“F1” Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Thailand’s top snooker talent, unleashed a golden performance to defeat the world No.1 and reach the final of the 2026 World Open in the People’s Republic of China.
“F1” Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, a skilled Thai snooker player ranked 39th in the world, played with calm and precise cueing in the final stages. He stunned the snooker world by defeating England’s world No.1 “Machine Gun” Judd Trump 6-4 in the semifinals of the World Open 2026 ranking tournament in China, advancing to the final.
Before this match, the two had met nine times, with “F1” winning only twice while Trump won seven times. Specifically in this tournament, they met once before in the 2019 final, where Trump won the title 10-5. This makes today’s victory even more significant.
Since the tournament began, “F1” consistently performed well, beating David Grace 5-1, Michael Holt 5-1, Marco Fu 5-2, and Gary Wilson 5-1 in the quarterfinals before toppling the world No.1 in the semifinals. This marks his third career ranking final, a fitting achievement.
Simply reaching the final guarantees “F1” a prize of £75,000 (about 3.2 million baht), plus ranking points. Winning the championship would increase his prize to £175,000 (about 7.5 million baht).
If “F1” wins the 2026 World Open, he will break into the world Top 10 rankings and earn the right to compete in the 2026 Tour Championship in Manchester, England, later this month. This would make him the first Thai snooker player in history to compete in this prestigious event.
In the final on 22 March 2026, “F1” will face “The Rocket” Ronnie O’Sullivan, ranked 12th in the world, who recently made history by scoring a record 153 break, the highest ever in professional snooker, surpassing the previous record set in 2004.
In their past three meetings, “F1” has won once and Ronnie twice, making this final a highly anticipated and exciting showdown.
The 2026 World Open is held from 16-22 March 2026 with a total prize fund of £825,000 (about 35 million baht).
At age 40, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh is poised to write the greatest chapter in Thai snooker history, with only one step remaining to make history!!!