The qualifiers for the Crucible get underway on Monday, with 16 players booking their places at the iconic venue next Tuesday and Wednesday (16 & 17 April).
As only the top 16 in the world go straight to the Crucible there are always plenty of good players in the qualifiers, but this year feels like there’s even more quality than usual.
Neil Robertson is the most surprising name to be involved at the English Institute of Sport after a couple of disappointing seasons, while the likes of Jack Lisowski, Stuart Bingham, Anthony McGill and Stephen Maguire are all also lurking in the draw.
Mark Selby is sitting pretty at number five in the world and heads to the Crucible, but is expecting a tough task in round one, with a range of brilliant players as potential opponents.
‘You’ve got some horrible matches coming through the qualifiers,’ Selby told Metro.co.uk.
‘Neil is going to be a tough game for anyone. People like Maguire, he’s still a class act. I know the last 12-18 months he’s not played anywhere near as good as we know he can, but you still wouldn’t want him first round.
‘You’ve got Hossein [Vafaei], Ricky Walden, some horrible ties. Normally over the last few years there’s been some horrible matches and you can pick four or five where you don’t really want him and him, but now there’s more than ever.
‘McGill, Lisowski, Bingham, there’s nearly eight or nine straight away. Half of the qualifiers you don’t want to draw.’
Last year’s surprise semi-finalist Si Jiahui also has to head to qualifying along with a string of other dangerous Chinese stars including Zhou Yuelong, Pang Junxu, Wu Yize and newly-crowned women’s world champion Bai Yulu will be an interesting proposition.
While there is no shortage of experienced pros who are well versed in coming through the qualifiers, from Joe Perry and Ryan Day to Dave Gilbert and Matthew Stevens.
Qualifying gets underway on Monday 8 April, with the draw and schedule available here.
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