Day sees the positives in Welsh Open venue change

3 years ago 44
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Welsh Open snooker: Ryan Day hopes for a stress-free week by the seaside in Llandudno

Ryan Day is hoping to benefit as the Welsh Open moves away from Cardiff or Newport for the first time since its inception in 1992.

Snooker's third longest-running ranking event is moving north to be staged in Llandudno's Venue Cymru.

Llandudno holds good memories for Day thanks to win over four-time world champions John Higgins and Mark Selby.

"The venue is one of the best we go to and Llandudno is a lovely town," said Day.

"The one positive that'll come of the Welsh Open not being in Cardiff or Newport is that I normally get pestered by people wanting to come and watch. I don't think they'll be making the four-hour trip to Llandudno so hopefully I can have a bit of a stress-free week.

"It's a change of venue and hopefully a change of luck for me."

Day has never previously been beyond the quarter-finals at the Welsh Open in 17 attempts in the main draw.

The 42-year-old world number 18, from Pontycymer near Bridgend, has though already enjoyed a positive season.

Day did not make it beyond the last eight of any ranking event last season and failed to qualify for the World Championship for a fourth successive year.

But in October he won the British Open, beating Northern Ireland's Mark Allen 10-7 in the final in Milton Keynes.

Day's wife Lynsey and daughters Francesca and Lauren were in the arena to see him claim his fourth ranking title and a first prize of £100,000.

"It was great because a lot of close family and friends were there. It was an extra-special moment," said Day, who puts a new positive mindset down to working with Chris Henry.

Day rang the renowned coach after a painful defeat in the 2021 German Masters:

"I played Barry Hawkins. I was 4-0 up, it was the first to five and I couldn't see myself winning. It was where I was mentally at the time and I knew I needed a fresh outlook," he explained.

"When I played Mark Allen in the British Open final I got to 9-7 up and I didn't have any doubt in my mind that I was going to cross the line.

"That's just one of the aspects we've worked on and it's paid dividends."

The British Open win lifted Day back into the world's top 16, which meant he played at the Masters last month for the first time since 2019.

He came close to beating eventual champion Judd Trump in the first round but lost 6-5 after leading 5-3. Despite that disappointment Day, who will be 43 next month, feels he can continue to compete at the top level for some time yet:

"I ran Judd close," he said.

"It's the worst I've felt for quite some time after losing, but Mark Williams, John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan are all 47.

"Maybe there's life in the old dog yet."

Day is one of six Welsh players whose Welsh Open qualifying round matches have been held over to Llandudno for the first day of the tournament.

He will play against Stuart Carrington.

Three-time world champion Mark Williams will face fellow Welshman Michael White.

Jackson Page will take on 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham and two amateur teenage players have been given wildcards, with 16-year-old Liam Davies from Tredegar facing Noppon Saengkham and 17-year-old Oliver Briffett-Payne from Risca taking on against Robbie Williams.

Four more Welsh players - Matthew Stevens, Jak Jones, Dominic Dale and amateur Daniel Wells - won their qualifying round matches in Barnsley last month and are already through to the last 64.

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