The Welsh Open will have a new format when it gets under way in February next year, World Snooker announced yesterday.

The tournament – which runs from February 14 to 20 at the Newport Centre – will feature the top 16 players in the world, including defending champion John Higgins.

The early rounds, up until the last 16, will feature best-of-seven frame matches with no interval, rather than best-of-nine. The quarter-finals will be best-of-nine, the semi-finals best-of-11 and the final best-of-17.

Explaining other changes, a spokesman for World Snooker said: “We have reduced the number of tables in the Newport Centre arena from three to two, which means that every match can potentially be televised by BBC Wales.”