Mystery as Brecel out of Xi'an Grand Prix after failing to appear for qualifier in Leicester

Mystery surrounded former world champion Luca Brecel in Leicester on Friday after he was eliminated from the Xi’an Grand Prix for failing to appear for his match.

The 2023 world champion was due to face England’s world No. 83 Hammad Miah at 2:30pm in his opening match of the season’s second ranking event, but his opponent was handed a walkover 5-0 win after the Belgian player did not turn up.

“Luca Brecel has not arrived for his Xi’an Grand Prix qualifier this afternoon in Leicester,” said organiser World Snooker Tour on social media.

“His opponent, Hammad Miah, has been awarded the match 5-0 and will be heading to China next month.”

Brecel, the world No. 4, competed at the Shanghai Masters last week, but lost 6-2 to Si Jiahui in the first round.

Qualifying for Xi’an Grand Prix is staged between Thursday and Saturday at the Mattioli Arena, with the tournament proper getting underway on Monday, August 19 in China.

It runs until Sunday, August 25, with a first prize of £177,000 on the table.

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s match in the round of 128 against Wang Yuchen has been held over to the finals venue, with world champion Kyren Wilson opening his campaign against Haris Tahir.