The 2023 Wuhan Open commences on Monday on the Wuhan Sports activities Gymnasium with a number of star names anticipated to characteristic within the draw.

There’ll be a distinction of only some shorts hours between the English Open ending and the Wuhan Open beginning.

It’s an odd schedule that has already are available for heavy criticism from many high gamers on the tour.

Worse nonetheless, the back-to-back staging of tournaments on both facet of the globe has resulted in a number of high-profile withdrawals.

World champion Luca Brecel and up to date British Open champion Mark Williams are amongst those that have opted to tug out.

However a profitable prize fund ensures that there’s nonetheless a lot to play for in what’s the inaugural Wuhan Open.

Historical past and format

There aren’t any prior champions within the draw as this marks the primary ever version of the Wuhan Open.

Nevertheless, it’s a historic competitors in some respects, as it’s going to characterize a primary rating occasion on Chinese language soil since earlier than the pandemic.

Judd Trump was the final winner of a rating occasion in China – the Englishman claiming the 2019 World Open in Yushan.

There’s a whole prize fund of a £700,000, with an enormous £140,000 slice of that being awarded to the champion.

A conventional format sees best-of-nine body matches till the semi-finals, with the penultimate spherical growing to 11 frames earlier than a 19-frame title decider.

Wuhan Open Prize Cash
L128: £0
L64: £4,500
L32: £8,000
L16: £12,000
Quarter-final: £16,000
Semi-final: £30,000
Runner-up: £63,000
Champion: £140,000

2023 Wuhan Open draw

The withdrawal of Brecel and Williams has led many to question how these in cost might enable this type of calendar to be devised within the first place.

Graeme Dott and David Gilbert are different assured no-shows, and there are rumours that others won’t flip up as nicely.

Trump performs Zhang Anda within the English Open ultimate on Sunday, with each rivals going through a hasty journey east that can final 1000’s of kilometres.

Because it occurs, Zhang was resulting from play Williams so will not less than have an additional day to securely make it again to his residence nation, because the 31 year-old receives a bye by way of to the final 32.

A preliminary qualifying stage within the Wuhan Open draw was held final month, so the vast majority of the final 64 lineup is already recognized.

The likes of Trump, Mark Selby, Mark Allen, Neil Robertson, and John Higgins are all anticipated to re-enter the fray within the second spherical.

World primary Ronnie O’Sullivan, in the meantime, has had his first-round encounter held over to the venue phases.

The Rocket performs Ken Doherty, a participant he first encountered in a aggressive showdown on the principle tour 31 years in the past.

2023 WUHAN OPEN DRAW

Spherical of 128 (bo9)

(held over fixtures)

*Matches to be performed on Monday, October ninth*

Xing Zihao w/o Luca Brecel
Daniel Womersley vs Gong Chenzhi
Si Jiahui vs Wang Xinzhong
Ali Carter vs Bai Yulu
Anthony Hamilton vs Wang Xinbo
Zhou Yuelong vs Baipat Siripaporn
Ding Junhui vs Ashley Hugill
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Ken Doherty

Spherical of 64 (bo9)

*Matches to be performed on Monday, October ninth and Tuesday, October tenth*

Xing Zihao vs Michael White
Stephen Maguire vs Joe O’Connor
Ryan Day vs Jackson Web page
Marco Fu vs Wu Yize
Ben Woollaston vs Aaron Hill
Martin O’Donnell vs John Higgins
Jordan Brown vs Womersley/Gong
Elliot Slessor vs He Guoqiang

Mark Selby vs Xu Si
Rod Lawler vs Xiao Guodong
Robert Milkins vs Hammad Miah
Tom Ford vs Cao Yupeng
Jamie Jones vs Ian Burns
Sanderson Lam vs Barry Hawkins
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh vs Matthew Selt
Oliver Strains vs Judd Trump

Mark Allen vs Mark Joyce
Si/Wang vs Jak Jones
Jack Lisowski vs Scott Donaldson
Ishpreet Singh Chadha vs Sam Craigie
Daniel Wells vs Stuart Bingham
Jamie Clarke vs Carter/Bai
Hamilton/Wang vs Zhou/Siripaporn
Liam Highfield vs Neil Robertson

Ben Mertens vs Dominic Dale
Chris Wakelin vs Lyu Haotian
Zhang Anda w/o Mark Williams
Noppon Saengkham w/o Graeme Dott
Alfie Burden vs Ashley Carty
Yuan Sijun vs Ding/Hugill
Pang Junxu vs Stuart Carrington
Mark Davis vs R. O’Sullivan/Doherty

Easy methods to watch the Wuhan Open

Dwell protection of the 2023 Wuhan Open can be out there throughout Europe on Eurosport and discovery+.

Chinese language viewers can watch on CCTV5, Migu, Youku, and Huya.com, whereas followers in different territories can watch through Matchroom.Dwell.

Featured picture credit score: WST