Oliver Lines Shocks 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, producing the standout shock of the day in Brentwood.

Zhao, the 2025 world champion, looked in ominous touch early on. He fired in two century breaks as the pair traded frames, the match finely poised at 2-2 after four. The top seed was scoring heavily, the sort of form that usually smothers resistance long before the finish line.

Lines refused to be overawed.

The 31-year-old from England, who has spent much of his career in the shadow of the sport’s elite, dug in and then hit back with authority. He stitched together a composed 77 to edge in front, then followed it with a clinical 84 to close out the match, turning a level contest into a statement win.

"You know you have to raise your game," Lines said afterwards, fully aware of the scale of the task 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."

He is very much staying. The reward is a last-32 clash with Yuan Sijun, and a real chance to turn one upset into a deep run.

The shocks did not stop there. World number four Neil Robertson also fell at the first hurdle, edged out 4-3 by China’s Luo Zetao in another upset that jolted the top end of the draw.

Some of the established names did steady the script. Former world champion Kyren Wilson eased past Poland’s Mateusz Baranowski 4-1, exerting control early and never really loosening his grip. Ding Junhui, three-time UK Championship winner and still a major force, was pushed all the way before squeezing past Michael Holt 4-3.

On a day when two of the sport’s biggest stars crashed out, Lines’ win over the world number one set the tone. The question now is who else dares to follow him through the gap he has just kicked open in this English Open draw.