The wait for the Cazoo World Snooker Championship lineup is over. The top 16 Seeds have been confirmed and the subsequent 16 qualifying players have secured their places for the 2023 World Championship at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, live from 14th April - 1st May.
The Seeds
It's no surprise the defending World Champion and Snooker legend, Ronnie O'Sullivan, holds the number 1 seed spot in the 2023 World Championships. Mark Selby follows as the number 2 seed with 4 World Championships wins behind him already.
Taking 3rd seed is Mark Allen, bringing the competition after shedding 6.5 stone, overcoming his divorce last year, and recent bankruptcy. Shaun Murphy claims 4th seed after an astounding performance in the Tour Championship.
Sadly, Judd Trump slips down to 5th Seed in the Championship after losing out to Mark Allen at the World Grand Prix, although his hunt to take down O'Sullivan will always be burning within him and the competition will reflect this. Equally, Neil Robertson falls to the number 6 seed, despite his previous greatness, making him one of the more unpredictable players in this year's championship.
The number 7 spot is taken by Kyren Wilson who has made it to every World Championship quarter-final in the past six consecutive years. The Welsh potting machine, Mark Williams, follows in 8th seed place. Luca Brecel and John Higgins secured numbers 9 and 10 on the seed list.
Ali Carter, Jack Lisowski, Robert Milkins, Stuart Bingham, Gary Wilson and Ding Junhui complete to Top 16 seeds. Knocked out by Ding Junhui was Ryan Day who subsequently needed to compete in the qualifying matches to earn his place at the World Championships.
Cazoo World Championship schedule
Ronnie O’Sullivan (1) v Pang Junxu
Ding Junhui (16) v Hossein Vafaei
Luca Brecel (9) v Ricky Walden
Mark Williams (8) v Jimmy Robertson
Judd Trump (5) v Anthony McGill
Jack Lisowski (12) v Noppon Saengkham
Robert Milkins (13) v Joe Perry
Shaun Murphy (4) v Si Jiahui
Mark Allen (3) v Fan Zhengyi
Stuart Bingham (14) v David Gilbert
Ali Carter (11) v Jak Jones
Neil Robertson (6) v Wu Yize
Kyren Wilson (7) v Ryan Day
John Higgins (10) v David Grace
Gary Wilson (15) v Elliot Slessor
Mark Selby (2) v Matthew Selt
Predictions
Ronnie O’Sullivan (1) v Pang Junxu
Pang had a close match with Mark Selby at the last ranking tournament and had a great comeback game with Ken Doherty securing a win after being 4-0 down. He will be a tough opponent to play, but he is up against the reigning World Champion and G.O.A.T. If Ronnie wins this year's World Championship, he will break the record of the most titles ever, knocking off his joint current record holder Stephen Hendry. O'Sullivan is who I'm backing to win.
Ding Junhui (16) v Hossein Vafaei
Junhui and Vafaei are equally matched and the win could go either way here. Ding recently won the Six Red final in Thailand, beating the home favourite Un-Nooh. Hossein is a quality player and history-maker, becoming the first Iranian player to reach the Crucible. People love Vafaei, definitely a crowd favourite. This match is well worth a watch.
Luca Brecel (9) v Ricky Walden
Walden is doing well, after recently overcoming back problems, it would be brilliant for him to score a win here. Brecel lost to Selby in the English Open title last year and was thrashed by O'Sullivan in the Masters, but hit back with great performance against Lisowski at the Players Championship last month. Overall I'd like to see Walden for the win.
Mark Williams (8) v Jimmy Robertson
Robertson has previously struggled to show up for the Crucible and maybe doesn't play his best here. Williams has been marginally close to titles over the last 18 months, and last year he equalled Hendry’s record of 16 centuries during a single Crucible campaign. Williams could be a good punt as a finalist for the World Championships, and I'd back him against Robertson.
Judd Trump (5) v Anthony McGill
McGill is one to watch from the qualifiers circle. He has come from behind in all his matches and shows great promise. Trump isn't looking as sharp, and he has struggled in recent matches. As much as I believe Judd is a snooker legend and cannot be disregarded in this tournament, I also feel if McGill is on form then he could swipe the cloth from beneath Trump's cue.
