British Open Snooker 2021 – Day Three Preview and Order of Play
Stephen Maguire headlines the action as the second round of the British Open gets underway in Leicester on Wednesday.
The world number nine is the highest-ranked player on display at the Morningside Arena, where the first round will also draw to a conclusion.
One of a handful of players to appear in the last staging of the event in 2004, Maguire was runner-up to compatriot John Higgins that year.
Fast forward 17 years and the Glaswegian, who overcame Jackson Page 3-0 in round one, resumes his quest to go the extra step against Londoner Martin O’Donnell.
Meanwhile, following his frosty encounter with ex-partner Reanne Evans in which he survived match ball before prevailing 3-2, Mark Allen will be hoping for a much smoother evening when he locks horns with Hossein Vafaei.
Three-time World champion Mark Williams is also in second-round action; the Welshman goes head to head with compatriot Dominic Dale for the 21st time in professional competition.
Barry Hawkins and Stuart Bingham will be looking to join them in round two. They face tough opposition in Luca Brecel and Robert Milkins respectively.
Masters champion Yan Bingtao, who was four years old when the British Open was last held, plays Germany’s Lukas Kleckers, while two-time Crucible finalist Ali Carter takes on Lei Peifan.
Graeme Dott reached the final of this event in 2001 – losing to Higgins – and will hope for more of the same 20 years on as he locks horns with world number 25 Martin Gould.
Play commences at 9am BST on Wednesday with all matches contested over the best of five frames at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
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British Open Snooker 2021 Schedule
Wednesday August 18
Round One
9am
32 Zhao Xintong v Cao Yupeng
38 Michael Georgiou v Soheil Vahedi
51 Rory McLeod w/o Kurt Maflin
55 Si Jiahui v Oliver Lines
10am
15 Li Hang v Sam Craigie
31 Duane Jones v Nigel Bond
37 Jamie Clarke v Pang Junxu
62 Ali Carter v Lei Peifan
1pm
10 Barry Hawkins v Luca Brecel
16 Lukas Kleckers v Yan Bingtao
34 Jamie Wilson v Mark King
48 Sean Maddocks v Noppon Saengkham
2pm
25 Fergal O’Brien v Gary Wilson
46 Stuart Bingham v Robert Milkins
52 Alfie Burden v Allan Taylor
3.15pm
57 Graeme Dott v Martin Gould
Round Two
7pm
78 Martin O’Donnell v Stephen Maguire
80 Mark Williams v Dominic Dale
86 Liam Highfield v Chen Zifan
89 Ben Hancorn v Scott Donaldson
8pm
68 Mark Allen v Hossein Vafaei
92 Ashley Hugill v Anthony Hamilton
93 Zhou Yuelong v Andy Hicks
95 David Lilley v Jordan Brown