How did Jimmy White perform in first snooker match of 2026 at German Masters as unique local derby is held in Leicester?
Updated 06/01/2026 at 16:09 GMT
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The new year is only a few days old, but the snooker action is already coming thick and fast with the qualifiers for the German Masters staged in Sheffield, while the Championship League in Leicester continues at pace. Jimmy White suffered defeat in the first round of the German Masters as Elliot Slessor became the second player to book his spot in the Championship League final winners' group.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White lost 5-3 to world No. 86 Huang Jiahao in the first round of qualifying for the German Masters in Sheffield despite a spirited performance at Ponds Forge.
The six-time world finalist, who turned professional in 1980, 15 years before Huang was born, battled back from 2-0 and 3-2 behind to level at 3-3 with Huang producing breaks of 66 and 52 before edging the final two frames on Monday night to book his spot in the next round.
Huang will next face Sanderson Lam on Wednesday aiming to secure his trip Berlin for the final stage of the coveted ranking event held at the city's Tempodrom between January 26-1 February, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The winner of that contest will take on three-time world champion Mark Williams in the last 64.
White, who last week lost 7-5 to Joe Perry in the final of the British Seniors Open in Derby, will quickly get the chance to return to winning form when he faces Sunny Akani in the first round of qualifying for the Welsh Open on Friday at 16:00 GMT.
There was also a 5-1 win for Marco Fu against Xu Yichen with the former Grand Prix winner producing breaks of 72, 72, 114 and 82 to set up a meeting against Martin O'Donnell in the second qualifying round on Wednesday.
And recent Scottish Open finalist Chang Bingyu, who lost 9-2 to Chris Wakelin in the title match in Edinburgh, enjoyed breaks of 53, 58, 125 and 57 to overcome Oliver Brown 5-1.
His next match is a meeting with Stan Moody on Wednesday at 10:00 with the winner set to take on Neil Robertson.
Kyren Wilson is the defending German Masters champion following his 10-9 win over Barry Hawkins in last year's final. Wilson is set to open his title defence against Robert Milkins or Dylan Emery.
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Chang dazzles crowd and stuns opponent with incredible long red
Video credit: TNT Sports
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Meanwhile, Elliot Slessor completed a 3-1 win over close friend Gary Wilson in a Newcastle derby in Leicester to win Group 2 at the Championship League at the city's Mattioli Arena.
After dropping the first frame, world No. 20 Slessor compiled breaks of 108, 57 and 138 to join Tom Ford in qualifying for the final winners' group.
Slessor eased past Noppon Saengkham 3-0 in the last four with Wilson dumping out Joe O'Connor 3-1 in the other semi-final.
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Wilson nails long red to edge Hawkins in thriller and claim second German Masters title
Video credit: TNT Sports
Wilson returns to compete in Group 3 of the Championship League on Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of his trip to the Masters at Alexandra Palace when he faces world champion Zhao Xintong in his tournament opener on Monday evening.
The 52nd staging of the Triple Crown event starts on Sunday, January 11 and is live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Masters, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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