Ronnie O’Sullivan will face old rival Ali Carter in a blockbuster first-round draw at the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.
Seven-time champion O’Sullivan is seeded fifth at the tournament but has not played in since January after pulling out of the Masters earlier this year.
With the 49-year-old set to play at the Crucible barring a last-minute withdrawal – which he admits is still a possibility – he will take on a two-time World Championship finalist in Carter, who booked his place in the draw in qualifying.
The first-round clash has the potential to be a grudge match, with O’Sullivan calling Carter “not a nice person” and a “nightmare” to play against following a heated Masters match last year.
The World Snooker Championship got underway on Saturday 19 April with the final played over two days starting on Sunday 4 May.
Results so far
First round
Kyren Wilson (1) 9-10 Lei Peifan
Xiao Guodong (14) 10-4 Matthew Selt
Mark Williams (6) 10-8 Wu Yize
Neil Robertson (9) 8-10 Chris Wakelin
Barry Hawkins (11) 9-10 Hossein Vafaei
Jak Jones (16) 4-10 Zhao Xintong
Mark Allen (8) 10-6 Fan Zhengyi
John Higgins (3) 10-7 Joe O'Connor
World Snooker Championship draw and schedule in full
(All times BST)
Tuesday 22 April
First round
10:00
Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu
Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells
14:30
Ronnie O'Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter
Ding Junhui (10) 6-3 Zak Surety - to a finish
19:00
Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong
Si Jiahui (13) 6-3 David Gilbert - to a finish
Wednesday 23 April
First round
10:00
Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu - to a finish
Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells - to a finish
14:30
Ronnie O'Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter - to a finish
Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day
19:00
Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston
Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong - to a finish
Thursday 24 April
First round
13:00
Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day - to a finish
19:00
Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston - to a finish
Second round
13:00
Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen
19:00
John Higgins v Xiao Guodong
Friday 25 April
Second round
10:00
Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen
Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams
14:30
John Higgins v Xiao Guodong
Lei Peifan v Zhao Xintong
19:00
Chris Wakelin v Mark Allen - to a finish
Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams
Saturday 26 April
Second round
10:00
John Higgins v Xiao Guodong - to a finish
Lei Peifan v Zhao Xintong
14:30
Hossein Vafaei v Mark Williams - to a finish
Ronnie O'Sullivan/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda/Pang Junxu
19:00
Si Jiahui/David Gilbert v Mark Selby/Ben Woollaston
Luca Brecel/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui/Zak Surety
Sunday 27 April
Second round
10:00
Lei Peifan v Zhao Xintong - to a finish
Shaun Murphy/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump/Zhou Yuelong
14:30
Ronnie O'Sullivan/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda/Pang Junxu
Luca Brecel/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui/Zak Surety
19:00
Si Jiahui/David Gilbert v Mark Selby/Ben Woollaston
Shaun Murphy/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump/Zhou Yuelong
Monday 28 April
13:00
Si Jiahui/David Gilbert v Mark Selby/Ben Woollaston - to a finish
Shaun Murphy/Daniel Wells v Judd Trump/Zhou Yuelong - to a finish
19:00
Ronnie O'Sullivan/Ali Carter v Zhang Anda/Pang Junxu - to a finish
Luca Brecel/Ryan Day v Ding Junhui/Zak Surety - to a finish
Tuesday 29 April
Quarter-finals
Wednesday 30 April
Quarter-finals
Thursday 1 May
Semi-finals
Friday 2 May
Semi-finals
Saturday 3 May
Semi-finals
Sunday 4 May
Final
Monday 5 May
Final
Crucible Curse continues as Kyren Wilson loses in deciding-frame thriller
Ronnie O’Sullivan: ‘I was scared to go near a snooker table and I’ve lost my bottle’
Is Ronnie O’Sullivan playing at the World Snooker Championship and has he retired?
Most emotional I’ve ever been – ‘Drained’ John Higgins clinches hard-fought win
Mark Allen inspired by recent world champions as he enjoys timely return to form
Joe O’Connor goes close to Crucible maximum as he leads John Higgins
