• The Gibraltar Open has been a part of the Players Tour Championship since 2015

  • Judd Trump is the two-time defending champion, having beaten Jack Lisowski in the 2021 final

  • Read on for more on the history of the Gibraltar Open and its past winners


The Gibraltar Open is a relatively new event in the world of snooker. It might not carry the history and prestige of other tournaments, but it has been home to some of the biggest names in snooker betting.

Finding betting tips for the Gibraltar Open might be trickier than the couple of weeks at the World Championships.

First played just a few years ago, this event has already provided some excellent snooker, though the prize money is incomparable to the Triple Crown tournaments.

As of July 2021, Judd Trump is the most successful player in the Gibraltar Open’s short history with two titles. Trump was victorious in 2020 and 2021.

Read below for the history of the event, when it’s held, previous winners and more.

Gibraltar Open Snooker History

In recent memory, the Gibraltar Open is perhaps best known for the shock return of Stephen Hendry in 2021. Despite only being around for a few years, the tournament has also witnessed some moments of snooker history.

In March 2020, Judd Trump’s Gibraltar Open win made him the first player ever to win six ranking events in a single season.

Betting at the Gibraltar Open has been a tricky business. The quality of the field has varied, and the event jumping from minor ranking in 2015 to a proper ranking event two years later certainly helped to change the perception.

Marco Fu dominated Michael White 4-1 in the 2015 final. That wasn’t the most significant part of the competition, however, as Fu also recorded the 116th official maximum break in his last 64 match.

This success came just a few months before Fu won the Scottish Open, one of the best moments of his career. Fu opted not to defend his title in 2017. It was still a field with plenty of talent, even when Mark Selby fell in the last 32.

Trump found his way to his first final at the Gibraltar Open, but he was outplayed by Shaun Murphy. This was the seventh ranking title of the former world champion’s career.

Once again, the defending champion was unable to fight for his title in the following year. Injury issues kept Murphy away from the 2018 Gibraltar Open, leading to another first-time winner.

Ryan Day won just his second career ranking title, and the Welshman made it all the way to the final again in 2019.

Dreams of going back-to-back were not to be realised for Day. Stuart Bingham came from a set down with a string of excellent breaks to win 4-1.

This was the 11th ranking final of Bingham’s strong career, and the second time he’d met Day in a final of any type. The 2020s have belonged to Trump. Bingham fell in the third round in 2020 due to a surprise 4-0 defeat to Ben Woolaston.

Kyren Wilson and Trump were the best players throughout the competition, setting up what was an epic final.

Both played some exceptional snooker, taking it to a deciding frame, which Trump clinched for a record-breaking sixth ranking title of the season.

The 2021 tournament saw Hendry fall in the first round upon his return to professional snooker. After that, it was all about Trump, as he defended his title, dropping just three frames along the way.

Where is the Gibraltar Open held?

The Gibraltar Open takes place in Gibraltar, as the name suggests. It’s usually held at the Europa Point Sports Complex, to be precise.

This was the case in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. The event, however, like many on the snooker calendar, switched to Milton Keynes in 2021. It is expected to return to Gibraltar in 2022.

When is the 2022 Gibraltar Open?

The 2021 tournament took place at the start of March, between the 1st and 7th. Between 2018 and 2020, though, the Gibraltar Open was played a week or two later.

The 2017 event was again locked into the first week of the month, with the final being played on 5th March. Before the Gibraltar Open snooker event become a full ranking tournament, it was played in mid-December in 2015.

Gibraltar Open Prize Money

The prize fund for the first Gibraltar Open was around £100,000. Since becoming a ranking event, it has doubled, with the finalists taking home a combined £70,000.

The £50,000 for winning the event sits fairly alongside other ranking events. In 2019/20, the Riga Masters had a similar prize money setup. The Snooker Shoot Out has near-identical financial reward.

It, of course, cannot come close to more prestigious events. For instance, the World Grand Prix handed out £100,000 to the winner in 2019/20, and half a million is on offer for winning the World Championships.

Here’s the complete list of Gibraltar Open prize money in 2021…

  • Winner: £50,000

  • Runner-up: £20,000

  • Semi-final: £6,000

  • Quarter-final: £5,000

  • Last 16: £4,000

  • Last 32: £3,000

  • Last 64: £2,000

  • Highest break: £5,000

Previous Gibraltar Open Winners

The strength of the draw has varied from year-to-year at the Gibraltar Open. Snooker referees have overseen some of the sport’s best, with Mark Selby competing on numerous occasions, but Ronnie O’Sullivan has never participated.

It’s a short Gibraltar Open winners’ list, headlined by Marco Fu’s run in 2015. Judd Trump is the only player to win it more than once, and his triumph in 2021 is the most impressive run of snooker the event has seen.

Trump has also been a runner-up. Ryan Day is the only other player to appear in the final on multiple occasions – Day in 2018 and lost to Stuart Bingham in the 2019 final. 

