World Snooker Championship draw: Ronnie O’Sullivan meets Pang Junxu, Judd Trump faces Anthony McGill -

Ronnie O’Sullivan will open his bid for a record eighth World Championship title against Pang Junxu in the first round at the Crucible in Sheffield.

O’Sullivan has only defended his world title once – in 2013 – when he did not play for most of the season.

Four-time champions Mark Selby and John Higgins face Matthew Selt and David Grace respectively, while Neil Robertson takes on Wu Yize and Judd Trump meets Anthony McGill.

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A DAY AGO

As is tradition, the defending champion will get the tournament underway at 10:00 UK time on Saturday and will conclude the match at 19:00 later on the opening day.

The World Championship represents an opportunity for O’Sullivan to get back on track after a run of form that has seen him fail to progress past the quarter-finals of a tournament since the Champion of Champions back in November.

“It’s a big ask, isn’t it?” he admitted to Eurosport about his prospects of an eighth world crown.

“But we’ll try, we’ll give it a go. I feel alright. I feel like I’ve paced myself pretty well this year.

“I’ve had a few up and downs, but feel like I’ve come out the other side of it. Not collapsed or lost the plot, but stayed in a good place, and at some point, I’ll just let the snooker gods take over.”

Shaun Murphy, meanwhile – one of the event’s form players after winning the recent Tour Championship – will face Si Jiahui.

The last time the pair met – at the 2021 UK Championship – Murphy suffered a shock defeat to the 20-year-old from China, after which ‘The Magician’ said that Jiahui “shouldn’t be in the tournament”, as he questioned the inclusion of amateur players in the event.

Murphy, reacting to drawing Jiahui, said to BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s a bit of a poisoned chalice playing a [Crucible] debutant.

“You’re never really sure what you’re going to get. We’ve played before so I know he’s a very, very good player.

“So [I’m] hoping to use my experience to my advantage.”