UK Championship snooker 2024 draw revealed as Ronnie O’Sullivan is handed tricky start

REIGNING CHAMP Ronnie O'Sullivan has been handed a tricky commencement successful his defence of the UK Championship title.

The 47-year-old volition look Barry Hawkins, successful a repetition of the 2013 World Championship final.

The UK Championship gets underway this Saturday and volition past done to December 1.

The 'Rocket' has been handed a pugnacious archetypal trial arsenic helium looks to scope his archetypal last of the season.

He's somewhat out-of-form having endured disappointment successful the Xi'an Grand Prix and Shanghai Masters.

O'Sullivan besides suffered 1 of the biggest collapses successful caller representation when helium crashed retired the Champion of Champions successful embarrassing manner aft losing a 3-0 pb to Xiao Guodong.

Judd Trump, who volition fancy his chances of a 2nd UK title, faces Neil Robertson for 2nd clip successful arsenic galore weeks.

The satellite No.1 counted himself "unlucky" aft he took a swipe astatine Robertson's tactics successful his 6-4 quarter-final nonaccomplishment past week.

Elsewhere, reigning satellite champion Kyren Wilson - yet to triumph the UK Championship - volition play Stephen Maguire.

And Mark Selby volition conscionable Jack Lisowski, who stopped Bai Yulu becoming the archetypal pistillate to scope this stage, successful different eye-catching match.

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Champion of Champions victor Mark Williams indispensable flooded Stuart Bingham successful the past league connected Tuesday.

While erstwhile Asda transportation operator and International Championship finalist Chris Wakelin returns to play chap Brit Matthew Selt.

While four-time satellite champ John Higgins volition play either He Guoqiang oregon Stan Moody.

All eyes volition beryllium afloat focused connected O'Sullivan and Hawkins travel Saturday afternoon, though, with the eight-time UK winner's lucifer archetypal connected the paper astatine the Barbican.

Shaun Murphy takes connected Zhai Xintong and Ali Carter faces Ryan Day aft O'Sullivan leaves the table.

O'Sullivan has a grounds 23 Triple Crown titles to his sanction and bushed Ding Junhui successful past year's UK Championship final.