Please note that this is NOT an official website. At this point in time Ronnie O’ Sullivan does not have an official website, nor does he wish to have one.
Following the conclusion of the 2026 World Grand Prix, the draw for the 2026 Players Championship is now set. Here is the announcement by WST:
Sportsbet.io Players Championship Draw Confirmed
The draw for this month Sportsbet.io Players Championship is now confirmed, with the top 16 entered players in the Sportsbet.io One Year Rankings heading to the Telford International Centre for the event which runs from February 17-22.
…
The format will be confirmed soon. The draw is:
Neil Robertson (1) v John Higgins (16)
Chris Wakelin (8) v Xiao Guodong (9)
Judd Trump (5) v Zhou Yuelong (12)
Mark Williams (4) v Barry Hawkins (13)
——–
Shaun Murphy (3) v Zhang Anda (14)
Zhao Xintong (6) v Elliot Slessor (11)
Wu Yize (7) v Mark Allen (10)
Mark Selby (2) v Jack Lisowski (15)
Note that Ronnie is actually 8th on the one year list and, therefore, had qualified for the event. He did however decide not to enter. John Higgins is the one who benefits from Ronnie’s decision. Had Ronnie entered the event, he would have been set to play Chris Wakelin in the first round (last 16).
With little more than two months before he defends his Crucible crown, Zhao Xintong produced the perfect reminder of his wonderful talent as he made five century breaks in a 10-6 victory over Zhang Anda in the final of the World Grand Prix.
It’s a first ranking title of the season for Zhao and a huge boost in confidence for the 28-year-old Chinese ace with his return to Sheffield on the horizon. It’s his fourth ranking title, bringing him level with Barry Hawkins, Luca Brecel and Ryan Day on the all-time list, and he has now won all four of his ranking finals having landed the 2021 UK Championship, 2022 German Masters and 2025 World Championship. He receives the World Grand Prix trophy for the first time and a cheque for £180,000, climbing one place to seventh in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings.
Though he captured the invitational Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in November, it has been a patchy season in ranking events for Zhao before this week as he had failed to reach a final and stood outside the top 16 of the Sportsbet.io One-Year list. However as the superb Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong he has more than made amends and now climbs to sixth on that list, cementing a place in the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford this month and almost certainly the Sportsbet.io Tour Championship in Manchester.
On a week when history was made by the performances of Chinese players, with a record nine reaching the last 16, six making the quarter-finals and then a unique all-Chinese semi-final line-up, Zhao again proved himself the best of the generation which is flying in the slipstream of Ding Junhui’s earlier success.
Zhang, age 34, matched his opponent in the first session which finished 4-4, but could do little in the concluding stages as Zhao pulled away. Banking £80,000, Zhang moves up three places to 20th on the official list and has also secured a spot in Telford having jumped to 15th on the one-year list. He misses out on a second ranking title and first since the 2023 International Championship, and has now lost three of his four finals.
Breaks of 85 and 75 gave Zhao the first two frames of the evening session and a 6-4 lead. Zhang pulled one back with a run of 53 before Zhao’s 111 made it 7-5 at the interval. Frame 13 went to Zhang with a break of 73, but he scored just 25 points in the remainder of the match as Zhao rattled through the last three frames with 134, 65 and 131. Over his five matches the Cyclone swept in a total of nine centuries and 17 more breaks over 50.
“We both played very well today, our scoring was at a high level throughout the match,” said Zhao, who grew up in Shenzhen close to Hong Kong. “Perhaps later on I managed to take a few more chances. My mindset settled down nicely and my rhythm improved, which allowed me to play better and better. I was waiting for that one chance in every frame, then my aim was to push on and put pressure on him by getting well ahead. In the second half of the match, I was able to do that consistently, which made me very happy with my performance.
“There’s no real secret to winning finals. I think it’s just about being patient with yourself and making the most of every single opportunity. In the first two rounds of the tournament, I was actually very close to being knocked out, especially being 4-1 down against Mark Selby. Fortunately, I managed to fight my way back and give myself another chance to go deep in the event and compete for the title.
