Selby wary of ‘horrible’ first round ties at World Championship as qualifying begins

Mark Selby says he is wary of some possibly “horrible” opponents coming through qualifying at the World Championship.

Neil Robertson and Stuart Bingham, the 2010 and 2015 winners respectively, are among the players desperately trying to secure their place at the Crucible.

Four-time world champion Selby believes that shows snooker’s strength in depth, and that some tasty early contests could come up.

“Normally over the last few years there’s been some horrible matches and you can pick four or five where you don’t really want him and him, but now there’s more than ever.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan, who will be attempting to land a record eighth crown, is also assured of his place at the Crucible.

For everyone else, though, they face the wild west of coming through up to four rounds of qualifying to make it to Sheffield.

Robertson and Bingham are joined in the draw by the likes of former runners-up Matthew Stevens and Jimmy White, the latter of whom is already through to the second round after a 10-0 walkover win over Martin Gould.

And Selby is wary of anybody who does the business to reach the Crucible.

“Neil is going to be a tough game for anyone,” he continued. “People like [Stephen] Maguire, he’s still a class act. I know the last 12-18 months he’s not played anywhere near as good as we know he can, but you still wouldn’t want him first round.

“You’ve got Hossein [Vafaei], Ricky Walden, some horrible ties. [Anthony] McGill, [Jack] Lisowski, Bingham, there’s nearly eight or nine straight away.

“Half of the qualifiers you don’t want to draw.”

The final round of qualifying, otherwise known as ‘Judgement Day,’ takes place across April 16 and 17, while the main event starts on April 20.

Stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live and on-demand on discovery+.

‘It’s a great practice match’ – Carter reveals inspiration ahead of O’Sullivan clash

Ali Carter has revealed he will go into his rematch with old rival Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Tour Championship quarter-finals in Manchester on Wednesday with one eye on the World Championship (20 April-May 6) later this month.

The two-time Crucible finalist booked a quarter-final against O’Sullivan with a tense 10-8 win over Barry Hawkins, who hit back from 7-1 behind before Carter scrambled over the line by dominating the 18th frame.

“I’m delighted to get over the line because it got a little bit sticky,” said Carter ahead of the best-of-19 frame encounter with O’Sullivan at the elite 12-man event. “Everyone is saying at 7-1 the match is won, but it’s not won until you reach 10.

“Coming through that match, there is a feather in my cap really because I was under extreme pressure.

“I’m playing well, but sometimes the game doesn’t let you play well. You’ve just got to keep battling away.”

picture

Relive O’Sullivan and Carter’s shoulder barge spat at 2018 World Snooker Championship

It will be the first time Carter and O’Sullivan have met since their bad-natured Masters final at Alexandra Palace in January that saw the Rocket claim a record eighth Masters title with a 10-7 final victory over his Essex rival by winning seven of the final eight frames.

The match ended in a war of words between with the pair, with Carter accusing O’Sullivan of “snotting all over the floor” and O’Sullivan responding by saying the world No. 8 was “not a nice person”.

Carter has only managed one win against O’Sullivan in 20 matches over the past 23 years – an infamous 13-9 victory in the last 16 of the 2018 World Championship in Sheffield when they brushed shoulders at the table.

“I relish the challenge now because he’s the best player to pick up a cue,” said Carter on ITV. “I’ve played him in a final this year. To play him in another quarter-final, I’m in the right place.

“It’s a great practice match for the World Championships. Coming here, I wanted to get as many best-of-19 frame matches in the bank. And what is a better match than against the greatest player of all time.

“I’m under no pressure. Only the pressure I put on myself to perform. I know I’ve put the work in. My preparation has been good. So we’ll see what happens.”

The match starts out at 1pm with eight frames to be played in the first session before they play to a finish from 7pm this evening.

The winner will meet Zhang Anda or Gary Wilson in Friday’s semi-finals.

Stream top snooker action, including the World Snooker Championship, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

‘A great dish’ – Vintage Williams produces one of the all-time great clearances

Mark Williams took snooker’s version of Route 66 in completing one of the greatest clearances of all time to secure a quarter-final with Judd Trump at the Tour Championship in Manchester.

It seemed unlikely his error would cost Ford the match, with four of the remaining seven reds tied up on cushions – until the three-time world champion produced a miraculous 66 clearance that had to be seen to be believed, with the white ball resembling a pinball in the ground it had to cover.

“I don’t know how I did it, but that was one of the best clearances I’ve ever made,” Williams told reporters.

