So there we have it. The Top 16 have cemented their place at the Crucible. The draw has been made. The treacherous and unforgiving gauntlet of three best-of-19 matches just to qualify will begin.
This is simply a countdown of personal opinion – not quite who I think will be qualifying for the Crucible – that’s another article entirely. This is more of who I want to be seeing at the Crucible this year, regardless of whether they happen to be drawn against each other or not. The countdown is actually much harder to construct than expected because of Dechawat Poomjaeng’s absence, as he would be No. 1, 2 and 3 on my list. I miss him.
10. Michael Georgiou
Maybe being a Shoot-Out champion isn’t such a bad deal after all.
Since his famous win while representing the wonderful land of Cyprus, he has started chalking up a few wins. After being invited to the World Grand Prix, he whitewashed an out-of-sorts Luca Brecel before coming up short against Stephen Maguire. He then reached the third round by beating Liam Highfield and Mei Xiwen.
For Georgiou, the pressure is on to make his mark. He is a ranking champion now and he needs to play like one, especially since his winning catapulted him to the Top 64 elite and almost a guaranteed two extra years in the pro circuit. What I am worried about him is being relegated from the tour while relying on the £32,000 to keep him up. Now that he has the advantage of playing against anyone outside of the Top 80 in the first round this time, he has to prove he can go the distance as well as being successful over one frame.
2017 World Championship Result: Lost First Round of Qualifying vs. Andrew Higginson 10-8
2018 World Championship Fixture: 1st Round of Qualifying vs. Matthew Bolton
9. Mark Joyce
Here is an interesting fact. Mark Joyce at the time of writing is the second highest-ranked player to not play at the Crucible, behind Li Hang. This is something quite intriguing and there always seems to seem a mid-table Englishman who qualifiers for the Crucible every year. We have had David Grace, Robbie Williams, Tom Ford and Sam Baird in previous years and it is about time for him to finally show his promise that he’s been crowing for the past season.
He reached the quarter-finals of the UK Championship and though has been relatively consistent over the past few years, he is one of those players mainstream fans do not know about. Every World Championship needs that player who bolts out of complete nowhere to cause a shock. Look what happened to Rory McLeod last year!
Also, there’s a devil inside me wanting him to be against Mark Allen….yes………….
#AskRonnie you tipped me to win a major and have a good chance at the world championships, but why can't I beat Mark Joyce?
— Mark Allen (@pistol147) February 6, 2016
2017 World Championship Result: Lost Second Round of Qualifying vs. David Grace 10-6
2018 World Championship Fixture: 1st Round of Qualifying vs. Adam Duffy
8. Jack Lisowski
Jack Lisowski has always been the middleman in recent years – being fairly content with being in the Top 48 but okay with being in the 50s. However, it is two major performances that pushed him into the Top 32 in the world. The quarter-final run un the English Open, where he beat Mark Williams and an in-form Judd Trump in the decider. Then came along his semi-final appearance in the Shanghai Masters where he beat Cao Yupeng, Mark Allen and Kurt Maflin before Trump got his revenge.
So why do I want him to be in the World Championships? I guess it is because I want to see the young guard reply to the dominance of Higgins, O’Sullivan, Williams and Day when it seemed early on in the season the young uns grabbed it by the scruff of the neck. It has been 5 years since Lisowski made an apperance at the Crucible – could the 26-year-old do it again?
2017 World Championship Result: Lost Second Round of Qualifying vs. Peter Ebdon 10-9
2018 World Championship Fixture: 1st Round of Qualifying vs. Christopher Keogan
7. Aditya Mehta
Nearly every year, there is always a debutant. Last year, there five debutants: David Grace, Noppon Saengkham, Gary Wilson, Yan Bingtao or Zhou Yuelong. The year before, it was Mitchell Mann. In 2014, Kurt Maflin, Anthony McGill, Craig Steadman and Stuart Carrington.So there should always been room for this year! So why Aditya Mehta?
He is more of a safety player, which I really appreciate, especially since the tour is full of people who go for any long pot possible. He was at his highest ranking of No. 49 when he reached his first ranking final in the 2013 Indian Open but unfortunately, his neck injury left him to rely on his PTC and one-year ranking performances to stay on tour. Now No. 82, he is on the road to receiving another two-year card via the one-year ranking list.
It is also great for one reason – first Indian to be at the Crucible. In a season of firsts, such as the first Belgian & Cypriot winner, this would be a major breakthrough for the country and its future in the sport. Considering the prestige of cue sports in India as well as many legends in the craft such as 19-time World Champion English billiards and snooker player Pankaj Advani and 2017 Women’s World Champion Runner-Up Vidya Pillai, this would be huge. This is the beauty of any sport.
2017 World Championship Result: Lost 1st Round of Qualifying vs. Michael White 10-3.
2018 World Championship Fixture: 1st Round of Qualifying vs. Zhao Xintong
6. Peter Ebdon
There are certain players that I find difficult to imagine not part of a Crucible fixture. Stephen Maguire is one of them as well the Peter Ebdon. Since he started his professional career in 1991, he has featured in the World Championships every single season until 2014, where he was defeated by Robin Hull. After failing to qualify the following year, the former World Champion regained his position after that has has kept his Crucible seat ever since.
