A total of 128 players has been whittled down to just 32 with Judgement Day next up on the 2024 World Snooker Championship qualifiers schedule.
The remaining contenders will vie for the 16 available spots at the Crucible Theatre, desperate to join the world’s top 16 in the first-round draw on Thursday.
Eight matches will take place on Tuesday with the other eight fixtures pencilled in for Wednesday at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
Judgement Day in the snooker qualifiers is a thrilling mini event in its own right, and one that serves as an appropriate appetiser for the main course that gets under way on Saturday morning.
Tuesday, April 16th
Session 1: 11am UTC+1. Session 2: 5pm UTC+1
Jack Lisowski vs Matthew Stevens
Jack Lisowski, who missed out on an automatic seeding by just £6,500, compiled four century breaks to comfortably win his first match with Liu Hongyu.
Against Matthew Stevens, Lisowski will face a Crucible veteran and a two-time former finalist who once regularly featured at the business end in Sheffield.
Ricky Walden vs Mark Davis
Ricky Walden beat Ian Burns 10-7 in the third round and is a win away from making his tenth appearance at the Crucible Theatre.
Mark Davis has emerged from the World Snooker Championship qualifiers a record 11 times but suffered a crushing defeat on the final black on Judgement Day twelve months ago.
Dominic Dale vs He Guoqiang
A strong season for 52 year-old Dominic Dale would be made even sweeter if he could seal a first Crucible appearance since 2014.
The charismatic Welshman entertains He Guoqiang, who despite representing a tour rookie is widely being tipped as a possible star of the future.
Zhou Yuelong vs Jak Jones
Zhou Yuelong pummelled James Cahill 10-0 in his first match of the preliminary event so should have plenty left in the tank against Jak Jones.
The latter was a surprise quarter-finalist in last year’s World Championship, beating Ali Carter and Neil Robertson on his Crucible debut.
Stephen Maguire vs Yuan Sijun
In 2023, Stephen Maguire failed to feature in the first round draw of the World Championship for the first time in 20 years.
The Scot will be hoping to avoid a repeat this time but faces a tough challenge against a solid performer in Yuan Sijun, who beat Michael White in the penultimate round.
Louis Heathcote vs Stuart Bingham
The last time Stuart Bingham failed to qualify for the Crucible was in 2010, and he left it late in his first match with Stuart Carrington before finally edging it 10-9.
The 2015 world snooker champion from England clashes with another countryman on Judgement Day – Louis Heathcote having made it all the way from the very first round.
Robbie Williams vs Chris Wakelin
There was a brief period when Robbie Williams became known as a Judgement Day specialist, but after three successive qualifications from 2014 to 2016, he has failed to make it back to the Crucible since.
Chris Wakelin, a vastly improved force on the main tour over the last couple of campaigns, will be a difficult prospect to overcome in the last round.
Lyu Haotian vs Jenson Kendrick
Few would have predicted a Judgement Day appearance from Jenson Kendrick, but the world number 104 has forged a superb run that could conclude with an unlikely Crucible berth and the 23 year-old saving his tour card.
Former ranking event runner-up Lyu Haotian will of course be the favourite, but the Chinese cueist didn’t look especially convincing during his 10-8 defeat of Daniel Wells.
Wednesday, April 17th
Session 1: 11am UTC+1. Session 2: 5pm UTC+1
Jamie Jones vs Neil Robertson
Neil Robertson didn’t let his slip into the qualifiers affect him much as he thumped Zak Surety 10-2 in his opening fixture on Monday.
The Australian, who has played in every World Championship since 2004, will face Jamie Jones on Judgement Day after the Welshman’s 10-5 success against Alfie Burden.
Hossein Vafaei vs Jiang Jun
Hossein Vafaei moved one win away from a return to the Crucible Theatre courtesy of a 10-4 triumph over former semi-finalist Marco Fu.
Final-round opponent Jiang Jun represents one of six Judgement Day contenders hoping to seal a debut at the Crucible Theatre.
Joe O’Connor vs Matthew Selt
Joe O’Connor thrashed Julien Leclercq 10-1 in the penultimate round, which will surely boost his confidence ahead of a potential first ever qualification for the main draw.
Matthew Selt, who easily accounted of Aaron Hill, has qualified for the last 32 in two out of the last three editions of the sport’s flagship event.
Cao Yupeng vs Pang Junxu
Cao Yupeng and Pang Junxu set up one of two all-Chinese clashes that will take place on Judgement Day in Sheffield.
Cao hasn’t played at the Crucible since reaching the last 16 on his debut in 2012, while Pang is bidding to make back-to-back appearances at the historic venue.
Jackson Page vs Noppon Saengkham
A magnificent 147 break from Noppon Saengkham in round three means that he’s in line to win the maximum break Triple Crown prize that’s on offer this season.
First and foremost on his agenda, though, will be negotiating a difficult obstacle on Judgement Day in the form of the talented Jackson Page.
Si Jiahui vs Wu Yize
By all accounts, Si Jiahui’s 10-9 triumph over Ben Mertens on Monday provided one of the most dramatic climaxes to any qualifying match this year.
