Please note that this is NOT an official website. At this point in time Ronnie O’ Sullivan does not have an official website, nor does he wish to have one.
Four matches were played to a conclusion yesterday, and you will find the results and scores on snooker.org as always. As you can see, all matches, so far, were won by the seeded top 16 player. The story that captured WST attention though was the clash of generations, between Willo and the young Polish debutant Antoni Kowalski.
Mark Williams got the better of Poland’s top player Antoni Kowalski by a 10-4 scoreline to reach the last 16 of the Halo World Championship for the 23rd time.
Kowalski’s run was the most engaging storyline of the qualifying rounds last week as he had to reach the Crucible to save his tour card as well as becoming the first player from his country to appear at snooker’s Theatre of Dreams. However the talented 22-year-old admitted he “ran out of steam” on the main stage and was outplayed by world number six Williams.
Age 51 and despite the fact that his eyesight is gradually deteriorating, Williams must still be considered a contender for the crown as he reached the final last year, notably knocking out John Higgins and Judd Trump before losing to Zhao Xintong in the final. Earlier this season he became the oldest ever winner of a ranking title when he beat Shaun Murphy in the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix.
His next opponent is Barry Hawkins over a possible 25 frames on Friday and Saturday – a repeat of their epic 2018 semi-final which Williams won 17-15 on his way to a third world title.
This was a spirited debut from Kowalski and at 3-3 he looked capable of causing an upset, but missed too many chances in the remainder of the match.
Williams led 6-3 after the first session, but in the opening frame tonight he played a weak safety when he trailed 50-39 with two reds left, and Kowalski took advantage to narrow the gap. A break of 65 restored Williams’ three-frame cushion at 7-4, then in frame 12 the Welshman led 33-15 when he cracked in a long red to set up a run of 34 to go further ahead.
Kowalski had a scoring chance in the next but made only 15 before missing a red with the rest, and his opponent capitalised with the only century of the match, 115, to lead 9-4. The next came down to the final black and a brief safety exchange ended when Williams fired it from distance into a top corner.
“Antoni is a cracking potter, I don’t pot the long balls that he does any more,” said Williams. “I knew it would be tough for him on his debut so I tried to keep it tight and play to my strengths. He showed a bit of inexperience but he will learn from that and improve. The scoreline looks quite one sided but he could have won three or four more frames.“
Kowalski said: “The whole experience definitely lived up to my expectations. If I could I would play here every day, it’s such a special atmosphere. I put so much into the qualifying rounds and I was trying hard here but I ran out of steam.
“I couldn’t be more proud to have made my contribution as the first Polish player at the Crucible. We have been waiting for this breakthrough moment and hopefully this will make snooker more popular in my country.“
Indeed, as Mark Williams said, Antoni Kowalski could have made the match a lot closer. Of course it was a new experience for him and, also, there was a lot of attention and probably expectations on him as well. I do hope that Mark’s nice word will help the young polish player to overcome his disappointment quickly and encourage him to work even harder. He’s certainly talented and capable enough. He earned his spot at the Crucible.
The 2026 Snooker World Championship started yesterday at the Crucible theatre in Sheffield and, as per tradition, the defending champion “opened” the competition as his match played to completion on table 1.
This is never an easy task for the reigning World champion, especially when they are defending for the first time but Zhao Xintong acquitted himself very well, despite not playing at his brilliant best.
Zhao Xintong admitted he felt “big pressure” as he came through a nervy first round test to beat Liam Highfield 10-7, a successful start to his bid to retain the Halo World Championship title.
China’s 29-year-old Zhao looked vulnerable for much of the day against world number 92 Highfield, the lowest ranked player to come through the qualifying rounds, and could have fallen 6-5 behind. But he eventually came good, taking five of the last seven frames to earn a meeting with Ding Junhui or David Gilbert in the second round; a match which starts next Friday.