Jack Lisowski (12) v Noppon Saengkham
Lisowski is a growing player, well-liked, and great to watch. He could easily be knocked out in the first round but equally could make it through to the semis. On the other cue we have Noppon who has stormed the World Grand Prix, knocking out Selby in the first round and reigning victorious against Number One O'Sullivan. Bets on Noppon to win.
Robert Milkins (13) v Joe Perry
Close game to watch. Milkins is running the best form of his career. Perry won a ranking tour last year and also favours a win. Even though Milkins has been storming it and is becoming a big fish, this is his first year as a seed, and is vulnerable to a loss against an equally strong player. Can't call this one.
Shaun Murphy (4) v Si Jiahui
Murphy is a high-ranking seed and claimed an outstanding win a few weeks ago, making him a lead on odds. He has the confidence and rightly deserves it after a marathon of wins. Si Jiahui is a young Chinese player and will give him a tough game, but Murphy has the edge.
Mark Allen (3) v Fan Zhengyi
Allen gets the results but has become slow and methodical. Allen backs himself to raise the World Championship silverware, and the bookies rate him to win, but if Allen isn't on form then his is vulnerable. Zhengyi is young and hungry for wins. He has a huge amount of talent, evidently, after beating G.O.A.T. O'Sullivan. To go against the odds, I fancy Zhengyi to win.
Stuart Bingham (14) v David Gilbert
Although a top 16 seed, Bingham's place is in jeopardy and his ranking has dropped to 28 this term. Bingham needs to bring his all to the table for the World Championship, and the biggest backing for him is his practice sessions with World Champion O'Sullivan. Gilbert, AKA the Angry Farmer, has struggled with his form, both on the table and mentally. He recently walked out of a match when only 3-2 down, and has had a number of early exits from tournaments. I feel the match between these two could go either way, depending on who brings the best form mentally to the table, although I'd have to say Bingham definitely has the edge in my books.
Ali Carter (11) v Jak Jones
Jak Jones is improving season after season but equally Ali Carter shows good form. Carter has won the German masters, and constructed 31 centuries this season, more than double his total last season. Close call on this match but I'm looking at Carter for my bets.
Neil Robertson (6) v Wu Yize
Robertson is an astounding scorer and great to watch. He has recently had a quiet season, however, this may actually bode well for his play at the Crucible. Against him is Wu Yize, only 19 and making his debut at the Crucible, he shows incredible promise and will win tournaments. I'm not disregarding Robertson's skills and experience, but it could be a match where the young talent might shake things up.
Kyren Wilson (7) v Ryan Day
WIlson has recently opened up about his son's serious health conditions, outlining he has had a huge amount to deal with away from the table, but talking about it has "freed" him up to focus on his snooker play again. Kyren has nerves of steel and consistent technique, which hopefully he brings to the championships. Day dropped his top 16 seed spot, and lost to Selby, but is a great scorer. Day made a rare 146 total clearance in qualifying, showing just how much he has to bring to this tournament. Tough game but Wilson could steal the win.
John Higgins (10) v David Grace
Higgins is a well-known legend but maybe has had his time. He is a four-time World Champion, and backs himself to win the final once again. Higgins and Grace have met each other three times at the table and every time Higgins has won. Grace has suffered many early exits this season and would be an absolute shocker if he took down Higgins in this match, but maybe the 'nothing to lose' mentality will drive him to play the best of his game. At the end of the day, I see Higgins making a clean win.
Gary Wilson (15) v Elliot Slessor
This match is the hardest to predict. The two players are buddies from north-east England, meaning they will probably know each other very well. Wilson makes his debut as a seed. He has reached the semi's at the World Championships previously in 2019 and is arguably in the best form of his career. Slessor holds three wins in qualifying games and has been training with previous World Champion Peter Ebdon. Slessor has past wins against O'Sullivan under his belt but Wilson holds more discipline and consistency. Your guess is as good as mine on this one.
Mark Selby (2) v Matthew Selt
Number 2 and Snooker legend, Selby, holds his place as favourite for the finals. With two title wins already this season, and great experience behind him, Selby must be confident going into the World Championships this year. He will be hard to beat. Selt has past wins against Hendry, Trump and Higgins, but has recently been fined for using strong language toward a fan during a game. Selt has the skills but does he have the focus? Selby to win.
The final stages at the Crucible start on Saturday 15th April at 10am and run until May 1st.
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