Ronnie O’Sullivan will begin his bid for a record-extending ninth UK Championship snooker title against China’s Zhou Yuelong. The Rocket, seeded sixth in York, will get his tournament under way at 1pm on Tuesday at the York Barbican.
World No 1 and defending champion Judd Trump is in action on the opening afternoon on Saturday against 2004 winner and two-time runner-up Stephen Maguire. The final will be held on Sunday December 7.
Trump beat Barry Hawkins 10-8 in the 2024 final, a year after O’Sullivan defeated Ding Junhui 10-7 to add to previous victories at this tournament in 1993, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017 and 2018.
All matches up to the final are best of 11 frames, with the final the best of 19.
China’s Wu Yize won the previous ranking event, the International Championship in his homeland.
UK Championship snooker – first-round draw
Player seeding 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
UK Championship snooker – 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