The 2022 Turkish Masters (officially the 2022 Nirvana Turkish Masters) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 7 to 13 March 2022 at the Nirvana Cosmopolitan Hotel in Antalya, Turkey. The 13th ranking event of the 2021–22 snooker season, it was the inaugural staging of the Turkish Masters and the first time that a professional snooker event had been staged in Turkey. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place from 27 September to 3 October 2021, but the World Snooker Tour postponed it until March 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 Turkey wildfires. Qualification matches were played from 2 to 6 February 2022 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England. The tournament was broadcast by Turkish Radio and Television Corporation domestically in Turkey, and Eurosport in Europe.

2022 Nirvana Turkish Masters
Tournament information
Dates7–13 March 2022 (2022-03-07 – 2022-03-13)
VenueNirvana Cosmopolitan Hotel
CityAntalya
CountryTurkey
OrganisationWorld Snooker Tour
FormatRanking event
Total prize fund£500,000
Winner's share£100,000
Highest break Judd Trump (ENG) (147)
Final
Champion Judd Trump (ENG)
Runner-up Matthew Selt (ENG)
Score10–4

Judd Trump won the event, defeating Matthew Selt 10–4 in the final, to capture his 23rd ranking title and his first ranking tournament of the season. He made a maximum break, the sixth of his career and the highest of the tournament, in the 10th frame of the final.

Format

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The event was the first edition of the Turkish Masters, the first time a snooker world ranking event was played in Turkey.[1] It took place from 7 to 13 March 2022 at the Nirvana Cosmopolitan Hotel in Antalya.[2] Organised by the World Snooker Tour, it was the 13th ranking event of the 2021–22 snooker season,[3] following the Welsh Open and preceding the Gibraltar Open.[4] Originally scheduled to take place from 27 September to 3 October 2021, it was postponed until March 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 Turkey wildfires. This postponement also affected the qualifying round, which was held from 2 to 6 February 2022 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.[5][6] The tournament was broadcast by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation in Turkey and Eurosport in Europe.[3] The event was also shown on Liaoning TV, Superstar online, Kuaishou, Migu, Youku and Huya.com in China; Premier Sports Network in the Philippines; Now TV in Hong Kong; True Sport in Thailand; Sports Cast in Taiwan; and Astro SuperSports in Malaysia. In all other territories, the event was available from Matchroom Sport.[4]

World number two Ronnie O'Sullivan declined to enter the tournament because he was not offered any additional financial incentive. WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson stated that although he was disappointed by O'Sullivan's decision, the governing body had to maintain a level playing field and would not offer players extra money to appear in tournaments.[7] World number four Neil Robertson and reigning world champion Mark Selby both withdrew for personal reasons.[8] This meant that three of the top four players in the world rankings did not participate.[9]

Prize fund

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There was a total prize fund of £500,000, with the winner receiving £100,000. A breakdown of prize money for the event is shown below:[10]

  • Winner: £100,000
  • Runner-up: £45,000
  • Semi-final: £20,000
  • Quarter-final: £12,500
  • Last 16: £7,500
  • Last 32: £5,500
  • Last 64: £3,500
  • Highest break: £5,000
  • Total: £500,000

Summary

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Opening ceremony incident

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Robert Milkins arrived intoxicated at the tournament's opening ceremony, held at the Nirvana Cosmopolitan Hotel on 6 March, after drinking heavily to celebrate his birthday. He had verbal altercations with other players and hotel guests, attempted to punch WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson, fell and cut his chin in the toilets, and was taken to hospital by fellow professional Jimmy Robertson, where he had his stomach pumped.[11] Although Milkins apologised to the event organisers and hotel management for his behaviour, he stated that he narrowly avoided being removed from the tournament.[12] The World Snooker Tour referred Milkins to the sport's governing body over the incident.[12][13][14] At a disciplinary hearing, Milkins accepted that he had brought the sport into disrepute with his behaviour and breached his player's contract with World Snooker Ltd. He was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay an additional £1,000 for the costs of the hearing.[15][16] Milkins later disclosed that he had received counseling after the incident through footballer Tony Adams’ mental health charity Sporting Chance. He credited the counselling with helping him turn his career around. Milkins subsequently won his first two ranking titles at the 2022 Gibraltar Open and the 2023 Welsh Open.[11]

