23rd July

Jak Jones capped off the 2026 Championship League Snooker on July 15th by winning his first ranking event, beating out a strong eight-player field that included former champion David Gilbert, Zhang Anda, and Elliot Slessor. The 2024 World Championship runner-up navigated Stage Three's winners' groups to lift the title at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.

Reigning champion Stephen Maguire had already exited the tournament earlier in the week. Jones' victory earns him a coveted spot in this year's Champion of Champions invitational, adding a first significant trophy to a career already highlighted by his surprise run to the Crucible final.

Just days after the Championship League concluded, the sport's relentless calendar rolled straight into the 2026 Shenzhen Open qualifiers, running July 19-22 at the Mattioli Arena. The event replaces the Xi'an Grand Prix, with defending Xi'an champion Mark Williams carrying over as titleholder heading into the rebranded tournament.

Jack Lisowski, Stuart Bingham, Stephen Maguire, and Hossein Vafaei were among the notable names in qualifying action, while newly-crowned Championship League winner Jak Jones also featured, with a potential clash against Anthony McGill on the cards. The main venue stages will follow later this year, from September 28 to October 4 in Shenzhen, China.