Chris Wakelin wins the 2025 Scottish Open to become a multiple ranking event champion

At the final professional event of the calendar year, Wakelin lifted The Stephen Hendry Trophy and pocketed the top prize of £100,000 - matching his career-best payday after reaching the semi-finals of the Saudi Arabia Masters in August.

The 33-year-old Englishman becomes the 43rd player in professional snooker history to win multiple ranking event titles; his maiden accolade came in January 2023 at the Snooker Shoot Out.

Despite being vastly more experienced than his young Chinese opponent - and 53 places above him in the world rankings - Wakelin began the final as the underdog with bookmakers.

Chang had been the story of the week prior to the title match. Having won two qualifying matches in Wigan in October just to reach the main draw, televised stages, Chang eliminated a string of star names in the capital.

The 23-year-old saw off home hero Stephen Maguire before defeating four members of the world's top 15 - Si Jiahui, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, and Mark Allen - en route to making his maiden ranking event final. Previously, he'd never been to the quarter-finals of such a tournament, although his only two previous last 16 appearances had come this season, so he was already becoming a hot property within the sport.

Wakelin deposited the opening frame of the final with the aid of a 73 but Chang levelled and then went in front with a sterling effort of 107 - his ninth century break of the week. However, it would be the final frame victory of the encounter.

The players went into the first mid-session interval locked at 2-2 after Wakelin came from behind to take frame four via a run of 66.

From the resumption onwards, Wakelin pulled rank whilst Chang's momentum and energy from earlier in the week began to fade.

Rugby-born Wakelin showed class and stamped his authority by taking all the remaining frames from the afternoon session - assisted with breaks of 96, 70, and 66 - to build a commanding 6-2 advantage going into the concluding session a few hours later.

When they returned in the evening, Wakelin continued his streak as runs of 50 and 67 helped move him on to the hill at 8-2 up where he secured the title in style with a century break of 104. From 2-1 behind, Wakelin won eight consecutive frames for his second ranking event trophy.

Wakelin moves back into the world’s elite top 16 rankings, rising three places to 14th in the updated global standings. On the one-year/seasonal list he goes up to seventh - one place ahead of world number one Judd Trump. He is almost assured of a place at the 2026 Champion of Champions.

The streak of unique ranking event champions on this season’s World Snooker Tour continues, although that was guaranteed regardless of whoever won Sunday’s final. In the 11th ranking tournament of the 2025/26 term, Wakelin is the 11th different winner.

This ‘unique’ sequence actually stretches back even further with the winner of last season’s final three events also being different, too.

To view the full draw, results, match schedule, and other information from the 2025 Scottish Open, visit here.