The 2026 International Championship has got underway in Nanjing, China, with the opening rounds delivering some outstanding snooker, impressive century breaks and several major talking points.
Among the highlights so far have been a stunning 147 from Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, a shock defeat for Judd Trump, a superb comeback from Kyren Wilson and strong starts from defending champion Wu Yize and world number one Zhao Xintong.
Un-Nooh produces another maximum
One of the standout moments came when Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh compiled a magnificent 147 break in the opening frame of his match against three-time World Champion Mark Williams.
It was the eighth maximum of Un-Nooh’s career, moving him ahead of Chinese star Ding Junhui into seventh place on the all-time list of maximum breaks.
The achievement takes the total number of maximums in professional snooker history to 247, with six already recorded during the current season. Un-Nooh now also puts himself in contention for the tournament’s £5,000 high-break prize.
Despite the remarkable start, Williams went on to win the match 6-3.
Trump suffers shock defeat as Wilson fights back
One of the biggest surprises of the opening rounds saw Fan Zhengyi produce an impressive performance to defeat former World Champion Judd Trump 6-5.
The result marked Fan’s first-ever victory over Trump, adding another notable scalp to his career.
Kyren Wilson also demonstrated his fighting qualities, recovering from 5-3 down to defeat Liam Highfield 6-5. The comeback followed Wilson’s Northern Ireland Open success, where he claimed the Alex Higgins Trophy with a 9-2 victory over Jak Jones.
Breaks of 51, 127 and 75 in the final three frames helped Wilson turn the match around.
Robertson, Selby and Williams make winning starts
Neil Robertson began his campaign with a convincing 6-2 victory over Jiang Jun, producing a top break of 133 alongside contributions of 82 and 94.
The Australian is also supporting Talking Forward this season, donating £100 for every century he makes. The charity, co-founded by his wife Mille, supports families affected by child abuse.
Four-time World Champion Mark Selby overcame snooker legend Jimmy White 6-2, with breaks of 72 and 67 helping him secure his place in the next round.
Meanwhile, three-time World Champion Mark Williams continued his impressive recent form with a 6-2 victory over India’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha. Williams produced breaks of 98, 123, 126 and 67 during the win.
Strong performances from the Chinese stars
Defending champion Wu Yize made an excellent start to his title defence, whitewashing Hammad Miah 6-0 before following it up with a 6-1 victory over Robbie Williams.
World number one Zhao Xintong also impressed, defeating Ian Burns 6-1 before overcoming David Lilley 6-4. His opening victory included impressive breaks of 131 and 128.
Elsewhere, Chinese players Xu Si, Pang Junxu, Ding Junhui, Yuan Sijun and Chang Bingyu all recorded important victories.
Chang Bingyu reached another career milestone during his 6-2 victory over Ross Muir, recording his 100th career century in the seventh frame.
Welsh interest continues
There have been some encouraging performances from the Welsh contingent, with Liam Davies continuing his excellent form by defeating Zhou Yuelong 6-2.
Daniel Wells also secured a 6-5 victory over Duane Jones, while Ryan Day overcame Lei Peifan 6-4.
Mark Williams and Selby also progressed, ensuring plenty of familiar names remain involved as the tournament develops.
International Championship: Results so far
Round 2
Daniel Wells 6-5 Duane Jones
Xu Si 6-4 Gary Wilson
Chris Wakelin 6-5 Long Zehuang
Zhao Xintong 6-4 David Lilley
Pang Junxu 6-2 Mina Awad
Sam Craigie 6-1 Stan Moody
Wu Yize 6-1 Robbie Williams
Kyren Wilson 6-5 Liam Highfield
Fan Zhengyi 6-5 Judd Trump
Stephen Maguire 6-3 Jackson Page
Ding Junhui 6-2 Gao Yang
Yuan Sijun 6-2 Joe O’Connor
Aaron Hill 6-0 Anton Kazakov
Zhang Anda 6-3 Huang Jiahao
Marco Fu 6-4 Stuart Bingham
Oliver Lines 6-4 Dylan Emery
Chang Bingyu 6-2 Ross Muir
John Higgins 6-3 Lyu Haotian
Julien Leclercq 6-1 Ashley Carty
Mark Williams 6-2 Ishpreet Singh Chadha
Wang Xinbo 6-3 Jak Jones
Si Jiahui 6-4 David Grace
Ben Woollaston 6-5 Yao Pengcheng
Ryan Day 6-4 Lei Peifan
Hossein Vafaei 6-0 Stuart Carrington
Liam Davies 6-2 Zhou Yuelong
Mark Selby 6-2 Jimmy White
Liu Hongyu 6-1 Louis Heathcote
Qualifying Round 2
Judd Trump 6-3 Liu Wenwei
Fan Zhengyi 6-1 Steven Hallworth
Wu Yize 6-0 Hammad Miah
Jackson Page 6-2 Michal Szubarczyk
Zhao Xintong 6-1 Ian Burns
Pang Junxu 6-4 Wang Xinzhong
Ding Junhui 6-4 Sahil Nayyar
Qualifying Round 1
Liu Wenwei 6-5 Dong Zihao
Michal Szubarczyk 6-4 Chen Qi’en
Steven Hallworth 6-1 Li Jun
Other notable moments
Chris Wakelin narrowly missed out on a maximum break after missing the yellow in frame ten of his match against Long Zehuang.
Joe O’Connor also produced a superb 146 break during his match against Yuan Sijun, while Hossein Vafaei recorded a break of 69 or more in every frame of his 6-0 victory over Stuart Carrington, including two centuries.
With the tournament continuing in Nanjing, there is still plenty to play for. The early rounds have already delivered some memorable moments, and attention now turns to the next stage of the International Championship.
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