Jimmy White begins record-equalling snooker season with China Open qualifying win

Having turned 64 years of age last month, top-flight snooker’s oldest player White defeated Sean O’Sullivan, 6-2, to reach the second qualifying round of the China Open - three wins away from a place in the main draw held in Taiyuan this August.

O'Sullivan, who recently regained his pro stripes via UK Q-School, took the opening frame with the aid of a 61 break, but it was White who went into the mid-session interval 3-1 up.

On resumption, the 32-year-old made a 51 break as he reduced his arrears, but former Masters and UK Champion White pieced together another three frame sequence, fashioning a 112 in the seventh before a match-winning effort of 59 in the eighth.

Having turned professional for the 1980/81 season and been a permanent fixture ever since, White is competing in his 47th season on snooker’s premiership, equalling the longstanding record of eight-time world champion Fred Davis.

Ten-time ranking event winner White struggled on the World Snooker Tour last season, picking up only three wins across the campaign.

Currently on the second and final year of an invitational tour card that was issued by the sport’s authorities, White faces a huge task to keep his professional status on merit through the rankings, although he did just that four seasons ago via the one-year list.

Next up for one of snooker’s most popular and influential players of all time is Louis Heathcote on Thursday evening.

What else happened on day one of the 2026 China Open qualifiers?

Elsewhere at the Mattioli Arena on the opening day of the new 2026/27 World Snooker Tour professional season, the performance of the day went to former Welsh Open runner-up Andrew Higginson for his heavy-scoring display against Leone Crowley.

Back in snooker's big time after graduating from Q School a few weeks ago, former world number 18 Higginson totted up breaks of 90, 89, 51, 70, 113 and 123 - those centuries coming in successive frames at the end - in a 6-4 win over Irish youngster Crowley.

In a contest between two cueists returning to the Tour, history-making European under-21 and amateur champion Anton Kazakov was cruising as he led his tie 4-0, but two-time Crucible qualifier Jamie Clarke turned proceedings around with a six-frame streak for a 6-4 comeback win.

There was a similar recovery in the afternoon session as Chatchapong Nasa ousted Liam Davies, 6-5.

Welsh teenager Davies scored a 114 break in the first frame before going on to build a 4-0 advantage. Nasa replied with five-in-a-row, Davies forced a decider, but it was the Thai who eventually got the verdict.

Austria's Florian Nuessle crafted runs of 118 and 103 in back-to-back frames during a 6-2 win over Allan Taylor.

On his debut outing as a professional, English youngster Oliver Sykes registered a comfortable 6-1 win against Liu Wenwei.

Julien Leclercq (100), Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon (121), Mark Joyce (112), and Robert Milkins (114) all posted three-figure contributions during their victories, while Ashley Carty, Oliver Brown, Ross Muir, Simon Blackwell, Yuhang Wang, Antoni Kowlaski, Zhang Yang, Alfie Burden, Craig Steadman, Ryan Thomerson, Reanne Evans, Chen Ruifu, and Mitchell Mann were Wednesday’s other match winners in Leicester.

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 China Open qualifiers, visit our tournament information centre here.