Fan Zhengyi dumps Jimmy White out of Shenzhen Open qualifiers as Brecel survives scare

White beaten 5-1 despite Burns walkover

Jimmy White's hopes of reaching the 2026 Shenzhen Open were ended on Monday when Fan Zhengyi defeated him 5-1 in the qualifying rounds. The 62-year-old had entered the second phase of qualifying following the withdrawal of first-round opponent Ian Burns on Sunday — a fortunate bye that ultimately came to nothing. Fan produced a composed, break-heavy display to close out a dominant victory, posting contributions of 119, 73, 69 and 63 across the match to advance comfortably to the last 64.

White, a ten-time ranking event champion whose most recent title came at the 1992 British Open, has struggled to make a consistent impact at this level in recent seasons. A win on Monday would have set up a second-round meeting with Mark Williams — a fixture that would have carried considerable historical weight given the pair's rivalry stretching back to the 1990s. Instead, it is Fan who progresses to face the defending champion in the next round. Although this is the inaugural edition of the Shenzhen Open, the event effectively replaces the Xi'an Grand Prix on the tour calendar; Williams claimed that title twelve months ago, making him the man to beat heading into the last 64.

Brecel steadies the ship with win over fellow Belgian

Elsewhere in the qualifying draw, Luca Brecel secured a significant 5-3 victory over compatriot Julien Leclercq at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. The result carries weight beyond the scoreline given the circumstances surrounding Brecel's season. The 2023 World Champion began the campaign under a cloud of tour survival concerns and subsequently failed to qualify for both the China Open and the Wuhan Open — a difficult run that placed him under considerable ranking pressure.

According to provisional end-of-season rankings, Brecel currently sits in 64th position — precisely on the cut-off point for retaining his tour card. Every match win at this stage of the season therefore carries direct consequences for his professional future. A positive showing at the recent Championship League offered some encouragement, and a further victory over Pang Junxu on Wednesday would confirm his place in the Shenzhen Open main draw. Should he reach the venue event, it would represent meaningful ranking points at a critical moment in the season.

Upsets as Stevens, Day and Ford all fall

Monday's qualifying session produced several notable results beyond the headline matches. Matthew Stevens, a two-time World Championship finalist, was beaten 5-1 by Belgian youngster Ben Mertens — a result that continues what has been an inconsistent season for the Welshman. Ryan Day, ranked inside the world's top 32 for much of the past decade, lost to Ashley Hugill, while Tom Ford suffered a 5-3 defeat against Chinese newcomer Deng Haohui.

Among those who progressed from the preliminary rounds were Aaron Hill, Jimmy Robertson, Zak Surety, and Iulian Boiko. The Ukrainian's ranking trajectory has been notably upward in recent months, and his 5-2 win over Stan Moody sets up a meeting with Yuan Sijun in the final qualifying round. Hill ended Yao Pengcheng's unbeaten run in the qualifying phase, while Robertson and Surety overcame Gong Chenzhi and Craig Steadman respectively. Scott Donaldson, Jiang Jun, Liam Davies, and Liu Hongyu also advanced on Monday.

Tuesday's schedule and the road to the main draw

The remaining matches from the Round of 96 are scheduled for Tuesday, with Chang Bingyu, Anthony McGill, and Noppon Saengkham among those yet to enter the qualifying competition. The Shenzhen Open is operating with a staggered qualifying format, meaning the draw continues to take shape across multiple days before the main venue event gets underway.

With ranking points distributed from the last 64 onwards, the matches still to come carry genuine significance — particularly for players in the lower half of the world rankings where the margins between tour survival and relegation remain tight. All results from the qualifying rounds are sourced via CueTracker and snooker.org.