A year ago, Zhao made snooker history as the first player from Asia to lift the sport’s most famous trophy, beating Mark Williams 18-12 in the final. He is now aiming to break the Curse of the Crucible, as in the 49-year history of the Championship in Sheffield, no first-time winner has successfully defended the title.
Rated as short as 2/1 favourite by bookmakers at the start of the event, Zhao has been the player of the 2025/26 season so far, notably hitting top form since February and collecting silverware at the World Grand Prix, Players Championship and Tour Championship. And while today he was far from his best, he will be relieved to have negotiated an awkward opening hurdle, particularly given that first-time champions Luca Brecel in 2024 and Kyren Wilson in 2025 both crashed out in the opening round.
Trailing 5-4 after the first session, Highfield took the opening frame tonight on the colours and he had a scoring chance in the next but crucially on a break of 55 he missed a routine yellow to a baulk corner, and Zhao later took the frame with a delightful 44 clearance to regain the lead. That proved a key turning point as Zhao rattled in breaks of 68 and 128 to go 8-5 ahead at the interval.
Highfield might have pinched frame 14 but, in potting the final yellow, snookered himself on the green, and he later finished second best in a safety tussle as Zhao moved to the brink of victory. England’s Highfield fought back with an excellent break of 101, then a run of 53 helped him close to 9-7.
However Zhao kept his composure and blasted in a long planted red at the beginning of frame 17, setting up a break of 112, his third century of the match and 77th of the season.
“I didn’t play that well, there was big pressure,” said Zhao after reaching the second round at the Crucible for the third time. “It’s not like before, it was very different. The Crucible is very interesting like that. I’m really happy to win. I tried to control myself but I missed some easy balls. Tonight I felt better but it’s tough because it’s my first time as defending champion.
“The 11th frame was important, when I won that to go 6-5 ahead it gave me confidence that I could finish the game. The first round is very difficult, it’s hard to enjoy. I was very proud this morning when I was introduced, I wanted to stay in the tournament and not lose today.“
Highfield said: “I kept him at bay in the first session but tonight there were two or three frames I could have won, I just missed chances. The 11th frame hurt me, after that Zhao played well. I was trying to make sure I got on the next red and I took my eye off the yellow.“
On the other table, Barry Hawkins established a 7-2 overnight advantage over Matthew Stevens in a battle between two former finalists. They play to a finish on Sunday from 2.30pm.
Stevens had an early 2-1 lead but 2013 runner-up Hawkins then reeled off six frames in a row with a top break of 99.
I don’t have much to add, as I didn’t watch any of the other matches so far. I’m pleased for Zhao. I like the way he plays, and he comes across as a nice character. Yes, he looked vulnerable, but then, this was probably the most pressure he ever felt in his career so far. He is out there as the first ever Chinese World Champion, and defending Champion. He has to cope with the hopes and expectations of a population of over 1.400 billion individuals, I’m certain that the Chinese media showed up in force at the Crucible his match yesterday … who wouldn’t feel pressure under these circumstances? Well done Zhao!
That said, Liam Highfield is a likeable character and he certainly didn’t disgrace himself. It takes two to make a good match and this was one, not because of sky high standard, but because it was competitive and played in good spirit by two men who gave it their best.
A memorial service paying tribute to late great snooker legend John Virgo was held at Sheffield Cathedral today, almost two months after his death.
A plethora of snooker legends, including Virgo’s long-time pal Dennis Taylor, attended on Thursday afternoon, alongside Virgo’s widow Rosie Ries. The proceedings started at 1pm after a bevy of guests started arriving at around 12.30pm. Fans also attended, taking up some 600 spaces at the event.
The event was followed by a reception at Sheffield Town Hall, with drinks and canapes, from 2.30pm until 5pm. Virgo, known to pals and fans as “JV”, died aged 79 at his home in Mijas Costa in Spain in February.
