Who does Ronnie O'Sullivan face in his return home as world champion at English Open snooker? Judd Trump begins bid
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ByEurosport
Updated 02/11/2022 at 10:18 GMT
World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will meet Belgian teenager Ben Mertens when he returns to Essex to compete at the English Open between December 12-18 live on Eurosport. The tournament is being staged this year by the Brentwood Centre which will see the snooker GOAT roared on by a huge home crowd. Neil Robertson is the defending champion. Watch snooker live on Eurosport and discovery+.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan will make a triumphant return home to Essex as world champion when he faces Belgian teenager Ben Mertens in the first round of the English Open in Brentwood.
O'Sullivan has yet to face the 18-year-old Mertens in a competitive match, but is certain to be supported by a passionate following when he opens his campaign at 7pm on Monday, December 12.
He will meet Dechawat Poomjaeng of Thailand in the second round if he can overcome world No. 102 Mertens.
O'Sullivan's fellow Essex favourites Stuart Bingham and Ali Carter are also in action in the Home Nations series event at the Brentwood Centre live on Eurosport (December 12-18).
Former world champion Bingham faces Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the evening session on the opening day with two-time world finalist Carter meeting Chen Zifan in the last 64 having last week won his opening qualifier 4-1 against Adam Duffy in Leicester.
Top seed Neil Robertson lifted the Steve Davis trophy with a 9-8 win over John Higgins in last year's final and begins his title defence against Andrew Pagett at 1pm on the opening day.
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The 2020 champion Judd Trump takes on Jackson Page in a tricky opener while there is an intriguing all-Welsh battle between Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens.
Williams won the first of his three world titles with an 18-16 victory against Stevens in the 2000 Crucible final in Sheffield.
Northern Ireland Open winner Mark Allen meets Mitchell Mann with Mark Selby getting his campaign underway against world No. 33 Noppon Saengkham at 10am.
They most recently met in the last 16 of the 2020 World Championship with Selby completing a 13-12 win from a memorable encounter.
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Watch top snooker action, including the Home Nations series, live on Eurosport and discovery+. You can also watch Seventh Heaven, a two-part show about Ronnie O’Sullivan’s historic World Championship win last season, on demand now.
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