Mark Allen to face China's Zhang Anda in first round of World Snooker Championship at Crucible
Mark Allen will face China’s Zhang Anda in the opening round of the World Snooker Championship, while seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan takes on Crucible debutant He Guoqiang.
The tournament begins on Saturday when former world number one Allen from Antrim will be in action in his quest to win the title for the first time.
O’Sullivan’s opening game will take place on Tuesday against 25-year-old Guoqiang, who beat world number 18 Jack Lisowski in qualifying and has beaten O’Sullivan in two of their three previous career meetings.
O’Sullivan is looking to eclipse Stephen Hendry with whom he currently tops the standings on seven modern era Crucible crowns.
Guoqiang is one of a record 11 Chinese players in the tournament, including defending champion Zhao Xintong, who will face Liam Highfield in the opening match on Saturday.
Nineteen-year-old qualifier Stan Moody faces a daunting Crucible debut against 2024 champion Kyren Wilson, while Liam Pullen will take on former quarter-finalist Chris Wakelin.
Four-time winner John Higgins faces two-time runner-up Ali Carter in a high-quality opener with a potential second round meeting with O’Sullivan at stake.
Mark Selby starts against the shock 2024 finalist Jak Jones, and Judd Trump has a tough opener against 2019 semi-finalist Gary Wilson, who survived a qualifying epic against Xu Si.
Antoni Kowalski, the first Polish player to qualify for the Crucible and who saved his tour card in the process, starts against three-time champion Mark Williams.