2026 Wuhan Open (snooker)

Format

In a change to previous editions, the flat-draw format – which saw everyone starting in the last 128, with some matches held over to the final venue – has been replaced with multiple rounds of qualifying in a tiered format similar to formats used in the Home Nations Series and the German Masters. Two rounds of qualifying were played between players ranked outside the top 32 of the world ranking. Four matches involving Chinese wildcards (Chen Qi'en, Guan Zhen, Tang Hewen, and Wang Xinzhong) in the second round of qualifying were held over to the main venue in Wuhan. The third round (the last 64) was split into two halves: matches involving the top 16 seeds, as determined from the start of season ranking list, were held over to the final venue, with players seeded 17–32 playing their match as part of the qualifiers in Leicester.^[12][13] All matches were played as the best of 9 frames until the semi-finals, which were the best of 11 frames. The final was a best of 19 frames match, played over two sessions.^[7]

Prize fund

The winner received £175,000 from a total prize fund of £825,000. The breakdown of prize money is shown below:^[1]

• Highest break (qualifying stage included): £5,000
• Total: £825,000

Held-over qualifying matches

Mark Allen,^[14] Oliver Brown,^[6] Robbie Williams,^[15] and John Higgins^[16] withdrew and so Michael Holt, Kyren Wilson, Mark Williams, and Liu Hongyu were given walkovers to the last 32 respectively.

Hammad Miah failed to arrive for his match against Chen Qi'en and so Chen was awarded the match.^[17] Chris Wakelin whitewashed Jordan Brown, defending champion Xiao Guodong whitewashed Wang Xinbo, Judd Trump beat Florian Nüßle, also by a whitewash, and Liam Davies defeated Ding Junhui 5–1.^[18] Neil Robertson beat Ben Mertens 5–1, Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Ashley Carty 5–2, Barry Hawkins beat Chen Qi'en, also by 5–2, and Si Jiahui beat Jiang Jun 5–3.^[19] Zhao Xintong whitewashed Gao Yang, and Shaun Murphy beat Alfie Burden, also by a whitewash. Artemijs Žižins defeated Wu Yize 5–4, and Mark Selby beat Fan Zhengyi 5–2.^[19][20]

Last 32

Steven Hallworth withdrew and so Chris Wakelin was given a walkover to the last 16.^[16][6]

Trump whitewashed Yuan Sijun, Davies beat Gary Wilson 5–3, Xiao defeated Jackson Page 5–2, and Williams beat David Gilbert 5–3.^[21] Chang Bingyu beat Liu 5–1, Ali Carter defeated Kyren Wilson 5–4, and Pang Junxu beat Murphy 5–3. O'Sullivan defeated Yao Pengcheng 5–1, and Si beat Dylan Emery, also by 5–1. Robertson beat Hossein Vafaei 5–3, and Stephen Maguire defeated Žižins 5–4.^[22] Zhao beat Jak Jones 5–2, Daniel Wells whitewashed Holt, Selby beat He Guoqiang 5–2, and Hawkins defeated Ryan Day 5–3.^[23]

Last 16

The last 16 matches were played on 26 August.^[6]

Chang beat Carter 5–2, O'Sullivan defeated Maguire, also by 5–2, Trump beat Si 5–1, and Selby defeated Pang 5–4.^[24] Williams beat Wells 5–2, Xiao defeated Wakelin 5–3, Zhao beat Hawkins 5–2, and Robertson defeated Davies 5–3.^[25][26]

Quarter-finals

The quarter-finals were played on 27 August.^[6][27]

Chang beat Trump 5–1 making a 132 break in the sixth frame, and O'Sullivan defeated Selby 5–3 making a 129 break in the eighth frame.^[28][29] Zhao beat Robertson 5–1 becoming the new world number one,^[30] and defending champion Xiao defeated Williams 5–3.^[31][32][33]

Semi-finals

The semi-finals were played on 28 August as the best of 11 frames.^[6]

Chang beat O'Sullivan 6–3. After the match Chang said: "Every time I play against Ronnie [O'Sullivan], it's a pleasure. He probably wasn't in the best form today, and I managed to take some of the opportunities that came my way. I think my safety play was probably better right from the start today, and I could clearly feel that my safety game was much better than it had been before." O'Sullivan said: "The disease came back big time today. If I'm honest I don't think I will ever get over it. I will see out the next 18 months and see how we go. I don't want to throw the towel in just yet. I've committed to playing until then. I want to give myself a chance. I'd hate to finish my career on performances like that."^[34][35]