“I don’t feel that I’ve completely lifted the pressure of playing as World Champion yet. Mentally I still feel there is room to learn from the very top players. This season so far, although I’ve had some good results, I feel that my overall consistency hasn’t been as strong as the very best. That’s an area I know I still need to improve.
“I really want to thank all the fans here for their support. They gave me a huge amount of motivation. Playing in Hong Kong is very special for me, and being able to win the title here makes it even more meaningful. I’m truly very grateful to everyone in the arena for their support.”
This was a match of the highest quality. Other than the opening one, every frame featured a break over 50. As mentioned by WST, Zhao made five centuries en route to victory, including a 145 in frame 7.
I hope that nobody will begrudge Zhao his triumph. Yes, he made mistakes, but he has served his ban and has obviously worked very hard to redeem himself since his return to competition.
The arena didn’t look full but then it’s a really huge arena. Also, I wonder about the tickets pricing policy. The average Chinese fan’s earnings are far lower than the average European fan’s earnings. I remember chatting about that in Shanghai with one fan who said that he was better off than the vast majority of his compatriots and still, buying decent seats for himself and his wife had cost him half of his monthly salary. Of course, that was several years back but I’m not sure the situation is much different today. Maybe Lewis can tell us more?
Zhang Anda overcame compatriot Zhou Yuelong 6-5 on the final black to earn his place in the final of the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.
There’s a historic all-Chinese lineup this weekend at the Kai Tak Arena, with World Champion Zhao Xintong and back-to-back Wuhan Open winner Xiao Guodong contesting the other last four tie. The only two countries to have achieved this previously are England and Scotland.
Victory for 2023 International Champion Zhang sees him through to his fourth ranking event final, with the chance to capture a second title. A best of 19 frame encounter tomorrow stands between him and the £180,000 top prize.
Today’s win books Zhang a place in the Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford, where only the top 16 peformers this season secure a spot. It means that he temporarily dislodges Crucible king Zhao, who needs to win his semi-final later.
Defeat acts as a bitter pill to swallow for 28-year-old Zhou, who is still hunting an elusive maiden ranking crown. He’s now lost in five semi-finals and four finals, including at this season’s English Open.
It was a fiercely contested semi-final this afternoon, which was just shy of four and a half hours playing time. There was never more than a solitary frame between the pair and the match concluded with a thrilling final three frames.
With the score locked at 4-4, it was 34-year-old Zhang who made the first move for the finish line. A superb break of 121 moved him one away at 5-4. However, Zhou refused to back down and made 82 in the next to force a decider.
The final frame was in the balance when Zhang missed the final red with the rest and gifted his opponent an opportunity. He got down to the blue, but failed to find position on what would have been match ball. A safety battle ensued, before Zhou eventually lost the white into the right hand middle pocket. Zhang stepped up and potted the remaining three balls to earn his place in the final.
“I was nervous in the last frame and I’m still nervous here. My hands are shaking. It is very exciting. I just hope tomorrow is a great final,” said world number 23 Zhang.
“I don’t know why I’m playing so well this week. Maybe just because my family are here. They give me more confidence and I love Hong Kong. I can speak Cantonese here so it is like a second home.
“I am very proud to be one of four Chinese semi-finalists. I believe in the future there will be more young Chinese players and it will only get better.“
World Champion Zhao Xintong overcame compatriot Xiao Guodong 6-3 to earn his place in the World Grand Prix final at the Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong.
Victory means Zhao, who narrowly beat Chris Wakelin 5-4 in the quarter-finals, will now progress to face Zhang Anda in tomorrow’s title match. They will battle it out over the best of 19 frames with a £180,000 top prize on the line.
Zhao will be aiming for the fourth ranking crown of his career. He’s previously picked up silverware at the 2021 UK Championship, 2022 German Masters, as well as last year’s World Championship.
Zhang earned his place with a thrilling 6-5 win over Zhou Yuelong on the final black earlier. The all-Chinese semi-final lineup this weekend is a first in the country’s history. The only countries to have achieved this previously are England and Scotland.
