Barry Hawkins vs Chris Wakelin

Hawkins comes into the tournament after a difficult spell. The 2026 Welsh Open winner has lost his last two matches, 5–2 to Elliot Slessor and 4–2 to Daniel Wells. Barry was also forced to withdraw from the International Championship because of illness, so his readiness for the new tournament remains in doubt. Wakelin has been inconsistent too, but he beat Neil Robertson 5–2 in October and edged past Long Zehuang 6–5 in early November. The Englishman then lost his next match 6–3 to Chang Bingyu. Their most recent meeting was in August 2025, when Wakelin won 6–5.

There is little to separate the two players in terms of ability, but current circumstances give Wakelin a slight edge. He has already shown he can beat Hawkins, while his recent wins over Robertson and Long show that Chris remains competitive at a high level. Hawkins is dangerous thanks to his strong positional play and extensive experience, but two consecutive defeats and his enforced absence from the previous tournament make it difficult to judge his readiness. If Wakelin can maintain a high rate of break-building and capitalise on his opponent’s mistakes, he has a good chance of repeating the result of their last meeting.