The field of 128 players at the 2025 Snooker Shoot Out has been whittled down to its last 32 runners at the Tower Circus in Blackpool.
A frenzied first three days of competition in the fast-paced ranking event has seen the contenders win two out of the seven single-frame matches that are required to capture the title.
There’ll be one player left standing by the end of Saturday, with all five remaining rounds to be played out in a single day of dramatic action.
Indeed, the opening couple of days already threw up some thrilling mini-showdowns with Stan Moody, Liam Highfield, Ross Muir, and Ng On Yee among the competitors who survived nail-biters that concluded in the dying seconds.
There have been plenty of big breaks too with recent International Championship winner Wu Yize compiling a tremendous 141 total clearance in the first round.
The young Chinese talent quickly bowed out of the event, though, with a narrow defeat to David Gilbert in the next round.
Wu was one of six cueists from the top 16 of the world rankings who entered the 2025 Snooker Shoot Out draw.
Only one remains, with Gary Wilson flying the flag for the elite crop when he continues his challenge in the last 32 against Alfie Burden.
World seniors champion Burden, meanwhile, is one of five amateurs who are still in contention for the £50,000 top prize.
Liverpudlian teenager Ethan Llewellyn has been rewarded for his impressive brace of wins with a standout tie against former Shoot Out champion Ryan Day.
Other invited amateurs Kaylan Patel, Zachary Richardson, and Halim Hussain take on Bulcsu Revesz, Mitchell Mann, and Oliver Brown respectively.
Looking at the draw, there is an enormous chance for an unheralded player to announce themselves as a tournament winner on the calendar.
The Shoot Out may be controversial, but success in this event has frequently represented a significant stepping stone onto bigger things.
Victories for Barry Hawkins, Michael White, and Anthony McGill in previous editions spearheaded glories to follow, while Chris Wakelin proceeded to become a member of the top 16 following his unlikely triumph almost three years ago.
Who will end up with the trophy in their hands remains anyone’s guess, however.
There are several proven tournament winners still involved, including last year’s Shoot Out champion Tom Ford who takes on Gilbert next.
Former world champions Stuart Bingham and Luca Brecel will look to extend their runs when they face Sanderson Lam and Fan Zhengyi respectively.
A couple of other interesting ties from the third round include young talent Stan Moody’s bout with former women’s world champion Ng On Yee, and the contest featuring ranking event runner-ups Zhou Yuelong and Noppon Saengkham.
It promises to be a chaotic day of action with the calendar year’s penultimate ranking title on the line.
2025 Snooker Shoot Out Draw
Round of 32 (bo1)
Saturday, 1pm
Matches every 10-15 minutes
Stan Moody vs Ng On Yee
Elliot Slessor vs Ross Muir
Ben Mertens vs Robbie McGuigan
Gary Wilson vs Alfie Burden
Jackson Page vs Pang Junxu
Bulcsu Revesz vs Kaylan Patel
Ryan Day vs Ethan Llewellyn
Zhou Yuelong vs Noppon Saengkham
Yuan Sijun vs Julien Leclercq
Mitchell Mann vs Zachary Richardson
Sanderson Lam vs Stuart Bingham
Luca Brecel vs Fan Zhengyi
Iulian Boiko vs Oliver Lines
Oliver Brown vs Halim Hussain
Liam Highfield vs Amir Sarkhosh
David Gilbert vs Tom Ford
The draws for each round are random.
The last 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final will take place from 7pm on Saturday.
Click here for updated results
Featured photo credit: WST
Some great late comebacks so far, e.g. Liam Highfield and Stan Moody — in the first match of the last 32, Moody was drawn against Ng On Yee (who beat Mark Allen) — should be interesting.