World Open: Thepchaya Un Noh scores 147 points in final win over Ronnie O’Sullivan

Thailand’s Thepchaya On Noh produced the best snooker of his life, firing a maximum break of 147 and finishing with three successive centuries to defeat Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-7 in the World Open final in Yushan.

The 41st seed knocked out world number one Judd Trump in the semi-finals and came back from 4-0 down to defeat the sport’s greatest player of all time in the final.

O’Sullivan hit the sport’s highest-ever break of 153 en route to the 66th rankings final, and the 50-year-old Englishman was eyeing something approaching his best as he hunted for a 42nd rankings title – and first since January 2024.

“I just wanted to do my best because I didn’t know when I might be in another final again,” said the 40-year-old On Noh, whose only previous title came in a penalty shootout in 2019.

O’Sullivan, a seven-time world champion, started the final quickly, taking the first four frames in a round that included a break of 124, but the world number 39 Thai managed to break six frames in a row thanks to some heavy scoring that included five breaks over 50.

O’Sullivan fended off three successive century breaks – 114, 116 and 136 – to regain the lead in a match of the highest quality, only for his opponent to level with a break of 77 and then score three centuries of his own to seal victory.

Un-Nooh’s stunning scoring spree included breaks of 132 and 131, either side of a nerveless 147 in the penultimate frame, to provide a fitting climax.

The performance earned Un-Nooh a £175,000 purse in a season in which he failed to get past the last 16 in any other tournament, while O’Sullivan had to settle for a £75,000 prize for the highest break.

“I just want to say well done to Thepshaya who played unbelievable snooker,” O’Sullivan told the Ushan fans.

“I watched him play against Judd Trump last night and he made the number one player in the world look like the second best player. I was hoping he wouldn’t play like that today but he did – he gave me a really good bunker.”