It is nice to have diversity among the qualifiers and there aren’t many players like Peter Ebdon. Gutsy, relentless, resiliant and a great character to top it off. He is a hard match for anyone and long matches tend to be his forte. If he loses, he can be in the commentary box – everyone’s a winner VEGAN POWER!
2017 World Championship Result: Lost 1st Round of WC vs. Stuart Bingham 10-5.
2018 World Championship Fixture: 1st Round of Qualifying vs. James Wattana
5. Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire has been a regular contender in snooker’s Field of Dreams since his debut in 2004. However, since his semi-final appearance in 2012 he ended up losing four first-round exits on the trot to the likes of Hawkins, Poomjaeng, McGill and McManus as a seeded player. It was only when he had to force himself through the qualifiers last season when he reached the quarter-finals by beating McGill, McLeod before being beaten by Barry Hawkins.
This season has been his most consistent for some time. He reached his first ranking final since the 2013 Welsh Open in Riga and reached the semi-finals of a Triple Crown event, where he wasn’t at his best against Ronnie O’Sullivan. I really hate to see this being the last of him, considering since his potential as the ‘future World Champion.’
2017 World Championship Result: Lost Quarter-finals of WC vs. Barry Hawkins 13-9.
2018 World Championship Fixture: 1st Round of Qualifying vs. Allan Taylor
4. Sunny Akani
The man who took the mantle of being the most likeable Thai on the snooker tour. This wasn’t quite a bolt from the blue either, he had a successful season last year but was unable to reach the Top 64 due to visa problems in the first year of his two-year card.
In this season, he is the second highest rookie at No. 75 behind Lyu Haotian but two quarter-final ranking appearances aren’t so bad for a low-ranked player. His most memorable moment was playing Ronnie O’Sullivan in the UK Championship, where he showed his break-buildung prowess but was so unlucky to knock the blue in while potting the green which led to Ronnie clinching the match. He received a standing ovation for his performance as well as heaps of praise from the Rocket himself.
Last year, he made it to the final qualifying round by beating Mei Xiwen and Joe Perry before being thrashed by David Grace. I think everyone wants to see his unique way of using the rest (though I’m sure Perry would beg to differ). While thought of as a very slow, methodical player he can attack quickly as shown in the UK Championships and the Shoot-Out. Cue Dennis Taylor remarking what a lovely smile he has……..
https://twitter.com/MattSelt/status/852874238319091712
2017 World Championship Result: Lost Final Round of Qualifying vs. David Grace 10-3.
2018 World Championship Fixture: 1st Round of Qualifying vs. Lukas Kleckers
3. Yan Bingtao
We all saw this coming anyway. The fact he made it to the Top 64 in his first ever year at 17 years of age, as well as making his first Crucible appearance last season by beating Craigie, Mark Davis and Ursenbacher. He was very unlucky not to force a decider against Shaun Murphy at the Crucible, but the Magician fluked the final red to make a match-winning clearance to win 10-8.
He has been phenomenal. Now in the Top 25 in the world, having risen by more than 30 places. First ranking semi-final in the International Championship, which is followed by his first final at the Northern Ireland Open. During his final, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan mentioned that he must start winning titles now and that also means competing at the Crucible. This time, everyone is more aware of him as a future World Champion, so I reckon the seeds will fear playing against him.
2017 World Championship Result: Lost 1st Round of WC vs. Shaun Murphy 10-8.
2018 World Championship Fixture: 1st Round of Qualifying vs. Jackson Page
2. Cao Yupeng
The surprise of the season in my eyes, Cao Yupeng has had an absolute blinder of a season. Earning just a pitiful sum of £6,525 last season, he has earned at least seventeen times over this reason, propelling himself into the Top 48 in the world.
Aside from reaching two ranking finals, a semi-final and a quarter-final, I’m sure Stephen Hendry would be whispering in his ear to made a name of himself as soon as possible and to quickly move on from his heartbreak in the Scottish Open final. When he arrived on the scene in the 2012 World Championships, he caused one of the greatest first-round shocks in Crucible history by beating Mark Allen, amid to some controversy over him touching the ball and failing to declare a foul on himself (footage was inconclusive) which set Allen off in an explosive interview.
Since then, Cao has definitely grown and after he lost to Allen in the Welsh Open, The Pistol mentioned that Cao is a far better player compared to five years ago. It took five seasons for Luca Brecel to make his second appearance in the World Championships, why not Cao after six seasons?
2017 World Championship Result: Lost 1st Round of Qualifying vs. Jimmy Robertson 10-8.
2018 World Championship Fixture: 1st Round of Qualifying vs. Robin Hull
1. Ryan Day
Two-time ranking event winner. Won the European Masters. Great attacking player. Safety improved considerably. Has shocked Maguire in 2014 and Allen in 2012 as a qualifier. You got to have him on, can’t you? With the season he’s had, it would be a disappointment if he failed to reach the Crucible, don’t you think? That’s all I need to say, to be honest!
2017 World Championship Result: Lost 1st Round of WC vs. Xiao Guodong 10-4.
2018 World Championship Fixture: 1st Round of Qualifying vs. Igor Figueiredo
