English Open LIVE – Brecel bids to avoid upset after O’Sullivan and Williams lose
Brecel 0-2 Hamilton (18-0)
Luca punching in a long red straight off the bat after Anthony goes in off trying to create a plant on two reds. Vital that Brecel gets to work here.
Brecel 0-1 Hamilton (58-69)
Huge steal for Hamilton as Brecel goes for a long blue. Misses pot, and white ends up jumping down left middle pocket. Hamilton prods home blue and pink to see out the frame for a 2-0 lead. Brecel in trouble.
Brecel 0-1 Hamilton (58-36)
This is a glorious chance for Anthony to complete the steal in this second frame. Luca with 58, but he sticks up a red for his opponent. Saving grace is pink and black being at opposite ends of table. Perhaps.
Brecel 0-1 Hamilton (58-24)
What a powerful double on a red by Brecel to right middle to keep break going. But he is out of position on 58. Just the safety to follow. Frame still in the mixer.
Brecel 0-1 Hamilton (35-24)
Luca looking to find some much-needed momentum in this second frame of the night. Looks very promising at this visit.
Brecel 0-1 Hamilton (5-24)
Break ends on 20 as he overscrews white off black, and runs out of position. Brecel with a stunning long red in response. Will Hamilton be punished for that positional blunder?
Brecel 0-1 Hamilton (0-8)
Luca sticking reds over pockets early in the second frame in playing an open game. Which is a dangerous game to play against a bloke who can score as well as Hamilton, who has 326 career centuries.
Brecel 0-1 Hamilton (0-0)
The Sheriff of Pottingham is off to a decent start. What has Luca got in response in Brentwood?
Brecel 0-0 Hamilton (28-56)
A frame overflowing with opportunity for both men, but Hamilton is at the table heading for the business end of the frame. Luca left in a tough snooker behind the black, fails to hit the yellow. Free ball is called, and Luca opts to concede. A 1-0 lead for Anthony in the race to four.
Brecel 0-0 Hamilton (28-21)
Luca back at the table as he tucks away a red with the rest. Brilliant shot to keep break going. But he then misses a tough red to left centre as another pot stays out.
Brecel 0-0 Hamilton (9-21)
Plenty of chances flying around in this opening frame, but Hamilton back at table. And a third chance comes and goes as red to left middle stays above board.
Brecel 0-0 Hamilton (9-6)
Hamilton tries to force in a red with rest, but overcooks the attempt. Too much pace on the white ball. Chance then for Luca to get his hand on table. But he misses a tough black off side rail.
Around the tables: latest scores
Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-4 He GuoqiangJohn Higgins 3-1 Andrew HigginsonZhou Yuelong 0-4 Jamie JonesAnthony McGill 4-2 Xiao GuodongResult: O’SULLIVAN 2-4 HE
Report: The English Open first round delivered another upset, with Ronnie O’Sullivan the second top-10 player to suffer elimination. World no. 6 Mark Williams had already bowed out after a 4-1 defeat to Ben Woollaston, before O’Sullivan fell to He Guoqiang. A subdued crowd inside the Brentwood Centre had very little to cheer, as their desire for an O’Sullivan victory was unfulfilled. Read more here
‘What a shot’ – O’Sullivan pots superb red from long range against He
O’SULLIVAN 2-3 HE (0-80)
Ronnie comes forward to offer his congratulations. A fair bit of running tonight for He, but he deserved the victory. He is through to the last 32 to face Stephen Maguire on Wednesday night.
O’SULLIVAN 2-3 HE (0-66)
Great recovery pot on a red using the red before the pink disappears. Looks all over for Ronnie O’Sullivan, who hasn’t really been in top form tonight.
O’SULLIVAN 2-3 HE (0-37)
A run of 30 from He, but he loses the cue ball. Drops in a red with rest, but can’t land on black and he knocks the black safe. Which won’t mean much as blue and pink are free. But a safety blunder by Ronnie sticks up the frame for his opponent to see this match out. What a chance here.
O’SULLIVAN 2-3 HE (0-22)
Ronnie throws his cue at a long red. Well off potting angle. Leaves a red to left centre. Which He slots before unearthing a superb cut on a pink. Once again, the Chinese player first to the punch in frame he needs to see this match out.
