The DMT Open snooker tournament boasts an impressive field of participants: Luca Brecel, but also top world players battling local amateurs | Sports nearby

The DMT Open, now the most prestigious snooker tournament in our country, will be held for the seventh time this weekend. The new Delta Moon club in Jemappes will be the stage where 128 players will compete for the title. Luca Brecel is logically the best, but the field of participants looks stronger than ever.

Currently, World Cup qualifiers are being played in the UK, but high-level snooker can also be seen in our country this weekend. 128 players, both local amateurs and international professionals, will compete for the first prize of €3,000 during the seventh edition of the DMT Open. The list of honors includes names like former pro Bjorn Hanifer, Ben Mertens and our world number 10 Luca Bressel. The latter is again the front favourite, although he will certainly face opposition among others, Belgian champion Kevin Hansens and professional players such as Bulksu Reeves, Umut Dikme, Florian Nicely and Stephen Kershaw. But you can also keep an eye on Sybren Sokolowski and Peter Bullen from their country. Note: Our new Belgian pros Julien Leclerc and Ben Mertens will play against each other on Saturday in the preliminary round of the World Pro Championship. The loser of that game would also participate in the Jemappes. The winner of the Belgians match must win two more matches to get to the famous Crucible Theater in Sheffield.

professional

It is now the seventh edition of the tournament, which is being organized by Jerry de Mol. He is the force behind both the DMT Open and the DMT Tour, with the tournament taking place across Belgium approximately every two weeks. He has steadily built DMT’s name recognition, and as a result nearly every tournament he organizes is fully booked at any given time. Professionalism including some live broadcasts, live scores and fun different formats are ingredients of a successful recipe.

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Julien Leclerc and Ben Mertens will play each other this weekend in the World Snooker Championship qualifiers. The loser of the match will compete in the DMT Open. © rv

The new, stale organization is thus in stark contrast to the painful time that Belgian snooker is currently going through at the national level. A split has arisen in recent years between two “bonds” BBSA and BSF, each of which will operate with a portion of affiliated players. In a country where snooker is not a big sport, this turns out to be a bad development. Official tournaments receive a lukewarm reception, which results in a limited scoring field. A new merger is urgent, but it remains to be seen who can get everyone around the same table again.

Just in case, and to warm up for the Snooker World Cup, you should hurry to this weekend Delta Moon A four-day high-level snooker tournament.

Belgian champion Kevin Hansens.
Belgian champion Kevin Hansens. © RV

Luke Brissel.
Luke Brissel. © Colin Poultney / ProSports / Shutterstock

Photo from Delta Moon, the new clubhouse where the tournament will be held.  Pictured are Kobe Vanoppen (right) and Alwyn Heynderickx.
Photo from Delta Moon, the new clubhouse where the tournament will be held. Pictured are Kobe Vanoppen (right) and Alwyn Heynderickx. © rv


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