Jimmy White set to face ultimate generation game at UK Championship, but Ronnie O'Sullian holds snooker record in match for ages with Fred Davis
By Desmond Kane
Updated 14/11/2025 at 09:35 GMT
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Jimmy White and Michal Szubarczyk are set to create a new tournament record for the UK Championship when they meet in the opening qualifying round of this year's competition, which is live on TNT Sports and discovery+. White, the 1992 UK winner, is 49 years older than his opponent, who became the youngest player to play on the professional circuit when he earned a two-year card in March.
Can Jimmy White recreate Judd Trump's brilliance?
Video credit: TNT Sports
Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White will create a new piece of snooker history in the first qualifying round of the UK Championship when he meets Polish kid Michal Szubarczyk.
Tour rookie Szubarczyk, who is 14 years old, was born in 2011, 19 years after White claimed his solitary UK title with a 16-9 win over John Parrott at Preston's Guild Hall.
The 49-year gap between the two players creates a new tournament record in the 49th edition of the major ranking event in a contest that could be described as the ultimate generation game at 19:00 (UK time) on Saturday, November 22.
White managed to navigate four qualifying rounds, including a 6-4 win over 2004 UK winner Stephen Maguire in the third round, to reach the last-32 stage of the 2022 UK Championship for the first time since 2010.
In doing so, he became the first figure in his 60s to achieve the feat at the UK since the Australian icon ‘Steady’ Eddie Charlton in 1993.
Steve Davis was 30 years older than 18-year-old Ding Junhui when they contested the 2005 final, with Ding triumphing 10-6 against the six-time winner in York.
Ronnie O'Sullivan and Fred Davis hold the all-time record for any battle of the ages, with Davis 62 years older than 16-year-old O'Sullivan when they met in the first round of the Grand Prix in 1992.
O'Sullivan completed a 5-1 win in their solitary meeting on tour before Davis, an eight-time world champion in the 1940s and 1950s, retired at the age of 79 in 1993.
Meanwhile, Szubarczyk has reached the final of the IBSF Amateur World Championships in Doha, where he is due to take on Ali Alobaidli of Qatar at 14:00 on Thursday afternoon (11:00 UK time).
The world No. 101 eased past Nicolas Mortreaux of France 5-1 in the last four, with Alobaidli defeating Englishman Harvey Chandler 5-2.
Qualifying for the UK Championship takes place between November 22-27 at Robin Park in Wigan before the main event is staged at the Barbican in York from November 29 to December 7, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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‘Hendry knew a force had arrived’ – White recalls O’Sullivan’s 1993 UK Championship triumph
Video credit: TNT Sports
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Other highlights in the opening qualifying round sees a Hong Kong derby between three-time ranking event winner Marco Fu and three-time women's world champion Ng On Yee, with 1997 world champion Ken Doherty taking on Simon Blackwell.
O'Sullivan is due to begin his quest for a record-extending ninth UK title against a qualifier at 13:00 UK time on Tuesday, December 2 in York with the top 16 seeds starting out in the last 32.
But several leading men will have to negotiate two rounds in Wigan to qualify for the main stage, including Maguire, Luca Brecel, Jack Lisowski, Chris Wakelin, Stuart Bingham, Jak Jones, Ali Carter, Zhang Anda and Anthony McGill.
Wu Yize earned his spot among the top 16 seeds for the UK Championship with a 10-6 victory over John Higgins in the International Championship final in Nanjing on Sunday.
World No. 1 Judd Trump defends the trophy following his 10-8 win over Barry Hawkins in last year's final.
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Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the UK Championship, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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