Zhao beat defending champion Xiao 6–2, making a 124 break in the eighth frame. After the match Zhao said: "To be honest, I had quite a bit of luck today. Neither Xiao [Guodong] nor I played particularly well. I adjusted quicker than he did, so I was able to take my chances and win the match. It was just one match, and I don't think winning it proves anything. Since I was ten years old, becoming world number one was my target. It is really hard, but I've done it. I don't want it just to be a few days, I want it to be longer. I need to learn from the likes of Mark Selby, Judd Trump and Ronnie O'Sullivan." Xiao said:"There are no regrets. I think the way Zhao [Xintong] is playing now is at world number one level. I did my best, but there was still nothing I could do"^[5]

Final

The final was played on 29 August as the best of 19 frames, played over two sessions.^[6]

At the end of the afternoon session, Chang led Zhao 5–4.^[36] Chang went on to win his first ranking title 10–7.^[37] After the match Chang said: "Before the match, I honestly didn't think I could beat him [Zhao Xintong]. He is the new world number one after all, so I just wanted to learn from him. I've watched a lot of his matches over the past few years and learned a great deal from him. So I went into the final with the same attitude of learning." Zhao said: "Although I'm a little disappointed with the result today, I think for me personally it’s just one match. I can't be in finals forever or win every time. Of course, I didn't play particularly well today, so I think it was quite normal that Chang [Bingyu] was able to win the match. His game, and that of many of the younger Chinese players, has already reached a very high level."^[38][11]

Final: frame scores

Final: Best of 19 frames. Referee: Wang Haitao Optics Valley Gymnasium, Wuhan, China, 29 August 2026[37]
Zhao Xintong (5)  China	7–10	Chang Bingyu (48)  China
Afternoon: 84–24, 70–9, 11–76, 18–97, 64–55, 17–67, 91–38, 8–121, 57–69 Evening: 33–82, 48–74, 74–63, 71–12, 74–49, 37–90, 57–74, 64–66
(frame 7) 83	Highest break	76 (frame 3)
0	Century breaks	0

Pre-qualifying round

Two pre-qualifiyng matches were played in Leicester to determine the opponents of Michał Szubarczyk and Oliver Brown in the qualifying draw respectively.^[7]

•  Duane Jones (WAL) (a) 5–3  Deng Haohui (CHN) (119)
•  Michael Larkov (UKR) (120) 5–3  Antoni Kowalski (POL) (106)

Qualifying draw

The results of the qualifying matches are shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the players' seeding, an "a" indicates amateur players who were not on the main World Snooker Tour, and players in bold denote match winners. Matches involving the top 16 seeds and the four Chinese wildcards (Chen Qi'en, Guan Zhen, Tang Hewen, and Wang Xinzhong) were held over to be played in Wuhan.^[7][40][39]

