What is the quarter-finals line-up at the 2025 British Open? Champion Selby still on course to retain

The British Open ran annually between 1985 to 2004 before being resurrected in 2021 and held every year since. In both periods, no player has claimed back-to-back crowns, although Selby is now three more wins away from rewriting the record books.

In the afternoon session, Selby ousted fellow Leicester cueist Joe O’Connor 4-3, although for the second successive round, he had to come through a deciding frame having led 3-0.

Just a few hours later, Selby returned for his last 16 match with Chinese youngster Chang Bingyu, but there was no such drama on this occasion as he compiled breaks of 93, 78 and 70 in a 4-0 win.

In a blockbuster last eight encounter on Friday, Selby will face Mark Williams. Winner of this title in 1997, 2021 and 2023, Williams also navigated two matches in consecutive sessions, starting with a 4-3 victory against newly-minted English Open champion Mark Allen.

Allen, who was going for 10 wins in-a-row on the World Snooker Tour, led 2-0 and 3-2 and had chances to get the job done, but he couldn’t convert, where as Williams did. In the evening programme, the Welshman wrapped up a 4-1 victory over Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan with a 123.

The star of Thursday’s show, though, was surely Shaun Murphy who dismissed this season’s number one Neil Robertson and world number one Judd Trump.

Murphy built a 2-0 lead up against Robertson before the Australian crafted a break of 100 to become the first person in professional snooker to have made 100 breaks of exactly 100. The effort was also Robertson’s 999th ton in top flight competition.

It looked like the tie was going to be squared in frame four but Murphy pinched it on the final black having needed penalty points.

In frame five, Robertson was on a break of 66 but missed effectively frame ball red. Murphy potted red, black, yellow, green, brown, blue and pink before playing safe on the black. After a quality safety exchange, Robertson’s double attempt saw the black hit the far jaw of the middle pocket, and Murphy sank a good black to progress.

Later in the day, Murphy ended an eight-match losing streak to Trump, coming through via a 4-3 verdict.

In a high-quality affair, ‘The Magician’ fashioned a 131 in frame four to go 3-1 up before Trump reduced the gap and then forced a decider with a 105. However, in the final frame, Trump’s effort coming out of a snooker went wrong, and Murphy fully punished with a match-clinching 123.

Murphy’s last ranking title came over two years ago at the Championship League. He’ll start his last eight match with Mitchell Mann on Friday as a firm favourite, although world number 91 Mann will surely be feeling great after seeing off Barry Hawkins 4-2 to reach the third ranking event quarter-final of his career.

It has been a chaotic few days for Mann, who very nearly didn’t get to his opening match on Wednesday morning after suffering a flat tyre on his car whilst travelling from home, and then being docked a frame for arriving late.

Another player through to his third ranking quarter-final is Louis Heathcote who defeated teenager Liam Davies, 4-2.

Heathcote - who is being coached by former German Masters winner Anthony Hamilton - now has a date with John Higgins after the four-time World Champion ended Ben Mertens’ challenge.

Runner-up here last year, Higgins is going for a record fifth British Open title. A situation that also applies to fellow 50-year-old Williams, Higgins would become the oldest-ever winner of a ranking event should he lift The Clive Everton Trophy in a few days time.

Having reached his first ranking event quarter-final at last month’s Wuhan Open, teenager Stan Moody is already into his second after he edged Ali Carter, 4-3.

Three times Englishman Moody led the tie by a single frame, but on each occasion Carter levelled, taking the contest all the way with a 138 in frame six.

However, Moody constructed a classy match-winning contribution of 69 in the decider to advance. Next up for the youngster is two-time ranking event winner Anthony McGill who defeated world number nine Xiao Guodong, 4-2.

McGill scored a 105 in frame three, and won the match on the final black in the sixth.

Visit our 2025 British Open tournament information centre here for the draw, results, and details on the format, schedule, and prize money.