On April 15, 2022, Beijing time, World Snooker updated the schedule of the first day of the World Championships on its official website, and the defending champion Mark Selby and China's Zhao Xintong opened the opener, against Jamie Jones and Jamie Clarke. O'Sullivan, Barry Hawkins, Sean Murphy and Stephen Maguire will also be on the opening day, with the finale on the verge of erupting.
The World Championships are the grand finale of each season, and before the start of the main game, there is good news, because the media day that has been suspended for two years has finally returned. The highlight of the media day is the group photo of the 16 seeded players, that is, China's two aces Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao are about to appear together with O'Sullivan, Selby, Trump and others.
In fact, this is equivalent to a ribbon-cutting ceremony, through such activities to bring fans and media together to warm up for the World Championships. Two young Chinese players will also experience such a big scene, which is expected.
However, for Zhao Xintong, the most important thing at the moment is to fight the opening battle. This season, Zhao Xintong won the British Championship and the German Masters championship consecutively, ranking in the top 10 in the world ranking, and played in the World Championships as a seeded player for the first time. Although he didn't say it, Zhao Xintong's goal was definitely to impact the world championship, and the first game was often the most difficult to play.
Although his opponent Jamie Clark is a qualifier, it is definitely a bone to gnaw on. Jamie Clarke has played the role of a dark horse at the World Championships, and his experience in dealing with big scenes is already very rich, and Zhao Xintong cannot take it lightly. The match will start at 17:00 Beijing time on April 16, 2022, and the first match day will only be played in the first stage.
Also appearing at the same time was defending champion Mark Selby, and the long-absent Mark Selby against Jamie Jones, also a tenacious opponent, Selby is difficult to pass easily. Compared with Zhao Xintong, Selby's debut is more stressful, after all, he is the defending champion, in addition, this match will be played on the first match day, that is, to determine the first round of 16 seats.
In addition, the first matchday also featured Barry Hawkins vs. Jackson Page, O'Sullivan vs. David Gilbert, Sean Murphy vs. Stephen Maguire, all of which played the first stage.
The World Championships are the most competitive competitions, and each round is a long-term format, and the test of players is all-round. Zhao Xintong wants to achieve good results, in addition to giving full play to his own characteristics and advantages, but also to maintain stability, wish Zhao Xintong a smooth debut, and make a good start for the Chinese legion!