Barry Pinches eliminates former champion Shaun Murphy in the Welsh Open snooker match.

Open Wales

 

Location: Cymru, Llandudno Dates: February 12–18

 

Watch live coverage on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, and the BBC website.

 

In round one of the Welsh Open, Englishman Barry Pinches defeated former world champion Shaun Murphy in a final-frame thriller.

 

Despite being a late addition to the tournament and requiring some luck in the last set, 53-year-old Pinches defeated the 2020 Welsh Open champion 4-3.

 

Murphy won the Players Championship in Telford last year, but the outcome means he will miss it this week.

 

Jamie Jones lost to Robert Milkins, who defeated Murphy in the Welsh final the previous year.

Welshman Jones broke through with breaks of 72, 136, and 70 to take a 3-2 lead, but Milkins responded with a 4-3 victory of their own.

 

Mark Williams, a three-time world champion from Wales, defeated John Astley 4–2 to guarantee his spot in the second round.

 

How to keep track of the BBC Welsh Open results and schedule (external site)

In the evening session, Luca Brecel, the current world champion from Belgium, overcame a scare to defeat Jiang Jun, the 18-year-old from China, 4-3, scoring 93, his best break of the match. After losing the first two frames, Jun came back with a 101 break, but it was insufficient.

 

John Higgins of Scotland defeated Egypt’s Mohamed Ibrahim 4-0 with a final-frame break of 118, while Kyren Wilson defeated fellow Englishman Ashley Carty 4-3.

 

Mark Selby of England advanced after a dramatic 4-2 victory over Yuan Sijun of China in a late-night match.

 

Earlier, England’s Jenson Kendrick lost against China’s Ding Junhui, the 2012 champion of this competition, 4-2.

 

Zhang Anda, the 13th-ranked player in the world, defeated American Ahmed Aly Elsayed 4-1, and Jack Lisowski, rated 17th in the world, defeated fellow Englishman Oliver Brown 4-2.

 

Neil Robertson, the 2010 world champion from Australia, defeated Jackson Page of Wales 4-1 with breaks of 50, 68, 57, and 103.

 

Barry Hawkins defeated He Guoqiang 4-0 with the best break in Llandudno history of 142, while Welshman Alfie Davies defeated Scotland’s Liam Graham 4-1.

 

Along the way, Mark Allen advanced with a 4-3 victory over China’s Cao Yupeng, including a 101 break.