Early rounds

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In the round of 64, John Higgins made two century breaks, including a 128 in the final frame, to defeat the EBSA European Under-21 Snooker Championships winner Dylan Emery 5–2.[17] Emery, playing as an amateur, had already gained a place on the World Snooker Tour from the 2022–23 snooker season. Higgins predicted Emery would "do well" on the tour, but said he was still "raw".[17] Si Jiahui, another amateur player, defeated world number 13 Anthony McGill 5–2. Oliver Lines trailed by 50 points in the deciding frame against Xiao Guodong, but won the match with a 69 clearance.[18] Shaun Murphy, yet to reach a ranking semi-final in the season, whitewhashed Lyu Haotian in 63 minutes, making breaks of 64, 59, and 58. Ding Junhui, who had slipped to 32nd in the world rankings, fell 1–4 behind against Milkins, but then took four consecutive frames with breaks of 131, 105, 81, and 55 to win 5–4.[18] World number three Judd Trump defeated Chris Wakelin 5–3.[19] Jak Jones took a 4–2 lead against 11th seed Mark Allen. Even though Allen drew level, Jones made a break of 79 in the deciding frame to record one of the biggest wins of his career.[20]

In the round of 32, Matthew Selt defeated Zhao Xintong 5–2, winning the first three frames on the colours, and later making breaks of 70 and 80. Higgins whitewashed Michael Holt 5–0, making breaks of 121, 54, and 69, while Si reached the last 16 by defeating Tom Ford 5–1.[21] Ding won the opening frame against Kyren Wilson, but Wilson won three in a row to take a 3–1 lead. After the interval, Ding produced a run of 255 points without reply, including breaks of 73, 105, and 100, and then won a scrappy eighth frame on the pink to defeat Wilson 5–3.[22] Trump made a 116 break in his first frame against Liang, but Liang won four in a row to lead 4–1. He had chances to win the match in the sixth and seventh frames, but missed crucial pots, allowing Trump to take the match to a decider, which he won. Ali Carter lost the first three frames against Matthew Stevens but came back to win with a clearance in the decider.[23]

In the round of 16, Graeme Dott defeated Higgins in a deciding frame. Ding also defeated Si in a decider, making breaks of 64, 93, 73, 127, 105, and 97 to reach his first ranking quarter-final since the 2021 German Masters. Selt defeated Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5–1, making breaks of 72, 80, and 61.[24] Trump came back from 3–4 behind to beat Zhou Yuelong 5–4. Zhou had chances to win the match in the eighth frame, but Trump won it on the colours after snookering Zhou on the yellow, and then won the decider after Zhou missed a difficult pot on a red to a centre pocket. Oliver Lines defeated Yan Bingtao in a 45-minute deciding frame to reach the first ranking quarter-final of his career, while Carter whitewashed Sam Craigie 5–0, including a break of 135. Murphy made breaks of 51, 70, 69, 81, 61 and 65 to defeat Jones 5–3 and reach his second ranking quarter-final of the season.[25]

Quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final

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Judd Trump won the event, making a maximum break in a 10–4 victory in the final over Matthew Selt.

The quarter-finals saw Trump defeat Carter 5–3. Both players complained about the playing conditions on the table, which was fixed with wooden boards and a car jack during the mid-session interval.[26] Afterwards, Trump commented that his recent performances were “probably the worst I have played for 10 years".[27] The match between Murphy and Lines went to a deciding frame, which Murphy won to reach his first semi-final since the 2021 World Snooker Championship.[26] Ding defeated Dott 5–1, making breaks of 72, 102, and 64 to reach his first ranking semi-final since the 2019 UK Championship.[28] Selt defeated Gould 5–3.[26]

In the semi-finals, Selt took a 3–0 lead over Ding, winning the third frame on a respotted black, but Ding responded with breaks of 97 and 60 to reduce Selt's lead to one. Selt led by 56 points in the sixth frame, but missed key reds, allowing Ding to level the scores with a 90 clearance. Ding won the seventh frame after Selt overcut a pot on the green. Although Selt won the eighth and ninth frames with breaks of 46 and 59 to move 5–4 ahead, Ding made an 84 break in the 10th frame to force the decider, making their match the 27th of the tournament to go to a deciding frame. Selt missed a black off the spot in the decider, but left Ding snookered, and won the frame to reach his second ranking final.[29] In the other semi-final, Trump won the opening frame against Murphy with a break of 79, but Murphy responded with breaks of 99 and 91 to lead 2–1. Murphy had a chance to make a winning clearance in the fourth but missed a pot on the final red along the top cushion, allowing Trump to level at 2–2. After the mid-session interval, Trump won four consecutive frames, capitalising on missed shots from Murphy, to win the match 6–2 and reach his 35th ranking final.[30]

