Stephen Hendry, a famous snooker player who won the British Open four times between 1988 and 2003, had an unexpected experience in this year’s tournament. He faced a surprising loss in the first round of qualifying, losing 4-2 to Muhammad Asif. This match happened in Leicester on Monday.
In the beginning of the match, Hendry played well and won the first frame with a score of 73 points. But his opponent, Muhammad Asif, made a strong comeback and won the next three frames. This gave him a lead of 3-1. Hendry managed to win the fifth frame and make the score closer, but Muhammad Asif won with a score of 66 points.
This win means that Muhammad Asif will continue to the next round of the tournament in Cheltenham.
Another player named Si Jiahui also played well, winning 4-1 against Lukas Kleckers from Germany. Even though Si lost the first frame, he played really well in the rest of the frames and won with scores of 54 and 63.
The qualifying matches will keep going until Saturday at the Morningside Arena. After that, the top 16 players in the world will start their matches in Cheltenham between September 25 and October 1.
There’s an interesting part where world champion Luca Brecel will play against Ding Junhui, and people are excited to see this match. Mark Allen and Anthony McGill, who are both top players, will also compete against each other, making the competition more exciting. Ronnie O’Sullivan, who is currently the best player in the world and won the British Open in 1994, will play against former European Masters winner Jimmy Robertson.
