The 2024 Macau Casino World Matchplay gets underway on Monday 15 April as part of the annual World Billiards double-header in Carlow, Ireland.
The state of the art SBI Academy will play host to the event for a third year, with the Sammin Engineering Irish Open preceding it at the same venue between 12-14 April as part of the annual double-header.
A level six world ranking event, played over the short format of multiple games of 100up, the Macau Casino World Matchplay is the second most prestigious event in the World Billiards calendar after the World Championship and sees a strong field of 45 cueists heading to the Emerald Isle.
Fifteen of the world’s top 16 ranked players will compete at the event, including defending champion David Causier and reigning world champion Peter Gilchrist.
Causier and Gilchrist have been in utterly dominant form in recent months, winning each of the last nine ranking events between them, and will be strong favourites to once again meet in the final in Carlow.
Among the notable names looking to stop them will be India’s Dhruv Sitwala, who has reached the last two ranking event finals, and world number four Peter Sheehan – the last man outside of the world’s top two to win a ranking crown at the 2023 Jim Williamson Open.
Former World champion Sourav Kothari, 2019 World Open finalist Dhvaj Haria and Rob Hall, who won the Irish Open back in 2022, are also contenders.
Spectators are welcome to watch the action live at the SBI Academy and can also watch live on the World Billiards YouTube channel.