Snooker September 16–17: NI Open Qualifying Wrap-Up and International Championship Preview
Northern Ireland Open 2026 — Final Qualifying Day (September 16)
The second and final qualifying round for the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open 2026 concluded on Wednesday, September 16, at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. Sixteen matches determined the last batch of players to join the 32 automatic qualifiers in the main draw at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast (October 18–25).
Round 2 Results — Part 2 (September 16)
| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| Lines O. 🏴 [51] — Cheung Ka Wai 🇭🇰 [106] | 3-4 |
| Surety Z. 🏴 [42] — Sykes O. 🏴 [100] | 3-4 |
| Moody S. 🏴 [40] — Yao Pengcheng 🇨🇳 [74] | 0-4 |
| Long Zehuang 🇨🇳 [49] — Yang G. 🇨🇳 | 2-4 |
| Brecel L. 🇧🇪 [39] — Mann M. 🏴 [97] | 4-1 |
| Woollaston B. 🏴 [44] — Pullen L. 🏴 [65] | 0-4 |
| O’Donnell M. 🏴 [55] — Nasa C. 🇹🇭 [93] | 4-1 |
| Williams R. 🏴 [53] — Larkov M. 🇺🇦 [121] | 4-1 |
| Day R. 🏴 [41] — Hugill A. 🏴 [122] | 4-2 |
| Wells D. 🏴 [50] — Emery D. 🏴 [67] | 4-0 |
| Ford T. 🏴 [34] — Grace D. 🏴 [76] | 4-0 |
| Jiang Jun 🇨🇳 [62] — Highfield L. 🏴 [68] | 1-4 |
| Brown J. 🇬🇧 [63] — Leclercq J. 🇧🇪 [109] | 4-0 |
| Donaldson S. 🏴 [64] — Crowley L. 🇮🇪 [85] | 4-2 |
| Page J. 🏴 [35] — Tirapongpaiboon T. 🇹🇭 [108] | 2-4 |
| Holt M. 🏴 [47] — Ng On Yee 🇭🇰 [103] | 4-0 |
Key Storylines
- Brecel finally breaks through. The 2023 world champion, who is in danger of dropping off the tour at the end of the season (projected 67th on the end-of-season rankings), produced his best performance of the campaign. Brecel compiled breaks of 96, 99, 75, and 54 in beating Mitchell Mann 4-1 — his first qualifying success this season and a much-needed confidence boost heading to Belfast.
- Larkov’s run ends. Ukraine’s Michael Larkov fell 1-4 to Robbie Williams. The world number 53 proved too strong for the 17-year-old, who is in his maiden professional season. Despite the defeat, reaching the final qualifying round is valuable experience for Larkov. He will continue his campaign at the International Championship and Scottish Open qualifiers.
- Sykes — the story of qualifying. Tour rookie Oliver Sykes continued his remarkable run. After whitewashing Ursenbacher 4-0 in Round 1, he edged past world number 42 Zak Surety 4-3 to earn his place in Belfast — two significant scalps in the space of three days.
- Yao Pengcheng dismantles Moody. China’s Yao Pengcheng whitewashed Stan Moody (world number 40) 4-0, the biggest upset of the day on paper.
- Pullen dominant again. Liam Pullen registered his second consecutive 4-0 whitewash, this time over former Welsh Open finalist Ben Woollaston. The 21-year-old former Crucible qualifier is building serious momentum.
- Brown heads home. Jordan Brown, Northern Ireland’s sole qualifier, beat Julien Leclercq 4-0 and will play on home soil at the Waterfront Hall.
- Ng On Yee’s journey ends. After her thrilling comeback victory over Nüßle, Ng On Yee was halted 0-4 by Michael Holt in the second round.
NI Open 2026 Qualifying Summary
Qualifying is complete. The 32 qualifiers join the top 32 seeds in Belfast. Notable qualifiers include former world champion Brecel, experienced campaigners Ford, Walden, Stevens, and Day, plus emerging talents Pullen, Sykes, and Cheung Ka Wai. The NI Open main event runs October 18–25 at the Waterfront Hall.
Preview: International Championship 2026 Qualifying (September 17)
Without a break, the Mattioli Arena pivots to the next set of qualifiers — for the International Championship 2026 (October 31 – November 7, Nanjing, China). Matches are played in the longer best-of-11 format.
O’Sullivan withdraws again
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s match against Louis Heathcote has been cancelled. The seven-time world champion, who already missed the British Open, English Open, and was absent from the NI Open qualifying, continues his extended absence from competitive action. No reason has been given.
Boiko in action
Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko faces China’s Lei Peifan at 10:30 BST — another opportunity for the Ukrainian to advance after his decider win in the NI Open qualifiers.
Key Matches — September 17
- Morning (10:30 BST): Anda Zhang v Zizins · Maguire v Baranowski · J. Robertson v Huang Jiahao · Slessor v Yao Pengcheng · R. Williams v Gong Chenzhi · Hawkins v Sykes · Lei P. v Boiko 🇺🇦.
- Afternoon (15:30): Bingham v Burden · J. Brown v Yang G. · Woollaston v S. O’Sullivan · Day v Graham · Lines v Benzey · Mertens v Highfield · K. Wilson v Crowley.
- Evening (20:30): J. Jones v Pullen · N. Robertson v Ursenbacher · Stevens v White · Surety v Awad · Walden v Norris · Ford v Grace · Thomond v Heathcote.
The Stevens v White tie promises a nostalgic clash between two veterans with a combined century of tour experience, while Hawkins v Sykes will test whether the young qualifier can continue his giant-killing form from the NI Open.
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