Snooker fans exit World Grand Prix match for strange reason, creating unusual scenes

On the opening day of the World Grand Prix snooker tournament in Hong Kong, unusual circumstances led to many spectators leaving early. A curfew enforced in the city caused a temporary halt in Kyren Wilson’s match against Matt Selt, lasting 15 minutes, as fans needed to vacate the venue by midnight. The newly constructed Kai Tak Arena, situated 30 minutes from the closest metro station, had to pause the match to allow the audience to return home in time.

This interruption drew criticism from Wilson’s management, who expressed their frustration over the event’s organization on X, highlighting the mandatory nature of the fan departure due to local policies. Facing a logistical challenge with an expected 5,000 attendees for the final weekend, snooker officials reached an agreement with the arena’s management to permit fans to stay until the conclusion of future evening sessions.

A spokesperson for the World Snooker Tour acknowledged that some fans missed the end of the final match on Table One but confirmed that arrangements have been made with Kai Tak Sports Park to prevent such interruptions for the rest of the tournament. They apologized for the inconvenience and offered ticket exchanges for affected fans on March 5th and 6th.

At the time of the stoppage, Wilson was behind Selt 3-2. After the spectators left, play resumed, and Wilson managed a comeback, securing a 4-3 win. This victory set up a last-16 encounter against John Higgins, the World Open champion, who had narrowly defeated Ali Carter.

Wilson, seeking redemption after a recent Masters final loss to Shaun Murphy, will face Higgins next. Meanwhile, Murphy triumphed over Ben Woollaston 4-3, Stuart Bingham defeated Mark Williams 4-2, and Jack Lisowski overpowered Zhang Anda. Judd Trump, a two-time World Grand Prix champion, began his campaign strongly by beating Gary Wilson and preventing him from qualifying for the World Championship. Mark Selby emerged victorious against Jackson Page with a 4-3 win, while Xiao Guodong defeated Jak Jones by the same scoreline.