Photo: On the hill!
On February 23, BLUEROSE presents Yokohama Open 2026 came to a close.
The very first edition, held here in Yokohama, was brought safely to its finish.
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone
First of all, our sincere thanks to everyone who was part of this tournament.
To the 128 players
You played with everything you had, from early in the morning through a very long day.
Your passion is what made this tournament special.
To our sponsors
This tournament would not have been possible without the support of BLUEROSE and all our sponsors.
Thank you for helping to grow the sport with us.
To everyone who helped run the event
From setting up the venue to running the day, you supported us with real dedication.
Thanks to you, the tournament ran smoothly.
To everyone who watched
To those who came to the venue, and those who followed the stream — thank you for your warm support and interest.
Once again, thank you to everyone involved in the Yokohama Open.
The final — a battle to remember
Photo: On the hill!
Champion: Lo Li-wen (JPBA)
Runner-up: Keita Hazama (ROUND1)
Congratulations to both.
The final was a handicap match — Lo racing to 7, Hazama to 6 — and it went all the way to hill-hill.
Lo reached the hill first at 6–2. Hazama refused to give up.
Seizing his chance, he mounted a furious comeback and brought it to hill-hill at 6–5 — a never-say-die fight that set the venue alight.
Deep into a long one-day tournament, with energy and focus wearing thin, neither player gave an inch. It was a true contest in every sense.
And then Lo closed it out, steady and certain, in the very last rack — the play of a true professional.
What the results showed — why a pro-am open matters
The most striking result of the day: three of the final four were amateurs.
What does that mean?
That amateurs can compete with professionals on equal terms — and that Japanese billiards still has enormous room to grow.
We had a clear reason for insisting on a pro-am open format.
Stronger amateurs push the professionals. Professionals give amateurs something to aim for.
Facing professional skill and sharing the same stage accelerates an amateur’s growth.
At the same time, strong amateurs give professionals fresh motivation to reach even higher.
By feeding this two-way inspiration, and this depth of talent, back into the whole sport, we hope to create a virtuous circle.
This result showed us that the idea was not wrong.
Why Yokohama
Yokohama has a long history as a place where billiards lovers gather and fierce battles are fought.
To bring professionals and amateurs together here, with as many as 128 players, meant a great deal to us as an organizing committee.
From Yokohama, we want to bring a breath of fresh air to billiards.
Together with all of you, we have taken the first step.
Sharing the joy of watching
Billiards is not only a game to play, but also one to watch.
The skill, the tactics, the tension of a real contest.
A furious comeback from 6–2, and the tension of hill-hill — the kind of drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
We want to bring that to many more people.
We will keep building tournaments that make spectators want to come back and watch again.
Lessons from our first tournament, and our resolve
As this was our first tournament, there was much we need to improve in how it was run.
Corrections to the bracket, delays, and a lack of clear information — we know we caused inconvenience in many ways.
We sincerely apologize.
But we will not let this experience go to waste.
We will address each issue one by one and make every future edition better.
A tournament more players want to enter.
A tournament more people want to watch.
That is what the whole committee will keep working toward.
Finally
It may have been a small step.
But we believe small steps lead to great ones.
Thanks to all of you, the first Yokohama Open became a memorable tournament.
We hope it will be remembered as a new page in the history of billiards.
Thank you, once again, from the bottom of our hearts.
We look forward to seeing you at the next one.
Please continue to support the Yokohama Open.
