Thai snooker star wins World Open 2026, seals Tour Championship spot
After trailing 0-4, the Thai cueist stunned Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-7 with a 147 break in the final to reach the Tour Championship in Manchester.
- Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh won the World Open 2026 by defeating Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-7 in the final, staging a comeback after being down 4-0.
- This victory secured Un-Nooh a place in the upcoming Tour Championship, making him the first Thai player ever to qualify for the event.
- The win marked his second career ranking title, earned him £175,000, and boosted his world ranking from No. 39 to No. 22.
Thailand’s world No. 39 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh staged a remarkable comeback to beat seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-7 in the World Open 2026 final in Yushan, China, on March 22, 2026.
In the best-of-19-frames title match, O’Sullivan surged into a 4-0 lead, but Thepchaiya reeled off five straight frames to move 5-4 ahead after the opening session.
He kept that momentum going in the second session and closed out the match with a maximum 147 break in the penultimate frame.
The win gave Thepchaiya his second ranking title overall and £175,000 in prize money.
It also lifted him 17 places in the world rankings, from No. 39 to No. 22, and secured him a place in the Tour Championship in Manchester, England, from March 30 to April 5, 2026, making him the first Thai player to compete in the event.
It was also a landmark moment for Thai snooker, as Thepchaiya became only the second Thai player to win a full-format ranking event after James Wattana, who beat O’Sullivan in the 1995 Thailand Open final.
After the match, O’Sullivan offered brief praise, saying: “Amazing Thailand, and he played unbelievably well today.”
