World Snooker Championship 2025

Zhou Xintong allowed Cheung to get a couple more frames beofre finishing him off 10-3 with a break of 141. His next challenge might be a bit harder as he plays Long Zehuang in the next round.

Farakh Ajaib finished off Baipat 10-2. Bai Yulu and Mink Nutcharut play their matches tomorrow.

Decent effort from Michal Szubarczyk on his debut. The 14 year old Pole came back from 7-3 down to only trail 9-8 before Dean Young finished him off 10-8.

Steven Hallworth, soon to be a professional after winning his Q Tour playoff, beat Bulcsu Revesz 10-2. Wins also for Julian Boiko, Sunny Akani and Alexander Ursenbacher.

Jimmy White was 7-3 down against Anton Kazakov, but he made a 126 total clearance, he's won 5 frames in a row and currently leads 8-7.
He's currently ahead in the 16th. I'll have to stay up till late to see if he makes it.

Edit: Anton Kazakov hit back to level a 9-9, but at just before 1.30am Jimmy White won a scrappy deciding frame to win 10-9.

One player who won't be qualifying for The Crucible is Graeme Dott.

BBC News - Ex-snooker champion Dott charged with child sex offences
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c985555nr49o

Shocking

No heroics this time for Bai Yulu, she lost 10-3 to EBSU Champion and Q Tour playoff winner Liam Highfield. Mink was holding her own at only 5-4 down against Ian Burns, but Burns won the last 5 frames to win 10-4.

Ken Doherty with his new cue took the first 9 frames against Haydon Pinney. Pinney managed to pull 3 frames back before Doherty finished him off 10-3.

Wins also for Gao Yang and Wang Yuchen. Yuchen will presumably get a bye in the next round now that Dott has been suspended.

Long Zehuang, a semi-finalist at the Wuhan Open this season, seemed a tough player for Zhao Xintong to get so soon. Zehuang is just as positive, just as attacking as Zhao. Zehuang ended the morning session with a 5-4 advantage. In the evening Zhao flew out of the blocks and powered through the next 5 frames to go 9-5 up. Then it was Zehuang's turn to make the game look easy, winning 3 frames in a row to close to 9-8 and give Zhao a scare. Zehuang was even 45-9 up in frame 18 and looking like he was going to take the game to a decider until Zhao made light of the fact there were 3 reds on cushions and made a remarkable 70 clearance to the pink to get through the line 10-8. It doesn't get any easier for Zhao as he has Lyu Haotian in the next round, another fluent Chinese player who likes to attack.

Marco Fu made a rare 16 red total clearance of 139 from Ben Mertens leaving him a free ball, only the 7th ever 16 red total clearance in professional snooker. Fu went on to beat Ben Mertens 10-4.

Joe Perry beat Dylan Emery 10-6, then announced he was retiring from professional snooker after this tournament.

Ishpreet Singh-Chadha won. Anton Kowalski and Alexander Ursenbacher both lost.

It shows the depth in the draw when so many recognisable players get KO'd before they even reach Sheffield.

Jimmy White is out after a 10-5 defeat to Ashley Carty. The Whirlwind went 1-5 down and despite a mini recovery could not overhaul his opponent.

Ken Doherty was also unable to recreate his heroics from the previous round. He's currently 8-1 down to David Lilley after the first session.

The real drama last night was Anthony Hamilton v Stephen Hallworth. Hamilton won all 9 frames in the first session and looked home. In the evening session Hallworth was pulling back frame after frame and won 8 frames in a row to trail 9-8. In frame 18, Hallworth led 63-0 and looked like he was going to take the match to a decider from 9-0 down, and maybe pull off a historic victory. But Hamilton pulled off a dramatic 69 clearance to win on the black at just before 12.30am to win 10-8.

Wang Yuchen got his bye into the next round after Dottgate. Wins for Michael Holt, Stan Moody, Jamie Jones and Julien Boiko.

I was looking at the draw this morning, trying to work out who's likely to get through to Sheffield. Bingham-Holt seems a pretty undesirable match-up.

Round 2 ends with Lilley beating Doherty 10-2, He Guoqiang beating Liam Highfield 10-3, and wins also for Gao Yang and Ian Burns. Burns will be Craptain Carter's opponent in the next round.

So to round 3, with the more well known players not in the top 16 coming out. Zak Surety, a semi finalist in the World Open just 6 weeks ago, was a very tough opponent for Jack Lisowski to have drawn. Lisowski went 8-5 up, but Surety carried on where he left off in the World Open, making 2 centuries in winning 5 frames in a row, and upsetting Lisowski 10-8. McGill won't be terrorising the Crucible this year, he lost 10-5 to Aaron Hill.

Joe Perry has retired from professional snooker after losing 10-5 to Yuan Sijun. Spaceman Dominic Dale has also retired after losing 10-4 to Daniel Wells.

Zhou Yuelong beat Ishpreet 10-5. Wins also for Gary Wilson and David Gilbert.