UK Championship seeds
Ranking, Snooker Headlines

Defeats for big seeds in UK Championship

Three seeds exited the UK Championship on Sunday, with Neil Robertson and John Higgins notable losers on the second day in York.

An unwell Robertson was completely out of sorts during his first-round clash with Joe Perry at the Barbican Centre.

Robertson had been one of the pre-tournament favourites this year as he began his bid to claim the title for a fourth time.

But the Australian was sluggish around the table and made a lot of unforced errors, allowing Perry to capitalise with breaks of 102, 85, 81, 68, and 64 in a 6-2 victory.

Higgins was similarly far from his best form, with the Scot crashing out of the competition courtesy of a 6-4 reverse against Tom Ford.

The pair traded frames in a mostly scrappy affair until the scores were tied at 4-4, when Ford ultimately seized the initiative.

The qualifier, who reached the semi-finals in 2018, contributed timely runs of 99 and 90 in the last two frames to progress.

Meanwhile, world number ten Barry Hawkins later became the fourth member from the UK Championship seeds to bow out at the first hurdle this year.

In what was billed as the tie of the last 32 draw, Hawkins led Ding Junhui 3-1 at the mid-session interval.

But the three-time winner responded superbly upon the game’s resumption, firing in his 600th career century break in the fifth frame.

The Chinese former world number one made contributions of 122, 105, 91, 72, 62, and 51 as he turned the match around in confident fashion.

The only top-ranked competitor who managed to make it through on Sunday was last year’s runner-up, Luca Brecel.

The Belgian Bullet was pushed in a topsy-turvy tie with Lyu Haotian before winning four out of the last five frames to seal a 6-4 triumph.

On Monday, the UK Championship continues with four more matches from the first round proper.

Ronnie O’Sullivan enters the fray in the afternoon session with the seven-time champion beginning his week against 2003 winner Matthew Stevens.

An intriguing all-Chinese clash between Yan Bingtao and Zhou Yuelong takes place at the same time on the other side of the arena.

In the evening session, Mark Williams entertains fellow Welshman Jamie Clarke while Stuart Bingham meets Liam Highfield.

Draw and Schedule

Last 32

Zhao Xintong (1) 2-6 Sam Craigie
Ryan Day (16) 6-2 Jimmy White
Mark Allen (9) 6-4 Jordan Brown
Kyren Wilson (8) 6-3 Matthew Selt

Mark Selby (5) vs Hossein Vafaei
(Tues, Nov 15 – 7pm)
Jack Lisowski (12) vs Xu Si
(Tues, Nov 15 – 1pm)
Shaun Murphy (13) vs David Gilbert
(Tues, Nov 15 – 7pm)
Judd Trump (4) vs Xiao Guodong
(Tues, Nov 15 – 1pm)

Neil Robertson (3) 2-6 Joe Perry
Stuart Bingham (14) vs Liam Highfield
(Mon, Nov 14 – 7pm)
Luca Brecel (11) 6-4 Lyu Haotian
John HIggins (6) 4-6 Tom Ford

Mark Williams (7) vs Jamie Clarke
(Mon, Nov 14 – 7pm)
Barry Hawkins (10) 3-6 Ding Junhui
Yan Bingtao (15) vs Zhou Yuelong
(Mon, Nov 14 – 1pm)
Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) vs Matthew Stevens
(Mon, Nov 14 – 1pm)

The UK Championship schedule continues with the second round on the 16th and 17th, the quarter-finals are on the 18th, the semi-finals take place on the 19th, and the final is on Sunday, November 20th.

Where to Watch the UK Championship

The full 2022 UK Championship schedule will be available to watch on Eurosport and discovery+ across Europe, with viewers in the UK and Ireland also able to enjoy coverage from the BBC.

Other options are available around the world, with more information on those global networks available over on the World Snooker Tour website.

Featured photo credit: WST

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