Top 16 stars book tickets for Wuhan Open trip on opening day of new professional snooker season

Several big names and title winners were scheduled on Sunday, all aiming to win their opening round match and book a spot for the main venue, televised stages of the £700,000 world ranking event which take place in China at the end of August.

Amongst those were ‘Class of 92’ members Mark Williams and John Higgins - the world numbers three and four respectively - who were both victorious.

Another top 16 star on the baize was Si Jiahui, who can now make travel plans to visit his home country following a 5-2 win over Bulcsu Revesz.

Si was last year’s runner-up where en route to the final he made a maximum 147 break during a semi-final victory over world number one Judd Trump.

In his latest Wuhan Open title tilt, the 22-year-old compiled a break of 112 as he moved 4-0 up and - despite teenager Revesz avoiding the whitewash and briefly threatening a huge comeback - Si got across the line in frame seven.

The biggest upset of the day came during the morning session as Louis Heathcote - competing on home soil in Leicester - eliminated world number 20 Wu Yize, 5-2.

Englishman Heathcote registered runs of 117 and 69 as he built a 4-0 lead going into the mid-session interval. English and Scottish Open finalist Wu took the next two frames on resumption, but Heathcote didn’t fall to panic and got his new season off with a ‘W’.

Twelve-time World Women’s Snooker Champion Reanne Evans scored a brilliant result as she made a 61 in the deciding frame of a 5-4 victory over former World Seniors Snooker Champion David Lilley.

Several matches went the distance across the three sessions. One of the World Snooker Tour’s most improved players in recent years, Elliot Slessor recovered from two down with three to play to dramatically oust Oliver Lines, 5-4, on the very last black ball. Slessor began that three-frame sequence with an effort of 122.

Another cueist who came back from 4-2 down was Joe O’Connor as he denied Jiang Jun in a ninth and deciding frame.

Leicester native O’Connor - who fashioned a 116 during the tie - keeps up his fantastic form on tour having made the final of the last ranking event to be held in mainland China, the World Open in February/March, and then qualifying for a second successive Crucible appearance a few weeks later.

Jamie Jones, David Grace, Liam Davies and Matthew Selt also progressed by the odd frame. Selt pipped Sunny Akani in a match that started in the morning, but was completed several hours later in the evening when they ran out of time earlier on in their allotted session.

India’s number one Ishpreet Singh Chadha was in fine scoring form as notched up breaks of 77, 97, 82 and 100 in a 5-1 win over Yao Pengsheng, while Thailand’s top player Noppon Saengkham iced a 5-0 victory against Robbie McGuigan with a 124 in the final frame.

There were mixed fortunes for the other Asian players in action: Zhou Yuelong and rookie Zhao Hanyang both made it through but Fan Zhengyi and Long Zehuang were dispatched by Ben Mertens and Dylan Emery, respectively. Wuhan-born Long was a semi-finalist in this event last season.

A second season professional, Haydon Pinhey capped off a 5-1 victory over Martin O’Donnell with an effort of 137 - the highest break of the tournament, so far.

2023 World Champion Luca Brecel no showed for his scheduled match with Haris Tahir in the afternoon session. Pakistan’s Tahir therefore received a 5-0 walkover.

For the full draw and results from the 2025 Wuhan Open, please visit our tournament information centre here.