The World Grand Prix 2025 — the first ranking snooker tournament to be held in Hong Kong since 1989 — kicked off on Tuesday at the city’s brand-new Kai Tak Sports Park.

Judd Trump, the reigning world number one, alongside 15 other top cueists, set the stage for a rousing opening day.

The six-day tournament, promoted by the Major Sports Events Committee as an “M” Mark spectacular, is the first high-profile sports event to be staged at Kai Tak Sports Park since the mega stadium’s official public debut on Saturday. Some 4,200 snooker enthusiasts flooded into the Kai Tak Arena— the park’s 5,000-seat indoor venue— for the fiesta on day one.

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Eight best-of-seven frame actions, which featured a prime fleet led by the top seed, Trump, alongside other prominent ranking title holders, rounded off day one, with aces including former world champions Shaun Murphy and Stuart Bingham, six-time runner-up Jack Lisowski and the current world No 22 David Gilbert advancing to the last 16.

Trump, who recently obtained Hong Kong residency, booked his spot in the next round after a 4-2 win over fellow Briton Gary Wilson, despite a rocky start when Wilson clinched the first-frame lead.

“Very tough game,” Trump said of his early slip-up, “It was always very hard to play against Gary, and he made a good break in the first frame.”

Trump added that extra strain took its toll as he — who is now a home favorite in Hong Kong — particularly wanted to play well before a young local crowd that cheered him on and look to him for inspiration.

Chao Bangting, a Chinese mainland student at the City University of Hong Kong, was among the amateur snooker players who eagerly awaited Trump’s first home game in the city.

“Backing from world-class players such as Trump is definitely a major catalyst for further boosting the sport’s popularity in the city and the country,” Chao said. “Admiration for star players, such as Ding Junhui and Hong Kong’s Marco Fu Ka-chun, has long been fuel for fans’ enthusiasm, and now we can proudly include Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan as our home players.”

A seven-time snooker world champion, O’Sullivan also gained Hong Kong residency last year. He pulled out of the tournament only days before its opening for medical reasons, and was replaced by the world No 33, Iranian Hossein Vafaei.

Tom Lundy, a British snooker fan who is set to become a permanent Hong Kong resident in May, also gave the nod to the anticipation that Trump and O’Sullivan, as Hong Kong residents, can inject great impetus for the city’s aim of becoming a regional snooker hub.

Trump hinted that more in his circle are considering following in his footsteps. “I think there are already some players that I know who are interested to come and get residency. I think it is just a matter of time before more people come here. Everybody I speak to would love to come to Hong Kong again. Hong Kong has a lot to offer for everyone,” he said.

Hong Kong’s iconic harbor views and sunsets awed many first-time visitors among the players taking part in the tournament, said Trump, who joined his fellow players on a night cruise round Victoria Harbour on Sunday.

Lundy also itched to witness the players’ competition mode. “Hopefully, there will be many good snookers, since it’s a ranking event. Normally, when they come to Hong Kong, it is just for exhibitions, so not too serious,” he said.

“Everybody is very happy that now we have the chance to come here every year to play this tournament,” said Trump, praising that the arena is “a very good venue for snooker”.

Bingham, who scored the tournament’s first century-break, hailed the venue as “one of the best arenas we’ve played in”, reckoning it on a par with the Wembley Arena in London, which hosted the Masters for five years until 2011.

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Nonetheless, Trump pointed out that the city’s humid climate in recent days is likely to frustrate players’ bid to play their best since high humidity often leads to a moist cloth on which balls roll at a slower speed with less predictability.

“But I’m sure that as the tournament goes on, organizers can cool down the arena and everyone would be fine to make lots of good breaks,” said Trump.

The second batch of first-round matches is slated for Wednesday, and is expected to feature edgy clashes between hotshots such as four-time world champion Mark Selby, former world No 1 Neil Robertson, runner-up Barry Hawkins, and big-name Chinese players Ding Junhui and Xiao Guodong.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com