The qualifiers were confirmed, the draw has been done – we’re ready for 17 days of green baize drama and dreams at the Crucible Theatre with the 2018 World Snooker Championship commencing Saturday morning.
It’s the 42nd consecutive edition of the sport’s biggest event to be held at the iconic cauldron-like venue in Sheffield. It will be the widest reaching and most lucrative yet with nearly £2 million worth of treasures on offer, of which £425,000 will go to the last man standing.
Five times champion and five times a ranking winner on the circuit this season, Ronnie O’Sullivan is installed as the pre-tournament favourite, although it will be his greatest campaign only if he gets the job done here.
An ironman format like no other, O’Sullivan’s steady and calm mental approach at present is a huge positive sign for his legion of fans as he embarks on a marathon. Victory in 2018 would represent his biggest gap between world titles after last tasting glory here in 2013.
‘The Rocket’ couldn’t have really got a sterner qualifier first up than former UK Champion Stephen Maguire, but it is an opponent he has enjoyed significant success historically and recently against. It is an examination that could focus his mind for the journey ahead – he is the man to beat.
However, there is a pack hot in pursuit of him. This is headed by defending champion and World Number 1 Mark Selby, who is trying to do what Ronnie has never done – win three consecutive years here. In fact, it has not been achieved since Stephen Hendry in the 90’s.
Selby, champion for the first time in 2014 too after overcoming O’Sullivan in a memorable final, has enjoyed perfect preparation courtesy of his China Open defence nearly a fortnight ago. This was timely given a trying spell of five months in the relative doldrums.
You’ll have to scrape him off the table, although his half of the draw does feature players who have troubled him in previous career meetings such as Masters Champion Mark Allen and Judd Trump.
The evergreen John Higgins, now 20 years on from the first of his four world titles, is also a serious contender once again following a brace of ranking successes in India and Wales this season.
In a seriously loaded top half is also Shaun Murphy, who won the Champion of Champions in the autumn and has reached a quartet of ranking finals too – although somewhat frustratingly for him being the runner-up on each occasion.
In the bottom half, Mark Williams has revelled in a career renaissance this term after Northern Ireland Open and German Masters wins, his 19th and 20th ranking titles, but the first since 2011. Behind only O’Sullivan and Selby, Williams is third on the one-year list, highlighting his consistency throughout.
Neil Robertson is also a multiple winner this season, whilst Barry Hawkins – who has made at least the Semi-Finals here in four of the last five years, is back in form following finals at the Welsh and China Opens within the last eight weeks.
Number 3 seed Ding Junhui has quietened his critics in regards his credentials playing at the Crucible having featured in the final in 2016 and the semis last year, on both occasions losing to eventual winner Selby.
Ding has been erratic with his results this season, a trait we seem to associate him with nowadays (although a documented eye issue may have been a factor), although he did claim the World Open in his homeland. Having won so much elsewhere in the sport, I wonder if Ding gears himself up for this event differently now. He is again a threat and can draw energy from his elimination of O’Sullivan here last time out.
There will be four Crucible debutants this year – Liam Highfield, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Chris Wakelin and Lyu Haotian, but the overall class of qualifiers to have emerged from the English Institute of Sport earlier this week is very strong. It contains many well-known, experienced and successful names.
This year’s World Championship should be a cracker right from the start!