“I took my eye off the red. It wasn’t a twitch or anything. But that must be one of the best clearances I’ve ever seen,” commented world No. 14 Ford, who produced four centuries in defeat.

“Five minutes and 46 seconds of absolute snooker genius,” was how World Snooker Tour described the break on their social media output.

In the context of the match, perhaps as good as any break produced in the modern history of the sport with an array of glorious positional shots and wonderful pots crowned by an audacious pot at pace on the final blue along a baulk cushion that saw him land perfectly on the match-clinching pink.

“I would have to see it back again,” said Williams, who also told ITV he was struggling with jet lag after returning from China ahead of the coveted 12-man event.

“I can’t remember much about it. If there was anything on, I had to go for it. It’s got to be up there. I know there was three or four reds on the cushion, blue was on the cushion.

“Anyway, was a great dish.”

Williams next faces Judd Trump on Thursday for a semi-final place.

Stream top snooker action, including the World Snooker Championship, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

‘Not good enough’ – Higgins raises fears about future after ‘unforgivable’ defeat

Four-time world champion Higgins began strongly in Manchester on Monday, but blew a 4-1 lead in losing nine of the last 12 frames to crash out of the elite 12-man event amid a strong sense of regret.

Despite producing fine breaks of 85, 75, 55, 66, 82, 62 and 86, the 31-time ranking event winner lost three frames on black balls and also watched Allen roll in a pivotal break of 93 leading 8-7 in the 16th frame after Higgins touched a green with his sleeve when lining up a long red from the D.

The Scotsman turned professional in 1992 and has lifted the world title in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011, but admits his 30th trip to the Crucible for the World Championship later this month (April 20-May 6) could be his “final go” at winning the sport’s biggest event for a fifth time.

Speaking after his defeat to Allen, a clearly deflated Higgins said: “I should have been in front today, lost a bad frame when I definitely should have made it 5-2 I think.

“Then it is 4-4, but I think Mark played better tonight. Again, I missed two or three unforgivable balls at this level that you cannot afford to miss.

“My long game was non-existent as well. At this level, it’s not good enough. It’s not good enough against the best players.

“I just need to dust myself down a couple of weeks before the worlds, try to get some good practice in and go there and give it a final go maybe.”

Higgins last won a major ranking title with a 10-3 victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the 2021 Players Championship.

The celebrated ‘Class of ’92’ icon is likely to be seeded 13th at the Crucible unless Tom Ford or Barry Hawkins can reach the final of the Tour Championship on Sunday.

Allen progresses to a quarter-final meeting with Ding Junhui on Wednesday after compiling three centuries against Higgins, but had words of encouragement for the Wishaw player.

“I think he’s actually being a bit too hard on himself,” said Allen on ITV. “He’s not playing bad snooker. Like I said, it is fine, fine margins.

“Three black balls and a real uncharacteristic foul by John. It’s almost like he has to win one of these close games.

“I don’t feel like we have to talk John up. He’s a four-time world champ.”

Stream top snooker action, including the World Snooker Championship, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

‘Not good enough’ – Higgins raises fears about future after ‘unforgivable’ defeat

Four-time world champion Higgins began strongly in Manchester on Monday, but blew a 4-1 lead in losing nine of the last 12 frames to crash out of the elite 12-man event amid a strong sense of regret.

Despite producing fine breaks of 85, 75, 55, 66, 82, 62 and 86, the 31-time ranking event winner lost three frames on black balls and also watched Allen roll in a pivotal break of 93 leading 8-7 in the 16th frame after Higgins touched a green with his sleeve when lining up a long red from the D.

The Scotsman turned professional in 1992 and has lifted the world title in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011, but admits his 30th trip to the Crucible for the World Championship later this month (April 20-May 6) could be his “final go” at winning the sport’s biggest event for a fifth time.

Speaking after his defeat to Allen, a clearly deflated Higgins said: “I should have been in front today, lost a bad frame when I definitely should have made it 5-2 I think.

“Then it is 4-4, but I think Mark played better tonight. Again, I missed two or three unforgivable balls at this level that you cannot afford to miss.

“My long game was non-existent as well. At this level, it’s not good enough. It’s not good enough against the best players.

“I just need to dust myself down a couple of weeks before the worlds, try to get some good practice in and go there and give it a final go maybe.”

Higgins last won a major ranking title with a 10-3 victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the 2021 Players Championship.

The celebrated ‘Class of ’92’ icon is likely to be seeded 13th at the Crucible unless Tom Ford or Barry Hawkins can reach the final of the Tour Championship on Sunday.

