Welsh Open 'should be in south Wales, 100%' - Page
· Yahoo Sports
Jackson Page has questioned the location of the Welsh Open, saying it "should be staged in south Wales".
The 2026 tournament, from Monday 23 February, will be the fourth-straight year in which the week-long event has been held at Venue Cymru in Llandudno in north Wales.
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Since the move to Llandudno, the Welsh Open has been won by an English player each year, with Mark Selby, Gary Wilson and Robert Milkins lifting the title at Venue Cymru.
And while the 24-year-old praised the venue, he said a move to south Wales would benefit the Welsh players on the tour.
"I like the place and the venue, but I don't think it is where the Welsh Open is staged," said Page.
"I feel like it should be in south Wales, 100%. Just because there is no player from north Wales, every pro on tour is from south Wales.
"So it doesn't really feel like a home event for us in all honesty."
Page, who reached the quarter-finals last year in Llandudno, added that he is looking forward to the tournament despite its location.
"It is a great venue, I like playing there and there should definitely be an event there, a big event, I just don't think it should be the Welsh Open," Page added.
"It is still in Wales, so the fans still get behind you so I am looking forward to it, but it is a bit gutting for us south Walians that there is nothing down here for us to play in.
"Hopefully there will be more tournaments coming soon and we get something down here."
'I owe him one'
Luca Brecel won the World Snooker Championship in 2023 [Getty Images]Page's quest for Welsh Open glory was ended by former world champion Luca Brecel in 2025.
The Welshman was beaten 5-2 by the Belgian in the quarter-finals, ending his best run in the competition to date.
And the pair now meet in the first round of the 2026 Welsh Open, with Page eyeing revenge against the 30-year-old.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Page.
"Luca beat me in the quarter-finals last year, so I owe him one in the way."
Page came to prominence in the Welsh Open as a 15-year-old in 2017, beating Jason Weston and John Astley before losing to Judd Trump in the third round.
And while Page says he is yet to reach the heights he had dreamed of as a teenager, he still believes he can turn things around.
"I've done alright but I'm nowhere near where I want to be, I want to be the best and I still think I can do it," said Page.
"I've had a pretty bad season, it's not been very good, so I need to kick on.
"Obviously last year was a great year, so I'm trying to turn it around to get confidence in myself and perform like I know I can.
"I'm sure I'll get there."
The 2026 Welsh Open
The 2026 Welsh Open begins on Monday, 23 February, with the tournament running until the final on Sunday, 1 March.
Matches are available to watch on the BBC Sport website, BBC iPlayer and live on BBC Two Wales - with the final shown on BBC One Wales.
There is also highlights from the best of each day's action on BBC Two Wales every evening.
All matches are best-of-seven frames until the quarter‑finals, at which stage the games become best-of-nine.
The semi‑finals will be the best-of-11, and the final will be best‑of‑17.
The winner will scoop a top prize of £100,000, with the runner-up winning £45,000.
Selected first round matches:
- Mark Selby [1] vs Jiang Jun
- Wu Yize [10] vs Ben Mertens
- Lei Peifan [26] vs Dylan Emery
- Mark Allen [8] vs David Grace
- Mark Williams [5] vs Michael Holt
- Jak Jones [16] vs Liam Highfield
- Neil Robertson [4] vs Michal Szubarczyk
- Kyren Williams [3] vs Liu Hongyu
- Ryan Day [32] vs Bulcsu Revesz
- John Higgins [6] vs Liu Wenwei
- Stuart Murphy [7] vs Chang Bingyu
- Jackson Page [30] vs Luca Brecel
- Xiao Guodong [9] vs Long Zehuang
- Zhao Xintong [2] vs Fan Zhengyi