Bai Yulu to Face OnYee Ng in WSF Final
Reigning world champion Bai Yulu will face three-time world champion OnYee Ng in the final of the WSF Women’s Championship following following four days of action at the Hotel Marinela in Sofia, Bulgaria.
For the third time from five world ranking events staged so far during the 2025/26 season, China’s Bai will meet Ng of Hong Kong China in the title match following their previous meetings at the UK Championship and Niche Cues Open last year.
As well as the title itself, there will also be added incentive for both players, with the winner set to become world number one, ending the reign of Thailand’s Mink Nutcharut, who has headed the list since August 2023. Victory for Ng would see her regain top spot for the first time since 2019, while Bai would rise to the summit for the first time.
Already the dominant player of the season so far, having claimed three titles from four to date, 22-year-old Bai has looked in imperious form throughout the week so far as she has won all seven matches, without the loss of a frame.
As was the case in Bangkok and Ireland prior to Christmas, she has made two century breaks during the competition so far, including an exquisite clearance of 131 against Narucha Phoemphul in the quarter-finals – her highest break on the World Women’s Snooker Tour to date. Her tally of seven centuries during a single season has already beaten the previous record of Kelly Fisher, with three events still to be played.
Having progressed from her round robin group with five matches – including against Ng – Bai defeated Moldovan debutant Alexandra Ceruta in the quarter-finals, before scoring a 4-0 success against Phoemphul to extend her unbeaten run on the Tour to 38 matches.
Her final opponent OnYee Ng is bidding to lift her first silverware since the British Open last May and has come through a tough draw to reach her third world ranking event final of the season.
Second in her round robin group, the 22-time ranking event winner was drawn against Thailand’s Mink Nutcharut in an all-star quarter-final match and it was Ng who avenged her recent defeat to the outgoing world number one in Ireland before Christmas with a 3-0 success to advance to the semi-finals.
There she would face the talented Panchaya Channoi, who competing outside of Asia for the first time has impressed throughout the week, notably having topped her group with victories against higher-ranked Thai players Mink and Phoemphul, without the loss of a frame – before defeating Anna Prisjažņuka in the last eight.
It was Channoi – who is set to break into the world’s top 20 following the event – who made the early running in the semi-final with breaks of 69, 30 and 89, but ultimately it was the more experienced Ng who would prevail a 4-2 winner to set up a mouthwatering finale with Bai on Friday.
The final of the WSF Women’s Championship takes place from 3pm, with live streaming available via the WPBSA YouTube channel and full live scoring via WPBSA SnookerScores.
