19.com Northern Ireland Open Confirmed Format
Click the links below for the updated format for the 19.com Northern Ireland Open, with all matches now confirmed.
Click here for the full format
All 129 players in action over the first two days on Monday November 11 and Tuesday November 12 at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast.
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s opening match will take place on Tuesday evening, not before 7pm. Home favourite Mark Allen will be in action during the afternoon session on the same day. John Higgins will enter the fray on Monday evening not before 7pm.
World number one Judd Trump will start the defence of his title against James ‘Giant-Killer’ Cahill.
Trump beat O’Sullivan 9-7 in last year’s final and has since won five other tournaments including the World Championship and last week’s World Open, establishing himself as the best player on the planet.
But he faces a tough opening task in Belfast against Cahill, who has a reputation for beating top players. The world number 113 knocked O’Sullivan out of the World Championship earlier this year and has also beaten the likes of Mark Selby, Ding Junhui, Neil Robertson and John Higgins.
That match will take place on Tuesday at 1pm.
Mark Selby won last month’s 19.com English Open so he is the only player who can win the £1 million bonus available for capturing all four Home Nations titles. He will be up against China’s Xu Si.
Northern Irish wild cards Patrick Wallace and Robbie McGuigian will go head to head in a preliminary round match on Monday at 7pm.
Other top stars in action over the first two days include John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy and Jimmy White.
The tournament runs from November 11 to 17 with a top prize of £70,000 up for grabs. It will be televised on Eurosport and Quest.
Tickets are still available to see the best players in the world, starting at just £10 – incredible value for money for the chance to see a wide range of the sport’s top players. For details click here.