Northern Ireland Open 2026 Qualifiers: Day 2 Results and Round 2 Preview (September 14–15)
The first qualifying round for the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open 2026 was completed on Monday, September 14, at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. With all 32 first-round matches now concluded, the full field for the decisive second round has been set. Starting September 15, Round 1 winners will face seeded players ranked 33–64 in the world, with the winners earning places in the main draw at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast (October 18–25).
Day 2 Results — Round 1 Conclusion (September 14)
| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| Ursenbacher A. 🇨🇭 — Sykes O. 🏴 | 0-4 |
| Yao Pengcheng 🇨🇳 — Bai Yulu 🇨🇳 | 4-1 |
| Yang G. 🇨🇳 — Channoi P. 🇹🇭 | 4-0 |
| Zizins A. 🇱🇻 — Cheung Ka Wai 🇭🇰 | 3-4 |
| Nasa C. 🇹🇭 — Gallagher D. | 4-1 |
| Nayyar S. 🇨🇦 — Larkov M. 🇺🇦 | 1-4 |
| Pullen L. 🏴 — Norris P. 🏴 | 4-0 |
| Liu Wenwei 🇨🇳 — Mann M. 🏴 | 3-4 |
| Grace D. 🏴 — Deng Haohui 🇨🇳 | 4-2 |
| Highfield L. 🏴 — O’Kane F. | 4-1 |
| Emery D. 🏴 — Clarke J-R. 🏴 | 4-0 |
| Lan Yuhao 🇨🇳 — Hugill A. 🏴 | 2-4 |
| Crowley L. 🇮🇪 — Carty A. 🏴 | 4-1 |
| Hallworth S. 🏴 — Tirapongpaiboon T. 🇹🇭 | 1-4 |
| Nüßle F. 🇦🇹 — Ng On Yee 🇭🇰 | 3-4 |
| Szubarczyk M. 🇵🇱 — Leclercq J. 🇧🇪 | 1-4 |
Key Storylines
- Larkov cruises through. Ukraine’s Michael Larkov produced a comfortable 4-1 victory over Canada’s Sahil Nayyar to advance to Round 2, where he will face England’s Robbie Williams (world number 53). Both Ukrainian entrants — Boiko and Larkov — have made it through the first round.
- Ng On Yee rallies. Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee came from 2-3 down to win the last two frames and edge out Austria’s Florian Nüßle 4-3, earning a second-round meeting with Michael Holt. It was one of the most impressive comebacks of the qualifying campaign.
- Sykes stuns Ursenbacher. Tour rookie Oliver Sykes whitewashed Swiss number one Alexander Ursenbacher 4-0 — one of the day’s biggest upsets. Sykes now faces Zak Surety in Round 2.
- Pullen dominant. Liam Pullen, 21, the former Crucible qualifier, swept aside Paul Norris 4-0 for only his third win of the season. He meets former Welsh Open finalist Ben Woollaston next.
- Yao top-scores with 117. China’s Yao Pengcheng compiled a break of 117 — the highest of the day — in a 4-1 win over two-time women’s world champion Bai Yulu. He faces Stan Moody in Round 2.
- Crowley advances for Ireland. Leone Crowley beat Ashley Carty 4-1 and will now face Scotland’s Scott Donaldson for a spot in Belfast.
Round 2 Preview — September 15 (Part 1)
The second and final qualifying round begins Tuesday. Winners go to Belfast; losers receive £1,000 consolation. All matches best-of-7.
- Morning session (10:00 BST): Liu Hongyu 🇨🇳 [54] v Huang Jiahao 🇨🇳 [110] McGill A. 🏴 [38] v Liu Yang 🇨🇳 [118] Lilley D. 🏴 [58] v Wang Xinbo 🇨🇳 [104] Yuan Sijun 🇨🇳 [33] v Baranowski M. 🇵🇱 [84].
- Afternoon session 1 (13:00): Aaron Hill 🇮🇪 [37] v Muir R. 🏴 [81] Mertens B. 🇧🇪 [59] v Boiko I. 🇺🇦 [71] Robertson J. 🏴 [45] v Burden A. 🏴 [98] Fan Zhengyi 🇨🇳 [52] v Davies L. J. 🏴 [89].
- Afternoon session 2 (16:00): Lyu Haotian 🇨🇳 [61] v Heathcote L. 🏴 [66] Selt M. 🏴 [46] v Kowalski A. 🇵🇱 [113] Chadha I. S. 🇮🇳 [57] v Craigie S. 🏴 [70] Xu Si 🇨🇳 [36] v White J. 🏴 [96].
- Evening session (19:00): He Guoqiang 🇨🇳 [43] v Zhao Hanyang 🇨🇳 [80] Jamie Jones 🏴 [60] v Xu Yichen 🇨🇳 [79] Stevens M. 🏴 [48] v Fu M. 🇭🇰 [69] Walden R. 🏴 [56] v Burns I. 🏴 [75].
- Matches to watch: Iulian Boiko faces Belgium’s Ben Mertens at 13:00 — the toughest test of the Ukrainian’s campaign so far. Liam Davies, fresh from his English Open heroics, takes on Fan Zhengyi. And the intriguing clash between 64-year-old Jimmy White and Xu Si could be the talking point of the day.
The remaining Round 2 matches take place on September 16, including Larkov v Robbie Williams at 13:00 and former world champion Luca Brecel v Mitchell Mann.
About the Author
