Ronnie O’Sullivan to face debutant Mark Joyce in World Championship opener
Ronnie O’Sullivan is the defending champion (Nigel French/PA)
Ronnie O’Sullivan will open the defence of his Betfred World Snooker Championship title against debutant Mark Joyce at the Crucible.
Veteran Joyce, 37, turned professional in 2006, but had never previously made it through to the showpiece tournament, securing his place with victory over Brazil’s Igor Figueiredo in the last qualifying round.
Elsewhere in Thursday’s draw, former champion Stuart Bingham, another who came through qualifying, will meet China’s Ding Junhui, while world number one Judd Trump plays Liam Highfield.
Updated / Thursday, 15 Apr 2021
12:21
Ronnie O Sullivan has failed to win a ranking event this season, coming up short in five finals
Ronnie O Sullivan will open the defence of his Betfred World Snooker Championship title against debutant Mark Joyce at the Crucible.
Veteran Joyce, 37, turned professional in 2006, but had never previously made it through to the showpiece tournament, securing his place with victory over Brazil’s Igor Figueiredo in the last qualifying round.
Elsewhere in Thursday’s draw, former champion Stuart Bingham, another who came through qualifying, will meet China’s Ding Junhui, while world number one Judd Trump plays Liam Highfield.
Ronnie O Sullivan to face debutant Mark Joyce in World Championship opener pressandjournal.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressandjournal.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
RTÉ Sport journalist
Six of those players, including 2020 EBSA European Under-21 champion Aaron Hill and 1997 World Champion Ken Doherty, are starting off in round one, meaning that they need to win four matches before Wednesday week to get through to the Crucible Theatre.
There is a guarantee of at least one Irish winner in the first round on Wednesday when the two Fergals - O Brien from Dublin and Quinn from Tyrone - meet one another.
It s fair to say that the pair are at opposite ends of their careers, but O Brien, who was ranked as high as No 9 in the world in the 1999-2000 season, says he has no plans to call it a day just yet.
Higgins clinches title at Snooker Players Championship shanghaisun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from shanghaisun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.