Home Hero Kan Claims Maiden Dutch Snooker Championship Title

Sebas Kan defeated Joris Maas 6-3 in the final at his home club of Westend Snooker in Zaandam to win the 2025 Dutch National Snooker Championship.

Organised by the snooker section of the Royal Dutch Billiards Association (KNBB), this was the 37th edition of the Netherlands’ blue riband domestic snooker event. 41-year-old Kan was the last player remaining from an initial field of 132 entries, as he secured the title for the first time in his career.

Koog aan de Zaan-based Kan began his campaign in the round of 48 where he defeated Jean-clement Meignen 4-0 before he registered runs of 52, 91 and 78 in a 5-2 victory over Dennis Krottje in the last 32.

Michael Chung and Hugo Van Houten were both dispatched 5-2 in the last 16 and eight respectively, before Kan twice came from behind early on to deny Henk Van Der Pluijm 5-2 in the semi-finals. That latter win booked Kan a maiden appearance in the final; his previous best result was a last four finish in 2016. Van Der Pluijm had dethroned defending champion Leon Alewijnse 5-0 in the last 16.

Advancing from the other side of the draw was Maas, champion of this event in 2019.

The 51-year-old – who played at the Crucible Theatre in 2019 during the World Seniors Snooker Championship – reached the final for a fourth time following a 5-1 semi-final success over Ton Berkhout.

In the title match, Kan opened his account first but Biezenmortel cueist Maas levelled up at 1-1 with the help of a 68 break in frame two. Kan won consecutive frames for a 3-1 lead, but two-time European Amateur Masters semi-finalist Maas replied in kind; an effort of 91 in frame six restoring parity at 3-3.

However, momentum shifted again as Kan strung together the next three frames (53 break, frame eight) as he claimed the biggest title triumph of his snooker life.

Elsewhere in the Netherlands over the past few weeks, 12-year-old Benjamin Lamberts defeated Matthias Weening 2-1 in the final to win the national junior championship for players under the age of 18. That tournament was returning to the national calendar.

Dean Mitchell won the Dutch seniors championship after ousting Maas 2-1 in the final, and Ameer Baksh got the better of Jasha Kiers 5-3 in the title match to win the national 6-reds crown.