Trump took a 5–3 lead over Selt in the afternoon session of the final. In the first frame of the evening session, Trump gave away 60 foul points while trying to escape from a series of snookers, but won the frame with an 88 clearance. The players scored a combined 189 points in the frame, just three short of the all-time professional record of 192 set by Peter Lines and Dominic Dale in 2012.[31] From the ninth to the 11th frames, Trump scored 333 points without reply, including a 147 in the 10th frame, the sixth maximum break of his career and the 10th maximum made in a professional snooker final.[32][31] Selt won the 12th frame, but Trump won the next two with breaks of 82 and 114 to clinch a 10–4 victory, capturing his first ranking title of the season and the 23rd of his career. Trump said afterward that he hoped his performance in the final would foster greater Turkish interest in the sport and inspire some children to take up snooker.[33] His win ensured that he qualified for the 2022 Tour Championship, which was limited to the top eight players on the season's money list. Trump had been 17th on the list before the Welsh Open, but reaching the final of that tournament and winning the Turkish Masters moved him up to fourth place.[34]

Main draw

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The draw for the event is shown below. Players in bold denote match winners.[35]

Top half

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Last 64
Best of 9 frames
Last 32
Best of 9 frames
Last 16
Best of 9 frames
Quarter-finals
Best of 9 frames
Semi-finals
Best of 11 frames
 
                  
 
 
 
 
  Wu Yize5
 
 
 
  Aaron Hill0
 
  Wu Yize4
 
 
 
  Lu Ning (32)5
 
  Lu Ning (32)w/o
 
 
 
  Zak Surety[36]w/d
 
  Lu Ning (32)4
 
 
 
  Martin Gould (17)5
 
  Jack Lisowski (16)5
 
 
 
  Martin O'Donnell (49)4
 
  Jack Lisowski (16)4
 
 
 
  Martin Gould (17)5
 
  Martin Gould (17)5
 
 
 
  David Grace (48)4
 
  Martin Gould (17)3
 
 
 
  Matthew Selt (25)5
 
  Ashley Hugill2
 
 
 
  Jordan Brown (24)5
 
  Jordan Brown (24)1
 
 
 
  Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (56)5
 
  Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (56)5
 
 
 
  Stephen Maguire (9)4
 
  Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (56)1
 
 
 
  Matthew Selt (25)5
 
  Alexander Ursenbacher (40)4
 
 
 
  Matthew Selt (25)5
 
  Matthew Selt (25)5
 
 
 
  Zhao Xintong (8)2
 
  Michael White4
 
 
 
  Zhao Xintong (8)5
 
  Matthew Selt (25)6
 
 
 
  Ding Junhui (29)5
 
  John Higgins (5)5
 
 
 
  Dylan Emery2
 
  John Higgins (5)5
 
 
 
  Michael Holt (37)0
 
  Lukas Kleckers4
 
 
 
  Michael Holt (37)5
 
  John Higgins (5)4
 
 
 
  Graeme Dott (21)5
 
  Jackson Page5
 
 
 
  Simon Lichtenberg0
 
  Jackson Page2
 
 
 
  Graeme Dott (21)5
 
  Graeme Dott (21)5
 
 
 
  Scott Donaldson (44)4
 
  Graeme Dott (21)1
 
 
 
  Ding Junhui (29)5
 
  Anthony Hamilton (45)2
 
 
 
  Tom Ford (20)5
 
  Tom Ford (20)1
 
 
 
  Si Jiahui5
 
  Si Jiahui5
 
 
 
  Anthony McGill (13)2
 
  Si Jiahui4
 
 
 
  Ding Junhui (29)5
 
  Robert Milkins (36)4
 
 
 
  Ding Junhui (29)5
 
  Ding Junhui (29)5
 
 
 
