Snooker giants including world number one Judd Trump, World Champion Zhao Xintong and all-time greats John Higgins, Mark Williams and Mark Selby are heading to Telford International Centre (TIC) next week (17th – 22nd February) for the Sportsbet.io Players Championship.

It’s an elite field with only the best 16 players from this season’s Sportsbet.io One-Year Rankings earning a place in the draw.

The tournament gets underway on Tuesday February 17th at 1pm with a blockbuster clash between four-time World Champion Higgins and Neil Robertson, who is the number one seed for this event having won the lucrative Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters earlier this season. It’s a repeat of the 2022 Tour Championship final when Robertson came from 9-4 down to beat Higgins 10-9.

Trump narrowly lost 10-9 in the final in Telford last year to Kyren Wilson and he will be determined to go one better this time having recently returned to form by winning the German Masters in Berlin. In the opening round he faces Zhou Yuelong on Wednesday February 18th at 1pm.

Crucible king Zhao arrives in Telford brimming with confidence having won last week’s World Grand Prix, his first ranking title of the season. The Chinese ace will be up against Elliot Slessor at 7pm on Wednesday.

Zhao said: “In my previous tournaments, playing as World Champion, I could feel the immense pressure, so this win is going to motivate me a lot. I feel that I am going to be better for the rest of the season. I see the next few tournaments as a test for myself and also a very positive step in my professional career. I will treasure every match that comes next. Mentally I still feel there is room to learn from the very top players. My overall consistency hasn’t been as strong as the very best. That’s an area I know I still need to improve.“

The quarter-finals will take place on Thursday and Friday, followed by the semi-finals on Saturday and the showpiece final on Sunday. All matches are best of 11 frames, up until the final which is best of 19.
The tournament will be televised live in the UK by Channel 5 as well as a range of other broadcasters across the globe.

Tickets to see this outstanding event are still available and start at just £28, which is fantastic value for the chance to see many of the world’s biggest stars!

Book now to avoid missing out: seetickets.com/tour/players-championship?src=Venue%20Social