Holder Williams out, O'Sullivan withdraws, Trump up to 999 centuries

Defending British Open champion Mark Williams suffered a daze 4-1 conclusion by Malaysian world number 81 Rory Thor successful nan first information of this year's British Open astatine nan Centaur successful Cheltenham.

Ronnie O'Sullivan withdrew from nan British Open connected Monday, conscionable hours earlier he was scheduled to look Manasawin Phetmalaikul successful his first-round match, England's Lewis Ullah coming successful arsenic his replacement.

Thor, 36, won nan first 3 frames against three-time world champion Williams, pinch nan thief of a break of 85 successful nan second.

Williams pulled 1 back, earlier Thor held his nervus successful framework 5 to get complete nan statement and book his spot successful nan 2nd round.

British Open victor successful 1997, 2021 and 2023, Williams mislaid nan inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters last 10-9 to Judd Trump earlier this period but has grounded to recapture nan shape that took him to that decider successful his consequent 2 events.

For nan Welshman, it was a 2nd consecutive nonaccomplishment successful nan first information of a tournament, nan 49-year-old having besides exited nan English Open astatine nan first hurdle past week.

World number 1 Judd Trump and Mark Allen, classed third, won their first-round ties.

Trump showed nan good shape which has seen him triumph nan Shanghai Masters and Saudi Arabia Masters this play arsenic he saw disconnected Robert Milkins 4-1 successful conscionable 50 minutes.

A break of 104, nan 999th period of his career, put him 1-0 up and he followed that up pinch an 81 successful nan adjacent to lead 2-0.

Milkins replied pinch a 62 to trim his deficit, but Trump responded pinch runs of 74 and 81 to progress, nan second break comprising 11 reds and 10 blacks earlier he collapsed down.

Allen came done a hard-fought brushwood pinch Gary Wilson, nan world number 3 from Northern Ireland triumphing 4-3 to book a gathering pinch Aaron Hill successful nan 2nd round, nan Irishman having beaten Ding Junhui 4-3.

Allen, nan 2022 runner-up, took nan first 2 frames against nan 2021 losing finalist but breaks of 78 and 50 helped Wilson tie level, earlier Allen won a drawn-out fifth, which lasted almost an hour.

A tally of 97 drew nan Englishman level but Allen came retired connected apical successful nan decider to beforehand to information two.

World champion Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy are among nan different players successful action later connected Monday.