Erik Williams
The 2023/24 snooker calendar moves on to the highly anticipated Northern Ireland Open qualifiers, taking place at Ponds Forge in Sheffield. This event follows a string of intense ranking events, setting the stage for another thrilling tournament.
A Busy Period of Action
In the past weeks, the snooker world witnessed riveting events, starting with Mark Williams’ victory at the British Open. Judd Trump continued the momentum with a remarkable back-to-back win in the English and Wuhan Opens. Now, the spotlight shifts to the qualifiers, a crucial preliminary phase for the upcoming Northern Ireland Open in Belfast.
The Exceptional Players
While some top players have round-of-128 encounters held over to the main event, notable exceptions like Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, and Wuhan runner-up Ali Carter will not be participating. Their absence adds an intriguing dimension to the tournament.
Notable Absences and Anticipated Matches
Ding Junhui’s absence raises eyebrows given his standing near the top-16 cutoff point for key events. However, high-profile players like Stuart Bingham and Stephen Maguire, as well as snooker legends Stephen Hendry, Jimmy White, and Ken Doherty, will be in action.
Anticipated matchups, such as World Championship semi-finalist Si Jiahui against recent English Open runner-up Zhang Anda, promise intense battles.
Schedule of Northern Ireland Open Qualifiers
Let’s take a look at the schedule for the Northern Ireland Open qualifiers from Tuesday to Friday.
Tuesday, October 17th
10am
- Fan Zhengyi 4-2 Liu Hongyu
- Long Zehuang 1-4 Anton Kazakov
- Andy Hicks 2-4 Jiang Jun
1pm
- Allan Taylor 1-4 Dominic Dale
- Alfie Burden 4-3 Mostafa Dorgham
- Reanne Evans 0-4 Hammad Miah
4pm
- Liam Graham 0-4 Jackson Page
- Andrew Higginson 2-4 Sean O’Sullivan
- Andrew Pagett 3-4 Lukas Kleckers
7pm
- Dylan Emery vs Martin Gould
- Joe O’Connor vs Zak Surety
- Rod Lawler vs Baipat Siripaporn
Wednesday, October 18th
The schedule continues with more exciting matches, promising a high level of competition. Stay tuned for updates on the Northern Ireland Open qualifiers and witness the journey to Belfast unfold.