Allen progresses to a quarter-final meeting with Ding Junhui on Wednesday after compiling three centuries against Higgins, but had words of encouragement for the Wishaw player.

“I think he’s actually being a bit too hard on himself,” said Allen on ITV. “He’s not playing bad snooker. Like I said, it is fine, fine margins.

“Three black balls and a real uncharacteristic foul by John. It’s almost like he has to win one of these close games.

“I don’t feel like we have to talk John up. He’s a four-time world champ.”

Stream top snooker action, including the World Snooker Championship, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Allen completes comeback against Higgins at Tour Championship, Wilson leads Selby

Mark Allen completed an impressive comeback to beat John Higgins 10-7 in the first round at the 2024 Tour Championship in Manchester.

Allen fought back from 4-1 down and finished strongly as he set up a quarter-final showdown with Ding Junhui.

The eight frames of the first session featured moments of quality as both players battled to get the upper hand in the best-of-19 frame clash.

Allen took the opener with a break of 69 before Higgins, who secured the 12th and final spot in the tournament, responded with breaks of 85 and 75 to move ahead. Higgins then came through a scrappy fourth to lead 3-1 at the interval.

Higgins maintained his momentum when play resumed. After calling a foul on himself he nailed two plants in a break of 66 that eventually helped him over the line following Allen’s failed attempt to get a snooker.

Allen struggled for his usual fluency and that was evident again in the sixth frame. A good long red got him among the balls, but his cue ball control was ragged.

Nevertheless, his grittiness shone through as he potted his way out of trouble to keep the break going before making his 40th century of the season and first of the match.

More importantly, that contribution stopped the rot and reduced his deficit to two frames at 4-2.

The Northern Irishman capitalised on the swing in momentum, winning a marathon 56-minute frame to further close the gap with Higgins, before drawing level by taking the final frame.

Allen picked up where he left off in the evening session, taking the ninth frame in one visit. Higgins responded well with a break of 82, levelling the encounter at 5-5.

Play followed the same pattern over the next two fiercely-contested frames, with Allen winning the 11th and Higgins the 12th.

With the battle narrowed down to the best-of-seven frames, Allen took the lead with a 102 break, before securing a two-frame buffer as Higgins failed to pot a pink from distance.

Higgins brought it back to 8-7 with a break of 86 and looked as if he could level the clash again in the 16th frame. But he was penalised by referee Paul Collier for brushing the green with his sleeve, giving Allen the advantage.

Allen did not look back, taking the frame with a break of 93. He then clinched the winner with his third century of the day, setting up a quarter-final clash against Ding.

On the other table in the afternoon session, Gary Wilson was in sublime form as he opened up a 5-3 lead over Mark Selby.

Wilson made breaks of 95, 98, 78 and 101 to put himself in the ascendancy against the four-time world champion, with a place in the quarter-finals to play Zhang Anda up for grabs.

It was Selby who made the better start. The Jester from Leicester won two of the first three frames, which included a break of 85, to lead 2-1 in the all-English clash.

From there, though, he was second best. Wilson made it 1-1 with a break of 95 and then reeled off four frames in a row from 2-1 down to take control.

Crucially, he won a scrappy fifth frame after the break to move 3-2 ahead before breaks of 78 and 101 helped him extend his cushion.

He may yet rue a missed opportunity to take a 6-2 advantage into tomorrow’s session, though.

After Selby got in first and missed a chance he would have been fearing the worst, but he was given a reprieve and took it to trail by just two frames.

Meanwhile, Mark Williams will have a 5-3 advantage over Tom Ford in their second session tomorrow.

The Welshman had quickly raced into a 3-0 lead, with Ford finally off the mark in the fourth frame after a superb run of 114.

Williams regained his three-frame advantage with a break of 76, but Ford responded with 73 and 136 to close the gap to just one frame.

He couldn’t complete the comeback, however, with Williams securing the 5-3 lead after a break of 86 in the eighth frame.

Stream top snooker action, including the World Snooker Championship, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Allen fights back to level with Higgins at Tour Championship, Wilson leads Selby

John Higgins and Mark Allen are locked at 4-4 after the first session of their first-round encounter at the 2024 Tour Championship in Manchester.

The eight frames featured moments of quality as both players battled to get the upper hand in the best-of-19 frame clash and put themselves in pole position to book a quarter-final showdown with Ding Junhui.

