Mark Selby will face Ben Woollaston as the first-round draw for the 2025 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre was made on Thursday.
For the second successive year in Sheffield, Selby will have to face a fellow Leicester potter in the last 32 of the sport’s blue-riband event.
It didn’t go so well for Selby in 2024, with the four-time world champion suffering a shock 10-6 defeat to debutant Joe O’Connor.
Twelve months on and close pal Woollaston – making a first Crucible appearance since 2013 – will be the hometown challenger.
Woollaston emerged from the dreaded qualifiers for only the second time in his career with victories over Mark Davis and Ross Muir at the English Institute of Sport.
“It’s tough,” world number four Mark Selby said just after the draw was conducted on 5 Live Breakfast.
“I mean, Ben’s from Leicester and I’ve known him since he was a young lad. We’ve practiced together for many years.”
“You know what, they are all tough draws. But there are a few players that standout that you think [I don’t want to play].
“Joe O’Connor, who I played last year, is from Leicester. I didn’t want to draw Joe again, and Ben. Dave Gilbert, I practice with him.
“So there were probably three or four who I didn’t want to play.
“I’ve not spoken to Ben, but Rob [Walker] was saying that when he got through the qualifiers, he probably didn’t want to play myself.
“Not because he doesn’t fancy it – he’ll go into the match confident and feeling he can win, I’m sure.
“But just because we’re from the same area, it’s not nice. You both want to do well in the tournament, and one of you is going to go home.”
A fascinating World Snooker Championship draw paired Ronnie O’Sullivan with Ali Carter, the Englishmen sharing plenty of history at the Crucible Theatre together.
O’Sullivan beat Carter in both the 2008 and 2012 finals, but the latter got a modicum of revenge in the second round of the 2018 World Championship in a match infamous for a mid-match shoulder barge.
Whether the Rocket actually turns up to compete remains somewhat up in the air, with the seven-time champion having not played competitively since snapping his cue at the Championship League in January.
“Neither of them will be happy with that draw, I don’t think,” Mark Selby, who won the last of his four world titles in 2021, added.
“For Ronnie, it’s great that he’s in the competition. We’ve not seen him since January, so it’s great.”
“I wanted him to play. As it stands at the moment, it seems like he’s playing, which is fantastic for the game.
“Carter is probably one of the toughest qualifiers to get drawn against. He’s played Ronnie in the World Championship final.
“He played him in the Masters final a couple of years ago, so yeah, that’s a horrible draw.
“It’s tough [to change cues], but Ronnie is probably one of the few people who can pick up any cue and just play to a high level.
“I remember a few years ago, he played and beat me in the final of the Masters. He blew everyone away, including me in the final.
“I think in that tournament, the cue he had he was only using for a week before he’d gone. And he went there and won one of the Triple Crown events.
“He’s one of the few players who can do that, so I wouldn’t think that’d be a problem.”
Kyren Wilson, meanwhile, will begin the defence of his world title on Saturday against debutant Lei Peifan.
As is customary, the reigning champion kicks proceedings off on the opening day, meaning he could be involved for 17 days if he manages to make it all the way to the final again.
For Selby, the 41 year-old might have a small advantage over his rivals as his game against Woollaston represents the last of the first-round ties to finish.
“I’ll definitely watch the start of the tournament and the build-up. But then after that, I’ll just try and concentrate on practicing,” Selby said.
“It’s such a long tournament, you can get caught up in it all. My first game isn’t until Wednesday evening and Thursday evening.”
“I think I’m probably the last in the first round to play. [For] my second session on Thursday, the other table is playing in the last 16, that’s how late I play.
“I normally go up there with Vicky, so I’ll probably go out for some food, watch a bit of Netflix, and switch off completely.”
Featured photo credit: WST