	Round 1 (Last 128) Best of 9 frames				Round 2 (Last 96) Best of 9 frames				Round 3 (Last 64) Best of 9 frames
	Liam Graham (SCO) (87)	1			Scott Donaldson (SCO) (55)	1			Xiao Guodong (CHN) (1)†	5
	Wang Xinbo (CHN) (112)	5			Wang Xinbo (CHN) (112)	5			Wang Xinbo (CHN) (112)	0
	Liam Highfield (ENG) (68)	4			Jackson Page (WAL) (35)	5			Lei Peifan (CHN) (26)	3
	Gong Chenzhi (CHN) (122)	5			Gong Chenzhi (CHN) (122)	2			Jackson Page (WAL) (35)	5
	Jordan Brown (NIR) (64)	5			Oliver Lines (ENG) (53)	3			Chris Wakelin (ENG) (13)†	5
	Craig Steadman (ENG) (100)	4			Jordan Brown (NIR) (64)	5			Jordan Brown (NIR) (64)	0
	Steven Hallworth (ENG) (73)	5			Luca Brecel (BEL) (44)	1			Zhang Anda (CHN) (20)	4
	Panchaya Channoi (THA) (118)	0			Steven Hallworth (ENG) (73)	5			Steven Hallworth (ENG) (73)	5
	Fergal Quinn (NIR) (90)	1			Daniel Wells (WAL) (45)	5			Stuart Bingham (ENG) (21)	1
	Sahil Nayyar (CAN) (96)	5			Sahil Nayyar (CAN) (96)	1			Daniel Wells (WAL) (45)	5
	Leone Crowley (IRL)	5			Michael Holt (ENG) (51)	5			Mark Allen (NIR) (12)†[b]	w/d
	Liu Yang (CHN) (121)	2			Leone Crowley (IRL)	2			Michael Holt (ENG) (51)	w/o
	Michał Szubarczyk (POL) (77)	3			Noppon Saengkham (THA) (46)	5			David Gilbert (ENG) (31)	5
	Duane Jones (WAL) (a)	5			Duane Jones (WAL) (a)	2			Noppon Saengkham (THA) (46)	1
	Liu Wenwei (CHN) (83)	5			Robbie Williams (ENG) (56)	5			Mark Williams (WAL)(8)†	w/o
	Jamie Clarke (WAL) (99)	3			Liu Wenwei (CHN) (83)	1			Robbie Williams (ENG) (56)[c]	w/d
	Gao Yang (CHN) (75)	5			Guan Zhen (CHN) (a)†	4			Zhao Xintong (CHN) (5)†	5
	Bai Yulu (CHN) (108)	1			Gao Yang (CHN) (75)	5			Gao Yang (CHN) (75)	0
	Lan Yuhao (CHN) (78)	2			Matthew Selt (ENG) (43)	5			Jak Jones (WAL) (32)	5
	Andrew Higginson (ENG) (123)	5			Andrew Higginson (ENG) (123)	1			Matthew Selt (ENG) (43)	2
	Lyu Haotian (CHN) (61)	4			Chen Qi'en (CHN) (a)†	w/o			Barry Hawkins (ENG) (11)†	5
	Hammad Miah (ENG) (102)	5			Hammad Miah (ENG) (102)[d]	n/s			Chen Qi'en (CHN) (a)	2
	Iulian Boiko (UKR) (71)	4			Ryan Day (WAL) (37)	5			Elliot Slessor (ENG) (19)	1
	Mitchell Mann (ENG) (124)	5			Mitchell Mann (ENG) (124)	1			Ryan Day (WAL) (37)	5
	Jamie Jones (WAL) (63)	2			Aaron Hill (IRL) (41)	5			Gary Wilson (ENG) (24)	5
	Luo Zetao (CHN) (117)	5			Luo Zetao (CHN) (117)	0			Aaron Hill (IRL) (41)	4
	Liam Pullen (ENG) (66)	3			Martin O'Donnell (ENG) (52)	1			Ding Junhui (CHN) (15)†	1
	Liam Davies (WAL) (107)	5			Liam Davies (WAL) (107)	5			Liam Davies (WAL) (107)	5
	Zhao Hanyang (CHN) (81)	5			Ben Woollaston (ENG) (39)	5			Hossein Vafaei (IRN) (28)	5
	Stuart Carrington (ENG) (125)	4			Zhao Hanyang (CHN) (81)	2			Ben Woollaston (ENG) (39)	1
	Ben Mertens (BEL) (62)	5			Wang Xinzhong (CHN) (a)†	3			Neil Robertson (AUS) (4)†	5
	Ashley Hugill (ENG) (105)	1			Ben Mertens (BEL) (62)	5			Ben Mertens (BEL) (62)	1
	David Grace (ENG) (74)	2			Ricky Walden (ENG) (54)	3			Judd Trump (ENG) (3)†	5
	Florian Nüßle (AUT) (93)	5			Florian Nüßle (AUT) (93)	5			Florian Nüßle (AUT) (93)	0
