PREVIEW: 2021 Cazoo Players Championship

Before the start of the previous tournament, Jamie Jones and Zhao Xintong were on the cusp of qualifying for the 2021 Cazoo Players Championship. But their chances were blown out of the water by two brilliant runs in the 2021 Welsh Open from semi-finalist Mark Williams and first-time champion Jordan Brown.

There is a lot that can be said about Jordan Brown’s incredible achievement. No. 81 seed Jordan Brown has beaten Ronnie O’Sullivan, arguably the greatest snooker player ever, in the decider (9-8) in his first-ever ranking final. This was a major shock, considering that Brown was almost relegated from the professional tour last season and was working in a petrol station three years ago.

As well as winning a ranking title and £70,000, Brown qualifiers for this season’s Players Championship and next season’s Champion of Champions. He must be a delighted bunny.

Back To Milton Keynes

The Celtic Manor Resort was fantastic for the Welsh Open and provided a welcome change of scenery. But alas, we return to the Marshall Arena to watch professionals play snooker.

The happiest player of this lovely lot will likely be Judd Trump. Trump complained throughout his run in the Welsh Open about the conditions at the Celtic Manor Resort. Since he won three titles in the Marshall Arena already, this is a decent opportunity to get back on track – to defend (yet another) title.

It’s going to be a very interesting event. The purists will enjoy this more, as it has longer BO11 matches in a Masters-style format. There are a number of rejuvenated players such as Martin Gould, Mark Williams and Welsh Open runner-up Ronnie O’Sullivan. Plenty of money too. The incentives of qualifying for the Tour Championship and winning the overall Matchroom/Cazoo Cup are tasty.

The match between Zhou Yuelong and Barry Hawkins deserves some attention, as that could be vital towards qualifying automatically to the 2021 World Championship.

Here’s the weird thing though. Last season’s Players Championship was probably the last ranking tournament that wasn’t affected by the pandemic. That feels quite sad, really.