The race to win the 2026 China Open title is heating up with the quarter-finals subsequent on the agenda on Friday in Taiyuan.
Again on the calendar for the primary time since 2019, the China Open presents one in every of snooker’s most profitable prizes this season with a champion’s cheque value £250,000 up for grabs.
A variety of the heavier hitters have already bitten the mud, together with the likes of Judd Trump, Wu Yize, Zhao Xintong, and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
But there’s nonetheless loads of high quality on show, and it guarantees to be an enthralling closing few days to find out who ends the week with the trophy in his palms.
Let’s check out the 4 upcoming fixtures within the 2026 China Open quarter-finals draw.
Neil Robertson vs Mark Selby
Neil Robertson was the champion seven years in the past when the China Open, as soon as a staple of the annual schedule, was final staged.
The Australian has executed properly as far as he lastly will get his overdue alternative to defend the crown with victories over Chang Bingyu and Si Jiahui underneath his belt.
Robertson can be conscious that, together with his closest rivals already out of the match, a profitable defence can even assure his return to the world primary place on the finish of the month.
Mark Selby represents a troublesome quarter-final opponent to beat, nonetheless.
The Englishman is a three-time China Open champion and was in dominant type to thrash Kyren Wilson 6-1 within the second spherical on Thursday.
Robertson and Selby performed one another twice over 11 frames final season, sharing one win apiece.
When is it? Friday, 12:30pm BST
Stuart Bingham vs Zhang Anda
It was a principally scrappy affair, however Stuart Bingham’s 6-0 demolition of Hossein Vafaei was a helpful follow-up to his standout conquer John Higgins in spherical one.
There was some controversy within the match as Bingham felt Vafaei bent the principles by intentionally going in-off within the fifth body.
The pair exchanged heated phrases with the referee, however it didn’t actually matter a lot because the 2015 world champion coasted via to the final eight.
Subsequent up for Ballrun can be Zhang Anda, who backed up his dramatic ousting of Zhao Xintong with a 6-4 defeat of Chris Wakelin.
Zhang is homing in on a return to the highest 16, though Bingham and a few others left within the China Open draw may additionally break into the elite bracket with deep runs.
Bingham boasts a 4-2 head-to-head report over Zhang.
When is it? Friday, 12:30pm BST
Noppon Saengkham vs Shaun Murphy
Large-killer Noppon Saengkham can be eager on including a 3rd established identify to his spectacular checklist of conquests when he faces Shaun Murphy.
Saengkham has already accounted for world primary Judd Trump – the winner of final week’s Shanghai Masters – and crowd favorite Ronnie O’Sullivan.
If he can see off the Magician as properly, he could actually begin to imagine that that is the week when he can lastly land that elusive maiden rating crown.
The Thai’s earlier greatest run got here on the 2023 Scottish Open the place he was denied glory within the closing by Gary Wilson.
Murphy’s array of accolades are well-known, and the Crucible runner-up appears to have picked up this season the place he left off on the finish of the final marketing campaign.
4 century breaks on the trot helped him see off Matthew Selt within the first spherical earlier than a 6-2 win over Xiao Guodong noticed him safely advance to the quarters.
When is it? Friday, 07:00am BST
Zhou Yuelong vs David Gilbert
With the likes of Wu Yize, Mark Williams, Ding Junhui, and Barry Hawkins within the backside part, few would have predicted a quarter-final outing between Zhou Yuelong and David Gilbert.
Each gamers have impressed, nonetheless, en path to a last-eight conflict in opposition to each other.
Gilbert, who already reached the ultimate of Championship League Snooker final month, has been one of many gamers of the fledgling 2026/27 marketing campaign to date.
Each Gilbert and Zhou, in reality, have been scoring machines because the begin of marketing campaign – combining to compile greater than 25 century breaks between them already.
Whereas Gilbert has one profession rating title in his locker, Zhou arguably possesses the undesirable mantle of being the most effective participant by no means to have received one.
This match provides them each an enormous alternative to succeed in the one desk setup of an necessary match, and there’s nothing separating them of their head-to-head in rating occasions with two victories every.
When is it? Friday, 07:00am BST
Featured photograph credit score: WST