O’Sullivan in trouble as he falls 0-3 down against He
O’SULLIVAN 2-3 HE (0-0)
These matches a real sprint, and Ronnie doing the sprinting to reel off the two previous frames. Can he force a decider here?
O’SULLIVAN 1-3 HE (59-49)
This has been a fabulous response by Ronnie. Heading for the colours. Looks like he is back to 3-2 behind here. Rapid 59 break from O’Sullivan, but mid-range pink doesn’t drop. He then ends up fluking the pink trying to play a snooker. O’Sullivan warming to the occasion.
O’SULLIVAN 1-3 HE (15-43)
This looks very promising for He Guoqiang as black disappears, and he opens up a few reds. But a chance to sink black with rest eludes him. Lost the white ball at key time, but gets lucky by covering an easy red to right middle. O’Sullivan carts a fine red seconds later. And a brilliant blue keeps the break going. Down to the final four reds then.
O’SULLIVAN 1-3 HE (0-22)
Super piece of cueing by He to drill in a pink, and open up the reds to continue this break. Looks extremely composed before this sell-out crowd in Brentwood. Every opportunity to establish a healthy lead.
O’SULLIVAN 1-3 HE (0-5)
Error by O’Sullivan sees him stick up a red over right middle. Which He converts with some sense of authority. Chance then to get moving in the frame he needs for victory.
O’SULLIVAN 0-3 HE (98-19)
A blunder by He, and in goes the reds and colours required for Ronnie to see out this frame in style. A thumping red down the cushion to green pocket brings the crowd to life too. Sensational stuff. Needs another three like that.
O’SULLIVAN 0-3 HE (56-19)
Three reds left above board. No counter punch from his opponent this time. O’Sullivan still in the fight if he can land this frame.
O’SULLIVAN 0-3 HE (56-11)
Well, would you believe it. A quick 56 before he misses black off the spot. Missed it left handed too. Only needed black and red to seal the deal. A rueful smile.
O’SULLIVAN 0-3 HE (50-11)
Ronnie racing to 26 after He misses a red from mid-range. This is much more like it from him using his right hand, conventional stuff, to get some action on that cue ball.
O’SULLIVAN 0-3 HE (7-11)
Ronnie needing a rapid run of four frames otherwise he can have the rest of the week off to enjoy a spot of potting in the garden shed. Doesn’t look like he is close to his best tonight. Another chance for his opponent to gain some momentum after a long attempt at a red doesn’t threaten the pocket.
O’SULLIVAN 0-2 HE (0-92)
Very measured and mature level of break-building by the Chinese player. A 77 run gets the job done every day of the week. Essex crowd not having much to shout about with Ronnie being frozen out.
O’SULLIVAN 0-2 HE (0-54)
Very nice, controlled play by He among the balls at the business end of the table. In goes pink to right middle. Forced to take on a red to the yellow bag. And looks like O’Sullivan is going to fall three down with a possible four to play.
O’SULLIVAN 0-2 HE (0-20)
O’Sullivan tries to drop in a red by swerving the white towards object ball, but nothing doing on that occasion. He with a brilliant cut on a brown to left centre after sinking red. Another chance to push on then here.
O’SULLIVAN 0-2 HE (0-15)
He with a superb long red and black combo early in the third frame. But can’t get reds open this time. O’Sullivan’s safety game not really with it this evening.
O’SULLIVAN 0-1 HE (15-78)
That is a superb clearance of 78 from He Guoqiang. Never in doubt. Took what was there after O’Sullivan’s tactical blunder let him in. Work to be done for Ronnie otherwise this could be an early bath tonight. He leads 2-0 in race to four.
O’SULLIVAN 0-1 HE (15-36)
He Guoqiang moves easily to 21. Pink and black both on their spots, and reds out in the open. Would expect him to make a few here. Could go close to winning frame at this visit.
O’SULLIVAN 0-1 HE (15-12)
Another safety error by O’Sullivan sticks up a red over a top bag, and another chance for the young Chinese player to accumulate some points. Drops in red, lands on brown and is up and running here. Ronnie not scoring enough so far, and that is never good news.
