Reigning champion Jack Lisowski has successfully started his defence of the Northern Ireland Open, defeating Huang Jiahao 4-1 in Belfast. The 35-year-old Englishman, who claimed his first ranking title at the tournament last year, established a three-frame lead before closing out the match on the black in the fifth frame.
Lisowski's victory sets up a second-round clash with Scotland's Anthony McGill, who also secured a 4-1 win over Stephen Maguire.
However, the opening day of the tournament saw a significant upset as four-time world champion Mark Selby exited in the first round. Selby, the world number five, was beaten 4-2 by Louis Heathcote, despite initially leading 2-0. Selby had been aiming to become the first player to win all four Home Nations tournaments.
Other first-round surprises included Xiao Guodong losing a final-frame decider to Sam Craigie, and Aaron Hill's 4-2 defeat by Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.