Northern Ireland Open 2026 Qualifiers: Day 1 Results and Day 2 Preview (September 13–14)
While Ali Carter was lifting the Steve Davis Trophy in Brentwood, qualifying for the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open 2026 got underway at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester on September 13. Sixteen first-round matches were completed in best-of-7 format, with the winners moving a step closer to the main draw at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast (October 18–25).
The top 32 players in the world rankings — including Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, Kyren Wilson, and Wu Yize — receive automatic entry to the main event. The remaining spots are filled through qualifying, which runs from September 13 to 16 in Leicester.
Day 1 Results — Qualifying Round 1 (September 13)
| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| Baranowski M. 🇵🇱 — Gong Chenzhi 🇨🇳 | 4-0 |
| Benzey C. 🏴 — Yang L. 🇨🇳 | 1-4 |
| Evans R. 🏴 — Huang Jiahao 🇨🇳 | 1-4 |
| Graham L. 🏴 — Wang Xinbo 🇨🇳 | 1-4 |
| Boiko I. 🇺🇦 — Luo Zetao 🇨🇳 | 4-3 |
| Muir R. 🏴 — Higginson A. 🏴 | 4-1 |
| Davies L. J. 🏴 — Miah H. 🏴 | 4-3 |
| Quinn F. 🇬🇧 — Burden A. 🏴 | 1-4 |
| Brown O. 🏴 — Kowalski A. 🇵🇱 | 1-4 |
| Craigie S. 🏴 — Kazakov A. 🇺🇦 | 4-1 |
| White J. 🏴 — O’Sullivan S. 🏴 | 4-1 |
| Heathcote L. 🏴 — Steadman C. 🏴 | 4-2 |
| Burns I. 🏴 — Carrington S. 🏴 | 4-0 |
| Fu M. 🇭🇰 — Connolly J. 🏴 | 4-0 |
| Zhao Hanyang 🇨🇳 — El Hareedy M. 🇪🇬 | 4-2 |
| Xu Yichen 🇨🇳 — Awad M. 🇪🇬 | 4-2 |
Key Storylines
Boiko wins a thriller. Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko came through one of the tightest matches of the day, edging past China’s Luo Zetao 4-3 in a deciding frame. It was a gutsy performance from the Ukrainian, who now advances to the second qualifying round where he will face a seeded opponent.
Davies keeps going. Liam Davies, the story of the English Open after his quarter-final run and victory over world champion Wu Yize, wasted no time heading to Leicester and was back on the baize within hours. The 20-year-old Welshman survived another decider, beating Hammad Miah 4-3 — a testament to his competitive spirit and growing maturity.
White rolls back the years. Jimmy White, 64, dispatched Sean O’Sullivan 4-1 in a comfortable display. The six-time World Championship finalist remains a draw wherever he plays and advances to a second-round meeting with a higher-ranked opponent.
Fu cruises. Marco Fu, the former Grand Prix and Scottish Open finalist, whitewashed Connolly 4-0 without conceding a frame. At 47, the Hong Kong veteran looks sharp heading into the next round.
Baranowski and Burns also dominant. Poland’s Mateusz Baranowski (4-0 v Gong Chenzhi) and England’s Ian Burns (4-0 v Carrington) both advanced without dropping a frame, joining Fu as the day’s most emphatic winners.
Quinn falls — Northern Ireland loses its qualifier. Fergal Quinn, the only Northern Irish player in the first qualifying round, went down 1-4 to Alfie Burden. Local fans will have to pin their hopes on Jordan Brown, who enters in the second round as a seeded player.
Evans exits. Reanne Evans, the most decorated player in women’s snooker history, lost 1-4 to China’s Huang Jiahao and bows out of the qualifying draw.
Day 2 Preview — Remaining Round 1 Matches (September 14)
Monday brings the remaining 16 first-round matches in Leicester. Notable ties include:
Morning session (11:00 BST): Ursenbacher A. 🇨🇭 v Sykes O. 🏴 Yao Pengcheng 🇨🇳 v Bai Yulu 🇨🇳 Yang G. 🇨🇳 v Channoi P. 🇹🇭 Zizins A. 🇱🇻 v Cheung Ka Wai 🇭🇰
Afternoon session (14:00): Nasa C. 🇹🇭 v Gallagher D. Nayyar S. 🇨🇦 v Larkov M. 🇺🇦 Pullen L. 🏴 v Norris P. 🏴 Liu Wenwei 🇨🇳 v Mann M. 🏴
Evening session 1 (17:00): Grace D. 🏴 v Deng Haohui 🇨🇳 Highfield L. 🏴 v O’Kane F. Emery D. 🏴 v Clarke J-R. Lan Yuhao 🇨🇳 v Hugill A. 🏴
Evening session 2 (20:00): Crowley L. 🇮🇪 v Carty A. 🏴 Hallworth S. 🏴 v Tirapongpaiboon T. 🇹🇭 Nüßle F. 🇦🇹 v Ng On Yee 🇭🇰 Szubarczyk M. 🇵🇱 v Leclercq J. 🇧🇪
Ukraine’s Michael Larkov takes on Canada’s Sahil Nayyar at 14:00 — following Boiko’s success yesterday, another Ukrainian will be looking to book a spot in the second round. Also worth watching: Ireland’s Leone Crowley against Ashley Carty, and the intriguing clash between Austria’s Florian Nüßle and Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee.
The second qualifying round (seeded players v Round 1 winners) is scheduled for September 15–16.
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