English Open First Round: Trump Ruthless, Selby Fights Back, and Ross Muir Pulls Off the Shock

The English Open first round at Brentwood brought a mixture of ruthless dominance, resilience and one major upset. Xu Si fought back from losing the opening frame to beat Aaron Hill 4-3, closing the match with a composed 99-0 deciding frame. Judd Trump whitewashed Jordan Brown 4-0, producing breaks of 87 and 68 to remind everyone why he remains one of the tournament favourites. Mark Selby also needed seven frames to edge Ricky Walden 4-3, with breaks of 128 and 97 highlighting his attacking quality. The biggest shock came from Ross Muir, who defeated world number 11 Xiao Guodong 4-3. Wu Yize, the reigning world champion, opened his campaign with a 104 break. The best-of-7 format increased the possibility of surprises, and several matches went to deciding frames. While top players such as Trump and Selby showed their experience in tight moments, the younger Chinese generation also demonstrated considerable depth. The first-round results signal a competitive tournament ahead, where every frame matters and no player can afford to lose focus.