  Kyren Wilson (4)3
 
  Tian Pengfei (61)1
 
 
  Kyren Wilson (4)5
 

Bottom half

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Last 64
Best of 9 frames
Last 32
Best of 9 frames
Last 16
Best of 9 frames
Quarter-finals
Best of 9 frames
Semi-finals
Best of 11 frames
 
                  
 
 
 
 
  Iulian Boiko1
 
 
 
  Andrew Higginson (62)5
 
  Andrew Higginson (62)3
 
 
 
  Oliver Lines5
 
  Xiao Guodong (30)4
 
 
 
  Oliver Lines5
 
  Oliver Lines5
 
 
 
  Yan Bingtao (14)4
 
  Yan Bingtao (14)5
 
 
 
  Joe O'Connor (51)2
 
  Yan Bingtao (14)5
 
 
 
  Elliot Slessor (46)4
 
  Andy Hicks2
 
 
 
  Elliot Slessor (46)5
 
  Oliver Lines4
 
 
 
  Shaun Murphy (6)5
 
  Ben Woollaston (43)3
 
 
 
  Hossein Vafaei (22)5
 
  Hossein Vafaei (22)4
 
 
 
  Jak Jones (54)5
 
  Jak Jones (54)5
 
 
 
  Mark Allen (11)4
 
  Jak Jones (54)3
 
 
 
  Shaun Murphy (6)5
 
  Jimmy Robertson (38)5
 
 
 
  Cao Yupeng2
 
  Jimmy Robertson (38)3
 
 
 
  Shaun Murphy (6)5
 
  Lyu Haotian (59)0
 
 
 
  Shaun Murphy (6)5
 
  Shaun Murphy (6)2
 
 
 
  Judd Trump (2)6
 
  Mark Williams (7)3
 
 
 
  Matthew Stevens (58)5
 
  Matthew Stevens (58)4
 
 
 
  Ali Carter (26)5
 
  Ali Carter (26)5
 
 
 
  Jamie Jones (39)1
 
  Ali Carter (26)5
 
 
 
  Sam Craigie (42)0
 
  Yuan Sijun5
 
 
 
  Mark Davis (55)3
 
  Yuan Sijun2
 
 
 
  Sam Craigie (42)5
 
  Ricky Walden (23)4
 
 
 
  Sam Craigie (42)5
 
  Ali Carter (26)3
 
 
 
  Judd Trump (2)5
 
  Fan Zhengyi4
 
 
 
  Zhou Yuelong (18)5
 
  Zhou Yuelong (18)5
 
 
 
  Luca Brecel (15)4
 
  Stuart Carrington (50)1
 
 
 
  Luca Brecel (15)5
 
  Zhou Yuelong (18)4
 
 
 
  Judd Trump (2)5
 
  Joe Perry (34)2
 
 
 
  Liang Wenbo (31)5
 
  Liang Wenbo (31)4
 
 
 
  Judd Trump (2)5
 
  Chris Wakelin (63)3
 
 
  Judd Trump (2)5
 

Final

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Final: Best of 19 frames. Referee: Terry Camilleri
Nirvana Cosmopolitan Hotel, Antalya, Turkey, 13 March 2022
Matthew Selt (25)
  England
4–10 Judd Trump (2)
  England
Afternoon: 67–51, 1–76, 66–1, 0–120 (120), 21–77, 0–82, 81–11, 40–70
Evening: 76–113, 0–147 (147), 0–98, 63–40, 7–90, 7–114 (114)
61 Highest break 147
0 Century breaks 3

Qualifying

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Qualifying took place at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England (pictured in 2017).

Qualification for the tournament took place from 2 to 6 February 2022 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England. Four players withdrew from the tournament before the qualifying round had been completed: Robbie Williams,[37] Noppon Saengkham,[38] Mark Selby,[39] and Neil Robertson.[39] They were replaced by Dylan Emery, Mark Lloyd, Haydon Pinhey and Simon Blackwell respectively.[40] Originally matches involving the top four seeds and two local Turkish players Ismail Türker and Enes Bakırcı were to be held over and played at the main venue.[41] Robertson and Selby's matches were still held over, but contested by their replacements.[41]

Century breaks

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Main venue centuries

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A total of 50 century breaks were made during the main venue stage.[42]

Qualifying stage centuries

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A total of 32 century breaks were made during qualification.[43]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Match was held over and played in Antalya.

