2026 Northern Ireland Open Snooker: Quarter-finals set to take place on Friday in Belfast

In a tournament of early upsets, Mark Williams and Kyren Wilson were the only members of the world’s top 16 to make it through to Thursday’s last 16, and the former World Champions - who are in different halves of the draw - advanced again in the £550,400 tournament.

Winner of this Northern Ireland Open crown in 2017, Williams wrapped up a 4-0 whitewash of Martin O’Donnell with a break of 127 to reach the 124th ranking event quarter-final of his illustrious career.

Lifting the Alex Higgins Trophy this weekend would see 51-year-old Williams better his own record as professional snooker’s oldest ranking event champion. It would also put him top of this season’s Home Nations Series order of merit race - in pole for the £150,000 bonus prize - having been runner-up to Ali Carter at last month’s English Open in Brentwood.

Next up for Williams is a meeting with former Championship League winner David Gilbert who defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan’s conqueror here earlier this week, Ka Wai Cheung, 4-2.

Elsewhere in the bottom half of the draw, Jak Jones will share the baize with Scott Donaldson.

It has already been a life-changing season for Jones who claimed his maiden ranking title at the Championship League in July before notching up his second just weeks later at the British Open.

The former World Snooker Championship finalist is still on course for a third after he dispatched fellow Welshman Daniel Wells, 4-2.

World number 64 Donaldson defeated world number 65 Jordan Brown, 4-2, to make his first quarter-final since this tournament six years ago.

In a gruelling contest that finished well past midnight, Donaldson ended the hopes of home hero Brown after making the highest break of the tie, a 47, in the final frame.

Wilson (breaks of 70 and 92) ousted China’s Pang Junxu (108, 97), 4-3, in a quality affair, compiling a decisive effort of 94 in the deciding frame.

The Englishman won this title two years ago and is defending the £100,000 he pocketed at the time. That season - whilst also holding the world crown - Wilson won four ranking accolades in total, but since then has not been the semi-finals of a ranked tournament, putting his top 16 status in risk by the end of this term.

On Friday, Wilson will play two-time ranking event winner Anthony McGill after the Scot ended the career-best run of Poland’s Mateusz Baranowski, 4-1.

The other quarter-final will be a English North-East derby with Sam Craigie facing Elliot Slessor.

Craigie was in sparkling scoring form during his 4-2 victory over Matthew Selt, fashioning breaks of 108, 96, 100 and 79. The 33-year-old is through to this stage of a competition for the first time since a serious neck injury that could have ended his career.

Slessor defeated Ricky Walden, 4-1, for his 12th quarter-final outing at a ranking event.

The best of 11 frames quarter-finals take place on Friday with sessions from 13:00BST and 19:00BST.

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