Northern Ireland Open: Carnage for top seeds in string of Belfast upsets

It was a day of shocks as the Northern Ireland Open got underway on Sunday, with five of the world’s top 16 falling at their first hurdles in Belfast.

The trip to the Waterfront Hall has become one that the players look forward to most on the professional circuit, but it was only a short visit for some of snooker’s biggest names.

Xiao Guodong was the first top 16 player to be beaten, edged out 4-3 by Sam Craigie in the opening session of the tournament.

Mark Selby was a bigger shock casualty as he was downed 4-2 by fellow Leicester cueist Louis Heathcote in the afternoon session.

The upsets kept on coming in the evening, with Neil Robertson seen off 4-1 by Ricky Walden, Ali Carter hammered 4-0 by Xu Si and then Shaun Murphy beaten 4-2 by Liam Davies.

There were more shocks outside of top 16 players, with three-time ranking event winner Gary Wilson downed 4-3 by Poland’s Mateusz Baranowski and former Crucible semi-finalist Si Jiahui beaten 4-2 by 18-year-old Wang Xinbo.

Walden’s win over Robertson was his fifth on the spin over the Australian, with the Thunder from Down Under last beating the Englishman in 2019.

Davies continues to catch the eye with his latest big scalp, adding Murphy to an impressive list of conquered foes this season, including the likes of Wu Yize, Ding Junhui, Barry Hawkins and Gary Wilson.

The 20-year-old will now fancy his chances of a deep run in Belfast after downing the former world champion as he faces Pang Junxu or Alfie Burden in the last 32.

Murphy did suggest he didn’t fancy his chances in Belfast as he is dealing with tendinitis and illness.

‘I’ve not really practiced at all since Shenzhen, I’ve not been well, I’ve not been in the best of health at all,’ the Magician told TNT.

‘My expectations are really low this week, I love this tournament, I love the Waterfront, but I don’t know where my game is because I’ve not been able to play.

‘It’s been a few things, but tendinitis has been the big thing for me. I’ve been at home, a bit irritable and not been able to practise. It’s nice to come to a tournament prepared, I’m not as well prepared this week as I would normally be.’

Davies, who made breaks of 62, 81, 90 and 104, said after his latest big win: ‘I am delighted because I have been shattered all day, I only got back from China two days ago.

‘I wasn’t sure what was going to happen tonight, I was either going to miss everything or pot everything.’

The Welshman dropped off the professional tour at the end of last season, but bounced straight back and has been in superb form since.

‘It’s been a big improvement from last year, I couldn’t win an argument last year,’ he said.

‘Last year I think I would have crumbled under that pressure, but the more you get out there in front of the TV cameras the more you feel relaxed and then you can focus more. If you can find your groove, you can really play well on this main table.’

Such is the strength in depth on the main tour that despite a string of top players losing on day one, there are plenty more to enter the fray on Monday.

Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, John Higgins and Kyren Wilson are among the players starting their Belfast campaigns on Monday, with Mark Allen expected to return after a lengthy break from the game on Tuesday.

World number one Zhao Xintong and Mark Williams are also due to join the party on Tuesday.

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