Snooker: Eurosport Season Review, News & Northern Ireland Open 2024

Chinese snooker player Chen Zhe defeated Ross Muir 4-1 in the first round of the 2016 Northern Ireland Open, marking his first victory at the venue stage of a ranking event. The match, held in Belfast, saw Chen advance to the subsequent round where he narrowly lost 4-3 to Michael White despite initially leading 2-0.

The 2016 Northern Ireland Open result represented a significant milestone in Chen Zhe’s professional career, which began in 2012. He secured a two-year card to compete on the World Snooker Tour after winning five matches at the 2012 Q School. Chen, born February 28, 1993, in Taiyuan, Shanxi, China, is currently based in Romford, England, and regularly practices with Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Prior to his Northern Ireland Open success, Chen had achieved a career-high ranking of 66 in July 2012. He had previously recorded a 5-4 victory over Pankaj Advani in the first qualifying round of the 2012 Wuxi Classic, though he was subsequently defeated. He also reached the final qualifying round of both the World Open and China Open in the same year, losing to Michael Holt and Jamie Cope respectively.

Chen’s 2013-2014 season saw further qualifying success, including a 5-3 win over Matthew Selt to reach the 2013 Wuxi Classic, where he lost to Ben Woollaston. He also qualified for the Indian Open, falling to Hammad Miah in a close 4-3 match.

Results from the 2025 Northern Ireland Open are currently available on snooker.org, though details of Chen Zhe’s participation in that event are not specified in the provided sources.