O’SULLIVAN 0-1 HE (15-0)
O’Sullivan not punished after catching a safety too thin. He Guoqiang jaws a mid-range red, and chance for Ronnie to build a lead. But he can only produce 15 at that visit. Again, using his left hand on shots.
Around the tables: latest scores
Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-1 He GuoqiangJohn Higgins 0-0 Andrew HigginsonZhou Yuelong 0-1 Jamie JonesAnthony McGill 1-0 Xiao GuodongO’SULLIVAN 0-0 HE (53-73)
In goes the yellow with a fine piece of straight cue power. Chance then to take out the colours to move one up. Slots brown with rest. Fine pot. In goes the blue and the pink. Black completes a cameo clearance of 35 to snatch first frame. O’Sullivan with a break of 45. Missed a simple red, and paid the price.
O’SULLIVAN 0-0 HE (53-46)
Down to the final red then, but a blunder by O’Sullivan coming off the top cushion sees him nudge white over the green bag. In goes the red as he moves within seven points of Ronnie.
O’SULLIVAN 0-0 HE (53-24)
But he misses an easy red when he looked set to finish off the frame in his favour. So a reprieve for last year’s rookie of the year.
O’SULLIVAN 0-0 HE (46-24)
O’Sullivan playing vast majority of shots with his left hand tonight. Just a one-off generational talent. A quick gallop to 39 with more to come after He missed a tricky red.
O’SULLIVAN 0-0 HE (8-24)
The Chinese player not really scoring among the balls so far. Ronnie with an easy red, and rolls in black with rest. But out of position. And just safety to follow.
O’SULLIVAN 0-0 HE (0-24)
But he can only make 20 before he loses the white ball, and is forced to declare on 20. Which isn’t much to trouble the scorer. He then uncorks another fine long red to quickly regain access to the table.
O’SULLIVAN 0-0 HE (0-13)
Off we go then for the first of a possible seven frames. Ronnie with the break-off shot, but his opponent isn’t bothered about the white being on the baulk cush as he sends a long red into the rigging. What a rasping pot that is.
WHAT IS HAPPENING TONIGHT?
Ronnie O’Sullivan v He GuoqiangJohn Higgins v Andrew HigginsonZhou Yuelong v Jamie JonesAnthony McGill v Xiao GuodongLuca Brecel v Anthony HamiltonJack Lisowski v Xu SiWelcome back to Brentwood
Almost set to go with the snooker GOAT, who begins his campaign against world No. 64 He Guoqiang on his home turf at the back of 7pm. O’Sullivan won this trophy in 2017 and will join Judd Trump and Mark Selby as double winners if he is still standing on Sunday. Meanwhile, Luca Brecel is second on the main showpiece table against Anthony Hamilton after 8pm. Could be a good night if you play your cards right.
THAT’S ALL FOR NOW
That’s it from us for the time being but we’ll be back very soon to bring you the best of the evening action.
STAGE SET FOR RONNIE
The evening session kicks off in around an hour as ‘The Rocket’ Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his quest for the title. He takes on China’s He Guoqiang in the headline encounter.
Elsewhere, John Higgins, Luca Brecel and Jack Lisowski will also be in action on what promises to be an intriguing Tuesday night inside the Brentwood Centre.
ROBERTSON BEATS PAGE
Neil Robertson wraps up the win in style. The former world champion knocks in a century to beat Jackson Page 4-1 and ease into the fourth round.
Up next for the Australian is a mouth-watering clash with Shaun Murphy.
WILLIAMS 1-4 WOOLLASTON
Woollaston wins it. At the end of a scrappy encounter, a break of 70 is ultimately enough for the Englishman to advance into the last 32 and set up a meeting with Zak Surety.
Far from a classic but they all count.
WILLIAMS 1-3 WOOLLASTON (0-49)
Woollaston is eager to snuff out Williams’ comeback before it gets going. He pots a great opening red to get in and is compiling the best break of the match.
The reds are in good positions – he just needs to keep his composure.
‘One of the worst shots I’ve seen him play’ – Williams struggling against Woollaston
MAGUIRE WHITEWASHES REVESZ
Elsewhere, Stephen Maguire has completed a 4-0 victory over Bulcsu Revesz, while Neil Robertson leads Jackson Page 3-1.