Ken Doherty, the 1997 World Champion, and snooker’s Master of Ceremonies Rob Walker arranged the service to give the snooker community and the people of Sheffield the chance to celebrate Virgo’s life.
here are some pictures, shared on Weibo
This afternoon, there was also the now traditional green carpet ceremony in Sheffield’s city centre
Again the majority of these pictures were shared on weibo, which is why most show mainly the Chinese players…
Ronnie O’Sullivan faces fine ahead of quest for eighth World Snooker Championship
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump are set to be fined for missing the launch of the 2026 World Championship in Sheffield.
This year’s players gathered in Tudor Square outside the Crucible Theatre on Friday for a green-carpet ceremony celebrating the relationship between snooker and Sheffield.
But O’Sullivan and Trump did not appear and unless they can provide a valid reason for their absence, such as a medical issue, they face a sanction from the World Snooker Tour.
They are indeed not in any of the above pictures, but then the same is true for the other “non-Chinese” top 16 players as they are not weibo’s main focus.
Of course, Ronnie and Judd are not due to play before Tuesday, and Ronnie has now based himself in Ireland for practice… Also, after winning the John Virgo Trophy, Ronnie revealed his intention to commute from Ireland during the World Championship. I’m not sure about this decision as traveling back and forth might prove very tiring and the championship itself is demanding enough. On the other hand, from what I have personally witnessed, during the championship he can’t walk 100 m in Sheffield without being stopped by fans asking for autographs, pictures or just wanting a chat… even when he is just sat in a restaurant, eating, some come over to him with all sorts of demands: most want a picture or an autograph, some want a chat or just a handshake … and some even have “advice” for him about how he should play this or that shot 😂
The draw for the final stages of the 2026 Halo World Championship has been made, with defending champion Zhao Xintong facing Liam Highfield.
It was conducted on BBC 5 Live Breakfast by presenters Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards, with 2010 World Champion Neil Robertson in attendance. The 16 seeded players were drawn out at random against the 16 qualifiers.
Other highlights include 2024 World Champion Kyren Wilson being pitted against teenage star Stan Moody, Poland’s first Crucible competitor Antoni Kowalski facing Mark Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan going up against He Guoqiang.
…
Zhao Xintong v Liam Highfield Ding Junhui v David Gilbert
Xiao Guodong v Zhou Yuelong Shaun Murphy v Fan Zhengyi
John Higgins v Ali Carter Ronnie O’Sullivan v He Guoqiang
Chris Wakelin v Liam Pullen Neil Robertson v Pang Junxu
——————
Kyren Wilson v Stan Moody Mark Allen v Zhang Anda
Barry Hawkins v Matthew Stevens Mark Williams v Antoni Kowalski
Mark Selby v Jak Jones Wu Yize v Lei Peifan
Si Jiahui v Hossein Vafaei Judd Trump v Gary Wilson
There are no easy draws at the Crucible of course, but Ronnie certainly hasn’t it easy. He Guoqiang is very dangerous and, should Ronnie win his opening match, John Higgins or Ali Carter will be waiting, which is probably about the worse he could have got at that stage. That said neither Higgins nor Carter must be thrilled about their first round clash … it’s brutal.
Luca Brecel – Crucible king just three years ago – will be missing from the line up in the televised stages this time as he lost 10-5 to Jak Jones in the final qualifying round of the Halo World Championship.
Since his 2023 triumph, Belgium’s Brecel has struggled to find that magic again and has slipped to 46th in the Johnstone’s Paint World Rankings. He won his first qualifying match against Chang Bingyu but was outplayed today by Welshman Jones, who was runner-up to Kyren Wilson in 2024.
World number 19 Jones led 7-4 with top breaks of 136, 100, 114 and 114 then crucially won frame 12 on the final black after Brecel had missed his chance to close the gap. Brecel pulled one back but Jones then made his fifth century of the match, 132, for 9-5 and settled the result in the next with a 78 clearance.
