There is just a week left until the start of the 2025 World Snooker Championship, so let’s look at the seeds in the main draw this year.
Each of the seeds will have aspirations of going all the way to glory in what is the 49th edition at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
We begin this mini four-part series with those who are ranked from 13th to 16th in this year’s lineup.
16th Seed: Jak Jones
By a margin of just £5,900, Jak Jones scraped in as the 16th and last seed with an automatic ticket to compete at the Crucible Theatre.
The Welshman generated plenty of headlines a year ago with his memorable run to the final as a qualifier, but he hasn’t been able to build on that during the 2024/25 campaign.
Aside from a century-laden run at the invitational version of Championship League Snooker, his form has been lacking, and one quarter-final run in a ranking event is all he’s managed.
This spell of struggle was reflected in his failure to qualify for the Players Championship and the Tour Championship off the one-year ranking list.
But the £200,000 that he earned through reaching the 2024 world final has boosted his status on the official two-year standings overall.
Reaching the quarter-final on his debut in 2023 shows that Jones clearly has Crucible pedigree, but he will undoubtedly be a player that most qualifiers would accept drawing in the first round.
Should he emerge from his initial test, he could potentially set up a rematch of last year’s final with Kyren Wilson in the second round.
World Championship best: Runner-up (2024)
Best result in 2024/25: Quarter-finals (British Open; Champion of Champions)
Form guide: 1/5
15th Seed: Shaun Murphy
There had been periods during the 2024/25 campaign where it looked as though Shaun Murphy might have to head to the World Championship qualifiers.
The Magician was provisionally ranked outside the world’s top 16 at times, but good showings in the second half of the season helped his cause.
A four-time World Snooker Championship finalist and the Crucible champion in 2005, Murphy has been one of the ever-present seeds for 20 years.
Murphy’s best performances this term have come in invitational events, with a run to the final of the Shanghai Masters bettered by his superb success at the Masters in London.
A subsequent semi-finalist at the World Grand Prix, some people are getting behind the idea that the 42 year-old could challenge in Sheffield again this year.
But Murphy has been a streaky player right throughout his career – mixing periods of scarcely believable snooker with spells of mediocrity.
With that in mind, Murphy’s last two defeats would offer some cause for concern – a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Judd Trump in Telford followed by a 10-1 thumping by Barry Hawkins in Manchester.
Murphy, who has outright odds of 14/1, could meet Trump in a mouthwatering tie as early as round two at this year’s World Championship.
World Championship best: Champion (2005)
Best result in 2024/25: Champion (The Masters)
Form guide: 4/5
14th Seed: Xiao Guodong
If there is an award for the most improved player this season, it must surely go to China’s Xiao Guodong.
After more than 15 years as a professional, Xiao finally realised his full potential with a series of excellent performances in high-profile events.
A quarter-final run at the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters was only the beginning as Xiao subsequently stormed to a maiden ranking title at the Wuhan Open.
An appearance in the final of the prestigious Champion of Champions followed, and Xiao has been a constant presence in the quarters and semis of other events all term.
His reward is being seeded in the World Championship draw for the first time – particularly useful considering he hasn’t been able to negotiate the qualifiers since 2018.
With betting odds of about 33/1, Xiao could be one of the dark horses to challenge in this year’s tournament, but not in his favour is his possible second-round opponent.
Having lost to him in back-to-back outings at the Players and Tour Championships, Xiao will be sick to the teeth of John Higgins.
Unfortunately, that’s who he would likely face in the last 16 should he make it that far.
World Championship best: Last 16 (2017)
Best result in 2024/25: Champion (Wuhan Open)
Form guide: 3.5/5
13th Seed: Si Jiahui
Like his Chinese compatriot Xiao, Si Jiahui will be one of the World Snooker Championship seeds for the first time in his career.
The 22 year-old has played at the Crucible twice already, memorably reaching the semi-finals on his debut two years ago before bowing out in the last 16 in 2024.
All in all and despite lots of promise, Si’s season until now will probably be regarded as a disappointment.
He reached the semi-finals of the lucrative ranking event in Riyadh and lost to Xiao in the title-deciding affair in Wuhan.
But since October, Si has failed to even make a single appearance at the quarter-final of an event.
His form looks even bleaker when you take into consideration he has lost his last six matches on the World Snooker Tour.
The two most recent defeats among those have come against Mark Selby, the same player who he could meet in the second round of this year’s World Championship.
Before even entertaining the idea of a repeat crack at Selby, Si will have to snap his concerning losing streak.
World Championship best: Semi-finals (2023)
Best result in 2024/25: Runner-up (Wuhan Open)
Form guide: 1.5/5
The series will continue on Sunday with a look at the World Snooker Championship seeds from numbers 9 to 12 in the draw.
Featured photo credit: WST
