Zhao Xintong will head back to the Crucible in devastating form when the World Snooker Championship gets back under way at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Saturday.
The Chinese star will face stiff competition from a host of former winners but they all arrive with question marks attached in what looks to be a particularly open field this year.
Can Ronnie O’Sullivan rustle up a record-breaking eighth? Can Mark Selby claw his way back to his best? Can Neil Robertson shrug off the weight of recent history? Here, the Press Association runs the rule over the likely challengers for the Crucible crown.
Zhao Xintong
The Chinese star looks well placed to become the first player to crack the so-called ‘Crucible curse’ of first-time winners that have failed to defend the crown. He arrives back in Sheffield on top form having blitzed John Higgins 10-1 then Judd Trump 10-3 to win the Tour Championship in Manchester last week, adding to this season’s World Grand Prix and Players Championship titles.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
On the face of it, O’Sullivan’s run to the final of the World Open in Yushan last month suggests he has a shot at usurping Stephen Hendry as an eight-time World Championship winner. But his decision to base himself in Dublin for the duration of the tournament hardly inspires confidence that he is in the right frame of mind for another famous 17-day surge.
Mark Selby
It is five years since the four-time winner has troubled the engravers at the Crucible but the 42-year-old has shown signs of stirring. A UK Championship title emphasised his encouraging upturn after well-documented mental health issues, and Selby arrives back in Sheffield as one of the few players proven to be perfectly capable of lasting the course.
Neil Robertson
It is one of snooker’s modern mysteries why Robertson has failed to build on his solitary world title in 2010, and his recent Crucible form has been dreadful. He lost in qualifying after plunging down the rankings in 2024, and was beaten by Chris Wakelin in the first round last year. But the Australian is back up to third in the world rankings and may feel this is finally his time.
Kyren Wilson
Even by the standards of the Crucible curse, Wilson’s first day exit as defending champion to Chinese qualifier Lei Peifan last year was a shocker. A peculiar campaign has seen him hit the heights with wins at the Masters and the Shanghai Masters, but worryingly little else. It feels like a pivotal period in Wilson’s career as he looks to realise his potential as a multiple world winner.
