Ben Woollaston conjured one of many large shocks of the 2025 World Snooker Championship after defeating Mark Selby 10-8 on Thursday in Sheffield.
The all-Leicester conflict proved to be considerably of a turgid affair with each gamers failing to provide fluent snooker.
4-time world champion Selby had come into this version on the Crucible Theatre on the again of some glorious kind and was being tipped by many pundits as a contender once more this yr.
However the British and Welsh Open champion struggled all through the sport, along with his opponent capable of take full benefit to spring an unlikely upset.
Woollaston, showing on the Crucible for the primary time in 12 years, contributed simply 4 half-century breaks however performed some hardened match snooker to advance.
The 37 year-old, whose spouse Tatiana officiated the 2024 UK Championship last in December, will face Si Jiahui within the second spherical of the 2025 World Snooker Championship.
“I’m only a bit shocked actually,” a tired-looking Ben Woollaston instructed the World Snooker Tour after prevailing from the 10-hour slog.
“As a result of I haven’t been to the Crucible for therefore lengthy, I by no means thought today would occur to be sincere.”
“Simply to get right here I used to be fairly blissful, as a result of it had been so lengthy. However I needed to do myself justice.
“Clearly, the primary factor was to win. But when I didn’t, I needed to carry out – I didn’t need to play poorly.
“It’s wonderful, my oldest son Edward – I don’t know the way he did it – to look at 5 hours one evening and 5 hours the following evening.
“He actually didn’t miss one shot, he stayed in there in the course of the interval. It’s wonderful that he did it.
“I see why folks say [good things] in regards to the Crucible, it’s like nowhere else that I’ve performed. Clearly, I’ve not performed the Masters or something like that, but it surely’s particular enjoying in there.
“It’s actually tight, it’s not a large venue. The folks really feel like they will contact you, they’re that shut. The gang are usually 10-15 metres from the desk.
“They’re by no means that shut. It’s simply the historical past, and it’s a particular theatre. It’s such a buzz with the noise once you come out.
“I can solely think about what it’s like when gamers come out for finals and it’s actually loud. Rob Walker is sensible at getting the gang up for it. It will get your coronary heart racing.”
Earlier on day six, Luca Brecel fought his method again from behind to oust Ryan Day in an entertaining, albeit at occasions low-quality, showdown that ended 10-7.
The 2023 champion is defending the £500,000 he earned two years in the past and can plummet down the rolling two-year rankings if he doesn’t go deep once more on this yr’s event.
Brecel was nowhere close to his greatest however was capable of benefit from an error-strewn efficiency from his opponent to claw again a 5-1 deficit and win 9 out of the concluding 11 frames.
With the primary spherical finished and dusted, the spherical of 16 was additionally capable of begin on Thursday.
One other shock is on the playing cards with Chris Wakelin, who has already dispatched 2010 champion Neil Robertson, orchestrating an early 6-2 benefit in opposition to Mark Allen.
It’s a lot nearer within the match between John Higgins and Xiao Guodong, with the pair locked following their opening session at 4 frames apiece.
These video games proceed on Friday, whereas the likes of Zhao Xintong and Mark Williams may even reenter the fray on day seven.
Zhao takes on Lei Peifan whereas Williams meets Hossein Vafaei within the second spherical.
For the total 2025 World Snooker Championship draw, outcomes, and schedule, click on right here.
Featured picture credit score: WST
