The second match day of the British Open 2026 ranking tournament, on 2 September, will be remembered for a long time: 20-year-old Ukrainian snooker player Yulian Boyko pulled off the tournament's biggest upset, defeating the most decorated Asian player in snooker history — Ding Junhui. The match ended in a convincing win for the Ukrainian with a score of 4:1, which came as a real shock to the snooker community. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the official World Snooker Tour page on X (Twitter).
Match progression: from a blunder to three fifty-point breaks
Boyko started the match with high concentration and quickly went 2:0 up, showing confident play across all tables. However, he conceded the third frame due to an unfortunate blunder — the cue ball accidentally dropped into a pocket, which became the turning point of that frame. Nevertheless, Yulian did not lose his thread and restored a comfortable lead in the fourth frame. The deciding fifth frame turned into a tense 15-minute tactical battle, in which the Ukrainian proved colder-blooded and closed out the match. In his winning run, Boyko recorded three fifty-point breaks — 67, 61 and 55 — underscoring the attacking nature of his game on the day.
Other results from the match day
The second match day of British Open 2026 brought yet another major surprise: Liam Highfield crushed the reigning 2024 world champion Kyren Wilson with a score of 4:1. Mark Selby snatched a win from Jackson Page (4:3) in a tense thriller, while Judd Trump comfortably beat Ricky Walden (4:2). Among the top players, Shaun Murphy left the tournament, losing to David Gilbert (2:4). John Higgins, Jack Lisowski and Jack Jones also advanced to the quarter-finals.
A legend who has yet to lose to Ukrainians
Over his professional career, Ding Junhui has won 15 ranking titles, making him the most successful Asian player in snooker history. His collection includes three wins at the prestigious UK Championship. In the 2013/14 season, Junhui equalled Stephen Hendry's record by winning five ranking tournaments in a single season, and the following year he topped the world ranking for several weeks. The only trophy that has so far eluded him is the world championship title. He came closest to this goal in 2016, when he lost the final to Mark Selby.
Boyko's trajectory: from Jeddah to the British Open
The win over Junhui was a continuation of Yulian Boyko's impressive rise in world snooker. Earlier, the Ukrainian junior had already surprised the snooker world by winning his first match at the elite tournament in Jeddah. Now his name is firmly among the players capable of challenging even the most experienced and decorated opponents. In the quarter-finals of British Open 2026, Boyko awaits a new opponent, the pairings for which were determined following the match day of 2 September.