Last year’s surprise semi-finalist encounters Wu Yize in an all-Chinese showdown, the latter having overcome Tian Pengfei in the third round.
Xiao Guodong vs David Gilbert
Xiao Guodong and David Gilbert both enjoyed easy outings in their first fixtures, comprehensively beating Sanderson Lam and David Lilley respectively.
Gilbert has participated in every World Championship since 2019, but you have to go back one year further for Xiao’s most recent appearance at the Crucible.
Scott Donaldson vs Ryan Day
Ryan Day and Scott Donaldson recorded respective 10-6 victories over John Astley and Joe Perry in the third round.
Day would undoubtedly be one of the qualifiers who most of the top seeds would want to avoid, but Donaldson will first offer a stern test for the four-time ranking event winner on Judgement Day.
Tuesday, April 16th
Jack Lisowski 10-3 Matthew Stevens
Ricky Walden 10-9 Mark Davis
Dominic Dale 10-8 He Guoqiang
Zhou Yuelong 4-10 Jak Jones
Stephen Maguire 10-6 Yuan Sijun
Louis Heathcote 8-10 Stuart Bingham
Robbie Williams 10-9 Chris Wakelin
Lyu Haotian 10-7 Jenson Kendrick
Wednesday, April 17th
Jamie Jones 10-9 Neil Robertson
Hossein Vafaei 10-5 Jiang Jun
Joe O’Connor 10-8 Matthew Selt
Cao Yupeng 8-10 Pang Junxu
Jackson Page 10-9 Noppon Saengkham
Si Jiahui 10-4 Wu Yize
Xiao Guodong 6-10 David Gilbert
Scott Donaldson 9-10 Ryan Day
How to watch Judgement Day in the snooker qualifiers?
The World Snooker Tour will be providing coverage of Judgement Day for free on their YouTube and Facebook channels.
There will be additional coverage throughout Europe on discovery+.
Viewers in territories where WST doesn’t have a streaming partner will be able to watch via a Matchroom.Live subscription.
When is the first round draw for the Crucible?
The first round draw for the 2024 World Snooker Championship will be made at around 8:30am UTC on Thursday, April 18th.
The draw will be conducted live on BBC Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website.
World Snooker Championship qualifiers draw
All matches are the best of 19 frames played across two sessions.
Scorelines in italics indicate the end of the first session.
–
Qualifier 1
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 1 | Jimmy White w/o Martin Gould | Jimmy White 3-10 Liu Hongyu | Liu Hongyu 4-10 Jack Lisowski | |
| Jack Lisowski 10-3 Matthew Stevens | ||||
| 2 | Ryan Thomerson 3-10 Liam Davies | Liam Davies 2-10 Jimmy Robertson | Jimmy Robertson 6-10 Matthew Stevens |
Qualifier 2
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 3 | Ian Burns 10-1 Dean Young | Ian Burns 10-7 Mark Joyce | Ian Burns 7-10 Ricky Walden | |
| Ricky Walden 10-9 Mark Davis | ||||
| 4 | Andy Lee 9-10 Andrew Pagett | Andrew Pagett 2-10 Mark Davis | Mark Davis 10-8 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh |
Qualifier 3
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 5 | Rory Thor 10-2 Hamza Ilyas | Rory Thor 8-10 David Grace | David Grace 6-10 Dominic Dale | |
| Dominic Dale 10-8 He Guoqiang | ||||
| 6 | Ross Muir 10-9 Cheung Ka Wai | Ross Muir 8-10 He Guoqiang | He Guoqiang 10-5 Anthony McGill |
Qualifier 4
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 7 | Alfie Burden 10-1 Rebecca Kenna | Alfie Burden 10-3 Xu Si | Alfie Burden 5-10 Jamie Jones | |
| Jamie Jones 10-9 Neil Robertson | ||||
| 8 | Ishpreet Singh Chadha 6-10 Gao Yang | Gao Yang 6-10 Zak Surety | Zac Surety 2-10 Neil Robertson |
Qualifier 5
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 9 | Sean O’Sullivan 8-10 Bulscu Revesz | Bulscu Revesz 8-10 James Cahill | James Cahill 0-10 Zhou Yuelong | |
| Zhou Yuelong 4-10 Jak Jones | ||||
| 10 | Andres Petrov 10-1 Ahmed Elsayed | Andres Petrov 7-10 Jamie Clarke | Jamie Clarke 6-10 Jak Jones |
Qualifier 6
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 11 | Adam Duffy 10-5 Mink Nutcharut | Adam Duffy 4-10 Ashley Hugill | Ashley Hugill 7-10 Stephen Maguire | |
| Stephen Maguire 10-6 Yuan Sijun | ||||
| 12 | Andrew Higginson 10-7 Duane Jones | Andrew Higginson 8-10 Michael White | Michael White 8-10 Yuan Sijun |
Qualifier 7
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 13 | Louis Heathcote 10-4 Oliver Sykes | Louis Heathcote 10-7 Oliver Lines | Louis Heathcote 10-8 Elliot Slessor | |
