales. The matches were best-of-9 frames until the semi-finals. Highly regarded 17-year-old Chinese player Ding Junhui, in his professional first season, won his sixth consecutive match when he beat Robin Hull 5–2.[10][11] The other successful qualifiers included the likes of Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, and Ryan Day.
Round 1 edit
The 16 first-round matches were between players ranked 17–32 and those who had made it through the qualifying stage. In this round, Ding took 63 minutes to whitewash 5–0 Malta's Tony Drago—who turned professional before Ding was born—outscoring Drago 463–73, for his first appearance in the last 32 of a ranking tournament.[11] European Open winner Stephen Maguire defeated Australian Robertson 5–3, while world number 48 Murphy beat McCulloch 5–2. Michael Holt, in his first season in the top 32, beat Dave Harold 5–2, and Mark King defeated Selby by the same scoreline. Ali Carter whitewashed Belgian's number one Bjorn Haneveer 5–0 in 76 minutes, while Barry Hawkins prevailed 5–4 over Joe Perry, despite the latter making the highest break so far with a 133.[12] John Parrott made a century break in his 5–3 victory over Jamie Burnett, while Joe Jogia won four consecutive frames to overcome Joe Swail 5–4.[13]
Round 2 edit
The winners of round 1 went through to face members of the top 16. Ding continued his run, defeating Jimmy White 5–1 to make the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time. Ding called the win his most satisfying to date and White commended his opponent's performance, saying, "He's dangerous and he's improved a hell of a lot this year".[14] Elsewhere, Maguire whitewashed UK champion Matthew Stevens 5–0, outscoring him 427–68.[14] O'Sullivan extended his unbeaten run to 12 matches when he defeated Parrott 5–2, in a match that lasted two hours and 28 minutes and which featured a lot of tactical, disjointed exchanges.[15][16] He was not satisfied with his performance, however: "I was awful—if I keep playing like that they'll have to call the nuthouse to come and collect me".[15] 1997 world champion Ken Doherty, who was ranked seventh but had slipped to fifteenth in the provisional rankings, defeated Quinten Hann 5–1, after Hann had smashed the red balls from his break-off shot at 0–4 down, from which he fluked a red and made an 89 break.[15][17] John Higgins, a three-time champion who first won in 1995, beat Drew Henry 5–1, and said he would withdraw from the tournament if his pregnant wife went into labour.[18][19] Hendry beat Robert Milkins 5–1, and dismissed suggestions that the loss at the Grand Prix had inspired him to play better at this tournament.[20] Murphy defeated world number four Paul Hunter 5–3 for his second last-16 appearance in a ranking event, and attributed the win to his happiness off the table; Murphy—a Christian since the age of 17—said, "My girlfriend Claire is a wonderful woman. We've become engaged and we're involved with a tremendous church in Rotherham".[21][22] Two-time world champion and world number two Mark Williams—who became a father in May and had slipped to eighth in the provisional rankings—claimed a 5–1 victory over Jogia in 89 minutes.[21][23] In a hard-fought contest, Stephen Lee defeated King 5–4.[16] The other winners were Carter, Andy Hicks, Anthony Hamilton, Hawkins, Barry Pinches, Holt, and Stuart Bingham.
