World number one Judd Trump will face Stephen Maguire when he begins the defense of his UK Championship title on Saturday.
Trump has not yet secured a silver medal in 2025 and will face a last-32 contest against Maguire, who was UK champion in 2004 and also reached the final in 2007 and 2019.
Record eight-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his campaign against China’s Zhou Yulong on Tuesday.
‘The Rocket’, who turned 50 on the day of the quarter-finals, has won all his last seven meetings with the world number 29, who reached the English Open final earlier this season.
The first Triple Crown event of the season, which will be shown live on the BBC, will take place at the York Barbican from November 29 to December 7 and will offer a top prize of £250,000.
Reigning world champion Zhao Xintong will meet Long Zhuang or Louis Heathcote on Monday, while Kieran Wilson, who won at the Crucible in 2024, will play Elliot Slessor – the highest-ranked qualifier in the field.
Mark Allen plays Scott Donaldson, who produced a remarkable fightback from 5-0 down to beat Stuart Bingham in qualifying, while John Higgins is pitted against Ben Woollaston.
Meanwhile, Mark Selby will face either Lei Peifan or Jimmy Robertson and Shaun Murphy will face Lu Haotian.
UK Championship last-32 draw:
judd trump vs stephen maguire
Si Jiahui vs Hossein Wafai or Ryan Day
Ding Junhui vs Tom Ford or Xu Si
Mark Allen vs. Scott Donaldson
mark williams vs david gilbert
Xiao Guodong vs Pang Junxu or Noppon Saengkham
Wu Yize vs Michael Holt
Neil Robertson vs. He Guoqiang or Julien Leclerc
Kieran Wilson vs. Elliot Slessor
Barry Hawkins vs. David Lilley or Artemis Zizins
Mark Selby vs. Leigh Pfann or Jimmy Robertson
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs. Zhou Yuelong
John Higgins vs. Ben Woollaston
Shaun Murphy vs. Lu Haotian
Gary Wilson vs. Zhang Anda or Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Zhao Xintong vs. Long Zehuang or Louis Heathcote
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