UK Championship: 2023 draw, preview, schedule, results, how to watch

The 32 players in the 2023 UK Championship draw are confirmed, with the action to begin on Saturday in York.

The third-oldest professional event on the calendar, the UK Championship was first staged in 1977.

Most of the sport’s biggest and best players in history have etched their names onto the trophy.

As part of the Triple Crown series, the title is also one of the most prestigious to claim on the snooker calendar.

There is a whopping first prize worth £250,000 on offer, making it one of the most lucrative tournaments on the schedule.

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Former winners of the UK Championship

Year	Champion	Year	Champion
1977	Patsy Fagan	1978	Doug Mounjoy
1979	John Virgo	1980	Steve Davis
1981	Steve Davis	1982	Terry Griffiths
1983	Alex Higgins	1984	Steve Davis
1985	Steve Davis	1986	Steve Davis
1987	Steve Davis	1988	Doug Mountjoy
1989	Stephen Hendry	1990	Stephen Hendry
1991	John Parrott	1992	Jimmy White
1993	Ronnie O’Sullivan	1994	Stephen Hendry
1995	Stephen Hendry	1996	Stephen Hendry
1997	Ronnie O’Sullivan	1998	John Higgins
1999	Mark Williams	2000	John Higgins
2001	Ronnie O’Sullivan	2002	Mark Williams
2003	Matthew Stevens	2004	Stephen Maguire
2005	Ding Junhui	2006	Peter Ebdon
2007	Ronnie O’Sullivan	2008	Shaun Murphy
2009	Ding Junhui	2010	John Higgins
2011	Judd Trump	2012	Mark Selby
2013	Neil Robertson	2014	Ronnie O’Sullivan
2015	Neil Robertson	2016	Mark Selby
2017	Ronnie O’Sullivan	2018	Ronnie O’Sullivan
2019	Ding Junhui	2020	Neil Robertson
2021	Zhao Xintong	2022	Mark Allen

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UK Championship first-round draw and schedule

Mark Allen (1) vs Ding Junhui

Saturday, November 25 – 1pm

Reigning UK champion Mark Allen will enter his defence with confidence high following his terrific triumph in last week’s Champion of Champions.

His opponent is Ding Junhui, who has won the tournament three times and also reached last year’s final.

Despite losing that title decider to Allen, Ding boasts a stronger head-to-head record overall – including a 10-5 win in their last meeting at the Tour Championship.

Tom Ford (16) vs Noppon Saengkham

Saturday, November 25 – 7pm

Following his run to the International Championship final, 40 year-old Tom Ford became a top 16 member for the first time in his career.

The Englishman will face Noppon Saengkham, a player with aspirations this season of joining the same elite bracket in the rankings.

With four wins apiece in all competitions, there isn’t much to separate them, although Ford beat Saengkham 6-3 in last year’s UK edition.

Mark Williams (9) vs Fan Zhengyi

Saturday, November 25 – 1pm

Mark Williams is a two-time former UK champion, albeit the last of those victories was way back in 2002.

Fan Zhengyi is a former ranking event winner who has blown hot and cold during his short tenure as a professional.

Williams has won both of their previous meetings, including in this season’s British Open which the Welshman went on to triumph in.

Kyren Wilson (8) vs Jamie Clarke

Saturday, November 25 – 7pm

A poor season from Kyren Wilson has seen him appear only once at the quarter-final stage of a ranking event.

Jamie Clarke emerged from the qualifiers in dramatic circumstances with a nervy 6-5 defeat of David Gilbert.

The Welshman has won just one frame against Wilson, losing heavily in their two prior showdowns.

Mark Selby (5) vs Mark Joyce

Monday, November 27 – 7pm

Mark Selby reached the UK Championship final three times between 2012 and 2016, etching his name onto the trophy on two occasions.

By guaranteeing himself £10,000, Mark Joyce has done himself plenty of favours in his fight for tour survival.

But to win a fourth match in this year’s UK Championship draw, Joyce will have to beat Selby for the first time in what will be their sixth clash.

Barry Hawkins (12) vs Ben Woollaston

Monday, November 27 – 1pm

An in-form player throughout the 2023/24 campaign, Hawkins won the European Masters in August.

Ben Woollaston hasn’t shown a lot of form across the last few season but dominated Lukas Kleckers in the last qualifying round.

Hawkins and Woollaston have a relatively even head-to-head record, although they have rarely encountered each other over longer formats.

Jack Lisowski (13) vs Jamie Jones

Monday, November 27 – 7pm

Jack Lisowski blew a 5-3 lead to Allen in last year’s semi-finals, and the Englishman is still hunting for that elusive maiden title.

Lisowski will play Jamie Jones after the Welshman secured qualification with successive 6-4 victories at the Morningside Arena.

Interestingly, Jones has prevailed from both of their prior battles in deciding frames.

Judd Trump (4) vs Pang Junxu

Monday, November 27 – 1pm

Undoubtedly the best player in the world at present, Trump has reached five finals this season on the main tour – winning three of them.

The English Open, Wuhan Open, and Northern Ireland Open champion will face Pang Junxu in the last 32.

These two have never faced each other in professional competition, but Trump will undoubtedly be a big favourite.

Ronnie O’Sullivan (3) vs Anthony McGill

Tuesday, November 28 – 1pm

Ronnie O’Sullivan was on the red carpet this week for the release of his documentary film, but fans will be hoping he returns to the green baize having missed several tournaments this term already.

Anthony McGill would have represented one of the qualifiers to avoid in the first-round UK Championship draw.