| Louis Heathcote 8-10 Stuart Bingham | ||||
| 14 | Stuart Carrington 10-5 Himanshu Jain | Stuart Carrington 10-9 Liam Highfield | Stuart Carrington 9-10 Stuart Bingham |
Qualifier 8
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 15 | Alexander Ursenbacher 10-0 Iulian Boiko | Alexander Ursenbacher 7-10 Anthony Hamilton | Anthony Hamilton 5-10 Robbie Williams | |
| Robbie Williams 10-9 Chris Wakelin | ||||
| 16 | Allan Taylor 10-6 Vladislav Gradinari | Allan Taylor 9-10 Lukas Kleckers | Lukas Kleckers 5-10 Chris Wakelin |
Qualifier 9
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 17 | Marco Fu 10-1 Baipat Siripaporn | Marco Fu 10-6 Ken Doherty | Marco Fu 4-10 Hossein Vafaei | |
| Hossein Vafaei 10-5 Jiang Jun | ||||
| 18 | Jiang Jun 10-6 Amir Sarkhosh | Jiang Jun 10-8 Fan Zhengyi | Jiang Jun 10-8 Sam Craigie |
Qualifier 10
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 19 | Hammad Miah 2-10 Haydon Pinhey | Haydon Pinhey 3-10 Julien Leclercq | Julien Leclercq 1-10 Joe O’Connor | |
| Joe O’Connor 10-8 Matthew Selt | ||||
| 20 | Daniel Womersley w/o Muhammad Asif | Daniel Womersley 3-10 Aaron Hill | Aaron Hill 4-10 Matthew Selt |
Qualifier 11
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 21 | Ma Hailong 10-1 Victor Sarkis | Ma Hailong 10-7 Martin O’Donnell | Ma Hailong 4-10 Cao Yupeng | |
| Cao Yupeng 8-10 Pang Junxu | ||||
| 22 | Oliver Brown 10-0 Reanne Evans | Oliver Brown 10-8 Dylan Emery | Oliver Brown 7-10 Pang Junxu |
Qualifier 12
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 23 | Fergal O’Brien 8-10 Mostafa Dorgham | Mostafa Dorgham 5-10 Graeme Dott | Graeme Dott 5-10 Jackson Page | |
| Jackson Page 10-9 Noppon Saengkham | ||||
| 24 | Long Zehuang 10-1 Sydney Wilson | Long Zehuang 2-10 Andy Hicks | Andy Hicks 5-10 Noppon Saengkham |
Qualifier 13
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 25 | Rod Lawler 10-7 Gong Chenzhi | Rod Lawler 9-10 Ben Mertens | Ben Mertens 9-10 Si Jiahui | |
| Si Jiahui 10-4 Wu Yize | ||||
| 26 | Stan Moody 6-10 Mohamed Shehab | Mohamed Shebab 8-10 Tian Pengfei | Tian Pengfei 8-10 Wu Yize |
Qualifier 14
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 27 | Xing Zihao 10-6 Michael Holt | Xing Zihao 5-10 Daniel Wells | Daniel Wells 8-10 Lyu Haotian | |
| Lyu Haotian 10-7 Jenson Kendrick | ||||
| 28 | Jenson Kendrick 10-7 Bai Yulu | Jenson Kendrick 10-8 Ben Woollaston | Jenson Kendrick 10-5 Jordan Brown |
Qualifier 15
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 29 | Liam Pullen 10-3 Anton Kazakov | Liam Pullen 8-10 Sanderson Lam | Sanderson Lam 2-10 Xiao Guodong | |
| Xiao Guodong 6-10 David Gilbert | ||||
| 30 | Peng Yisong 10-5 Manasawin Phetmalaikul | Peng Yisong 9-10 David Lilley | David Lilley 4-10 David Gilbert |
Qualifier 16
| Route | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 |
| 31 | Mohamed Ibrabim 6-10 Peter Lines | Peter Lines 6-10 Scott Donaldson | Scott Donaldson 10-6 Joe Perry | |
| Scott Donaldson 9-10 Ryan Day | ||||
| 32 | Ashley Carty 10-4 Liam Graham | Ashley Carty 6-10 John Astley | John Astley 6-10 Ryan Day |
Featured photo credit: WST
Dave Hendon and Neal Foulds have both delivered their lists on the best players never to be world champion. Neal had Paul Hunter second but Dave felt it wasn’t right to rank him given the years missed due to his tragic passing. Dave also included two names, Marco Fu and Rex Williams, that have not appeared either on my list or the list we await from DC.
Neal has his rose-tinted glasses on. Speaking of, there’ll be a little tweak to that annual piece this year. Stay tuned!
You mean regarding to Paul, I presume. I wouldn’t have him second but he was a magnificent player. His points about Hunter’s bottle were valid and I believe he could still be a top player now. I also get Dave’s point about him being hard to rank as his career was cut so short.
I was pleased to see Doug Mountjoy reach the top 10, if a little high at 4. He won a considerable number of prestigious events. The big omission from Hendon’s top 10 was Barry Hawkins.
I hope Andy Hicks goes to Q school. The ‘Toast of Tavistock’ is easy on the eye still. He’s one of the best players never to be in the top 16.