Today’s win for Zhao secures his place at the upcoming Sportsbet.io Players Championship in Telford. Only the top 16 peformers this season earn their spot in the next stage of the Players Series. Zhang leapt into a qualifying slot with his win earlier and victory for Zhao means Gary Wilson is denied a spot.
The opening frame saw Zhao lead 56-0, before current back-to-back Wuhan Open winner Xiao produced a fine break of 65 to steal on the black. Contributions of 55 and 69 then allowed 28-year-old Zhao to take the lead for the first time at 2-1, but Xiao claimed the last before the mid-session and restored parity at 2-2.
When play resumed, a burst of three consecutive frames took Zhao to the brink of victory at 5-2, but a steely 63 in the eighth kept Xiao in contention and extended the match. It was a short lived reprieve, with Zhao hammering home a superb 121 break to score a 6-3 victory.
“I played much better today than yesterday. I made some good adjustments in all aspects. I was able to stay within my own rhythm. As a result, my overall performance was quite good,” said world number eight Zhao.
“The final frame went very smoothly. What I showed today was my normal level, because previously I gave my opponent too many chances. Whenever I had an opportunity, I was basically able to finish it in one visit, so I really did play well today.
“Competing in a relatively big tournament like this and facing Xiao Guodong in the semi-finals was a different feeling. Although we are very good friends, once it comes to competition, we both want to win. We both brought out 100 percent of our level.
“I hope the fans will continue to support me. Especially yesterday, I could really feel the atmosphere and support from the audience and that was a huge help to me. As for the final, a win is a win and a loss is a loss—there isn’t any specific goal. Zhang Anda and I train together every day and we know each other very well. I lost to him not long ago, so tomorrow I will definitely give it my best.”
Of the two finalists, Zhao is probably the most gifted and the easiest on the eye but it would be a big mistake to underestimate Zhang Anda’s determination and will to win. Also, as mentioned by Zhao himself, Zhang has beaten him recently. I can’t see this final being one-sided.
The quarter-finals round in Hong Kong yesterday yielded an “all Chinese” semi-finals line-up.
When the first Chinese “contingent” arrived in the UK, following Ding’s breakthrough, some predicted that they would soon dominate the sport because it’s such a huge country with a large population whilst others predicted that they would never be able to reach the level of the British players. Both groups were wrong.
Living in a very different culture isn’t easy and many of them suffered, still suffer, from being far away from their friends and family in a society that isn’t always kind to foreigners. It certainly didn’t help their career. I’m certain that most Brits would find it extremely difficult, maybe impossible even, to live in China, far from home, socially isolated, to learn the language and adapt to the local culture.
So, from me, it’s a big “well done guys!” to the four of them!
Zhang Anda reached his first ranking event semi-final in two years as he beat Wu Yize 5-2 at the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.
World number 23 Zhang will face Ali Carter or Zhou Yuelong in Saturday’s semi-finals, while Xiao Guodong is also into the last four and he will meet Zhao Xintong or Chris Wakelin. Wins later today for Zhou and Zhao would mean an all-Chinese line semi-final line up for the first time ever in a ranking event.
Zhang, age 34, made his breakthrough in 2023 when he won his first ranking title at the International Championship, and in the same season he also finished runner-up at the English Open and the Players Championship. He climbed as high as tenth in the world, but has since slipped outside the elite bracket.
This week’s run is his best since the Players Championship in Telford in February 2024 when he finished runner-up to Mark Allen. And in fact he could earn a return to that event at the same venue as victory in his semi-final tomorrow would boost him into the top 16 of the Sportsbet.io One-Year rankings.
Breaks of 97, 92 and 74 gave him a 3-1 lead today, and although Wu pulled one back with a 101 in frame five, Zhang finished strongly with runs of 52 and 135 in the last two to reach his fourth ranking semi-final.
“There were a few scrappy moments, but I didn’t make many mistakes and generally played quite consistently,” said Zhang, who comes from the Guangdong Province close to Hong Kong. “I didn’t give him too many chances, and honestly I didn’t expect to win 5–2, because Wu has been in great form and full of confidence recently.
“The more I push myself, the harder it becomes. Sometimes a more relaxed ‘let it be’ attitude actually brings better results. Players like Zhao Xintong and Wu have very strong confidence, and that helps them a lot. With so many tournaments each season and so many chances to play top players, the gap will keep getting smaller, and their potential is huge.
“The younger Chinese players are improving very quickly. They are constantly playing high-level matches and facing top 16 or even top eight players, so they have far more learning opportunities than we did when I first turned pro. Back then, we hardly even met those top players, let alone played them. I’m confident that in the future, more Chinese players will be in the top 16.
“I grew up coming to Hong Kong a lot. This time my family are here with me the whole time, and my child watched me play live for the first time. That made it really special and very happy for me.“
Xiao, who has won the Wuhan Open in each of the last two seasons, followed up yesterday’s win over Ronnie O’Sullivan by beating Si Jiahui 5-2 to reach his 12th ranking semi-final. After losing the opening frame, Xiao took five of the next six with breaks of 72, 97, 122, 67 and 78.
“Today I felt a bit tired, with jet lag and poor sleep, but once you enter a tournament, you have to maintain the right mindset and commit fully,” said Xiao. “Since the start of January I have played more than 30 matches – I don’t think I’ve ever played this many before.
“Zhang Anda winning the (2023) International Championship really motivated me, because we came through around the same time. When I won later, that also helped inspire others and the younger players. This is probably the best year so far for Chinese players, though most of the top five are still British – we need more experience competing against them.“
Evening session
Zhou And Zhao Complete Historic All-Chinese Line-Up
A monumental fluke in the deciding frame helped Zhou Yuelong beat Ali Carter 5-4 in the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix, a result which meant that for the first time in ranking event history, all four semi-finalists are from China.
In another close finish, Crucible king Zhao Xintong edged out Chris Wakelin 5-4, and he will meet Xiao Guodong on Saturday while Zhou will be up against Zhang Anda. This week’s event in Hong Kong has highlighted the muscle of Chinese players at the top level, as a record nine reached the last 16, six got the quarter-finals and now for the first time, after over 50 years of ranking events, four have made the semi-finals. England and Scotland are the only two nations to have previously achieved the same.
England’s Carter missed chances to beat Zhou and suffered a cruel slice of misfortune in the deciding frame. World number 30 Zhou, considered one of the best players yet to win a ranking title, is into his ninth semi-final and will be aiming for a fifth final.
Zhou took a 3-1 advantage before three consecutive breaks of 88 saw Carter edge 4-3 ahead. The Essex cueman had a match-winning chance in frame eight but missed the green to a baulk corner on 41 and Zhou punished him with a 66 clearance. At 4-4, Carter had the first clear opportunity and made 20 before failing to pot a red to top corner. Zhou went for a mid-range red and missed by several inches, but another red flew into the opposite corner, and he went on to make 56 which proved enough.
“I really wanted to win this match, which put some pressure on and made me a bit nervous,” admitted 28-year-old Zhou. “I had a bit of luck on my side, but most importantly I managed to hold my nerve under pressure. I knew that this match was creating history, with four Chinese players reaching the semi-finals of a ranking event. This is a great milestone and it gives us a lot of confidence going forward. More and more Chinese players are achieving good results, which allows us to learn from each other, encourage one another and motivate each other.
“It definitely won’t be an easy match tomorrow against Zhang, he’s in very good form, and we know each other very well. It will really come down to who can perform better on the day.“
World Champion Zhao continued his bid to win a first ranking title since his Crucible triumph last May as he edged out Wakelin 5-4 in an exciting contest. The 28-year-old is into his sixth ranking semi-final, and on each of the three occasions he has gone on to reach the final, he has lifted the trophy.
Zhao took a 4-1 lead with a top break of 84 before Wakelin stormed back to 4-4 with runs of 91, 76 and 118. In the decider, Zhao had the first clear chance and made 33 before playing safe, then got the better of a tactical exchange and added 33. Wakelin battled on and gained 15 points in fouls to require just one more snooker, before Zhao eventually sealed the result by potting the last red.
The result boosts Zhao’s hopes of a place in this month’s Sportsbet.io Players Championship – he will be in Telford unless he loses tomorrow and Zhang wins. Zhou is now sure of his place while Carter drops out of that race.
