The World Championship begins on Saturday, with Kyren Wilson aiming to make snooker history. The reigning champion is attempting to shatter the infamous ‘Crucible Curse’ that has seen no first-time winner successfully defend their title the following year.
As the 2025 tournament approaches, there’s a buzz around several key storylines, particularly concerning Ronnie O’Sullivan. Having not played competitively since January, the Rocket has confirmed he will play at the Crucible for a record-extending 33rd time.
He is set for a tantalising first-round match against his bitter rival Ali Carter on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Wilson kicks off his title defence in the opening session against Lei Peifan. Here’s a round-up of the latest news and views from the World Championship…
While much of the chatter pre-World Championship has been about O’Sullivan’s return, his first-round opponent has faced his own challenge, with Carter almost withdrawing from qualifying due to a neck problem.
The Captain explained: “I really couldn’t tell you how it happened. It just came on when I had a coffee one morning. I literally couldn’t move my neck at all. I couldn’t do anything. It impacts my sleep. It’s terrible.”
Despite the severe discomfort, he managed to battle through qualifying and secure his spot in the tournament. Given their stormy history, the match against O’Sullivan is standout tie of round one.
O’Sullivan opted to skip the new Champions Dinner on Thursday night. The Masters golf-style curtain-raiser brought together previous Crucible champions, and, as a seven-time winner, O’Sullivan was on the guest list.
However, having only just confirmed his participation in the tournament, he decided to give it a swerve. In total, 12 of the 19 living world champions attended, including Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and defending champion Wilson.
It has now been confirmed that Ally McCoist, alongside the network’s top football commentator Darren Fletcher, will be providing commentary for Wednesday’s Crucible action.
The duo won’t be taking over from the regular snooker commentators but will offer an alternative feed accessible through TNT and the Discovery Plus app. McCoist has been involved in TNT’s pre-tournament coverage, interviewing O’Sullivan, who will be part of the punditry team prior to his first-round match.
Mark Selby has admitted his disappointment about facing first-round opponent Ben Woollaston. It’s another Leicester derby for the Jester this year, following a surprising first-round defeat to Joe O’Connor in 2024.
Selby, who often shares the practice table with Woollaston, would have rather met a different competitor in the opening round. Speaking on BBC 5 Live right after the draw, the four-time world champion said: “Ben’s from Leicester and I’ve known him since he was a young lad. We’ve practised together for many years.
“I didn’t want to draw Joe again, and Ben. Dave Gilbert, I practice with him. So there were probably three or four who I didn’t want to play. I’ve not spoken to Ben, but Rob [snooker host Walker] was saying that when he got through the qualifiers, he probably didn’t want to play myself.
“Not because he doesn’t fancy it – he’ll go into the match confident and feeling he can win, I’m sure. But just because we’re from the same area, it’s not nice. You both want to do well in the tournament, and one of you is going to go home.”
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