In the early morning of April 24, Beijing time, the 2024 World Snooker Championship continued. In a highlight-reel match in the first round, former Rookie of the Year winner Pang Junxu took on Welsh Open champion Robert Milkins. At the end of the thirteenth game, he led his opponent 7-6. In the first stage, Pang Junxu led 5-4.
After a season of competition, the 2023-24 Snooker Tour has entered the final stage, and the Snooker World Championship Qualifying Tournament is hotly staged. This year's World Championships is the second time that Pang Junxu, ranked 27th in the world, has participated in the main event of the World Championships. In the first round of the World Championships last year, he lost 7-10 to seven-time world champion "Rocket" O'Sullivan.
At this year's World Championships, Pang Junxu once again entered the main round of the World Championships through the victory of the qualifying round. He played in the third round of qualifying, winning 10-7 against Oliver Brown.
In the subsequent qualifying round, Pang Junxu defeated his big brother Cao Yupeng 10-8 to advance to the main event. In the first round of the World Championships, Pang Junxu faced Welsh Open champion Robert Milkins. In the first stage of the game, Pang Junxu led his opponent 5-4.
Regarding the performance of Pang Junxu and Milkins in the first stage, the official Weibo of the World Snooker Tour wrote: "In the first stage of the 2024 Snooker World Championship 32 into 16 rounds, Pang Junxu scored 57 points in a single stroke at the beginning and entered the rest stage with a 3-1 advantage. After returning from the break, Robert Milkins won two games in a row and scored 83 points in a single stroke to narrow the difference. Then both sides hit a shot of 50+ each.
The official Weibo of the World Snooker Tour continued: "In the eighth game, when Milkins took the lead with 49 points, Pang Junxu played a reversal and extended the lead again. In the end, Pang Junxu led Milkins 5-4 into the second stage, and the second stage of the two sides will start at 2 o'clock tomorrow morning."
After a few hours of rest, Pang Junxu and Milkins battled for the second stage. As soon as the opponent came back, he won two games in a row and overtook the score 6-5, and Pang Junxu then blasted two consecutive whips to lead the opponent again 7-6. On the whole, the young Pang Junxu's performance is relatively calm.