Copyright scotsman
The second of the four Home Nations snooker competitions of the season has reached its third day. The Northern Ireland Open comes after the English Open (won by Mark Allen) and before the Scottish Open in December and the Welsh Open in March. It was first held in 2016, when Mark King won the inaugural title, with this year’s tournament the 10th edition. Judd Trump is the most successful player in the history of the tournament having lifted the trophy on four occasions. Last year saw Kyren Wilson prevent Trump winning a fifth crown by trouncing him 9-3 in the final. And he’s be back to defend his title, along with the mjority of the world’s top players. Scotland’s John Higgins is already into the last 32 after a 4-0 win over Louis Heathcote, although fellow countrymen Anthony McGill and Scott Donaldson crashed out at the last 64 stage. Stephen Maguire will today try to become the second Scot through to the second televised round when he takes on former World Champion Luca Brecel today. Here’s everything you need to know about today’s play. The tournament takes place from October 19 to 26 at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. The total prize pot for the Northern Ireland Open is £550,400, allocated as follows. There is also an extra £150,000 up for grabs for the player who wins most prize money across the four Home Nations tournaments, finishing with the Welsh Open in March 2026. Here’s all the action taking place today, Tuesday, October 21. 10am Zhang Anda v Mark Davis Stephen Maguire v Luca Brecel 1pm: Kyren Wilson v Oliver Lines Si Jiahui v Cheung Ka Wai 2pm Matthew Selt v Ryan Day Ali Carter v Stan Moody 7pm Long Zeuhang v Yuan Sijun Chris Wakelin v Tom Ford Judd Trump v Jackson Page 8pm Pang Junxu v John Higgins John Higgins is playing China’s Pang Junxu in the secind televised round of the Northern Ireland Open at 8pm on Tuesday, October 21. Here are all the first round results from Sunday and Monday The first round sees the players seeded 65–96 take on those seeded 97–128. The winners then face the players seeded 33–64. In the third round the second round winners take on the top 32 seeds and it’s a straightforward knockout tournament from then on. It’s the best of seven frames until the quarter finals which are the best of nine. The semi final is the best of 11 and the final the best of 17 frames played over two sessions. The first two rounds were played earlier in the year, with rounds three and onwards taking place at the Waterfront and broadcast on television. There’s plenty of Scottish interest in the tournament, with Scott Donaldson, Anthony McGill, Stephen Maguire and John Higgins all playing in the last 64. Here’s when all the action will be taking place: There will be live coverage of the English Open on TNT Sports which UK viewers can stream through Discovery+. The players are competing for the Alex Higgins Trophy, named after the Belfast snooker great who claimed two world championships. Ronnie O’Sullivan will not be playing after pulling out of the tournament for ‘medical reasons’. It’s the third consecutive tournament the Rocket has not played following the British Open and the Wuhan Open. Judd Trump is the 7/2 favourite for the tournament, followed by Mark Selby (11/2), Shaun Murphy (13/2) and Kyren Wilson (15/2).