Allen took the opener with a break of 69 before Higgins, who secured the 12th and final spot in the tournament, responded with breaks of 85 and 75 to move ahead. Higgins then came through a scrappy fourth to lead 3-1 at the interval.

Higgins maintained his momentum when play resumed. After calling a foul on himself he nailed two plants in a break of 66 that eventually helped him over the line following Allen’s failed attempt to get a snooker.

Allen struggled for his usual fluency and that was evident again in the sixth frame. A good long red got him among the balls, but his cue ball control was ragged.

Nevertheless, his grittiness shone through as he potted his way out of trouble to keep the break going before making his 40th century of the season and first of the match.

More importantly, that contribution stopped the rot and reduced his deficit to two frames at 4-2.

The Northern Irishman capitalised on the swing in momentum, winning a marathon 56-minute frame to further close the gap with Higgins, before drawing level by taking the final frame.

On the other table, Gary Wilson was in sublime form as he opened up a 5-3 lead over Mark Selby.

Wilson made breaks of 95, 98, 78 and 101 to put himself in the ascendency against the four-time world champion, with a place in the quarter-finals to play Zhang Anda up for grabs.

It was Selby who made the better start. The Jester from Leicester won two of the first three frames, which included a break of 85, to lead 2-1 in the all-English clash.

From there, though, he was second best. Wilson made it 1-1 with a break of 95 and then reeled off four frames in a row from 2-1 down to take control.

Crucially, he won a scrappy fifth frame after the break to move 3-2 ahead before breaks of 78 and 101 helped him extend his cushion.

He may yet rue a missed opportunity to take a 6-2 advantage into tomorrow’s session, though.

After Selby got in first and missed a chance he would have been fearing the worst, but he was given a reprieve and took it to trail by just two frames.

Allen and Higgins will play to a finish on Monday evening while Tom Ford and Mark Williams will play the first session of their match.

Stream top snooker action, including the World Snooker Championship, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Allen completes comeback against Higgins at Tour Championship, Wilson leads Selby

Mark Allen completed an impressive comeback to beat John Higgins 10-7 in the first round at the 2024 Tour Championship in Manchester.

Allen fought back from 4-1 down and finished strongly as he set up a quarter-final showdown with Ding Junhui.

The eight frames of the first session featured moments of quality as both players battled to get the upper hand in the best-of-19 frame clash.

Allen took the opener with a break of 69 before Higgins, who secured the 12th and final spot in the tournament, responded with breaks of 85 and 75 to move ahead. Higgins then came through a scrappy fourth to lead 3-1 at the interval.

Higgins maintained his momentum when play resumed. After calling a foul on himself he nailed two plants in a break of 66 that eventually helped him over the line following Allen’s failed attempt to get a snooker.

Allen struggled for his usual fluency and that was evident again in the sixth frame. A good long red got him among the balls, but his cue ball control was ragged.

Nevertheless, his grittiness shone through as he potted his way out of trouble to keep the break going before making his 40th century of the season and first of the match.

More importantly, that contribution stopped the rot and reduced his deficit to two frames at 4-2.

The Northern Irishman capitalised on the swing in momentum, winning a marathon 56-minute frame to further close the gap with Higgins, before drawing level by taking the final frame.

Allen picked up where he left off in the evening session, taking the ninth frame in one visit. Higgins responded well with a break of 82, levelling the encounter at 5-5.

Play followed the same pattern over the next two fiercely-contested frames, with Allen winning the 11th and Higgins the 12th.

With the battle narrowed down to the best-of-seven frames, Allen took the lead with a 102 break, before securing a two-frame buffer as Higgins failed to pot a pink from distance.

Higgins brought it back to 8-7 with a break of 86 and looked as if he could level the clash again in the 16th frame. But he was penalised by referee Paul Collier for brushing the green with his sleeve, giving Allen the advantage.

Allen did not look back, taking the frame with a break of 93. He then clinched the winner with his third century of the day, setting up a quarter-final clash against Ding.

On the other table in the afternoon session, Gary Wilson was in sublime form as he opened up a 5-3 lead over Mark Selby.

Wilson made breaks of 95, 98, 78 and 101 to put himself in the ascendancy against the four-time world champion, with a place in the quarter-finals to play Zhang Anda up for grabs.

It was Selby who made the better start. The Jester from Leicester won two of the first three frames, which included a break of 85, to lead 2-1 in the all-English clash.

From there, though, he was second best. Wilson made it 1-1 with a break of 95 and then reeled off four frames in a row from 2-1 down to take control.