WILLIAMS 1-3 WOOLLASTON
That’s more like it. A trademark long red gets Williams back in among the balls and he clinches the frame from there with ease.
He has avoided the whitewash and given himself a chance of mounting a comeback.
WILLIAMS 0-3 WOOLLASTON (40-1)
Williams puts some points on the board but can’t take the frame in one visit. Given how the match has gone to this point, though, he does hold a healthy advantage.
Having said that, Woollaston has just rifled in a long red and snookered his opponent behind the green.
WILLIAMS 0-3 WOOLLASTON
Woollaston remains in the ascendancy, albeit the highest break of the match after more than an hour is still just 32.
He needs a few chances but a pink with the rest puts him 54 ahead with just 51 remaining. The Englishman cleans up the last three reds and it’s now 3-0.
HAWKINS POWERS THROUGH
After falling 2-0 behind, Barry Hawkins has reeled off four frames in a row to move into the last 32 where he will take on Jack Lisowski or Xu Si.
WILLIAMS 0-2 WOOLLASTON
Williams finally pots the last red, but he can only manage a break of three. We’re down to the colours at least.
Woollaston pots yellow, green and brown to leave Williams needing snookers and eventually gets over the line to take a 2-0 lead.
ALLEN IMPRESSED WITH LONG
Earlier, Mark Allen was pushed all the way by Long Zehuang. Here’s what he said to Eurosport after winning 4-3.
Allen ‘impressed’ with Long’s game after surviving English Open scare
WILLIAMS 0-1 WOLLASTON (33-51)
This marathon second frame is still ongoing. There have been several fouls, fluked snookers, and little in the way of quality.
The colours are all off their spots and the last red is proving incredibly stubborn.
WILLIAMS 0-1 WOLLASTON (29-26)
Like the first frame, both Williams and Woollaston have missed chances to take the second. It’s just not happening for either player in this match.
Williams knocks in a trademark shot to nothing and ties his opponent up behind the brown, but Woollaston does brilliantly to escape.
ROBERTSON LEADS, HAWKINS LEVELS
Here is rundown of how the matches in progress currently stand:
Mark Williams 0-1 Ben WoollastonBarry Hawkins 2-2 Jimmy RobertsonStephen Maguire 1-0 Bulcsu ReveszNeil Robertson 1-0 Jackson PageWILLIAMS 0-1 WOLLASTON
Woollaston mops up the tricky reds and pots the final yellow before a poor miss on the green. Williams needs one snooker and returns to the table, but he concedes after leaving the brown on.
WILLIAMS 0-0 WOLLASTON (34-31)
It’s a frame full of mistakes. Woollaston misses a simple pink to allow Williams another opportunity.
The reds are sitting awkwardly, though, and the Welshman misses a long red up to the yellow pocket.
WILLIAMS 0-0 WOLLASTON (11-22)
A loose safety from Williams gives Woollaston the first chance but he can only manage 22. William then gets his hand on the table but can only put 12 points on the board after he misses a tricky pink.
WILLIAMS UP NEXT
Mark Williams is up next against Ben Woollaston. The Welshman was beaten in a thrilling final against Judd Trump at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and remains one of the best players in the world.
WATCH: ALLEN FLUKES RED
The outcome could have been very different had Allen not benefited from this fluke.
‘He didn’t foresee that!’ – Allen flukes red into bottom corner
HAWKINS FALLS BEHIND EARLY
Breaks of 54 and 75 have given Jimmy Robertson a 2-0 lead over Barry Hawkins in their last-64 tie.
Elsewhere, Lyu Haotian has completed a 4-2 victory over Dominic Dale to set up a meeting with Allen in the next round.
SELT EDGES WALDEN
Matthew Selt fended off Ricky Walden to win another final-frame decider. He led 3-1 before Walden fought back to level, but a break of 81 got Selt over the line
ALLEN 4-3 LONG
Allen is through! It isn’t a match that will live long in the memory but winning is all that matters.
He’ll surely need to improve is he is to have any serious ambitions of lifting the title, but getting through a game like that could free him up to produce something closer to his best stuff.
