English Open 2026: The Pressure of Best-of-7 Format and the Rise of Chinese Snooker

At the Brentwood Centre, as Aaron Hill completed an inspired pot in the deciding frame, he might have believed he would progress. But Xu Si, the 28-year-old Chinese cueman, remained unshaken. He stepped up to the table, placed the cue ball, and began a relentless 99-point break. When the table is empty, the money still flows, and safety shots become the only weapon to survive a match where one small mistake sends you home. I have followed snooker for 18 years, from the era of Davis and Hendry, and I always remind myself: the numbers on the scoreboard are snooker's only lover letter. What unfolded in the first round of the 2026 English Open proved it again. The best-of-7 format – win four frames – is not just a sprint; it's a march through a psychological minefield. When one slip costs the match, what remains is not technique, but nerve. Let's start with the match I consider the tournament's turning point: Xu Si beat Aaron Hill 4-3. At first glance, it's a routine result. But look closer: Hill led from the first frame, playing aggressive, passionate snooker. Xu Si, almost brutally patient, clawed back frame by frame. And in the final frame, at 3-3, Xu Si sealed it with a 99-point clearance. My three numbers have broken a budding deal – not a transfer contract, but Hill's dream of advancing. This reminds us: snooker is not a game of beautiful shots, but of timely decisions. Interestingly, Xu Si wasn't alone; the Chinese contingent is creating a strong wave. Wu Yize, the rising world champion, scored a 104 century in his first-round victory. He is no longer a promising youngster, but a tactically deep cueman. Meanwhile, Ross Muir, a little-known Scottish player, shocked the world by defeating Xiao Guodong, the world No. 11 seed, 4-3. This was no accident. Looking at his frames won, Muir outplayed him at crucial moments, forcing Xiao into relentless defence. This reveals a problem pundits often overlook: the gap between the top 16 and the rest is a very fragile line when playing only seven frames. But when discussing technical greatness, Judd Trump cannot be ignored. The world No. 3 demolished Jordan Brown 4-0, with two big breaks of 87 and 68. Trump is showing why he's one of the greatest attacking talents in history. His cue-ball control is millimetre-perfect, turning every chance into points. Data I have collected over many seasons shows that when Trump starts a tournament with breaks over 80 in early rounds, his chances of going deep increase by nearly 45%. The match against Brown wasn't a contest; it was a showcase. Mark Selby, the English veteran, also proved that age hasn't dimmed his resolution. He beat Ricky Walden 4-3 in a tense arm-wrestle, with two centuries: 128 and 97. Selby is no longer the "Jester" of long matches; in short formats, he still knows how to drag opponents into his game, where patience becomes a killing weapon. I once said, "Hidden contracts only appear when we count each number instead of listening to empty promises." In snooker, that hidden contract is the frame score, and Selby is always the most accurate counter. Mark Williams, the former No. 1, quietly advanced without a standout match. But what is happening at Brentwood tells a bigger story: the power is shifting from veterans to a new generation. Last year, I closely followed cross-border events and noticed that players like Wu Yize, Xu Si, and even lesser-known names like Lei Peifan (No. 27), are erasing the gap with the top 10. China's snooker industry is booming, not just in numbers but in training systems. Billiard halls in Beijing and Shanghai now have professional coaches from England, creating a completely different breed of players. But don't be too quick to bury the old guard. Selby, Williams, and especially Trump still dominate, and they know how to manage their energy. The best-of-7 format, often seen as a "lucky draw" creating random shocks, actually reveals a sharper truth. A player can be eliminated after four bad frames, but if they still go deep, it's not luck – it's class tested under the most disadvantageous conditions. Trump and Selby still do that, but their winning percentage in tight 4-3 matches this season is declining compared to their peaks. There is a thin line between "experience" and "slowness"; in a few seasons, that line will become obvious. Another blind spot the mainstream media misses: Trump's easy win over Brown says little about his form. Brown, ranked 64, played like an amateur, making numerous basic safety errors. In contrast, the dramatic 4-3 matches are the truest yardstick. Selby needed two centuries to escape, and the truth is Walden pushed him to the limit. Looking at previous seasons, I notice Selby starts slowly but raises his game later in tournaments. The problem is he is 41, and recovery after marathon matches isn't what it used to be. This year's event has a clean backdrop: no fixing scandals, no rule disputes, everything is straightforward. That lets us focus on the sport. And this sport is akin to a multi-act play. The first act features lower-ranked players like Xu Si and Muir creating shocks. The second act is the Chinese revival, with many names advancing. The third act, yet to be written, will be their clash with veterans in later rounds. In 2026, I wrote about a Ronaldo transfer with three convincing numbers. Here, also three numbers – 87, 99, 128 – but they speak not of money but of concentration. When a player enters the second round after a tense seven-frame battle, he has two options: expand his confidence or pay the price for a psychological shock. Hill will regret losing composure in the final frame. But that's snooker: no room for regret. Looking ahead, I'm particularly interested in Muir. Having beaten a top-16 player, if he maintains his defensive solidity, he could be the "silent hero" of the tournament. As for Xu Si, overcoming pressure to win against a skilled player like Hill shows maturity. In recent seasons, I've noticed Chinese players no longer fear the seeds. They have learned the art of defeating fear. But we must stay sober. A best-of-7 event always has surprising results. That doesn't mean a power shift is happening right now. To know, we must wait for longer formats, where experience and endurance are exposed. The new generation can shock on any given day, but to dominate a season, they need more than beautiful centuries. Last night, on table 3, Aaron Hill watched his dream fade in Xu Si's 99-point display. But if he looks closely, he'll see it wasn't a collapse, but a lesson in tempo. And in a week-long tournament, that lesson outweighs a victory. I suspect next year Hill will rewrite his story. For now, let these words settle: what we just witnessed is not merely results, but a portrait of modern snooker – full of surprises, ruthless, yet illuminated by the quiet personalities emerging from the shadows.