 At the age of 44, 1997 champion Ken Doherty defeated Dechawat Poomjaeng 10–5 in qualifying to become the oldest player to reach the main stage.Kyren Wilson, Michael Wasley, Xiao Guodong, and Robbie Williams all made their debuts in the competition by coming through qualifying.The first round was played as best-of-19 over two between 19 and 24 April 2014.