Zhao said: “Of course I’m thrilled to advance, though honestly neither of us played well from start to finish. Perhaps because I was coughing a bit today, I made unforced errors on many easy shots. I might have some allergies, so whenever I return to Guangdong, I tend to develop a cough. It’ll probably ease off in a couple of days, and maybe I’ll play better tomorrow.
“When I was leading 4-1 and he started closing the gap, I did wonder what would happen if I lost. But I kept telling myself to take it slowly, shot by shot, and finish decisively when possible.“
World Grand Prix Day Three – First Session Round Up
Xiao Guodong beat his idol Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix as Chinese players continued to thrive in Hong Kong.
Xiao admits he has been a fan of O’Sullivan for many years but after his success over the past two seasons, notably winning the Wuhan Open twice, the Chinese ace is now one place ahead of his hero at tenth in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. And after losing four of their first five meetings, Xiao has now won his last two fixtures against the Rocket – at the 2024 Champion of Champions and again today.
The 36-year-old is into his third ranking quarter-final of the season and will meet Si Jiahui on Friday. There will be at least four Chinese players in the last-eight line-up at the Kai Tak Arena, and possibly as many as seven.
A 144 total clearance, the new target for the £10,000 high break prize, gave Xiao the opening frame today and he added the second with a run of 78 for 2-0. O’Sullivan, who hasn’t won a ranking title since landing his third World Grand Prix crown in January 2024, battled back to 3-3 with breaks of 74 and 79 but Xiao finished strongly to take the last two with 58 and 66.
“Ronnie is my idol, I want him to do well and win tournaments. But this is sport and whenever I play, I want to win,” said Xiao. “I was nervous in the last two frames but I tried to be like Ronnie and be more relaxed. When you play a top player you want to show something, not just sit there. If you lose, the next time you try hard and maybe you will have a chance to win. When Chinese players do well, the others also want to win and we support each other. We improve together.”
There is no point kidding ourselves. Ronnie isn’t the player he once was, and will never be that player again. Time waits for nobody. It’s hard to watch, hard to accept but it is how life goes. I would be surprised – and very happy of course – if he were to win another tournament but I don’t believe it will happen. 😔
That said Xiao played really well and I don’t want to take anything away from him with the above observation.
Here are excerpts of the match, shared on YouTube:
Ronnie beat Joe O’Connor by 5-3 today to book his place in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Grand Prix. It wasn’t straightforward and, TBH, it wasn’t a high quality match. For some reason both players appeared to struggle with the conditions and were far from their break-building best. Ronnie in particular struggled badly early in the match. There was not one century in the match which is rather unusual nowadays.
Ronnie will now face Xiaoguodong in the round of 16.
As alwatys, all the detailed results are available on snooker.org.
Here are the scores for that match:
And here is the report shared by WST:
World Grand Prix 2026 Day Two Round-Up
Nine Chinese players have reached the last 16 of the World Grand Prix – a record for any ranking event – and among them is Crucible king Zhao Xintong who scored a superb 5-3 win over John Higgins on day two in Hong Kong.
Alongside Zhao in Thursday’s last-16 line up are Zhou Yuelong, Yuan Sijun, Wu Yize, Chang Bingyu, Zhang Anda, Pang Junxu, Si Jiahui and Xiao Guodong, underlining the increasing strength of Chinese players at snooker’s elite level.
It has been a mixed season for Zhao so far – he won the invitational Riyadh Season Snooker Championship in November but in ranking events he has reached just one semi-final and is in danger of missing out on this month’s Sportsbest.io Players Championship, for the top 16 on the one-year list. But from 2-1 down today against Higgins, he stepped up to the challenge and took four of the last five frames with top breaks of 60, 121, 73. Frame eight came down to a respotted black, and a rare weak safety from Higgins gifted his opponent the chance to pot the black to a baulk corner for victory.
