Ronnie O’Sullivan starts his bid for a record-extending ninth UK Championship title against China’s Zhou Yuelong. Seeded sixth in York, O’Sullivan will begin his tournament at 1pm on Tuesday at the York Barbican.
World No 1 and defending champion Judd Trump plays on the opening afternoon on Saturday, meeting 2004 winner and two-time runner-up Stephen Maguire at 1pm. The final is scheduled for Sunday, December 7.
Trump defeated Barry Hawkins 10-8 in the 2024 final. O’Sullivan won the 2023 title (beating Ding Junhui 10-7) and previously lifted the trophy in 1993, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017 and 2018. All matches up to the final are best of 11 frames; the final is best of 19.
China’s Wu Yize is the most recent ranking-event winner, having taken the International Championship in his homeland.
First-round draw (seed in brackets)
– Judd Trump (1) vs Stephen Maguire
– Si Jiahui (16) vs Ryan Day
– Ding Junhui (9) vs Tom Ford or Xu Si
– Mark Allen (8) vs Scott Donaldson
– Mark Williams (5) vs David Gilbert
– Xiao Guodong (12) vs Pang Junxu
– Wu Yize (13) vs Michael Holt
– Neil Robertson (4) vs Julien Leclercq
– Kyren Wilson (3) vs Elliot Slessor
– Barry Hawkins (14) vs David Lilley
– Mark Selby (11) vs Lei Peifan
– Ronnie O’Sullivan (6) vs Zhou Yuelong
– John Higgins (7) vs Ben Woollaston
– Shaun Murphy (10) vs Lyu Haotian
– Gary Wilson (15) vs Zhang Anda
– Zhao Xintong (2) vs Long Zehuang
First-round schedule (All times UK and Ireland)
Saturday November 29
– 1pm: Judd Trump vs Stephen Maguire
– 1pm: Si Jiahui vs Ryan Day
– 7pm: John Higgins vs Ben Woollaston
– 7pm: Shaun Murphy vs Lyu Haotian
Sunday November 30
– 1pm: Wu Yize vs Michael Holt
– 1pm: Neil Robertson vs Julien Leclercq
– 7pm: Xiao Guodong vs Pang Junxu
– 7pm: Mark Williams vs David Gilbert
Monday December 1
– 1pm: Ding Junhui vs Tom Ford or Xu Si
– 1pm: Zhao Xintong vs Long Zehuang
– 7pm: Gary Wilson vs Zhang Anda
– 7pm: Mark Allen vs Scott Donaldson
Tuesday December 2
– 1pm: Mark Selby vs Lei Peifan
– 1pm: Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Zhou Yuelong
– 7pm: Kyren Wilson vs Elliot Slessor
– 7pm: Barry Hawkins vs David Lilley