ALLEN 3-3 LONG (53-13)
Long attempts a tricky red along the rail and it sits in the jaws. Allen’s path is blocked by the black, but he swerves the white just enough to get it to drop.
He doesn’t finish on a colour and has to play safe but returns to pot a sublime red up into the green pocket.
Long then has a half-chance to keep his hopes alive but he can’t get the red to go as Allen moves 40 points clear with just 35 on the table.
ALLEN 3-3 LONG (44-13)
Allen is taking these well but there is a bunch of seven reds sitting awkwardly around the black spot to navigate.
In picking off the first one he develops a few more as he extends his lead, but the black is still tied up.
He continues to land perfectly on the blue and pink, however, before a canon on the reds on the top rail goes wrong.
The Northern Irishman plays safe but goes back to his chair with a handy advantage.
ALLEN 3-3 LONG (17-13)
Long follows through with the white after potting a red into the bottom-left corner but there’s no damage done beyond the loss of four points.
He is then offered a chance at a long red and makes a brilliant break of 13 before getting unlucky when a red blocks the path for the blue to the left middle.
A miss on the yellow then leaves Allen with an opportunity to respond.
WALDEN FIGHTING
Ricky Walden is now just 3-2 behind after winning the fifth frame against Matthew Selt.
WATCH: ALLEN POTS THE WHITE TO GIFT LONG A CHANCE
Here’s the shot that allowed Long to take a 3-2 lead over Allen.
Allen pots white to leave Long with ‘golden opportunity’
ALLEN 3-3 LONG
With the winning line in sight, a canon goes slightly awry. He still has a red available but it’s a tricky cut.
He gets the extension out and sends it into the heart of the pocket before slotting a lovely pink to put the frame beyond doubt.
ALLEN 2-3 LONG (58-0)
Allen flukes a red and lays a tight snooker behind the yellow. Long fails to escape and leaves Allen a chance to finally put some points on the board.
He moves 58 points ahead to close on levelling and setting up a deciding frame.
FORD FALLS
Tom Ford becomes the latest top-16 player to be knocked out after the Englishman was beaten 4-2 by Jiang Jun.
In the other matches ongoing, Lyu Haotian and Dominic Dale are locked at 2-2, while Matthew Selt leads Ricky Walden 3-1.
ALLEN 2-3 LONG
Long does brilliantly to get out of a snooker and leaves Allen in a tricky spot – the run of the balls is definitely favouring the Chinese player.
Allen hits the red far too thin and presents Long with a simple pot and chance to win the frame. He makes a break of 69 and is now just one away from claiming a big scalp.
ALLEN 2-2 LONG (0-51)
Bridging over the green, Long misses a red to the middle. Allen has a chance to the same pocket but can’t get it to fall – he hasn’t potted a ball since he won the second frame.
He is 51 points behind but will be happy to still be alive in this frame.
ALLEN 2-2 LONG (0-38)
Allen pots the white and sticks a red up over the right middle to give Long has another simple opener – this has quickly become a very uncharacteristic display from the Northern Irishman.
Long is running out of loose reds, so he will have to split the pack when he gets a chance.
ALLEN 2-2 LONG
Allen concedes after yet another poor safety shot and we’re level at 2-2.
ALLEN 2-1 LONG (0-71)
Long runs slightly out of position but rescues the situation when he runs in and out of baulk after finishing low on a blue.
Another overhit red makes frame ball harder than it needs to be but he slots it into the top corner before playing safe.
Allen returns to the table trailing by 71 with just 67 available.
ALLEN 2-1 LONG (0-40)
Long is in first again after a brilliant red along the top rail. He lands on the pink and has another chance to open up a healthy lead.
The black is tied up but he races to 35 and all Allen can do is watch on.
JIANG WITHIN ONE OF VICTORY
After losing the first frame, Jiang Jun now leads Tom Ford 3-1 in the race to four.
Elsewhere, Lyu Haotian is 2-1 up against Dominic Dale, while Matthew Selt leads Ricky Walden by the same scoreline.
ALLEN 2-1 LONG
A poor positional shot sees Long break down on 65 but he has done enough to half his deficit. We’ve got a match on our hands now.