Crucially, he won a scrappy fifth frame after the break to move 3-2 ahead before breaks of 78 and 101 helped him extend his cushion.

He may yet rue a missed opportunity to take a 6-2 advantage into tomorrow’s session, though.

After Selby got in first and missed a chance he would have been fearing the worst, but he was given a reprieve and took it to trail by just two frames.

Meanwhile, Mark Williams will have a 5-3 advantage over Tom Ford in their second session tomorrow.

The Welshman had quickly raced into a 3-0 lead, with Ford finally off the mark in the fourth frame after a superb run of 114.

Williams regained his three-frame advantage with a break of 76, but Ford responded with 73 and 136 to close the gap to just one frame.

He couldn’t complete the comeback, however, with Williams securing the 5-3 lead after a break of 86 in the eighth frame.

Stream top snooker action, including the World Snooker Championship, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

‘It got taken away’ – Brecel’s car gets towed before victory in World Mixed Doubles

Luca Brecel experienced an eventful Sunday as his car was towed away before winning the World Mixed Doubles title with Reanne Evans.

“I parked my car in the wrong place and it got taken away, so I had to go and get it just before the final and then just about made it back in time,” he told ITV Sport. “Crazy story. But luckily, I made it in time.

“I started off well and played a bit better than before, but not as good as I would have liked.

“It was still good enough to win, but I’m still not happy with the way we played. I guess Reanne will say the same, but I’m really happy to win this great tournament.

“I was already feeling much better in my game the last few months and winning this title helps a lot. Now I’m now really looking forward to Sheffield [World Championship].”

Meanwhile, it was a landmark evening for Evans after adding to her 12 world titles with Mixed Doubles success.

“[It’s] most definitely [special] – 22 years to play on TV and win a final,” she added.

“I know Luca carried me a little bit, and if I had known, I’d have towed his car right at the start of yesterday if he played like that.

“I’ve been playing a long time and it’s fantastic to be lifting a trophy and play in a final like this alongside all these great players.

“The crowd have been fantastic as well and I’ve really enjoyed myself. Yes, we didn’t play amazingly; we played a little bit better in the final and hopefully we can come back and try again.”

For Selby, it was a case of what might have been and the four-time world champion spoke about the challenges which the doubles format poses.

He said: “Playing doubles – whether it’s mixed doubles or just normal doubles – is always a tough format to try and play well and get any rhythm because you’re playing one shot every four, and sometimes you don’t know who is getting a pot.

“You could be sitting around for quite a long time before you get a chance. But I enjoyed it this weekend, it was good. I thought Rebecca played really well; she obviously showed why she’s No. 4 in the world, she made some good breaks during the weekend. Disappointed not to win, but to get to the final again was a good achievement.”

Stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live on Eurosport, discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Brecel and Evans win World Mixed Doubles title with victory over Selby and Kenna

Luca Brecel and Reanne Evans secured the World Mixed Doubles title with a 4-2 victory over Mark Selby and Rebecca Kenna in Manchester.

The two-day event reached its conclusion and reigning men’s world champion Brecel, playing in partnership with 12-time women’s world champion Evans, claimed the title.

Current world champion Brecel set his stall out with two superb half-century breaks to clear the table in a mere 10 minutes.

The Belgian was teed up to seal the second frame after some superb safety play by Evans, and doubled the duo’s lead with some excellent potting, culminating in a long green.

Selby and Kenna needed a response and they provided it in pulsating fashion, as the latter missed a shot on pink before being given a reprieve as Brecel failed to make her pay.

Selby managed to land that elusive pink to make amends for what could have been a costly missed blue earlier in the frame to halve the deficit.

Selby worked his way to a break of 67 with three reds left on the table, and with Evans and Brecel needing three snookers, they conceded the frame to leave this contest on a knife-edge at 2-2.

Brecel twice rattled the top pocket with a brown in the fifth frame, prompting a rueful look at the scene of the crime from the Belgian.

However, he would wrap up the closest and longest frame of this absorbing contest by landing the blue, moving himself and Evans to within one frame of victory.

Brecel was on a roll and looked to be on the way to wrapping up the match, but ended on a break of 59 after being thwarted by a long red to the top pocket.

When Selby left a pink over the bottom pocket, Brecel entered the fray again to finish off the match by clearing up to the blue to clinch the title and a combined prize of £60,000 – with the £30,000 share a hefty £26,000 more than Evans’ earnings on tour in the current season to date.

Stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live on Eurosport, discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com