  • 2015 – Marco Fu

  • 2017 – Shaun Murphy

  • 2018 – Ryan Day

  • 2019 – Stuart Bingham

  • 2020 – Judd Trump

  • 2021 – Judd Trump


*Credit for the main photo belongs to Aijaz Rahi / AP Photo*

 

 

July 19, 2021
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Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox
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  • Nick Kyrgios has a net worth in the region of $8 million

  • The tennis star has divided opinion throughout his career

  • Kyrgios’ career prize money is just under $9 million as of July 2021


Not many players have been as controversial in tennis betting over the last decade as Nick Kyrgios. Outspoken and talented, Kyrgios has angered and entertained since becoming a professional in 2013.

He speaks his mind, he challenges the status quo, and on occasion, he produces scintillating tennis. At his best, Kyrgios can compete with most players on the ATP tour.

Despite that undeniable skill, he’s far from a reliable sports betting option. Where others might not possess the same peak performance, Kyrgios’ production fluctuates from match to match, and sometimes even from set to set.

Tennis predictions often ponder which version of Kyrgios it will be. Even experts struggle to agree on how his career will end up.

He might not be a Grand Slam winner or rivalling Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings, but Kyrgios remains a big-time tennis topic. He’s much more information on the Canberra-born star…

How much is Nick Kyrgios worth?

Nick Kyrgios net worth is thought to be in the region of $8 million. His career prize money is just under $9 million as of July 2021, according to his Wikipedia page.

His net worth has been hit by a few fines throughout his career. There have been numerous bills of $20,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct, and he’s even been fined for leaving the court without the permission of the umpire.

The controversy is bound to follow him for the rest of his career. While he might never lift the Wimbledon trophy, Kyrgios has shown he can be a competitive player at Grand Slams.

He’s got six ATP titles to his name and got up to 13 in the world rankings back in 2016. He’s had a lot of endorsements throughout his career. A couple of those, though, cut ties with him following controversies on the court.

Essentially Sports reports that Kyrgios still has numerous endorsement deals, including with Nike, Yonex, IMG, and Beats.

Nick Kyrgios Height

Nick Kyrgios is 6’4. This makes him three inches taller than Roger Federer, and a couple of inches taller than Novak Djokovic. That height can prove a useful advantage on the tennis court.

Many of the best men’s tennis players stand comfortably over six feet, and while Kyrgios’ 6’4 mark is well above average for the general public, there are plenty of players on the tour who are taller than him.

Nick Kyrgios Racquet

Nick Kyrgios uses the Yonex EZONE 98 racquet. According to tennispredict.com, the strings on the racquets used by Kyrgios are not made for commercial use.

The original specifications of the Yonex EZONE 98 are as follows…

  • Head Size: 98 sq. in

  • Length: 27 in

  • Weight (strung): 11.4 oz / 323g

  • Balance: 5pts HL

  • String Pattern: 16×19

  • Flex: 66

  • Swingweight: 322

Like most pros, however, it’s likely that Kyrgios and Yonex have worked together to modify this racquet.

There are reviews of the commercially available version of this racquet across the internet. It’s a mixed bag, but it’s clearly a racquet which Kyrgios has enjoyed using.

He’s one of Yonex’s biggest tennis stars, alongside Stan Wawrinka, Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber.

Nick Kyrgios Girlfriend

Nick Kyrgios is in a relationship with Chiara Passari. Like most things in Kyrgios’ life, the relationship has been very public, with leaked texts, cryptic social media posts and plenty of tabloid coverage.

The Aussie star has opted to avoid bubble life for the most part. Knowing that it’s something he’d struggle with, Kyrgios has played tennis sparingly over the last 18 months or so, but being with Passari for isolation at Wimbledon clearly helped.

Wimbledon is one of his favourite events, which obviously contributed to the decision. Their relationship appeared to go through some rocky times earlier in the year, but being together for isolation in the UK clearly made a massive difference to Kyrgios.

He said, “That’s why this week I brought my girlfriend, I brought my best friend. I wanted to bring two people that I trusted, that I feel very comfortable around, that made me feel good.”

Passari and Kyrgios’ relationship has been a rollercoaster. They deleted all Instagram photos together in early 2021, just days before posting Valentine’s Day messages.

Passari even posted a now-deleted Instagram video, which appeared to criticise Kyrgios.

She said, “Today I learnt that apparently publishing personal text messages between someone who has sent you something really abrasive and rude is more damaging to one’s well being and career than driving away and proceeding to message their best friend to ask them if they’re kicking on and then proceeding to club until 6am.”

There were rumours the relationship was over, but as of July 2021, it appears they’re very happy together again.

Nick Kyrgios vs Nadal

Nick Kyrgios has won three of his eight meetings with Rafa Nadal. One of those victories came in his first meeting with the Spaniard at Wimbledon in 2014. Nadal was the world number one, while Kyrgios was appearing in his first Wimbledon.

It was an epic performance, and a moment which had many wondering if Kyrgios was a future Slam winner. His career since then hasn’t followed quite the path that many expected, however.

Nadal has been the face of tennis video games, and he’s one of the greatest of all-time. The two have enjoyed some great duels since 2014, though Nadal has been victorious in their last two matchups.

Nick Kyrgios Instagram

Always active on Instagram, Nick Kyrgios has 1.7 million followers on the platform. He posts at the username @k1ngkyrg1os.

His account is mainly tennis focused, though his followers receive frequent updates from his personal life and stories are posted on a daily basis. 


*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alberto Pezzali / AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 19th July 2021

July 19, 2021
Body

Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox
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