British Open Snooker 2026 | Day One Preview and Order of Play
Murphy plays Reanne Evans in Cheltenham on Monday (Credit: Sipa US/Alamy Live News)
Shaun Murphy launches his British Open title defence on Monday when he plays 12-time ladies’ World champion Reanne Evans in Cheltenham.
The world’s top players are all in action on the opening day of what is the sixth successive staging of the event since it returned to the calendar in 2021.
Murphy was the last man standing at The Centaur last year, beating Anthony McGill 10-7 in the final to claim his 13th career ranking title.
The Magician has already reached back-to-back quarter-finals this season at the Shanghai Masters and China Open, though he suffered a last-32 exit at last week’s Wuhan Open.
His first obstacle is a player who famously ran him close at the 2019 Champion of Champions. Indeed, Evans recovered from 3-0 down to force a deciding frame in their best-of-seven clash, before a timely century saw a relieved Murphy scrape over the line.
Elsewhere, four-time British Open champion John Higgins takes on Hossein Vafaei, while three-time winner Mark Williams faces a tricky opener against David Gilbert.
Mark Selby, who lifted the Clive Everton trophy in 2024, goes up against former World Seniors champion David Lilley, as world number two Neil Robertson plays Pang Junxu.
Former world number one Judd Trump, who has just lost his two-year grip on top spot in the WST rankings, begins his quest to reclaim it against Dylan Emery, while World champion Wu Yize does battle with compatriot Liu Hongyu.
Kyren Wilson locks horns with Florian Nuessle, as Ding Junhui and Barry Hawkins clash with Anton Kazakov and Deng Haohui respectively.
Chris Wakelin plays 2023 World champion Luca Brecel and Xiao Guodong faces Jiang Jun, while Si Jiahui takes on Ashley Carty.
Play gets under way at 1pm BST on Monday with all matches contested over the best of seven frames at The Centaur in Cheltenham.
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British Open 2026 Schedule of Play
Monday August 31
Round One (Round Two = R2)
1pm
Shaun Murphy v Reanne Evans
Mark Williams v David Gilbert
Ding Junhui v Anton Kazakov
Iulian Boiko v Xu Yichen (R2)
2pm
Barry Hawkins v Deng Haohui
Wu Yize v Liu Hongyu
Mark Joyce v Mateusz Baranowski
Florian Nuessle v Kyren Wilson
7pm
Xiao Guodong v Jiang Jun
Wang Xinbo v Patrick Whelan
Judd Trump v Dylan Emery
Chris Wakelin v Luca Brecel
8pm
Mark Selby v David Lilley
Pang Junxu v Neil Robertson
John Higgins v Hossein Vafaei
Ashley Carty v Si Jiahui