2022 Players Championship (snooker)

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox individual snooker tournament

|tournament_name=2022 Cazoo Players Championship

|logo=

|dates={{Start and end dates|2022|2|7|2022|2|13|df=y}}

|venue=Aldersley Leisure Village

|location=Wolverhampton

|country=England

|organisation=World Snooker Tour

|format=Ranking event

|Total prize fund=£385,000

|winners_share=£125,000

|defending_champion=

|highest_break= {{flagathlete|Kyren Wilson|ENG}} (141)

|winner={{flagathlete|Neil Robertson|AUS}}

|runner_up={{flagathlete|Barry Hawkins|ENG}}

|score=10–5

|previous=2021

|next=2023

}}

The 2022 Players Championship (officially the 2022 Cazoo Players Championship) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place from 7 to 13 February 2022 at Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton, England.[https://web.archive.org/web/20210818154558/https://wst.tv/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Calendar_2021_22_v18.04.pdf "Updated 2021–22 Snooker Calendar"]. World Snooker Tour. 18 August 2021 It was the tenth ranking event of the 2021–22 season, and the second event of the Cazoo Cup, following the World Grand Prix and preceding the Tour Championship. It featured the top 16 ranked players on the one-year ranking list. The event was broadcast by ITV4 in the United Kingdom,[https://web.archive.org/web/20210118100631/https://wst.tv/wst-matchroom-and-itv-agree-new-two-year-deal-for-broadcast-of-four-events/ "WST, Matchroom and ITV Agree New Two Year Deal for Broadcast of Four Events"]. World Snooker Tour. 18 January 2021 and Eurosport in the rest of Europe.

Zhao Xintong and Hossein Vafaei made their debuts in the event, with Zhao seeded number one after winning the 2021 UK Championship and the 2022 German Masters.{{Cite web|date=2022-02-04|title=Zhao Targets More Titles|url=https://wst.tv/zhao-targets-more-titles/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204223702/https://wst.tv/zhao-targets-more-titles/|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 February 2022|access-date=2022-02-10|website=World Snooker|language=en-US}} Both debutants lost in the first round, with Barry Hawkins defeating Zhao 6–3 and John Higgins beating Vafaei by the same score.{{Cite web|date=2022-02-09|title=Players Championship Snooker 2022: John Higgins beats Hossein Vafaei to advance to the quarter-finals|url=https://www.eurosport.com/snooker/players-championship/2021-2022/players-championship-snooker-2022-john-higgins-beats-hossein-vafaei-to-advance-to-the-quarter-finals_sto8772907/story.shtml|access-date=2022-02-10|website=Eurosport|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2022-02-08|title=Players Championship snooker 2022: Barry Hawkins topples No. 1 seed Zhao Xintong to reach quarter-finals|url=https://www.eurosport.com/snooker/players-championship/2021-2022/players-championship-snooker-2022-barry-hawkins-topples-no.-1-seed-zhao-xintong-to-reach-quarter-fin_sto8769274/story.shtml|access-date=2022-02-10|website=Eurosport|language=en}}

Higgins was the defending champion, having beaten Ronnie O'Sullivan 10–3 in the 2021 final.{{cite web|author=World Snooker Tour|date=2021-02-28|title=Wonderful Higgins Thrashes O'Sullivan|url=https://wst.tv/wonderful-higgins-thrashes-osullivan/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301003230/https://wst.tv/wonderful-higgins-thrashes-osullivan/|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 March 2021|access-date=2022-01-30|website=World Snooker Tour}} However, Higgins lost 4–6 to Jimmy Robertson in the quarter-finals.{{Cite web|title=Snooker results: Jimmy Robertson beats John Higgins 6-4 at the Players Championship|url=https://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/news/snooker-results-jimmy-robertson-beats-john-higgins-6-4-at-the-players-championship/198387|access-date=2022-02-11|website=www.sportinglife.com|language=en-GB}} The final was contested between Hawkins, who had previously won the tournament in 2014, and Neil Robertson, who had been runner-up in 2012, 2013, and 2019.{{Cite web|date=2022-02-11|title=Hawk Flies Through To Final|url=https://wst.tv/hawk-flies-through-to-final/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211233627/https://wst.tv/hawk-flies-through-to-final/|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 February 2022|access-date=2022-02-12|website=World Snooker|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2022-02-12|title=Players Championship 2022: Neil Robertson eases past namesake Jimmy to book Barry Hawkins final|url=https://www.eurosport.co.uk/snooker/players-championship/2021-2022/players-championship-2022-neil-robertson-eases-past-namesake-jimmy-to-book-barry-hawkins-final_sto8785171/story.shtml|access-date=2022-02-12|website=Eurosport UK|language=en}} Robertson defeated Hawkins 10–5 in a final that featured five century breaks, four by Robertson and a 137 by Hawkins.{{Cite web|date=2022-02-13|title=Players Championship 2022 - Neil Robertson triumphs over Barry Hawkins to claim another title|url=https://www.eurosport.co.uk/snooker/players-championship/2021-2022/players-championship-2022-neil-robertson-triumphs-over-barry-hawkins-to-claim-another-title_sto8788549/story.shtml|access-date=2022-02-13|website=Eurosport UK|language=en}} It was Robertson's first Players Championship title, the 22nd ranking title of his career, and his third tournament win of the season, following the 2021 English Open and the 2022 Masters.{{Cite news|title=Robertson wins Players Championship|language=en-GB|work=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/snooker/60370957|access-date=2022-02-14}}