Jimmy White will meet Sean O'Sullivan in his first match of the season in China Open qualifying, Reanne Evans discovers opponent
By Desmond Kane
Published 01/06/2026 at 09:48 GMT+1
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Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White will begin his 2026/27 snooker campaign against fellow Londoner Sean O'Sullivan in the first round of qualifying for the China Open in Leicester.
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O'Sullivan returned to the main tour with a 4-2 win over Joshua Thomond in the finals of event one at Q School.
The 32-year-old from Whitechapel was ranked as high as world No. 73 in 2016, but has struggled to keep his tour card over the past decade.
O'Sullivan produced a maximum when losing 5-2 to Barry Hawkins in the 2023 European Masters, a tournament 'The Hawk' progressed to win with a 9-6 victory over world No. 1 Judd Trump.
The China Open has returned to the main circuit after a seven-year absence, with four qualifying rounds being staged in Leicester between June 10-14 at the city's Mattioli Arena.
Neil Robertson won the last staging of the event in 2019 with an 11-4 final win over Jack Lisowski in Beijing.
Six-time Crucible finalist White takes on O'Sullivan on Wednesday, June 10 at 14:30 UK time, with 12-time women's world champion Reanne Evans facing Alfie Davies in her season opener at 19:30.
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Watch Xiao seal back-to-back Wuhan Open titles in dramatic decider
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Evans was denied a 13th women's world title after losing 6-2 to an inspired Panchaya Channoi in the final a fortnight ago.
All matches are the best of 11 frames before the main event is staged in Taiyuan between August 8-16.
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Meanwhile, qualifying for the Wuhan Open also takes place in Leicester between June 15-18, with three rounds having to be negotiated to reach the final stage of the tournament, which is pencilled in for August 23-29.
White has been drawn to face 20-year-old Jiang Jun in the first round of qualifiers over the best of nine frames, with the world's top 16, including Trump, Ronnie O'Sullivan and new world champion Wu Yize, set to enter the competition in the third qualifying round at the finals venue.
Xiao Guodong is chasing a third straight title triumph after edging Gary Wilson 10-9 last year, and Si Jiahui 10-7 in 2024.
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