Qualifier Noppon Saengkham set for his biggest match at China Open final

World number 45 Saengkham - who had to win two preliminary matches held in Leicester several weeks ago in order to reach the televised stages in Taiyuan - ousted fellow qualifier Zhou Yuelong, 6-5, in the first semi-final on Saturday.

Thai ace Saengkham will face either Mark Selby or Stuart Bingham in Sunday’s best of 19 frames final, where the winner will pocket the top prize of £250,000 - the biggest amount ever awarded at a Chinese snooker event.

The opening two frames of the semi-final went the way of Saengkham who doubled his lead with an 86 break, although Zhou (56 break, frame three) levelled up at 2-2 going into the mid-session interval.

On resumption, Saengkham again put together back-to-back frames - making a 56 in the sixth - but four-time ranking event runner-up Zhou stayed in touch with the seventh.

Another effort of 56 aided Saengkham in moving 5-3 up, although home hero Zhou forced a deciding frame as he fashioned his best spell of scoring in the contest with runs of 99 and 74.

However, the Chinese star would get just one shot in the final frame - his break-off - as 34-year-old Saengkham sank a stunning opening red from distance, connected beautifully with the pack of reds off the subsequent black, and went on to compile a total clearance of 134 for the win.

Saengkham through to the biggest match of his life

Now in his 15th season as a professional, Saengkham has slipped down the world rankings in recent years since his career-high of 22nd.

A place in the China Open final guarantees him at least £100,000 - double his previous highest payday in the sport (£50,000 for a 147 at the 2024 Saudi Arabia Masters) - and pushes him comfortably back into the world’s top 32. If he were to lift the trophy in Taiyuan, it would be a life-changing moment and put him on the brink of the world’s elite top 16 bracket.

This will be the second ranking event final of Saengkham’s career; his first came at the 2023 Scottish Open in Edinburgh where he was denied by defending champion Gary Wilson who successfully retained the crown.

Saengkham is aiming to become the third player from Thailand to win a ranking event title. Trailblazer James Wattana won three in the 1990s, and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh triumphed at the 2019 Shoot Out, and earlier this year at the World Open in Yushan.

How did Saengkham get to the China Open final?

Nicknamed 'Moo Paknam', Saengkham's route to the China Open final has been a tale of giant-killing.

His journey began over two months ago at the Mattioli Arena in England where he defeated Michael Holt - who made a 147 the round before - and then world number 19 (at the time) Elliot Slessor in the qualifying rounds.

In front of the television cameras over the past few days in the main draw, Saengkham stunned world number one and newly-minted Shanghai Masters champion Judd Trump, 6-3, in the opening round, before getting the better of seven-time World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, 6-4, in the last 16.

The underdog prevailed again in the quarter-finals, as Saengkham stopped the in-form and recent record-breaker Shaun Murphy, 6-4.

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 China Open snooker, visit our tournament information centre here.