Oliver Lines Upsets Zhao Xintong at English Open

Oliver Lines dumped world number one Zhao Xintong out of the English Open with a fearless 4-2 victory in the first round, turning a heavyweight scalp into a statement performance.

Zhao, the 2025 world champion, looked every inch the top seed early on. He knocked in two century breaks and had the match locked at 2-2 after four frames, seemingly settling into his usual rhythm.

Lines refused to flinch.

The 31-year-old from England surged through the gears when it mattered most, reeling off breaks of 77 and 84 in the final two frames to close out a superb win and book his place in the last 32 in Brentwood, where he will face Yuan Sijun.

"You know you have to raise your game," Lines said afterwards, fully aware of the scale of the challenge he had just passed. "You try not to think about it, but you know if you don't play somewhere near your best then you are going home."

On a day of shocks, Zhao was not the only big name to fall.

World number four Neil Robertson also crashed out, edged 4-3 by China's Luo Zetao in another upset that jolted the top end of the draw.

Kyren Wilson, though, steadied the order. The former world champion imposed himself with a 4-1 win over Poland's Mateusz Baranowski, moving through with minimal fuss.

Ding Junhui had to work much harder. The three-time UK Championship winner from China was taken the distance by Michael Holt before squeezing over the line 4-3, adding another tight finish to a day that already felt like a warning to the sport’s elite: at this English Open, reputations are counting for very little.