International Championship snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan handed double Ken Doherty meeting in China, Judd Trump title bid

ByEurosport

Updated 31/08/2023 at 19:27 GMT

World champions Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ken Doherty will meet for the second time in successive months after the draw for the International Championship was announced by World Snooker Tour on Thursday. O'Sullivan's match has been held over to the finals venue alongside defending champion Judd Trump and world champion Luca Brecel's opening encounters of the prestigious tournament.

O’Sullivan and Fu get huge reception from record-breaking crowd at Hong Kong Masters

World No. 1 Ronnie O'Sullivan will face 1997 world champion Ken Doherty at the £825,000 International Championship in successive months after facing the Irishman at the Wuhan Open.

O'Sullivan has been drawn in the opening round against Doherty in Wuhan (October 9-15 live on Eurosport and discovery+) and will also meet the Irishman when the International Championship returns to the calendar between November 5-12 in Tianjin City.

Judd Trump is defending the title he claimed in 2019 with a 10-3 win over Shaun Murphy, and will face a wild card at the finals venue along with matches involving Zhou Yuelong and Martin O’Donnell, Ding Junhui against Ian Burns and world champion Luca Brecel against Ahmed Aly Elsayed.

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The other first-round matches will be staged at Ponds Forge in Sheffield between September 18-23, World Snooker Tour announced on Thursday.

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Elsewhere, seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry takes on Tian Pengfei, Jimmy White meets Matthew Selt and Hossein Vafaei faces 12-time women's world champion Reanne Evans.

New European Masters champion Barry Hawkins will face Andrew Pagett in the round of 128 in Sheffield, while John Higgins will meet Manasawin Phetmalaikul, Mark Selby faces Muhammad Asif and there is an all-Australian derby between Neil Robertson and Ryan Thomerson, who also meet in the first round of the Wuhan Open.

FULL DRAW DETAILS HERE

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