That could be as much as £100,000 ($130,000/€117,600) should he be victorious.

Liang, who is currently ranked 38th in the world, faces number six seed Mark Allen of Northern Ireland in the first round.

He hasn't played in the tournament since 2017, when he reached the semi-final.

Liang, who has won one ranking title and one minor-ranking title in his career, was also a quarter-finalist in 2016.

The tournament began today in Cheltenham in England, with Allen and Liang set to meet tomorrow.

England's Judd Trump - the world number one - is the defending champion.

There have been more than 17,000 cases of coronavirus in China, with 361 people having lost their lives.

That means the death toll has overtaken that of the 2003 SARS outbreak.

The virus has spread to at least 23 other countries and has had an impact on sport. 

Hockey, football, boxing, skiing, golf and diving are just some of the sports to have had to cancel or relocate events.