[3] Mark Allen was the defending champion, but he withdrew from the event for personal reasons.

[4] His place was awarded to Ding Junhui, the next eligible player on the world ranking list.

[5] Judd Trump faced John Higgins in the final.

The 2021 World Snooker Championship runner-up Shaun Murphy was awarded a position in the event as well as remaining players being made up by the highest ranked players in the world rankings.

Mark Allen, who had qualified as defending champion, withdrew prior to the event during the 2021 English Open.