Zhao Xintong, Williams and O'Sullivan Among Early Casualties as Shenzhen Open Last 32 Takes Shape

Seeds Tumble as Held-Over Round of 64 Fixtures Conclude

The 2026 Shenzhen Open has already produced a string of notable upsets, with world number one Zhao Xintong, defending champion Mark Williams, and five-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan all eliminated before the tournament proper has fully begun. The held-over round of 64 matches, played across Monday and Tuesday, also accounted for John Higgins and Ding Junhui, leaving the draw considerably more open than the seedings might have suggested.

Zhao's Poor Form Continues After Another Shock Defeat

For Zhao Xintong, the loss to Scott Donaldson — a 5-4 defeat that mirrored the narrowness of several other upsets this week — extends what is becoming a genuinely concerning stretch of results since he claimed the world number one ranking for the first time. His defeat to Oliver Lines at the English Open was already a signal that something was amiss; back-to-back early exits at ranking events will inevitably invite closer scrutiny of his current form. Reaching the top of the world rankings is one thing; sustaining the consistency required to defend that position is quite another, and Zhao is yet to demonstrate that level of durability at the summit.

Higgins, a four-time world champion and one of the sport's most decorated players, was also bundled out 5-4, this time by David Grace. Williams — attributed defending champion status here given that the Shenzhen Open replaces the Xi'an Grand Prix, which the 51-year-old Welshman won twelve months ago — suffered an equally tight exit, losing a deciding frame to Fan Zhengyi. O'Sullivan's departure was notably more emphatic: Jiang Jun dispatched the Rocket 5-2, bringing a brief tournament appearance to a swift conclusion.

Ding's Race to the UK Championship Spot Under Threat

Ding Junhui's 5-4 loss to Ricky Walden adds further complexity to what is shaping up as a difficult season for the 15-time ranking event winner. According to provisional Race to the UK Championship standings, Ding currently sits well outside the top 16 — the threshold required to secure automatic qualification for snooker's traditional season-closing major. With each passing ranking event, the window to accumulate sufficient points narrows. Walden, himself a player searching for consistency, will take considerable confidence from the result.

Trump, Murphy and Wu Among Those to Advance Comfortably

Not every seed found the going so treacherous. Judd Trump was in emphatic form, whitewashing Huang Jiahao 5-0 to underline his status as one of the tournament favourites heading into the last 32. Shaun Murphy was similarly authoritative, dismissing former world champion Marco Fu 5-1. World champion Wu Yize, meanwhile, had to work considerably harder for his passage, eventually seeing off Welshman Jamie Clarke 5-4 in what was described as an absorbing encounter. Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, and Kyren Wilson were further high-profile names to negotiate the round without alarm.

Wakelin's Century Hat-Trick the Shot of the Opening Rounds

If one performance stood out from the held-over fixtures, it was Chris Wakelin's display against Liam Davies. The 35-year-old compiled three consecutive century breaks en route to a 5-3 victory over the highly-rated youngster — a remarkable sequence of scoring that will have caught the attention of those still to enter the draw. Davies, widely regarded as one of the more promising talents currently emerging through the professional ranks, will have learned plenty from the experience even in defeat.

Barry Hawkins, Si Jiahui, and Michael Holt were among the other players to advance, joining Wakelin, Trump, Murphy, Wu, Selby, Robertson, and Wilson in the last 32.

Established Names Enter as the Draw Opens Up

With the held-over fixtures now complete, attention turns to the players who qualified back in July and enter proceedings at the last 32 stage. Recent English Open champion Ali Carter, former world champion Stuart Bingham, and seven-time ranking event winner Stephen Maguire are among those stepping into a draw that has already shed several of its most fancied competitors. The £177,000 top prize remains very much up for grabs, and the departures of Zhao, Higgins, Williams, and O'Sullivan before the main draw has even begun in earnest ensures that this year's Shenzhen Open will be remembered as one of the more unpredictable ranking events in recent memory.

Results data sourced from CueTracker and snooker.org. Race to the UK Championship standings are provisional at time of writing.