“I played well, I felt really good this morning,” said Jones, who broke his right hand earlier this season when he smacked it against the table in anger during a practice session, but has since recovered. “I love this format because you have time to get into the matches. Today is the best I have played all season. I enjoy the Crucible, you can crumble but I love the atmosphere, it’s an unbelievable venue and that really gets me up for it.“
Jack Lisowski has had a breakthrough season, winning his first ranking title at the Northern Ireland Open as well as reaching the final of the Welsh Open, but he failed to reach the Crucible, losing 10-5 to He Guoqiang who will make his debut at the Theatre of Dreams. He will be one of 11 Chinese players at the Crucible, surpassing the record of ten set last year.
After winning the first five frames with a top break of 138, world number 47 He was able to nurse his lead over the line and reach the last 32.
Ali Carter, runner-up in 2008 and 2012, booked a 22nd Crucible appearance by coming from 7-5 down to beat Anthony McGill 10-7, taking the last five frames with a top break of 92. “Anthony was playing with a lot of freedom and I knew I had to stick with him,” said Carter. “I’m delighted to get through, it’s a great achievement to still be mixing it up at the age of 46. I’ve had a lot to deal with away from the table over the past year but that has come to a conclusion and I can focus on snooker. It’s tough – we all have lives to lead, children and families and it’s a juggling act because it’s a busy tour now.“
Arguably the best performance of the whole qualifying event came from China’s Zhang Anda as he beat Zak Surety 10-3 with breaks of 80, 61, 109, 67, 105, 134, 108, 64 and 143. The former International Championship winner is through to the Crucible for the sixth time though he has never won a match there.
Liam Highfield booked his fourth appearance by thrashing Oliver Lines 10-2 with a top run of 126. Highfield said: “Things have come full circle for me, I fell off the tour and broke my wrist, it was been a long journey coming back so it’s emotional for me to be back at the Crucible. Hopefully my career is on an upward curve now.“
Fan Zhengyi saw off Ben Mertens 10-4 with top breaks of 104, 119 and 100, while Lei Peifan, who knocked out Kyren Wilson last year, secured his return with a 10-5 defeat of Ryan Day.
In the last match to finish, Gary Wilson won a roller-coaster battle with Xu Si 10-9. From 7-2 and 8-4 down, Xu hit back to lead 9-8 and he was also 44-0 up in frame 18, but Wilson fought back to force a decider then compiled a superb 126.
There are a lot of “household names” in there, as we could expect, but six of the qualifiers are under 26 years of age including two young Brits and a 22 years old Pole. This is encouraging.
The last match to finish was crazy stuff. I’m not sure how Gary Wilson managed to win it, and going by his post-match interview, he’s not sure either… 😉
Three of snooker’s brightest young talents, Antoni Kowalski, Stan Moody and Liam Pullen, made it to the Crucible for the first time with outstanding victories in the final qualifying round of the Halo World Championship.
The trio head for the Theatre of Dreams in Sheffield for the televised stages, which start on Saturday.
Kowalski was in tears after coming through the biggest match of his life, beating Jamie Jones 10-8. From 6-5 down the 22-year-old won four frames in a row with a top break of 84, then Jones battled back to 9-8 before Kowalski got over the line with a run of 62 to become the first Polish player to make it to the Crucible. The result also secured his place on the tour, while defeat would have meant relegation – instead it’s Allan Taylor who loses his pro status.
“The best explanation of how much this means to me is that I never usually cry!” said Kowalski, who has won three qualifying matches. “This is the only time I will think more about saving my tour card rather than playing at the Crucible. There are so many emotions for me now. It’s so special for an overseas player like me. My parents and girlfriend are going to come to the Crucible as well so that’s going to be amazing, I can’t wait.
