On April 23, Beijing time, the 2024 World Snooker Championship ended the third day of the main competition, and two more seeded players were upset, namely world champion Mark Selby and Gary Wilson, Selby lost to Joe O'Connor 6-10, and Gary Wilson was defeated by Bingham, a veteran born in the 70s. Chinese players Si Jiahui and Pang Junxu completed the first stage of the competition, and seeing the hope of promotion, Ding Junhui is also about to appear.
On the third day of the main event, three matches were decided, and among the three seeded players, only Shaun Murphy won, he eliminated Lu Haotian 10-5 and successfully advanced to the round of 16, and faced Stephen Maguire in the 1/8 finals. Mark Selby trailed 7-2 in the first stage and improved slightly in the second period, but still lost 6-10 to Joe O'Connor and missed out on the round of 16. Mark Selby has been suffering from mental health problems in recent years, and his competitive form is far worse than before, coupled with his wife's physical health problems, he is considering whether to retire.
Crucible newcomer Joe O'Connor scored an important victory to advance to the round of 16. Another qualifier, post-70s veteran Stuart Bingham, also played strongly, hitting a 100-100 shot and a six-shot 50+ to eliminate Gary Wilson 10-5. If Ding Junhui can eliminate Lisowski in the first round, then he will face Stuart Bingham in the second round.
So far, five seeded players have been eliminated in the first round of this World Championship, namely Luca Brecel, Zhang Anda, Ali Carter, Mark Selby, and Gary Wilson. The second round matchups that have been confirmed are Stephen Maguire vs. Shaun Murphy and Trump vs. Tom Forde. With two Chinese players still playing in the first stage, Pang Junxu took a 5-4 lead over seeded Robert Milkins and looked likely to advance to the round of 16. Si Jiahui fell behind Mark Williams 4-5 and also hopes to continue the glory of the last World Championships.
On the fourth matchday, China's Ding Junhui will take the stage against Lisowski, and the two will play the first stage of the match. There's also Kyren Wilson vs. Dominic Dyer, Mark Allen vs. Robbie Williams, and Barry Hawkins vs. Ryan Day, all of which have to go through the first period. Si Jiahui and Pang Junxu will finish the second stage on this match day and strive for a place in the round of 16.
At present, Chinese snooker has suffered two consecutive defeats in this World Championship, and on the fourth match day, Chinese snooker has a chance to get the first victory of this World Championship, let's wait and see!