Barry Hawkins has hit out after his win against Mark Williams following news that the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters has been scrapped after just two editions.
The competition has been brought to an abrupt end on what was announced as a decade-long partnership in 2024.
The tournament, which carried the richest prize fund outside Britain at £2.3million with £500,000 going to the champion, had been dubbed the sport's unofficial "fourth major" when it launched.
A statement from the World Snooker Tour said: "Following constructive discussions between The Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation and Matchroom following the conclusion of the 2025 editions, it has been mutually agreed not to proceed with future editions of the World Pool Championship and the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters."
Hawkins hit out at the way snooker stars were told about the | PAFollowing his victory at the Crucible over Williams, Hawkins criticised the way the players found out the news.
He said: "What a disappointment. Without sounding rude, something's gone wrong for us to lose that tournament.
"What's happened to the 10-year contract? It's just been blown out of the water.
"We don't get no explanation, nothing, which is very, very annoying. We just get some stupid email saying it's been stopped. No explanation, nothing. Very disappointing, it's a massive tournament to lose. It'd be interesting to see the reason behind it."
Hawkins beat Williams on Saturday at the Crucible
|PA
LATEST SPORTS NEWS
Barry Hearn, president of Matchroom Sport, which has held a controlling stake in World Snooker since 2010, acknowledged earlier this week that regional instability was creating difficulties for the sport's presence in the Gulf.
He said: "Saudi is a problem. We don't know where that problem's going to lead to, but we've got good influence there, particularly through the boxing and all the other sports we do.
"We can't interfere with what's going on at the moment. This is a terribly difficult time for the Middle East.
Barry Hearn acknowledged earlier this week that regional instability was creating difficulties for the sport's presence in the Gulf
|PA
"Saudi, whether we're talking LIV Tour [golf] or other Olympic sports, are looking to cut back, which is fine, providing we've got other places to go, which we do.
"So on the one hand we're looking at Saudi and saying, 'Yes, there will be snooker in Saudi', but in fairness I can't tell you what exactly at the moment until this problem changes."
The inaugural Saudi Arabia Masters took place in Riyadh in September 2024, with Judd Trump claiming victory over Williams in a closely contested 10-9 final.
Hawkins described the news as 'very disappointing'
|PA
For its second edition last August, the tournament relocated to Jeddah, where Neil Robertson triumphed against Ronnie O'Sullivan by an identical scoreline.
The cancellation carries significant implications for player standings, as world rankings are calculated using prize money accumulated over a two-year rolling period.
Players who performed strongly at the 2024 event now face losing those ranking points, which could see them slip down the order.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter