China Open 2026 Predictions — 8 August
The China Open 2026 gets underway today in Taiyuan — the first ranking event of the new season with a £1,200,000 prize fund. Six matches on Day One across two sessions, plus two wildcard round clashes earlier in the morning. We break down every match: who’s the favourite, what to expect and what to watch out for.
01:30 BST — Wildcard Round
Liu Linhao 🇨🇳 vs Hossein Vafaei 🇮🇷
Favourite: Hossein Vafaei
Liu Linhao is the same 18-year-old wildcard who was dismantled 6-1 by Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Shanghai Masters just a week ago. Talented for his age, but wildly outgunned against a seasoned professional.
Hossein Vafaei is a completely different proposition. The “Prince of Persia”, ranked 27th in the world, is one of the most compelling characters on tour. Last season he produced arguably the biggest shock at the Crucible — defeating world number one Judd Trump 13-12 in the last 16 of the World Championship. He also went unbeaten through Stage 3 of Championship League at the start of this season.
Vafaei arrives in Taiyuan hungry for results and in solid form. Liu Linhao is little more than a warm-up on paper. Expect a comfortable win.
🎯 Prediction: Vafaei, 6-1 or 6-2
Wu Shengguang 🇨🇳 vs Anthony McGill 🏴
Favourite: Anthony McGill
Wu Shengguang is a Chinese amateur — a wildcard invitee with no professional status and very little information available about his results in competitive snooker. Born in 1998, this is likely to be one of his biggest appearances.
Anthony McGill — nicknamed “The Glaswegian Gladiator” — is 35, ranked 38th in the world and a two-time ranking event winner. He reached a career-high of 12th in the world rankings back in 2022 and remains an experienced, composed competitor who performs well under pressure.
This is a match McGill simply must win. A loss here would be one of the more embarrassing results of his career — and would deny him the chance to face Xiao Guodong in the main draw. Expect a professional job done efficiently.
🎯 Prediction: McGill, 6-1 or 6-2
06:00 BST — First Round
Mark Williams 🏴 vs Zhou Yuelong 🇨🇳
Favourite: Mark Williams — but don’t sleep on Zhou
Mark Williams is ranked 8th in the world, a three-time world champion and, at 51, still one of the most dangerous players on the circuit. He’s riding the momentum of an impressive Shanghai Masters — beating defending champion Kyren Wilson in the quarter-finals before reaching the semi-finals. One of the best starts to a season he’s had in years.
But Zhou Yuelong is no pushover. It was Zhou who knocked out four-time world champion Mark Selby 6-5 in the deciding frame at the Shanghai Masters — one of the biggest upsets of that tournament. He then pushed Shaun Murphy all the way to 6-5 in the last 16. Now he plays in front of a home crowd in China.
Williams is the clear favourite, but the scoreline could be tighter than expected. Zhou has shown he can deliver in deciding frames against top players.
🎯 Prediction: Williams, 6-4
Ding Junhui 🇨🇳 vs David Gilbert 🏴
Favourite: Ding Junhui
One of the most emotionally charged matches of the day. Ding Junhui plays at home — in China, where he has been a national sporting icon since 2005 when he beat Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis in the same year as a teenager. The China Open has always brought something special out of him.
Ding is a three-time UK Champion, 2011 Masters winner and a former world number one. He returned to winning ways last season with a ranking title at the International Championship in Nanjing — his first in five years. The form is coming back.
David Gilbert is ranked 29th and is experienced enough to cause problems — but playing against Ding in China, in front of a crowd that worships his opponent, is a uniquely difficult psychological environment. Ding tends to rise to these occasions.
🎯 Prediction: Ding, 6-3
11:30 BST — First Round
Barry Hawkins 🏴 vs Liu Hongyu 🇨🇳
Favourite: Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins — ranked 10th in the world — is one of the most consistent professionals of his generation. Over 20 years on tour, never a major title to his name but rarely far from the sharp end of a tournament. At the Shanghai Masters he beat Lei Peifan — the same player who knocked out Kyren Wilson at the Crucible earlier this year.
Liu Hongyu is a young Chinese player at amateur or entry-level professional standard. Playing at the China Open in front of a home crowd will be a milestone in itself.
Hawkins is the clear favourite, though he tends to grind matches out rather than blowing opponents away. Expect a controlled, tactical win.
🎯 Prediction: Hawkins, 6-2
Wu Yize 🇨🇳 vs Yao Pengcheng 🇨🇳
Favourite: Wu Yize
The marquee match of the day. Wu Yize is the reigning world champion — ranked 4th in the world at just 22 years old. He plays in front of a home crowd that will be behind him every frame of the way. At the Shanghai Masters he beat Si Jiahui 6-2 with breaks of 108 and 140, looking sharp and comfortable at the top level.
Yao Pengcheng is a lower-ranked Chinese player. Playing the world champion in round one in front of his home crowd is a difficult assignment by any measure.
Wu Yize should treat this as a warm-up and move through quickly — saving energy for the tougher rounds ahead. Taiyuan will be rocking from the first frame.
🎯 Prediction: Wu Yize, 6-1
Predictions Summary — 8 August
| Time (BST) | Match | Predicted Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:30 | Liu Linhao vs Vafaei | Vafaei | 6-1 or 6-2 |
| 01:30 | Wu Shengguang vs McGill | McGill | 6-1 or 6-2 |
| 06:00 | Williams vs Zhou Yuelong | Williams | 6-4 |
| 06:00 | Ding Junhui vs Gilbert | Ding | 6-3 |
| 11:30 | Hawkins vs Liu Hongyu | Hawkins | 6-2 |
| 11:30 | Wu Yize vs Yao Pengcheng | Wu Yize | 6-1 |
Match of the Day
Williams vs Zhou Yuelong — the most intriguing match of the day. Not because the sides are evenly matched — Williams is clearly the stronger player on paper. But Zhou has already shown at the Shanghai Masters that he can win deciding frames against elite opponents. If he does it again here, it’s no longer a fluke. It’s a pattern.
Follow live scores, results and updates from the China Open 2026 at snooker.news.
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