The first Women’s World Snooker Championship since 2019 gets under way on Friday at the Ding Junhui Snooker Academy in Sheffield.
Reanne Evans finally gets the opportunity to defend the title she claimed almost three years ago, when she beat Thailand’s Nutcharut Wongharuthai in Bangkok.
The Englishwoman is bidding for a record-extending 13th women’s world crown – 17 years after she first lifted the trophy.
Only Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee has prevented Evans from taking a clean sweep in that era, capturing glory in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
The two players, who are also competing on the professional Main Tour this season, are the outstanding favourites for the top honours again this year.
Wongharuthai, a winner of the Women’s British Open last month at the Winchester Snooker Club, will also be highly fancied to mount a serious challenge again.
The likes of world number four Rebecca Kenna and Maria Catalano, a five-time runner-up of the Women’s World Snooker Championship, are also in the draw.
Seven-time IBSF world amateur champion Wendy Jans from Belgium is a notable participant as well.
The players have been split into a dozen groups for the initial round-robin phase, with the top two from each group progressing to the knockouts.
Byes through to the last 16 will be awarded to the eight best group winners, with the remaining 16 competitors first going head-to-head in a preliminary knockout round.
Group-stage matches will be played over the best of five frames, with seven frames needed for the knockout encounters up until the quarter-finals.
The semi-finals will then be increased to nine frames before a best of eleven final to determine the champion on Monday.
Women’s World Snooker Championship Draw
Group A | Group B |
Reanne Evans | Ng On Yee |
Mary Talbot-Deegan | Jan Hughes |
Sophie Nix | Louise Cothier |
Laura Killington | Elizabeth Black |
Group C | Group D |
Nutcharut Wongharuthai | Rebecca Kenna |
Jamie Hunter | Kate Le Gallez |
Lilly Meldrum | Miina Tani |
Lynn Shi | Laura Gillett |
Group E | Group F |
Maria Catalano | Emma Parker |
Amiee Benn | Harriet Haynes |
Pooja Galundia | Ewelina Pislewska |
Chloe Payne | Chrissy Allwood |
Group G | Group H |
Laura Evans | Suzie Terry |
Shannon Metcalf | Zoe Killington |
Tessa Davidson | Annamaria Wilkins |
Sarah Dunn | Emma Brown |
Michelle Brown | Nat Howard |
Group I | Group J |
Steph Daughtery | Ploychompoo Laokiatphong |
Chloe White | Jenny Poulter |
Anja Vandenbussche | Izabela Łącka |
Anna Lynch | Jasmine Bolsover |
Group K | Group L |
Mariia Shevchenko | Wendy Jans |
Connie Stephens | Annette Bates |
Dalia Alska | Marianne Williams |
Danielle Leadbeater | Lesley Roberts |
Click here for more information including scores and results.
Featured photo credit: WWS