Wednesday's round-up & results
Former world champion Neil Robertson crashed out in the first round of the China Championship after losing 5-4 to world number 58 Li Hang on Wednesday.
The Australian, ranked seven in the world, fought back from 4-2 down to force a decider but his Chinese opponent, who had earlier rolled in breaks of 76 and 57, held his nerve to claim a prize scalp.
Another ex-Crucible king Stuart Bingham was also a notable casualty as he was beaten 5-3 by rising Chinese star Yan Bingtao, while our tip Shaun Murphy had to survive a final-frame decider to see off Ken Doherty - coming from 4-3 down after having raced into a 3-1 lead.
A few big names were involved in qualifying-round matches on Wednesday, with world number one Mark Selby and crowd favourite Ding Junhui both coming through 5-1, with John Higgins winning 5-0 and they will all return to the baize on Thursday for their first-round matches.
But home hope Liang Wenbo is out, losing his qualifer 5-3 to Ian Burns.
Click here for the full tournament results and daily schedule
China Championship: Latest tournament betting
PRICE BOOST: Ronnie O'Sullivan 8/1 from 6/1 to win the China Championship
World number one Mark Selby is Sky Bet's 3/1 favourite to win the China Championship while Ronnie O'Sullivan is next in the running at 6/1. However, Sky Bet have enhanced the Rocket's price to 8/1.
Judd Trump is 15/2 as he looks to rediscover form having only managed to score 27 points in total during a 5-0 thumping to Sam Craigie in the World Open qualifiers last week while defending champion John Higgins is 8/1.
Ding Junhui will be fancied by many to triumph on home soil at 9/1 while Barry Hawkins is 10/1 and Shaun Murphy is 16/1 from 20/1 having survived a first-round scare. Marco Fu also saw his odds cut to 20/1 from 28/1 after his opening victory.
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China Championship: Thursday's odds & schedule
Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his campaign on Thursday morning UK time with a first-round clash with Sam Baird. The Rocket is 1/8 with Sky Bet to triumph while an upset defeat is 9/2.
Mark Selby, John Higgins and Ding Junhui are also in first-round action having won their qualifiers and they are all odds-on favourites to progress.
Elsewhere, Marco Fu is 2/7 to overcome a potentially tricky test against Hossein Vafaei, who is 5/2, while Mark Allen is priced up at 1/3 to see off 9/4 chance Matthew Stevens.
We reckon Thepchaiya Un-Nooh has what it takes to cause a mini upset at 6/5 in his clash with Michael Holt and is worth considering for your day two accas.
Click here for all the latest Sky Bet odds
Here’s the full order of play
Afternoon Session (1400 local, 0700 BST)
First Round (Best of nine frames)
TV Coverage: Eurosport 1
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Sam Baird
Mark Selby v Noppon Saengkham
Allan Taylor v Ian Burns
Zhou Yuelong v Chen Zifan
Martin Gould v Andrew Higginson
Jimmy Robertson v Luca Brecel
Hossein Vafaei v Marco Fu
Mark Allen v Matthew Stevens
Evening Session (1930 local, 1230 BST)
First Round (Best of nine frames)
TV Coverage: Eurosport 1
Alfie Burden v Ding Junhui
Judd Trump v Daniel Wells
Michael White v Xiao Guoding
Michael Holt v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Cao Yupeng v Ryan Day
Tian Pengfei v Mark Williams
Matthew Selt v Tom Ford
Chris Wakelin v John Higgins
Click here for the full tournament results and daily schedule
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