ALLEN 2-0 LONG (0-50)
Long is offered a reprieve after a loose Allen safety. The balls aren’t lying perfectly but this time he is able to string together some excellent shots to move 50 points ahead in the frame.
ALLEN 2-0 LONG (0-6)
Long pots a sublime blue after a straightforward opening red. He has a chance to make a sizable break but immediately misses a simple red to the corner.
Mistakes like that are just unforgivable at this level.
UPDATE FROM OTHER TABLES
Here are the scores across the other tables.
Tom Ford 1-2 Jiang JunLyu Haotian 1-1 Dominic DaleMatthew Selt 1-1 Ricky WaldenALLEN TARGETING IMPROVED RESULTS
Speaking to Eurosport ahead of his match against Long, Allen discussed his season so far and his ambitions for the tournaments to come.
Allen: If I continue to do the right things then the results will come
ALLEN 2-0 LONG
The Northern Irishman moves 2-0 ahead with a brilliant break of 88.
With the open reds, he was hardly out of perfect position, while some intricate canons helped him put the frame beyond doubt.
ALLEN 1-0 LONG (47-9)
Allen is among the balls with the kind of chance he used to mop up for fun. Can he double his lead in one visit?
A simple red wriggles in on 24 but he is taking them well otherwise.
ALLEN 1-0 LONG (0-8)
Allen attempts a thin safety on a red but misses it twice before changing his approach and playing a containing shot.
It’s another slow start to a frame but Allen has become something of a master in recent years when matches turn ugly.
SCORE UPDATE
Elsewhere, Tom Ford is level at 1-1 with Jiang Jun, Dominic Dale leads Lyu Haotian 1-0, and Ricky Walden is 1-0 up against Matthew Selt.
ALLEN 1-0 LONG
Long misses a half-chance on a red and leaves it on for Allen. He clears the table to finally put the opening frame on the board.
It was far from vintage stuff but they all count.
ALLEN 0-0 LONG (54-31)
A mistake from Long leaves a red over one of the bottom corner pockets. Allen makes no mistake and lands nicely on the blue.
He runs out of position a few shots later but recovers with a brilliant long red into the yellow pocket.
ALLEN 0-0 LONG (20-31)
Long misses a black off the spot by a big margin in what is turning into a scrappy opener. Allen nails a good mid-range red to get going again but then fails to develop the pack off the green and has to play safe.
ALLEN 0-0 LONG (16-31)
The first chance falls the way of the Northern Irishman after Long fails to hit a red twice in a row and then takes on a pot to avoid falling foul of the three-miss rule.
It doesn’t drop, though, leaving Allen with a great chance to put some points on the board. Surprisingly, he manages a break of just eight and now Long is at the table.
ALLEN UNDERWAY
For now, though, we’ll be focusing on Mark Allen’s encounter against Long Zehuang. The best-of-seven match is underway with the winner to take on either Lyu Haotian or Dominic Dale in the next round.
THE ROCKET TO COME TONIGHT
Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his quest for his home title against China’s He Guoqiang at 19:00 BST.
John Higgins, Jack Lisowski and Luca Brecel will also feature in a star-studded evening session.
TODAY’S AFTERNOON SCHEDULE
As mentioned, some big names will be in action this afternoon – here’s a full rundown of the what’s to come over the next few hours.
Tom Ford v Jiang JunLyu Haotian v Dominic DaleMatthew Selt v Ricky WaldenMark Allen v Long ZehuangNeil Robertson v Jackson PageMark Williams v Ben WoollastonStephen Maguire v Bulcsy ReveszBarry Hawkins v Jimmy RobertsonVAFAEI THROUGH BUT WILSON OUT
Before we get started, here’s a round-up of the two early matches from this morning as Hossein Vafaei took on Matthew Stevens and Gary Wilson faced Ross Muir. Both went all the way to a final-frame decider, but it was Vafaei and Muir who secured 4-3 victories to move into the next round.
HELLO AND WELCOME
Welcome to another day of action from the English Open as players battle it out for a spot in the last 32. The likes of Mark Williams, Neil Robertson and Mark Allen will be on the baize over the next few hours and we will bring you all the updates as and when they happen.
Stream the English Open and many more top snooker events live and on-demand on discovery+