“Towards the end, John gave me a few relatively easier chances and I managed to take them, so I think I was quite fortunate today,” said Zhao, who now meets Mark Selby. “I just tried to play in the way I normally do and stick to the style I believe in. I have confidence in my own game, and I feel that if I can perform to my normal level and show my form, then I can beat anyone. This is my first time playing in Hong Kong, so close to home, and to be able to compete in such a big event here means a lot to me.“
Ronnie O’Sullivan moved a step closer to a first ranking title in over two years as he beat Joe O’Connor 5-3, coming from 2-0 down to win five of the next six frames with top breaks of 65, 72 and 72.
“I don’t think a lack of sharpness is my problem because I have always played less tournaments than other players,” said O’Sullivan, who will face Xiao Guodong next. “I think my bad game is a lot worse than it used to be, and my good is not as good. That’s the reason I am not winning as much. I am probably not a very good player any more and I have to accept that. I am trying to find a way to keep playing without it driving me crazy. I posted about Novak Djokovic the other day, he is the best in any sport at managing emotions and we all try to be like him, but it’s not easy.“
Defending champion Neil Robertson was thrashed 5-1 by Jak Jones, who has only recently returned to action after being forced to take several weeks out with a broken right hand. “That’s a really big win for me,” said 2024 Crucible finalist Jones, whose top break today was 80. “The hand is still painful but it is healing well. I broke two of the bones and that’s not an injury you want as a snooker player.”
World number one Judd Trump saw his hopes of winning back-to-back ranking titles ended by a surprise 5-2 reverse against Yuan. Trump won the German Masters in Berlin on Sunday and after flying to Hong Kong – where he lives for much of the year – he hoped to continue his hot streak, but was outplayed by world number 31 Yuan whose top break was 103.
Yuan, who also has cause for celebration away from the table as he recently got married, said: “I was a bit nervous at the start, but once I made a century in the opening frame, I felt much more settled. I had never beaten him before, so the closer I got to winning, the stronger that desire to finally win became. Hong Kong is one of the most important events for us Chinese players, so I really hope I can keep winning.”
Si top scored with 102 in a 5-2 win over Gary Wilson while Scottish Open champion Chris Wakelin enjoyed a 5-0 whitewash of Thepchaiya Un-Nooh with a top run of 96. Ali Carter, a semi-finalist in Berlin last week, recovered a 3-1 deficit to edge out Mark Allen 5-4 win a top break of 86. Pang impressed in a 5-1 win over Shaun Murphy, firing runs of 73, 134 and 130.
Ronnie head a great friendship with John Virgo and shared this on X:
My thoughts are with John’s family and friends in these difficult moments. I had the privilege to meet John a few times at exhibition events. He knew a lot about his sport that he loved deeply, he was friendly and very funny and he still could play a bit despite various physical issues.
I wonder if the Angels welcomed John in Paradise with his favourite question: “Where is the cue ball going?” 1… that would be fitting and I’m sure he’d love that.
The 2026 World Grand Prix started in earnest today, with four matches. All the players involved have earned their spot by playing well in the first part of the season which means that they are playing fairly well and only two tables in operation in the early rounds, it’s easy to follow the action. It’s quality and it’s enjoyable.
Given how all those players have earned their spot most matches are “competitive” and there is no real “shock”. Jet-lag though may be a factor in some matches, especially in the early rounds.
Anyway … here is what happened today as reported by WST
World Grand Prix 2026 Day One – First Session Round-Up
China’s Xiao Guodong enjoyed an impressive 5-2 win over Kyren Wilson in the opening session of the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong, a result which means that the Masters champion will not be in the field for this month’s Players Championship.
Within the past two seasons, Xiao has established himself as an elite performer, winning the Wuhan Open back to back. He showed his quality again on his Masters debut last month when he beat Mark Selby in the first round, and today the 36-year-old collected another scalp with victory over world number two Wilson.
Despite winning the Masters – snooker’s biggest invitation event – Wilson has struggled in ranking events this season and currently lies 18th on the one-year list. Only the top 16 on that list graduate to the Players Championship in Telford, so he will not get the chance to defend the title he won last year by beating Judd Trump 10-9 in the final.
