England’s Simon Blackwell captured the biggest title of his snooker career with a dramatic 4–3 victory over Mark Joyce in the final of the third event of the 2025 WPBSA Q Tour Europe, held at the Grand Fafa Resort in Golem, Albania.
The win marks a significant milestone for the 33-year-old, who not only secured his maiden Q Tour title but also climbed to third place in the Q Tour Europe rankings. As a result, Blackwell has earned a place at the professional UK Championship in November and will now be part of the season-ending Q Tour Global Playoff. He becomes the third player this season to win a Q Tour event, joining Hammad Miah and Peter Lines.
The tournament, staged alongside the 2025 European Billiards and Snooker Association (EBSA) Championships, featured a strong international field of 104 players from 24 countries. Blackwell began his campaign with back-to-back whitewash wins over Markus Ernicke and Anna Prisjažņuka, the latter having recently claimed the EBSA European Women’s Championship and defeated Nikita Bazilevics in her opening match.
Blackwell continued his strong form with a top break of 60 in his win over Billy Castle, before edging past Luke Pinches in a final-frame decider to advance to the final day. In the quarter-finals, he faced former professional Ryan Thomerson and showed great resilience, coming back from 2–0 down to win three straight frames and take a 3–2 lead. Although Thomerson forced a deciding frame, Blackwell held his nerve to close it out before easing past 19-year-old Oliver Sykes with a convincing 4–0 win in the semi-finals.
In the title match, Blackwell met fellow Englishman and seasoned competitor Mark Joyce, who had defeated notable names including Alfie Burden, Ashley Carty, and Hammad Miah on his way to the final. Blackwell took the opening frame with a composed clearance of 60, but Joyce responded with impressive scoring, including a break of 104, to move 3–1 ahead and take control of the match.
However, Blackwell fought back with determination, producing a brilliant break of 95 to reduce the deficit to 3–2. He then won a tense sixth frame on the colours to force a decider, despite Joyce managing to get the two snookers he needed to almost pull off an unlikely comeback. In a fitting end to a closely contested battle, Blackwell held his composure in the final frame and secured victory on the colours to lift the Q Tour Europe title for the first time in his career.
