World Championship: Ronnie O'Sullivan faces Stephen Maguire; Mark Selby plays Joe Perry
- From the section Snooker
| 2018 World Championship |
|---|
| Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Dates: 21 April - 7 May |
| Coverage: Watch live across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Red Button, Connected TV, the BBC Sport website and mobile app. Full coverage details |
Five-time winner and favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan faces a difficult first round match against Stephen Maguire at the World Championship in Sheffield.
Defending champion Mark Selby, chasing a fourth title in five years, plays Joe Perry, while last year's beaten finalist John Higgins was drawn against Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
China's Ding Junhui is up against fellow countryman Xiao Guodong.
Selby begins his quest on Saturday at 10:00 BST, live on BBC TV and online.
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The draw, originally scheduled for 10:00 on Thursday, was delayed by two hours because of technical issues at the venue.
World number 22 Perry called it "an absolute joke" as qualifiers like himself "have no idea when we are playing, have to book hotels and make travel plans".
O'Sullivan is chasing a record sixth ranking title of the season and his match against Maguire (14:30 on Saturday) is the standout tie of the opening round.
'The Rocket' beat Scotland's Maguire in the semi-finals en route to winning the UK Championship and World Grand Prix earlier this season.
| O'Sullivan v Maguire: Matches played - 22 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wins: O'Sullivan 18-4 Maguire | Frame wins: O'Sullivan 131-87 Maguire | Ranking titles: O'Sullivan 33-5 Maguire |
Elsewhere, Masters champion Mark Allen plays debutant Liam Highfield, former world champion Stuart Bingham faces Jack Lisowski, Judd Trump faces Chris Wakelin and Hong Kong's Marco Fu was drawn against world number 68 Lyu Haotian, the lowest ranked player in the draw.
Welshman Jamie Jones is rewarded for his 10-0 qualifying win against China's Liang Wenbo with a first round encounter against 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy.
WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said: "The standard is absolutely incredible. It has been a long, hard season, there has been a lot of travelling involved but we are approaching the end now and someone will be crowned the world champion."
Coverage of the tournament is live across BBC online, TV and radio, with the final taking place on 6 and 7 May.
Full first round draw
Mark Selby v Joe Perry
Mark Allen v Liam Highfield
Kyren Wilson v Matthew Stevens
Shaun Murphy v Jamie Jones
John Higgins v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Stuart Bingham v Jack Lisowski
Luca Brecel v Ricky Walden
Judd Trump v Chris Wakelin
Ding Junhui v Xiao Guodong
Anthony McGill v Ryan Day
Marco Fu v Lyu Haotian
Barry Hawkins v Stuart Carrington
Mark Williams v Jimmy Robertson
Neil Robertson v Robert Milkins
Ali Carter v Graeme Dott
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Stephen Maguire
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