In the spectacular Kai Tak Arena, Xiao took a 2-1 lead today with breaks of 87 and 86, sandwiching an 83 from Wilson in frame two. Xiao then came from 56-0 down to snatch the fourth frame before adding the fifth on the colours for 4-1. Wilson pulled one back but his opponent sealed the result in the next with runs of 36 and 48.
“It was very hard because Kyren is a top player, I had to keep my concentration as there were a lot of close frames,” said world number ten Xiao, who now meets Ronnie O’Sullivan or Joe O’Connor. “Everything is comfortable for us here – the food, the hotel, the competition, it’s a perfect tournament. I would like to play Ronnie next because he is my favourite player and my idol. But Joe O’Connor is also doing well. Whoever I play, I just keep my focus and try to enjoy it.”
Zhou Yuelong was another Chinese winner, beating Stephen Maguire 5-2 with a top break of 116, and he strengthens his position in the race to Telford as he is currently 16th.
Elliot Slessor came from 2-0 down to beat Stuart Bingham 5-2, while UK Champion Selby was in blistering form in a 5-0 whitewash of Aaron Hill, compiling runs of 60, 100, 82, 94 and 76.
World Grand Prix 2026 Day One – Evening Session Round Up
Having been tipped by Ronnie O’Sullivan as a future world number one, Wu Yize continued to build his reputation on the opening day of the World Grand Prix as he came from 3-1 down to beat Anthony McGill by 5-3.
Wu has broken through at the top level this season, winning his first ranking title at the International Championship in November, then reaching the semi-finals of the Masters on his debut last month.
All-time greatest O’Sullivan, speaking on the eve of this week’s tournament in Hong Kong, said: “I think Wu Yize is going to be world number one, I’d give him three years, he’s definitely going to be World Champion very soon, he’s a phenomenal player. A lot of people liken him to Paul Hunter but I think he’s more like a modern day Steve Davis.
“He’s more dynamic, more cue power, more aggressive, more scoring power but his positional play for me is on the level of Davis. I practised with him for two or three days in Hong Kong not long ago and it’s not until you practise with someone that you can really appreciate how good they are. After day two I thought ‘this kid is really special’. I’d just love to go and see him fulfil his potential as a professional. I expect him to do a lot of great things in snooker.“
From 3-1 down at the interval today, China’s 22-year-old Wu made breaks of 65 and 77 to recover to 3-3. In frame seven he potted 14 reds with blacks and had his sights on a maximum, before narrowly missing a double on the 15th red on 112. He soon wrapped up the result with an 81 in frame eight and now meets Chang Bingyu in the last 16.
Scottish Open runner-up Chang, another rising star from China, edged out Jack Lisowski 5-4. From 3-1 down, Chang recovered to 3-3, then shared the next two before winning a tense decider by clearing from the last red.
Zhang Anda scored a 5-2 defeat of Mark Williams, compiling runs of 57, 124, 76 and 75. Barry Hawkins enjoyed a 5-3 success against Ding Junhui with a top break of 141, the highest of the event so far.
Hawkins said: “Any time you beat Ding here with the support he gets is good for confidence. I was all over the place for the first four frames, cueing terribly, I was lucky to be 2-2 rather than 3-1 down. After the interval I was more aggressive and cued a lot better. I have been up and down all season, I want to be consistently getting to the later stages. It only takes one good week, a run here would be perfect timing to set me up for the rest of the season.“
I’m a big fan of Wu Yize. I liked him and the way he plays right from the first time I got to see him at the table. That said, it never came into my mind to compare Wu Yize to Steve Davis, but then, I never got the chance to watch a young Steve Davis play, whilst Ronnie literally “studied” snooker as a youngster watching the Nugget and analysing his game. He would notice, and understand, things that a numpty like me never would, that’s for sure! I just hope that such praise won’t put undue pressure on the young Wu.
As mentioned on snooker.org but bizarrely missing from the above report, Wu Yize missed the last red on a maximum attempt in frame 7. It wasn’t easy.
A player I also like but rarely fails to disappoint is Jack Lisowski … and he did it again today, He was 3-1 up on Chang Bingyu at the MSI but eventually lost in a deciding frame.😞
Ronnie O'Sullivan 