References

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  1. ^ "First ever Turkish Masters represents another huge step in snooker's overseas adventure around the world". Eurosport UK. 7 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Turkish Masters" Archived 10 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine .wst.tv. 14 October 2021
  3. ^ a b "How To Watch The Nirvana Turkish Masters". World Snooker. 3 March 2022. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Calendar 2021/2022". snooker.org. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Turkish Masters Snooker Postponed" Archived 17 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. wst.tv. 11 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Updated Tournament Calendar". World Snooker Tour. 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  7. ^ "'Disappointed' – Ronnie O'Sullivan's Turkish Masters snub fails to bring delight to snooker chiefs". Eurosport. 5 February 2022. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Robertson And Selby Withdraw From Nirvana Turkish Masters". World Snooker. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Rankings Archive". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Turkish Masters Prize Money" Archived 17 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. wst.tv. 11 July 2021.
  11. ^ a b Nunns, Hector (21 February 2023). "Welsh Open champion Rob Milkins opens up on swinging at chairman and having stomach pumped". www.express.co.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  12. ^ a b "'My behaviour was totally out of order' – Robert Milkins faces fine after birthday party turns sour at Turkish Masters". Eurosport. 9 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Milkins sorry for drunken behaviour". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Robert Milkins apologises for turning up drunk to Turkish snooker ceremony". the Guardian. 9 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Milkins fined £6,000 for drunken behaviour". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  16. ^ "WPBSA Statement - Robert Milkins". World Snooker. 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Higgins Too Strong For 'Raw' Emery". World Snooker. 7 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Boiko: Pride Keeps Me Going". World Snooker. 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Turkish Masters 2022 – Judd Trump secures place in last-32 after gripping 5–3 win over Chris Wakelin". Eurosport UK. 9 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  20. ^ "Allen Knocked Out / Trump Survives". World Snooker. 9 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  21. ^ "Selt Sees Progress On Snooker's Long Learning Curve". World Snooker. 9 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  22. ^ "Turkish Masters 2022 – Ding Junhui produces a brilliant comeback to beat Kyren Wilson, Martin Gould also through". Eurosport UK. 10 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  23. ^ "Turkish Masters 2022 – Judd Trump produces brilliant fightback to beat Liang Wenbo and reach last-16". Eurosport. 10 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  24. ^ "Dott Holds Nerve To Stun Higgins". World Snooker. 11 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Trump Survives Again". World Snooker. 11 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  26. ^ a b c "Turkish Masters 2022 - Judd Trump beats Ali Carter to reach semi-finals after controversy of sloping table". Eurosport UK. 11 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  27. ^ "'The worst I have played for 10 years' - Judd Trump admits to form struggles at Turkish Masters". Eurosport UK. 12 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  28. ^ "Shaun Murphy sets up Trump tussle after dramatic win over Lines". livesnooker.com. 11 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  29. ^ "Selt Downs Ding To Reach Antalya Final". World Snooker. 12 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  30. ^ "Proud Trump Digs Deep To Set Up Selt Clash". World Snooker. 12 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  31. ^ a b "Trump wins Turkish Masters after 147". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  32. ^ "Trump Makes 147 In Turkey". World Snooker. 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  33. ^ "Magnificent Trump Reigns In Turkey". World Snooker. 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  34. ^ "Rankings: Trump Set For Llandudno". World Snooker. 14 March 2022. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  35. ^ "Nirvana Turkish Masters (2022) - snooker.org". Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  36. ^ "Robertson And Selby Withdraw From Nirvana Turkish Masters". 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  37. ^ "Updated Nirvana Turkish Masters Draw". World Snooker Tour. 1 February 2022. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022.
  38. ^ "Turkish Masters Qualifiers (2022) - snooker.org". Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  39. ^ a b "Robertson And Selby Withdraw From Nirvana Turkish Masters". World Snooker Tour. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022.
  40. ^ Everton, Clive (March 2022). "Tickets to Turkey". Snooker Scene. p. 21.
  41. ^ a b "Nirvana Turkish Masters Draw". World Snooker Tour. 26 January 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022.
  42. ^ "Nirvana Turkish Masters 2022 | Centuries". World Snooker Tour. 7–13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  43. ^ "Nirvana Turkish Masters 2022 Qualifiers | Centuries". World Snooker Tour. 2–6 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  NODES
see 3