British Open Third Round Draw

There are still plenty of heavy hitters left despite the short format.

The draw for the third round of the British Open has been made with the likes of Judd Trump, John Higgins, and Mark Williams learning their next opponents in Leicester.

Trump emerged unscathed from his second-round clash against Stuart Bingham on Thursday evening, coming from a frame down to win 3-1 thanks to breaks of 75, 69, and 65.

The world number one is battling to hold onto his coveted position at the top of the rankings list and was given a boost when Mark Selby crashed out in a 3-0 defeat to Ali Carter.

World champion Selby could still usurp Trump at the summit of the world rankings this week, with the latter needing to reach the quarter-finals in order to safeguard his spot temporarily at least.

Trump will encounter Elliot Slessor in the third round of the British Open draw at the Morningside Arena on Friday, with the subsequent fourth round also set to be played on day five of the competition.

Higgins, meanwhile, who was the last player to claim the old British Open crown back in 2004, faces a tricky task on paper in the form of Ricky Walden, while fellow multiple world champion Williams returns to the fray against Liam Highfield.

Among the other intriguing ties are the battles between Stephen Maguire and Welsh Open champion Jordan Brown, Championship League winner David Gilbert against Andrew Pagett, and an all-Chinese affair between youngsters Pang Junxu and Zhang Jiankang.

Former ranking event winners Luca Brecel, Anthony Hamilton, Jimmy Robertson, and Matthew Selt are others to look out for as the event edges nearer to its business end.