“This was the first time in my life I absolutely gave up in a match. At the end of the first session and the start of the second I was gone, I couldn’t cue straight. I stopped thinking, turned off my brain and it worked. I played faster and more dynamically and my cue action came back. In the back of my mind I knew I could win. I can imagine how many people in Poland are going to watch me. I will realise one of my biggest dreams.“
When he is in the UK, Kowalski stays and practises with Chris Wakelin and he added: “I wish everyone could have a friend like Chris. He has helped me so much with nothing in return. Because of him I am a better player now. Hopefully I won’t draw him.“
Moody, long touted as a star of the future, will be the first British teenager to play at the Crucible since Judd Trump in 2007. The 19-year-old from Halifax made a fantastic century in the last frame to beat Jiang Jun 10-9. From 6-5 down, world number 44 Moody fired runs of 71, 70, 113 and 127 to go 9-8 ahead, then missed match-winning chances in frame 18, but made amends with a superb 104 in the decider.
His victory was all the more remarkable given that he was in hospital with tonsilitis last night, but discharged himself and played through the discomfort to book his place on the biggest stage.
“The doctors said to me ‘we know you are going to say no but we want you to stay in.’ I said no, I’ve got a match to play. And I’m glad I did. They gave me some antibiotics and other medication. I won’t be going back there, I don’t like it!” said Moody. “Towards the end of the match, I have never felt pressure like that in my life, I am just so happy. This has been a dream of mine since I started playing.”
York’s 20-year-old Pullen enjoyed a 10-8 success against Noppon Saengkham with top breaks of 131 and 105.
“When I saw Stan win, I thought I better not lose now, I’ll let everyone down!” said Pullen, who lost to Moody in the final of the WSF Junior Championship in 2023. “I am very proud. I appreciate everyone who has helped me along the way. When it went from 8-5 to 8-8 In didn’t feel great, but I hung in there.“
In a battle between two players with 63 years professional experience between them, former UK and Masters champion Matthew Stevens beat 2015 Crucible king Stuart Bingham 10-7 with a top break of 86.
Iran’s Hossein Vafaei secured his fifth consecutive visit to the Crucible with a 10-4 victory over Gao Yang. From 4-1 down, Vafaei won nine frames in a row with top breaks of 60, 53, 60, 70, 57 and 86.
“I’m fighting for my family and trying my best,” said Vafaei. “The Crucible is a fantastic place and we all love to play there, I can’t wait to meet the fans there.” Â
Zhou Yuelong and Pang Junxu will be among at least seven Chinese players at the Crucible, alongside five of the top 16 seeds. Zhou saw off Michael Holt 10-4 with a top break of 109 while Pang enjoyed a 10-8 defeat of Jackson Page with top runs of 104, 107 and 105.
David Gilbert, a semi-finalist in 2019 and 2024, beat Aaron Hill at this stage for the second consecutive year, winning 10-6 with top breaks of 141 and 126.
I’m very happy to see young players coming through. Antoni Kowalski’s win in particular pleases me because it’s so much harder for the “non British” players who have to live as expats in the UK, coping with a different culture and language away from their families. It’s either that or traveling back and forth all the time which is costly and tiring. It’s made even worse because, unlike British players, they have no right to take a side job “outside” snooker to make ends meet if the results don’t come regularly enough.
As for Hossein Vafaei, it must be very difficult as well to concentrate on snooker given the terrible situation in his country. I do hope that his family is safe.
Only 32 players remain on course to qualify for the 2026 “Crucible” … They still have a match to win to achieve that though. Who are they and who do they face in that last qualifying match? You will find the answers on snooker.org … as always …
Fourteen of those players neither British nor Irish. That’s nearly half of that remaining field. Nine of those players are Chinese. Mainland Europe is represented by three players, two of them Belgians… which is quite remarkable given that Belgium is a such a small country. The third one is Polish.
Gao Yang is the “lowest ranked” qualifier still in the qualifiers draw. He started as “number 97” and beat Jimmy White, Mark Davis and Tom Ford to get this far. He now faces Hossein Vafaei.
Unless I’m mistaken, Stan Moody, 19, is the youngest player and the only teenager still in the qualifiers draw.
