The snooker world number two defeats top-ranked Reanne Evans, of England, in the final after beating Thai Nutcharut 'Mink' Wongharuthai in the semis
It was her first ranking title since the Australian Open in October, 2018, and her second win in a row after November's IBSF world championship win

Ng On-yee celebrates with the trophy after winning the Belgian Women’s Open. Photo: WWS

Hong Kong's Ng On-yee won her first ranking title in more than a year after putting on a masterclass to win the Belgian Open in Bruges early on Monday morning (HK time) and lifting the spirits of Hongkongers dealing with months of social unrest and, more recently, the coronavirus outbreak.

The second-ranked Ng defeated England's world number one Reanne Evans 4-2 in the final after scoring a confident 4-2 win over Thailand's Nutcharut "Mink" Wongharuthai in the semi-finals.

"It's been a very good week for On-yee," said Hong Kong coach Alan Wong, who accompanied the three-time world champion and former No 1 Ng in Belgium. "It's the first WWS tournament of the year and we've had some positive comments from people in Hong Kong (on social media) and we hope it helps to lift their spirits during this challenging time.

"It's now two tournament wins in a row against some very strong opposition and she is very happy with the win. It's a great start to the year and hopefully she can continue her form."

ON YEE ON TOP IN BRUGES!Hong Kong's @Onyee159 has defeated Reanne Evans 4-2 to win the Belgian Women's Open title in Bruges this evening.#Cue4All #WomensSnooker pic.twitter.com/TTGnDIOLbN
" World Women's Snooker (@WomensSnooker) February 2, 2020

The two wins over top-class opponents is a morale-booster for 29-year-old Ng, whose last Women's World Snooker (WWS) victory was in Australia in October, 2018 and marks her return to form after winning the IBSF world title in Antalya, Turkey in November.

As the second seed, behind 12-time and reigning world champion Evans, Ng did not have to go through the group stages. She had a bye into the last 16, where she faced 15-year-old Belarus sensation Albina Liashcuk.

Ng On-yee with England's Reanne Evans before the start of the final.

Ng, displaying a new-found confidence with her shots and executing with discernibly more power, easily disposed of the teen 3-0 before completing a similar whitewash over England's Steph Daughtery in the quarter-final.

Next up was Mink, who seemed to have Ng's measure in 2019, beating her in the world championships in Bangkok in June and the Australian Open final.

After losing the first frame, Ng fought back and eased to a 4-2 victory over the Thai to set up a final showdown against long-time rival Evans.

Ng On-yee lines up a shot during the Belgian Women's Open.

Ng On-yee comes out on top in all-Hong Kong finale at first Australian Open in Sydney

Evans started brilliantly, hitting a 76 break to win the first frame. Ng hit back to lead 2-1 before Evans won a tight fourth frame to even it at 2-2. Ng then raced away with the last two frames to claim her 13th career ranking title.

"We have been working on a few things to help her improve and she put them into practice this week," added Wong.

Wayne Griffiths, the Hong Kong Sports Institute's head snooker coach, said Ng knew she was improving and never panicked despite failing to win a ranking event in 15 months. "I hope it's the start of a good run," he said.

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Ng On-yee lifts Hong Kong spirits by ending 15-month drought with victory in Belgian Women’s Open