	Louis Heathcote (ENG) (67)	5			Anthony McGill (SCO) (38)	2			Yuan Sijun (CHN) (30)	5
	Paul Norris (ENG) (116)	1			Louis Heathcote (ENG) (67)	5			Louis Heathcote (ENG) (67)	1
	Jiang Jun (CHN) (65)	5			Tang Hewen (CHN) (a)†	2			Si Jiahui (CHN) (16)†	5
	Jimmy White (ENG)	3			Jiang Jun (CHN) (65)	5			Jiang Jun (CHN) (65)	3
	Dylan Emery (WAL) (72)	5			Xu Si (CHN) (34)	3			Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) (18)	3
	Ng On-yee (HKG) (95)	2			Dylan Emery (WAL) (72)	5			Dylan Emery (WAL) (72)	5
	Sam Craigie (ENG) (70)	5			Tom Ford (ENG) (36)	5			Ali Carter (ENG) (22)	5
	Julien Leclercq (BEL) (109)	3			Sam Craigie (ENG) (70)	2			Tom Ford (ENG) (36)	3
	Oliver Brown (ENG) (92)	5			Ishpreet Singh Chadha (IND) (59)	3			Kyren Wilson (ENG) (9)†	w/o
	Michael Larkov (UKR) (120)	2			Oliver Brown (ENG) (92)	5			Oliver Brown (ENG) (92)[e]	w/d
	Alexander Ursenbacher (SUI) (89)	1			Chang Bingyu (CHN) (48)	5			Joe O'Connor (ENG) (27)	2
	Huang Jiahao (CHN) (104)	5			Huang Jiahao (CHN) (104)	2			Chang Bingyu (CHN) (48)	5
	Chatchapong Nasa (THA) (91)	3			Liu Hongyu (CHN) (58)	5			John Higgins (SCO) (6)†[f]	w/d
	Phil O'Kane (ENG) (115)	5			Phil O'Kane (ENG) (115)	2			Liu Hongyu (CHN) (58)	w/o
	Connor Benzey (ENG) (88)	3			Long Zehuang (CHN) (50)	4			Shaun Murphy (ENG) (7)†	5
	Alfie Burden (ENG) (98)	5			Alfie Burden (ENG) (98)	5			Alfie Burden (ENG) (98)	0
	Ross Muir (SCO) (84)	3			Zak Surety (ENG) (42)	3			Pang Junxu (CHN) (25)	5
	Oliver Sykes (ENG) (111)	5			Oliver Sykes (ENG) (111)	5			Oliver Sykes (ENG) (111)	3
	Marco Fu (HKG) (69)	4			Fan Zhengyi (CHN) (57)	5			Mark Selby (ENG) (10)†	5
	Anton Kazakov (UKR) (110)	5			Anton Kazakov (UKR) (110)	3			Fan Zhengyi (CHN) (57)	2
	Mateusz Baranowski (POL) (85)	2			He Guoqiang (CHN) (47)	5			Zhou Yuelong (CHN) (23)	2
	Sean O'Sullivan (ENG) (101)	5			Sean O'Sullivan (ENG) (101)	2			He Guoqiang (CHN) (47)	5
	Yao Pengcheng (CHN) (79)	5			Jimmy Robertson (ENG) (33)	4			Jack Lisowski (ENG) (17)	0
	Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon (THA) (114)	2			Yao Pengcheng (CHN) (79)	5			Yao Pengcheng (CHN) (79)	5
	Ian Burns (ENG) (76)	2			Matthew Stevens (WAL) (49)	3			Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) (14)†	5
	Ashley Carty (ENG) (103)	5			Ashley Carty (ENG) (103)	5			Ashley Carty (ENG) (103)	2
	Xu Yichen (CHN) (80)	3			Stan Moody (ENG) (40)	5			Stephen Maguire (SCO) (29)	5
	Mahmoud El Hareedy (EGY) (97)	5			Mahmoud El Hareedy (EGY) (97)	2			Stan Moody (ENG) (40)	2
	Reanne Evans (ENG) (82)	2			David Lilley (ENG) (60)	2			Wu Yize (CHN) (2)†	4
	Artemijs Žižins (LVA) (113)	5			Artemijs Žižins (LVA) (113)	5			Artemijs Žižins (LVA) (113)	5

Note: ^† Match held-over to the main venue in Wuhan.

Note: w/d=withdrawn; n/s=no-show; w/o=walkover

Main stage centuries

A total of 36 century breaks were made during the main stage of the tournament in Wuhan.^[10]

Qualifying stage centuries

A total of 59 century breaks were made during the qualifying stage of the tournament in Leicester.^[9]