That being said, O’Sullivan has only lost to the Scot once from eight encounters – a memorable World Championship tie in 2021.

Robert Milkins (14) vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh

Tuesday, November 28 – 7pm

Robert Milkins ended last season as one of the in-form competitors, but the veteran has struggled for form since the summer.

Drawn against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, it guarantees a lightning-paced affair between two of the tour’s quickest protagonists.

Somewhat surprisingly, the Thai boasts a 4-0 head-to-head record from their ties in 15-red snooker.

John Higgins (11) vs Joe O’Connor

Tuesday, November 28 – 1pm

A three-time UK champion, John Higgins hasn’t won a ranking event since early on in 2021.

Joe O’Connor is yet to push on from his run to the final of the Scottish Open last season but qualified strongly this week by beating Stephen Maguire.

O’Connor will face an even bigger Scottish legend next, but he did beat Higgins 6-2 in their only prior best-of-11 match.

Neil Robertson (6) vs Zhou Yuelong

Tuesday, November 28 – 7pm

Neil Robertson won the UK Championship in 2013, 2015, and 2020, but his recent form has been disastrous by his high standards.

Zhou Yuelong fought back from 5-3 down to deny Ian Burns in a decider on Thursday.

The Chinese cueist won’t have happy memories of facing Robertson, losing 9-0 to the Australian in the 2020 European Masters final.

Shaun Murphy (7) vs Hossein Vafaei

Sunday, November 26 – 7pm

After winning the Championship League in July, Shaun Murphy openly expressed his aspirations of challenging for the world number one spot, but he has failed to push on since then.

Hossein Vafaei narrowly missed out on an automatic berth in the tournament but safely fought his way through qualifying.

The enigmatic Iranian has met Murphy just once, when he was defeated in the single-frame Snooker Shoot Out earlier this year.

Ali Carter (10) vs Matthew Selt

Sunday, November 26 – 7pm

A consistent calendar year in 2023 has resulted in Ali Carter rejoining the top ten in the world rankings.

Matthew Selt reached the Barbican Centre with triumphs over Dylan Emery and Lyu Haotian.

Most of Carter and Selt’s previous matches have occurred in the Championship League, but the former leads the head-to-head 7-5 overall.

Zhang Anda (15) vs Elliot Slessor

Sunday, November 26 – 1pm

Zhang Anda’s meteoric rise up the rankings culminated in his remarkable glory in this month’s International Championship.

A hat-trick of controlled performances, including a win over former world champion Graeme Dott, helped Elliot Slessor to progress this far.

The 29 year-old has encountered Zhang twice, including in this season’s English Open when the latter won 4-1 en route to the final.

Luca Brecel (2) vs Yuan Sijun

Sunday, November 26 – 1pm

It has been a testing time for new world champion Luca Brecel, whose only positive performances since Sheffield came in his run to the Shanghai Masters final in September.

The Belgian Bullet meets Yuan Sijun in the first round after the Chinese 23 year-old ended Ken Doherty’s run from the opening qualifying round.

Yuan has played Brecel only once, losing 5-2 as a teenage amateur way back in 2014.

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2023 UK Championship draw and results

Last 32 (bo11)

Mark Allen (1) 5-6 Ding Junhui
Tom Ford (16) 6-5 Noppon Saengkham
Mark Williams (9) 6-4 Fan Zhengyi
Kyren Wilson (8) 5-6 Jamie Clarke

Mark Selby (5) 6-0 Mark Joyce
Barry Hawkins (12) 6-4 Ben Woollaston
Jack Lisowski (13) 4-6 Jamie Jones
Judd Trump (4) 6-1 Pang Junxu

Ronnie O’Sullivan (3) 6-2 Anthony McGill
Robert Milkins (14) 6-5 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
John Higgins (11) 6-3 Joe O’Connor
Neil Robertson (6) 2-6 Zhou Yuelong

Shaun Murphy (7) 4-6 Hossein Vafaei
Ali Carter (10) 3-6 Matthew Selt
Zhang Anda (15) 6-5 Elliot Slessor
Luca Brecel (2) 6-4 Yuan Sijun

Last 16 (bo11)

Ding Junhui 6-3 Tom Ford (16)
Mark Williams (9) 6-4 Jamie Clarke
Mark Selby (5) 6-5 Barry Hawkins (12)
Jamie Jones 0-6 Judd Trump (4)

Ronnie O’Sullivan (3) 6-5 Robert Milkins (14)
John Higgins (11) 3-6 Zhou Yuelong
Hossein Vafaei 6-1 Matthew Selt
Zhang Anda (15) 6-4 Luca Brecel (2)

Quarter-Finals (bo11)

Ding Junhui 6-5 Mark Williams (9)
Mark Selby (5) 3-6 Judd Trump (4)
Ronnie O’Sullivan (3) 6-5 Zhou Yuelong
Hossein Vafaei 6-4 Zhang Anda (15)

Semi-Finals (bo11)

Ding Junhui 6-4 Judd Trump (4)
Ronnie O’Sullivan (3) 6-2 Hossein Vafaei

Final (bo19)

Ding Junhui 7-10 Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)

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How to watch the UK Championship

There will be live coverage of the UK Championship for UK and Irish viewers on the BBC.

Eurosport and discovery+ will broadcast the event across all of Europe.

Using a VPN is another way to tune into snooker events, with VeePN for Fire TV providing a convenient option to stream your favourite content without interruptions.  

Fans in territories not offering live snooker can additionally watch via a subscription at Matchroom.Live.

A full list of all the broadcasters can be viewed on the World Snooker Tour website here.

Featured photo credit: WST