Wuxi Classic
{{Short description|Snooker tournament in Wuxi, China}}
{{Infobox Snooker tournament
|tournament_name = Wuxi Classic
|image =
|venue = Wuxi City Sports Park Stadium
|location = Wuxi
|country = China
|establishment = 2008
|organisation = World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
|format = Ranking event
|prizefund = £478,000{{cite web|first=Rolf|last=Kalb|url=https://de.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/wuxi-classic-turnier-infos-135737809--spt.html|title=Wuxi Classic – Turnier-Infos|publisher=Eurosport Deutschland|date=16 June 2014|access-date=30 June 2014|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714214031/https://de.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/wuxi-classic-turnier-infos-135737809--spt.html|archive-date=14 July 2014|url-status=dead}}
|final year=
|Current Champion =
|Final Champion ={{flagicon|AUS}} Neil Robertson
}}
The Wuxi Classic was a professional snooker tournament held from 2008 to 2014 in the city of Wuxi, China. It was a ranking event from 2012 through 2014. For the 2015/16 season, World Snooker reduced the number of ranking events held in China, which saw the tournament replaced by the snooker World Cup, also held in Wuxi.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-32429022|title=Snooker looks to cue up more big breaks in China|publisher=BBC News|date=24 April 2015|access-date=6 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505222915/http://www.bbc.com/news/business-32429022|archive-date=5 May 2015|url-status=live}} The last champion was Neil Robertson, who won the event in 2013 and retained his title in 2014.
History
The event was introduced in 2008 as the Jiangsu Classic and was the third Main Tour event held in China. The tournament was played on a round-robin basis, with semi-finals and a final. The event's name was changed to Wuxi Classic in 2010,{{cite web|last=Turner|first=Chris|title=China International, China Open, Shanghai Masters, Jiangsu/Wuxi Classic|url=http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/China.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216155144/http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/China.html|archive-date=16 February 2012|work=cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk|publisher=Chris Turner's Snooker Archive|access-date=1 March 2011}}{{cite web|title=Title Defence Is New Experience For Allen|url=http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0,,13165~2200989,00.html|work=worldsnooker.com|publisher=World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association|access-date=30 June 2012}} and the round-robin stage was abandoned.{{cite web|title=2010 Wuxi Classic|url=http://www.global-snooker.com/2010-Wuxi-Classic-Snooker-China-Results.asp|publisher=Global Snooker|access-date=6 June 2010|url-status=usurped| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100602074746/http://www.global-snooker.com/2010-Wuxi-Classic-Snooker-China-Results.asp| archive-date= 2 June 2010}}{{cite web|title=2010 Wuxi Classic Results|url=http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/WuxiClassicArticle/0,,13165~2224122,00.html|work=worldsnooker.com|publisher=World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association|access-date=8 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308062224/http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/WuxiClassicArticle/0,,13165~2224122,00.html|archive-date=8 March 2012|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Rundili Wuxi Classic (2010)|url=http://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=36|publisher=Snooker.org|access-date=18 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502175944/http://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=36|archive-date=2 May 2012|url-status=live}}
In 2012 the tournament became a ranking event, and the Chinese organisers signed a five-year contract with prize money starting at £400,000 and increasing to £450,000 by 2014.{{cite web|title=Wuxi Classic Becomes World Ranking Event|url=http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0,,13165~2757115,00.html|work=worldsnooker.com|publisher=World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association|access-date=8 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105042807/http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0%2C%2C13165~2757115%2C00.html|archive-date=5 November 2013|url-status=live}} In 2013 the tournament became the first to use a new format, where every player started in the first round.{{cite web|url=http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0,,13165~3172481,00.html|title=New Season Starts In Gloucester|work=worldsnooker.com|publisher=World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association|access-date=22 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129204538/http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0%2C%2C13165~3172481%2C00.html|archive-date=29 November 2013|url-status=live}} It was staged at the Wuxi City Sports Park Stadium, Wuxi, China.
There were three maximum breaks in the history of the tournament. The first was compiled by Mark Selby against Joe Perry in the group stage of the 2009 event. In 2012 Stuart Bingham became the third player to compile a 147 break in a ranking final.{{cite news|title=Wuxi Classic: Ricky Walden defeats Stuart Bingham in final|date=July 2012 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/18665008|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=28 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130108233328/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/18665008|archive-date=8 January 2013|url-status=live}} In the qualifying stage of the 2013 event Neil Robertson made the third maximum break against Mohamed Khairy.{{cite web|title=Robertson Fires 147|url=http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0,,13165~3193480,00.html|work=worldsnooker.com|publisher=World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association|access-date=28 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608033254/http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0%2C%2C13165~3193480%2C00.html|archive-date=8 June 2013|url-status=live}}