- By Steve Sutcliffe
- ` Sport
2 hours ago
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Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan have both won multiple world titles while Ding Junhui is looking for his first
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Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Dates: April 16th to May 2nd |
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Coverage: Watch live on ` TV and Red Button with uninterrupted coverage on ` iPlayer, the ` Sport website and the ` Sport app |
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s battle for his eighth world title begins on Saturday at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield against Chinese debutant Pang Junxu.
‘The Rocket’ enters the tournament as favorites to break away from Stephen Hendry for most titles of the modern era despite not reaching a ranking final this season.
In many ways, it’s been an odd season, with some of the sport’s biggest names falling out while others, traditionally lower in the world rankings, have thrived.
Judd Trump relinquished unsatisfactory results to win the Masters in January, while Mark Allen started the campaign in outstanding form, winning the UK Championship.
Ranked titles also came to Gary Wilson, Robert Milkins, Ali Carter and Ryan Day, while 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy and four-time winner Mark Selby appear to have found their best form again.
So who’s ready to perform in the Cauldron of the Crucible? ` Sport select six contenders to become world champions in May.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
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Ronnie O’Sullivan will be performing at the Crucible for a record-breaking 31st time
World Cup record: seven titles (2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2022)
O’Sullivan, 47, returns to Sheffield to defend his crown as world number one.
Widely regarded as the sport’s most gifted player, the Englishman turned professional in 1992 and has won a record 21 Triple Crown events (seven wins each at the World Cup, Masters and British Championships).
When it comes to milestones, there are few that O’Sullivan hasn’t achieved, having compiled more Century Breaks (1,198) and more Maximum 147s (15) than any other player.
And while he sits at No. 23 on the year-long leaderboard – with his accomplishments this season limited to the Invitational Champion of Champions and the Hong Kong Masters ahead of Christmas – his remarkable longevity and pedigree means he simply cannot be ignored can.
Mark Allen
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Mark Allen has only reached one semifinal in 16 years at the Crucible
World Cup record: best performance 2009 semi-finalist
Allen comes to the Crucible to cap a memorable campaign with a first world title.
The 37-year-old from Northern Ireland is enjoying the best season of his career, reaching the final of the British Open before winning the Northern Ireland Open for the second consecutive year and posting a remarkable recovery to defeat Ding Junhui in the final with 10: 7 to beat the UK Championship.
His victory over Trump at the World Grand Prix in January also propelled him to his highest world ranking since turning pro in 2005.
However, he has a dismal current Crucible record to overcome after failing to make it past the second round on 10 of his last 11 voyages.
Shaun Murphy
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Murphy became only the second qualifier to triumph at the Crucible when he won the 2005 world title
World Cup record: One title (2005), three finalists beaten (2009, 2015, 2021).
After struggling with back and neck problems for much of the past year, Murphy has enjoyed a renaissance this season.
After reaching the Welsh Open final in February, he arguably delivered the performance of the season, knocking in 11 centuries to win the Players Championship and then coming off a 4-0 deficit against Kyren Wilson in April to to win the Tour Championship.
The 40-year-old told ` Sport he’s going to the World Cup “in the best shape I’ve ever been there” and credits gastric sleeve surgery last summer with a transformative effect.
“It changed my life and affected me in every area, mentally and physically. It made me a better person and that in turn has made me a better snooker player this year,” said the Englishman.
“There were also other tweaks I made here and there to tactics and shot selection to be a little more patient and there were a few things that helped me to have probably the best season of my career yet. ”
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Mark Selby has won 22 ranked titles
World Cup record: Four titles (2014, 2016, 2017, 2021)
Few players are as well equipped for the rigors of the Crucible as four-time world champion Selby, who remains impressive throughout the game’s longer format.
And the 39-year-old Englishman appears to be coming to his best at just the right time after a well-documented mental struggle.
A rejuvenated Selby won the English Open in December and said he feels ready to challenge for a fifth world title after winning the World Snooker Tour Classic in March.
Should the 22-time winner of the ranking event reach the end of the tournament, few would object to him.
Judd Trump
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Judd Trump has won 71% of his matches at the Crucible and has spent 74 centuries at the venue
World Cup record: One title (2019), twice finalist beaten (2011, 2022)
Trump delivered one of the best performances in Crucible history in 2019 with seven centuries in a dominant 18-9 win over John Higgins in the Finals, but frustratingly he’s not yet ready to add his second world title to his collection given his prodigious talent.
A born entertainer, the Englishman reined in his attacking instincts to beat Mark Williams in the Masters final in January.
While he hasn’t been at his best in a season in which he’s otherwise reached a couple of ranked event quarterfinals and the World Grand Prix final, it would be unwise to once again ignore Trump’s chances for world fame.
thing Junhui
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Ding has not won a ranked event since his third British Championship title in 2019
World Cup record: Finalist 2016
Fate can sometimes play a role in sport and that seems to be the case as former finalist Ding was pushed back into the seeding list in a season where match-fixing allegations were leveled against 10 other players from China.
Ding, 36, reached the UK final earlier this season, reached the semi-finals of the Tour Championship earlier this month and won the Six Red World Championship in March.
After back-to-back first-round eliminations over the past two years, he seems poised to dig deeper into the tournament this time.
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