Eight players remain at the Northern Ireland Open, and the quarter-final draw offers more than a simple favourites list. Every tie brings a ranking gap, from Kyren Wilson against Anthony McGill to Sam Craigie against Elliot Slessor. The widest is Craigie, ranked 70th, against Slessor at 22. Those numbers do not decide a best-of-11 match, but they sharpen the question for Friday: are the higher-ranked players set to hold their ground, or can Belfast deliver another surprise?
Ranking positions and format for the Belfast quarter-finals
Four matches remain on Friday's card.
Sam Craigie is 70th; Elliot Slessor is 22nd.
Wilson-McGill, Williams-Gilbert, and Donaldson-Jones.
Each quarter-final is a race to six frames.
The quarter-final losers' prize listed for the event.