Round 3 edit
In the last 16, O'Sullivan compiled two century breaks to whitewash Lee 5–0 for his 13th consecutive win and his 9th consecutive quarter-final.[24] Regarding comments he made about his retirement after his previous match, O'Sullivan said, "There's no point quoting me because what I say from one day to the next will be different".[25] Maguire made a total clearance of 140 in his 5–2 win over Ding, while Hamilton defeated Williams 5–3 for his fourth consecutive win over the world number two.[24] Hendry, whose last tournament victory was this event last year, made four breaks over 60 in his 5–2 win over Carter to set up a match with Higgins, who made the highest break so far with a 141 in his 5–3 win over Pinches.[26] Doherty became the fifth member of the top eight to lose when he was defeated 4–5 by Hicks, while Hawkins defeated Bingham 5–4 and Murphy beat Holt 5–3.[1][27]
Quarter-finals edit
In the quarter-finals, O'Sullivan defeated Hicks 5–1 in a match in which Hicks made a few errors. After the match, O'Sullivan attributed his success to his mentor Reardon.[28] Maguire made three consecutive century breaks from 2–0 up to whitewash Hamilton 5–0, setting up a semi-final clash with O'Sullivan. Maguire won the first two frames on the black, the second after trailing 0–74 and requiring two snookers.[29] Maguire said that he played brilliant, like in practice,[28] and Hamilton said his opponent was a "proper talent".[29] Higgins defeated Hendry 5–2 in a low-quality match in which Higgins won the first three frames with a high break of 30. Hendry won the next two with breaks of 66 and 58, but Higgins closed the match with breaks of 85 and 79. Higgins said he was willing to risk a possible fine by attending to his wife if she gave birth.[30][31] Murphy beat fellow qualifier Hawkins 5–3 to reach his first ranking semi-final, with Higgins as the opponent.[29]
Semi-finals edit
In the semi-finals, now best-of-11, Higgins took 73 minutes to whitewash Murphy 6–0, scoring breaks of 58, 114, 57, 89, and completing the victory with a total clearance of 144, the highest break so far. The time of 73 minutes was only two minutes slower than the quickest best-of-11 match—the semi-finals of the 1993 International Open between Hendry and Dave Harold—and Higgins outscored Murphy 566–72.[32][33] In the first three frames, Murphy managed to score a total of 10 points. In the fourth, Murphy broke down on a break of 50 before Higgins fluked a yellow, enabling him to make a 57 break. He then fortuitously snooked Murphy on the pink, which Higgins potted to make it 4–0. An 89 break extended Higgins' lead, before he finished the match with a 144 break.[34] Higgins attributed his performance to a shortening of his cue.[32][33]
In the other semi-final, Maguire ended O'Sullivan's 14-match unbeaten run with a 6–1 victory to earn a place in the final against Higgins. Maguire made century breaks in the first two frames, becoming the first player to make five consecutive century breaks (including the three made in his previous match). Maguire won the third on the pink after O'Sullivan missed the yellow. O'Sullivan won the next with a break of 51, before Maguire made a break of 71 in each of the final two frames. After the match, O'Sullivan—who had won all three previous encounters against Maguire—said, "I've never seen anything like that on a snooker table before ... He's a great player, probably the best in the world at the moment",[32][33] and even before the match, O'Sullivan had described Maguire as "of the young ones, definitely the best".[8] The defeat meant that Reardon lost the £100 bet he placed at 150–1 that O'Sullivan would win all eight of the season's ranking events.[35]
Final edit
In the all-Scottish best-of-17 final, Higgins defeated Maguire 9–6 for a record-equalling fourth title. Of the victory, Higgins said it was the most important of his career. He had not won a ranking title since his 2001 victory at this event and had lost his previous six finals. It was his 25th major title and his 16th ranking title, and it earned him £30,000 in prize money.[18][36]
In the afternoon session, Maguire took the first frame, but Higgins won the next three, compiling a 100 break in the third. Breaks of 72, 55, and 76 allowed Maguire to regain the lead, before Higgins took the eighth after Maguire missed a straightforward red to leave it 4–4 at the end of the first session. In the evening session, Higgins took the ninth, before Maguire made two breaks over 50 in the 10th. Higgins then made two consecutive century breaks, including a 144 in the 11th, which equalled his own highest break. He continued his run with a break of 68 in the 13th, before Maguire pulled one back in the next. A 97 break gave Higgins the victory.[18][36][37]
All tournament, Higgins had been anticipating the birth of his child and on 24 November, Higgins became a father for the second time when his wife gave birth to a son, Oliver, shortly after his loss at the UK Championship.[38]
Prize fund edit
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:[39]
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|
Main draw edit
Numbers to the left of the players are the tournament seedings. Players in bold are the match winners.[1][27]
Final edit
The bold text denotes winning frame scores and the winning finalist.[1][27]
| Final: Best of 17 frames.[27] Referee: Jan Verhaas. The Brighton Centre, Brighton, England. 14 November 2004.[1][27] | ||
| John Higgins (5) Scotland | 9–6 | Stephen Maguire (24) Scotland |
| Afternoon: 39–81 (77), 61–26, 100–29 (100), 79–1, 0–72 (72), 17–95 (55), 20–91 (76), 72–19 (53) Evening: 64–10, 13–110 (56, 54), 144–0 (144), 107–0 (107), 74–50 (68), 1–93 (50), 104–0 (97) | ||
| 144 | Highest break | 77 |
| 3 | Century breaks | 0 |
| 6 | 50+ breaks | 7 |
Qualifying edit
Qualifying for the tournament took place between 2 and 4 November 2004 at Pontins in Prestatyn, Wales. Players in bold indicate match winners.[27]
Century breaks edit
Qualifying stage centuries edit
