Bai Yulu has triumphed in the 2024 Women’s World Snooker Championship, beating Mink Nutcharut 6-5 in a dramatic final on Sunday.
Following a topsy-turvy battle in which both players enjoyed periods in the ascendancy, Bai eventually potted the final pink to secure victory in a nail-biting climax.
The 20 year-old, who was the runner-up a year ago when she was denied glory by Baipat Siripaporn, becomes the first women’s world champion from China.
Her timing couldn’t have been much better as she completed the landmark success in front of her own fans.
The Women’s World Snooker Championship was held in Dongguan for the first time, and there was a big crowd in for the 2024 title-deciding showdown.
Indeed, the entire competition boasted a much more prestigious feel than in previous years, with an excellent setup for the participating players at the Changping Gymnasium.
It would be hard to argue against Bai representing a deserving champion.
Widely tipped as a future star of the game from a young age, she was by far and away the heaviest scorer during the week’s action.
After winning her four round-robin fixtures without losing a single frame, Bai beat back-to-back opponents from Hong Kong to reach the last four.
A 4-0 defeat of Fong Mei Mei was followed by a 4-2 triumph against Katrina Wan, setting up a tantalising bout against 12-time champion Reanne Evans.
The latter appeared to be heading for another final when she established a 3-0 cushion early on.
But Bai fought back, crucially pinching the sixth frame on a respotted black to restore parity when Evans went in-off with the cue ball.
The young star duly won the last two frames to advance to the final, where she took on 2022 women’s world champion Nutcharut.
A scrappy opening with the world number one from Thailand saw the first two frames shared.
Bai, however, sprung into life in the third frame and compiled a brilliant 122 century – the highest ever break in a Women’s World Championship final.
She took the next frame as well to move two clear, but Mink scrambled her way back and won three on the bounce to gain control.
Sizable contributions of 97 and 75 helped Bai reclaim the initiative and move one away from glory.
Nutcharut then managed to force a deciding frame, which had looked increasingly likely as it became clearer how difficult it was going to be to separate them.
The crucial 11th frame was a typically nervy exchange, but it was Bai who ultimately sunk the winning pink to announce herself as a leading figure in the women’s game.
Not only that, but last year’s British Women’s Open champion will now earn a two-year card to compete on the World Snooker Tour.
Considering her scoring prowess, there are many who feel that she will have significantly greater success on the main tour than her counterparts.
That’s for another day, though. For now, Bai Yulu can revel in her global victory.
2024 Women’s World Snooker Championship
Selected Results
Last 16
Bai Yulu 4-0 Fong Mei Mei
Katrina Wan 4-2 Cheung Yee Ting
Reanne Evans 4-0 Baipat Siripaporn
Mary Talbot 4-3 Tessa Davidson
Ng On Yee 4-0 Deng Xinshun
Anupama Ramachandran 4-0 Narantuya Bayarsaikhan
Han Fang 4-2 Miina Tani
Mink Nutcharut 4-0 Rebecca Kenna
Quarter-Finals
Bai Yulu 4-2 Katrina Wan
Reanne Evans 4-0 Mary Talbot
Ng On Yee 4-1 Anupama Ramachandran
Mink Nutcharut 4-0 Han Fang
Semi-Finals
Bai Yulu 5-3 Reanne Evans
Mink Nutcharut 5-0 Ng On Yee
Final
Bai Yulu 6-5 Mink Nutcharut
Featured photo credit: WWS
A major win for Bai Yulu, and for Chinese snooker and the Women’s Tour which seems to be ahead of the men’s tour in the changeover to a mainly Asian; East, South-East, and South, playing tour.
Bai Yulu looks like a far heavier scorer than her peers but she is still error prone and doesn’t win enough frames at one visit which will probably be a danger to her own prospects on the main tour where many more players will probably be equipped to capitalise on her open but style when she breaks down. If she is able to develop in this regard she will be a serious handful, particularly to first round opponents!
Possibly this tournament also gave an insight into a generational changing of the guard in the women’s game as it’s two dominant forces of the 2010’s Reanne Evans and Ng On-Yee, lost the two semifinals to the two most prominent young players of the 2020’s so far?
Bh
I have just arrived in Yushan, after 3 days in Changping (Dongguan). What was amazing in the Women’s World Championship was the amazing turnout. Something like 800 people attended the final! That’s a major breakthrough for Women’s snooker. The whole event was very enjoyable and extremely well-organised.
I was worried that Bai Yulu was not going to make it. She seemed very nervous throughout, and played much below the level she can. This is understandable considering the massive expectation – really this whole event has been organised around her – a shy 20-year old with very little tournament experience. It is now a major news story here in China.