UK Championship snooker 2021: Former winner Ronnie O'Sullivan handed tricky test in opening match

ByEurosport

Updated 10/11/2021 at 13:23 GMT

Ronnie O'Sullivan will face attacking Welsh potter Michael White in his opening match at the UK Championship on 24 November at 7.30pm (GMT). White is playing under amateur status this season, but has won two ranking titles during his time on the main professional circuit. Defending champion Neil Robertson meets John Astley in his first round encounter at the York Barbican on 25 November at 2.30pm.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has been handed a tricky opening match in his quest for a record eighth UK Championship title after landing talented Welsh potter Michael White in the first round LIVE on Eurosport.

The seven-times UK champion will meet White at the York Barbican on Wednesday 24 November at 7.30pm (GMT) as he begins his bid to add to his record haul of trophies lifted in 1993, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017 and 2018.

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White is playing under amateur status after losing his main World Snooker Tour card, but has won two ranking events at the 2015 Indian Open and the 2017 Paul Hunter Classic.

O'Sullivan has yet to lose to White in their five previous meetings. The winner over the best-of-11 frames will face Nigel Bond or Robbie Williams in the last 64 of the 128-man field.

Defending champion Neil Robertson begins his campaign for a fourth title against Gateshead amateur John Astley on Thursday 25 November at 2.30pm.

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Robertson lifted the trophy for a third time with an epic 10-9 win over Judd Trump in last year's final.

World champion Mark Selby takes on Scotsman Ross Muir in his UK opener (24 November at 2.30pm) while Trump meets world seniors champion David Lilley, a figure he also faces at the Champion of Champions next week, on 25 November at 7.30pm.

The UK Championship begins on Tuesday 23 November and concludes on Sunday 5 December with the winner earning £200,000.

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