Selby, Robertson, Murphy and Carter all crash out on opening day of Northern Ireland Open in Belfast

The 2026 Northern Ireland Open delivered a string of first-round shocks on its opening day at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on Sunday 18 October. Mark Selby, the in-form player of the season, was beaten 4-2 by qualifier Louis Heathcote, while Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy and Ali Carter also went out in the best-of-seven first round.

Selby stunned by Heathcote

Selby arrived in Belfast as one of the favourites. He is the reigning UK and China Open champion, having won the China Open in Taiyuan in August, reached the British Open final last month and sits top of the one-year ranking list.

He started as expected, taking the first frame with a 54 break and the second with a 70 clearance for a 2-0 lead. World No.67 Heathcote then changed the course of the match, making breaks of 64 and 59 to draw level at 2-2 before winning the next two frames to complete a 4-2 victory.

Heathcote faces Indian Open winner Matthew Selt in the last 32. Selt came from 3-1 down to edge Iran's Hossein Vafaei 4-3.

Robertson, Murphy and Carter follow Selby out

Robertson was the next big name to fall, losing 4-1 to Ricky Walden after the Englishman built a 3-0 lead. Murphy was beaten 4-2 by Wales' Liam Davies, and Carter suffered the heaviest defeat of the day, losing 4-0 to China's Xu Si.

There were also narrow wins for lower-ranked players elsewhere. Sam Craigie beat world No.14 Xiao Guodong 4-3, and Poland's Mateusz Baranowski edged Gary Wilson 4-3. Wang Xinbo beat Si Jiahui 4-2, and Anthony McGill defeated Stephen Maguire 4-1.

Lisowski and Un-Nooh safely through

Defending champion Jack Lisowski, who beat Judd Trump 9-8 in last year's final, started his title defence with a 4-1 win over Huang Jiahao. Joe O'Connor beat Matthew Stevens 4-1.

For South-East Asian fans, Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh came through a 4-2 win over Aaron Hill to reach the last 32. Fellow Thai Noppon Saengkham is also in the round-one draw against compatriot Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon.

Big names still to start

Several of the sport's biggest stars are scheduled to begin their campaigns later on Monday 19 October. Ronnie O'Sullivan meets Hong Kong's Cheung Ka Wai, Kyren Wilson faces Belgium's Ben Mertens and John Higgins takes on Liam Highfield.

Trump, runner-up to Lisowski in last year's final, plays Martin O'Donnell in the evening session at 7pm UK time, which is 2am on Tuesday in Malaysia.

The tournament runs until Sunday 25 October. Matches are best of seven frames up to the last 16, the quarter-finals and semi-finals are best of 11, and the final is best of 17. The champion receives £100,000 from a total prize fund of £550,400.

Key takeaways

• Qualifier Louis Heathcote, ranked 67th, beat Mark Selby 4-2 after trailing 2-0 on 18 October.
• Neil Robertson lost 4-1 to Ricky Walden, Shaun Murphy lost 4-2 to Liam Davies, and Ali Carter lost 4-0 to Xu Si.
• Defending champion Jack Lisowski and Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh both won their opening matches.
• Judd Trump, Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins and Kyren Wilson are scheduled to start on Monday.

FAQ

When and where is the 2026 Northern Ireland Open? It runs from 18 to 25 October 2026 at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. It is a ranking event and part of snooker's Home Nations Series.

Who beat Mark Selby at the Northern Ireland Open? Louis Heathcote, a qualifier ranked 67th in the world, beat Selby 4-2 in the first round on 18 October after losing the opening two frames.

What time does Judd Trump play in Malaysia time? Trump's first-round match against Martin O'Donnell is scheduled for 7pm UK time on Monday 19 October, which is 2am on Tuesday 20 October in Malaysia. Session times can shift if earlier matches overrun.

Sources: Totally Snookered, Snooker.org, SnookerHQ, Etusuora, Wikipedia