Ali Carter became the latest player to make a maximum break, compiling the 147 during his 4-3 loss to Aaron Hill in the English Open on Wednesday.
The Captain’s fourth career 147 break takes the current campaign’s tally to an incredible ten, representing an unprecedented rate.
Carter’s opponent Hill had only just contributed his maiden 147 in the earlier rounds of the same event at the Brentwood Centre, but the Irishman was able to sit and admire on this occasion.
The Shanghai Masters finalist produced the knock in the fourth frame, adding to his prior contributions of 118 and 77 to see him move 3-1 in front.
But Hill, buoyed by an upsurge in form this year and coming off the back of an impressive victory over Stephen Maguire in the last round, won the remaining three frames to advance.
Hill told the World Snooker Tour: “I feel like my game is as good as anyone else’s when I’m on it. I just have to do it more often.”
“I’m getting stronger and growing in experience. I really feel like I can mix it with these boys week in and week out.
“It doesn’t surprise me to get wins like this but I’m absolutely over the moon with how I did that there.
“When he made the maximum I thought he would be full of adrenaline, so I said to myself this could be my chance to nick it.
“I managed to steal a frame to get 3-2 and made a good break to force a decider. I played a solid enough last frame as well.”
Maximum 147 breaks in the 2025/26 snooker season
1. Fan Zhengyi (Championship League Snooker)
2. Zhang Anda (Shanghai Masters)
3. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters)
4. Ronnie O’Sullivan (Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters)
5. Ronnie O’Sullivan (Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters)
6. Xiao Guodong (Wuhan Open)
7. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (Wuhan Open)
8. Zhou Yuelong (Xi’an Grand Prix qualifiers)
9. Aaron Hill (English Open)
10. Ali Carter (English Open)
All the talk at the moment, however, surrounds the relentless amount of maximum 147 breaks that are being made during the 2025/26 term.
To put it into context, there were 15 maximums made during the entire 2024/25 campaign, which already represented a record for a single-season period.
It now appears almost certain that the record will be smashed this season, and it’ll be fascinating to see what kind of target the tour can set.
Elsewhere, there were a lot of upsets as the last 16 contenders for the Steve Davis Trophy were confirmed.
Reigning English Open champion Neil Robertson bowed out following a 4-1 reverse to Jackson Page while Zhao Xintong’s inconsistency since winning the World Championship continued with a similar loss to Jack Lisowski.
Xiao Guodong and Gary Wilson, who contested the recent Wuhan open final in China, were defeated by Ricky Walden and Elliot Slessor resepctively.
Three-time world champion Mark Williams also crashed out after suffering a 4-1 loss to Zhou Yuelong.
Several marquee names are still in the hunt for the £100,000 top prize, though, including world number one Judd Trump and fellow former champion Mark Selby.
The English pair earned respective triumphs over Yuan Sijun and Lei Peifan, while Ding Junhui progress courtesy of a 4-1 glory against Matthew Selt.
Mark Allen had a tougher time of it but managed to reach the last 16 thanks to a deciding-frame win over Stuart Bingham, while Luca Brecel beat Si Jiahui.
Last year’s English Open runner-up Wu Yize, Shaun Murphy, Barry Hawkins, Jak Jones, and Robbie Williams made it through to the next round as well.
2025 English Open Draw
Round of 64 (bo7)
Neil Robertson 4-1 Sunny Akani
Jackson Page 4-1 Zhao Hanyang
Shaun Murphy 4-0 Zak Surety
David Gilbert 2-4 Fan Zhengyi
Wu Yize 4-1 He Guoqiang
Chris Wakelin 4-1 Ross Muir
Lei Peifan 4-1 Ryan Day
Mark Selby 4-1 Liam Highfield
Mark Williams 4-0 Amir Sarkhosh
Zhou Yuelong 4-1 Xu Si
Barry Hawkins 4-2 Louis Heathcote
Tom Ford 4-3 Martin O’Donnell
Hossein Vafaei 3-4 Luca Brecel
Si Jiahui 4-2 Liu Hongyu
Pang Junxu 4-3 Daniel Wells
Kyren Wilson 2-4 Robbie Williams
Judd Trump 4-0 Michael Holt
Yuan Sijun 4-3 Ben Woollaston
Gary Wilson 4-2 Sanderson Lam
Elliot Slessor 4-2 Jimmy Robertson
Stuart Bingham 4-0 Dylan Emery
Mark Allen 4-1 Scott Donaldson
Matthew Selt 4-2 Liam Davies
Ding Junhui 4-1 Liam Pullen
Xiao Guodong 4-0 Gong Chenzhi
Joe O’Connor 1-4 Ricky Walden
Zhang Anda 4-1 Anthony McGill
Jak Jones 4-3 Jamie Jones
Stephen Maguire 2-4 Aaron Hill
Ali Carter 4-2 Marco Fu
Jack Lisowski 4-2 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Zhao Xintong 4-0 Ishpreet Singh Chadha
Round of 32 (bo7)
Neil Robertson 1-4 Jackson Page
Shaun Murphy 4-1 Fan Zhengyi
Wu Yize 4-2 Chris Wakelin
Lei Peifan 0-4 Mark Selby
Mark Williams 1-4 Zhou Yuelong
Barry Hawkins 4-0 Tom Ford
Luca Brecel 4-2 Si Jiahui
Pang Junxu 0-4 Robbie Williams
Judd Trump 4-1 Yuan Sijun
Gary Wilson 0-4 Elliot Slessor
Stuart Bingham 3-4 Mark Allen
Matthew Selt 1-4 Ding Junhui
Xiao Guodong 3-4 Ricky Walden
Zhang Anda 1-4 Jak Jones
Aaron Hill 4-3 Ali Carter
Jack Lisowski 4-1 Zhao Xintong
Round of 16 (bo7)
Jackson Page vs Shaun Murphy
Wu Yize vs Mark Selby
Zhou Yuelong vs Barry Hawkins
Luca Brecel vs Robbie Williams
Judd Trump vs Elliot Slessor
Mark Allen vs Ding Junhui
Ricky Walden vs Jak Jones
Aaron Hill vs Jack Lisowski
Click here for the updated results (snooker.org)
Featured photo credit: WST