A total of 13 players compiled a total of 14 century breaks during the qualifying stages of the 2004 British Open.[27]
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Televised stage centuries edit
There were 33 century breaks compiled by 17 different players during the course of the main rounds of the 2004 British Open.[27]
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References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "British Open 2004". Snooker.org. from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ "totesport Grand Prix 2004". Snooker.org. from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ "O'Sullivan nets Preston win". BBC Sport. 10 October 2004. from the original on 16 November 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ "Travis Perkins UK Championship 2004". Snooker.org. from the original on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ "British Open results". BBC Sport. 14 November 2003. from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ Yates, Phil (8 November 2004). "Hendry rages against fading skills". The Times. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ . The Journal (via www.icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk). 11 November 2004. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ a b Everton, Clive (14 November 2004). "Snooker: O'Sullivan tips Maguire". The Independent. from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ a b "O'Sullivan expecting tough test". BBC Sport. 7 November 2004. from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ Whebell, Charles (8 November 2004). "Ding looks for gong". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ a b Yates, Phil (9 November 2004). "Ding looks good bet to build on exceptional promise". The Times. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Ding drubs Drago". RTÉ Sport. 8 November 2004. from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Parrott moves into second round". BBC Sport. 8 November 2004. from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
- ^ a b Yates, Phil (10 November 2004). "Beaten White praises deadly Ding". The Times. from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ a b c "Ding overpowers White in Brighton". BBC Sport. 9 November 2004. from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ a b "Doherty hammers Hann". RTÉ Sport. 9 November 2004. from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ Yates, Phil (10 November 2004). "SNOOKER: Hann loses head against O'Doherty". Irish Independent. from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ a b c Yates, Phil (15 November 2004). "Higgins digs deep and returns to winning ways". The Times. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Distracted Higgins earns easy win". BBC Sport. 10 November 2004. from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ "Hendry eases past Milkins test". BBC Sport. 10 November 2004. from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ a b "Murphy traps Hunter in Brighton". BBC Sport. 10 November 2004. from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ Kidd, Patrick (15 April 2006). "Snooker: Murphy seeks win and a prayer after taking cue from his faith". The Times. from the original on 10 May 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
- ^ Whebell, Charles (11 November 2004). "Williams relieved to end his dry run". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ a b Yates, Phil (12 November 2004). "O'Sullivan upbeat after brushing aside Lee". The Times. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "O'Sullivan books last eight spot". BBC Sport. 11 November 2004. from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Hendry sets up all-Scottish clash". BBC Sport. 11 November 2004. from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h . Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 19 March 2006.
- ^ a b "O'Sullivan breezes into last four". BBC Sport. 12 November 2004. from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ a b c Yates, Phil (13 November 2004). "Maguire in top form for O'Sullivan clash". The Times. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Higgins wins battle of the Scots". BBC Sport. 12 November 2004. from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ "Higgins stumbles to victory over Hendry". RTÉ Sport. 13 November 2004. from the original on 5 December 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ a b c "O'Sullivan crashes out to Maguire". BBC Sport. 13 November 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ a b c Yates, Phil (14 November 2004). "Sports Round up: Awesome Maguire ends O'Sullivan's unbeaten run". The Times. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ "Higgins hits top form". RTÉ Sport. 13 November 2004. from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Rocket hails 'best in the world' Maguire". RTÉ Sport. 14 November 2004. from the original on 11 December 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ a b "Higgins takes British Open title". BBC Sport. 14 November 2004. from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ Whebell, Charles (15 November 2004). "'Most important win' for Higgins". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ "Dott fights back but runs out of steam against in-form Gray". The Herald (via ProQuest Archiver). 25 November 2004. from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2010.(subscription required)
- ^ . Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 19 April 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
External links edit
- "British Open draw". BBC Sport. 13 November 2004. from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
- "British Open 2004". Snooker.org. from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
- "Embassy World Rankings 2004/2005". Snooker.org. from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
- Turner, Chris. . cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2011.