Thepchaiya Un-Nooh produced a stunning late surge to capture the World Open title in Yushan, compiling three consecutive century breaks, including a superb maximum 147, in the closing frames to defeat Ronnie O’Sullivan 10–7.
The win secures a second ranking title for the Thai star, renowned for his rapid, attacking style. His first came at the Snooker Shoot Out in 2019, where he defeated Michael Holt. He now becomes only the second Thai player to land a full format ranking crown, following compatriot James Wattana, who won the Thailand Open in 1995.
Un-Nooh earns £175,000, the biggest prize of his career, lifting him from 39th to 22nd in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. The victory also books his place at the Tour Championship in Manchester, reserved for the season’s top 12 earners. O’Sullivan rises from 12th to 10th in the standings.
It is a disappointing end to an otherwise encouraging week for the seven-time world champion. The Rocket has spoken openly about recent stage fright and rebuilding his game, work that paid off earlier in the event when he produced a record breaking 153 clearance in his quarter final win over Ryan Day.
The final itself was full of momentum swings. Un-Nooh recovered from 4–0 down to lead 5–4 and stretched that to 6–4 in the evening session. O’Sullivan responded with three straight centuries, 114, 132 and 136, to edge 7–6 ahead.
Un-Nooh regained control after the interval with breaks of 77 and 132, then delivered a sensational 147 to move 9–7 in front and ignite the crowd. In a rare twist, the high break prize went to O’Sullivan’s earlier 153, the first time a score above a maximum claimed the award in a ranking event’s final stages.
The maximum was Un-Nooh’s seventh career 147 and the 240th in professional history, drawing him level with Ding Junhui on the all time list. It was also the 23rd maximum of the season, a new record for a single campaign.
He sealed the title in style with a total clearance of 131, later describing the victory as even better than the dream final he had imagined.
