Defending champion Judd Trump got his English Open campaign under way with a 4-1 win over Matthew Selt in Milton Keynes.
Trump relished the return of fans to the venue where much of last season was played out in lockdown, admitting: "I had just become a robot that was used to winning.
"It became a habit. There was no special feeling and it didn't mean that much to me. Now having crowds back… has really got me up for this season."
Mark Selby, who will replace Trump as world number one next week irrespective of results, beat Sanderson Lam 4-2 while Ronnie O’Sullivan reeled off four 50-plus breaks to beat David Lilley 4-1.
Newly-crowned Northern Ireland Open champion Mark Allen crashed back to earth with a 4-1 defeat to Luca Brecel, while there were whitewash wins for Kyren Wilson and Neil Robertson over Noppon Saengkham and Andy Hicks respectively.
Barry Hawkins compiled a rare 146 total clearance in the second frame of his 4-1 win over Reanne Evans.
