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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Fraser Watson

World Snooker Championship: Draw in full and ticket info as Ronnie O'Sullivan learns fate

Ronnie O'Sullivan's bid for a record-equalling seventh World Championship will start with a first round clash against David Gilbert.

O'Sullivan, 46, will head to the Crucible as defending champion, and as second seed as he targets Stephen Hendry's haul of eight titles. Gilbert however, has pedigree in Sheffield, narrowly missing out on his first world final in 2019 following a final frame decider with John Higgins.

Defending champion and top seed Mark Selby, going for his fifth title, will open his campaign against Welsh player Jamie Jones. The 2010 winner Neil Robertson, also amongst the favourites, faces championship debutant Ashley Hugill.

Another enticing clash will see Judd Trump, a champion in 2019, face Hossein Vafaei - the first Iranian to ever qualify for the main draw at the Crucible. Mark Williams, whose celebrations after winning his third title in 2018 went down in snooker folklore, opens up against Michael White.

The format for matches in the first round of the main draw is best-of-19 frames. Second-round matches and quarter-finals are played as the best-of-25 frames, and the semi-finals are the best-of-33 frames.

The final, which will take place over two days in Sunday, May 1 and Bank Holiday Monday, May 2, will be played as a best-of-35 frames match. Although this year's draw has taken place amid leading players questioning the suitability of the venue, which will be hosting the event for the 46th consecutive year.

Mark Selby is out to retain his World Snooker Championship title at the Crucible (Getty Images)

Stephen Maguire, who will play last year's runner up Shaun Murphy in round one, has proposed moving the tournament to Alexandra Palace in order to allow more fans to attend. The Scotsman is unlikely to get his wish any time soon, with the Crucible currently contracted to stage snooker's marquee event until at least 2027.

And fans are still able to purchase tickets for ample sessions this time around, even in the latter stages. Those keen simply have to head to the official event website to book their seats.

The exact order of play for the opening round is yet to be decided, but here is the full lowdown of who faces who, with the seeded players in brackets. Undoubtedly, 'The Rocket' will serve as the star attraction, but he's far from the only player who'll attract audiences over the next fortnight.

First round draw:

Mark Selby (1) v Jamie Jones
Yan Bingtao (16) v Chris Wakelin
Barry Hawkins (9) v Jackson Page
Mark Williams (8) v Michael White
Kyren Wilson (5) v Ding Junhui
Stuart Bingham (12) v Lyu Haotian
Anthony McGill (13) v Liam Highfield
Judd Trump (4) v Hossein Vafaei
Neil Robertson (3) v Ashley Hugill
Jack Lisowski (14) v Matthew Stevens
Luca Brecel (11) v Noppon Saengkham
John Higgins (6) v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Zhao Xintong (7) v Jamie Clarke
Shaun Murphy (10) v Stephen Maguire
Mark Allen (15) v Scott Donaldson
Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) v David Gilbert

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