Solely three out of the 17 days on the 2024 World Snooker Championship have been accomplished, however 5 seeds have already bowed out in Sheffield.
Mark Selby and Gary Wilson have been added to the eradicated checklist of top-16 members on Monday on the Crucible Theatre.
Selby, a four-time world champion and the finalist a yr in the past, was downed 10-6 by debutant Joe O’Connor.
It has sparked murmurs of a possible early retirement from the out-of-form Englishman, who has stated he must talk about his choices together with his household within the weeks forward.
Wilson, in the meantime, couldn’t get better from an error-strewn begin towards Stuart Bingham – ultimately struggling a 10-5 reverse.
This season’s Scottish and Welsh Open champion had been hyped as a possible darkish horse to problem this yr.
However hopes of that shortly light when a sequence of inexplicable misses noticed Wilson lose the opening 4 frames, and he may by no means get again on even phrases with the 2015 world champion.
Over the weekend, reigning champion Luca Brecel, Masters finalist Ali Carter, and Worldwide Championship winner Zhang Anda additionally exited the competitors.
The one seeds from the highest 16 on this planet rankings checklist who’ve safely superior to the second spherical to this point are Judd Trump, Shaun Murphy, and Tom Ford.
At their midway factors, sixth seed Mark Williams and sixteenth seed Robert Milkins are at the moment within the warmth of robust battles with their respective opponents from the qualifiers.
Williams orchestrated a slim 5-4 in a single day benefit over 2023 semi-finalist Si Jiahui, whereas Milkins trails Pang Junxu by the identical margin.
The sturdy performances from the qualifiers has elevated the likelihood {that a} file quantity from the preliminary rounds may function within the final 16.
The worst version of a World Snooker Championship for the seeds for the reason that event grew to become a 32-strong area in 1982 was a decade later in 1992.
On that event, half of the highest 16 failed to barter their preliminary hurdles within the occasion – together with six-time world champion Steve Davis.
World Snooker Championship
Variety of high 16 seeds who’ve misplaced within the first spherical
*Stat contains yearly since 1982, when the event elevated to 32 gamers.*
One
1983 and 1993
Two
1985, 1990, 1996, 2009, and 2021
Three
1994, 1995, 2015, and 2022
4
1984, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2023
5
1997, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2014
Six
1982, 1987, 1989, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, and 2018
Seven
2012 and 2016
Eight
1992
Distinction that with 1983 and 1993 when just one qualifier managed to upset the percentages by defeating a seed on the venue levels.
Jimmy White was the unlucky loser in 1983, edged out by boyhood pal Tony Meo, whereas Alain Robidoux misplaced to Doug Mountjoy within the first spherical ten years later.
On common, about 4.3 seeds have misplaced within the spherical of 32 – a determine that has already been surpassed in 2024 with eight extra matches but to be accomplished.
The commonest variety of top-16 seeds to lose in any given yr is 4, which has occur 13 instances since 1982.
Will the file of eight be damaged this yr?
Whether it is surpassed, it could mark the primary time that extra qualifiers than seeds take part within the final 16, which might be fairly one thing.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Allen, Ding Junhui, and John Higgins are among the many seeds who nonetheless should play their spherical one video games on the 2024 World Snooker Championship.
2024 World Snooker Championship Draw
Click on right here for reside scores and session instances.
Spherical 1 (bo19)
Luca Brecel (1) 9-10 David Gilbert
Robert Milkins (16) vs Pang Junxu
Ali Carter (9) 7-10 Stephen Maguire
Shaun Murphy (8) 10-5 Lyu Haotian
Mark Selby (5) 6-10 Joe O’Connor
Kyren Wilson (12) vs Dominic Dale
John Higgins (13) vs Jamie Jones
Mark Allen (4) vs Robbie Williams
Judd Trump (3) 10-5 Hossein Vafaei
Tom Ford (14) 10-6 Ricky Walden
Zhang Anda (11) 4-10 Jak Jones
Mark Williams (6) vs Si Jiahui
Ding Junhui (7) vs Jack Lisowski
Gary Wilson (10) 5-10 Stuart Bingham
Barry Hawkins (15) vs Ryan Day
Ronnie O’Sullivan (2) vs Jackson Web page
Spherical 2 (bo25)
David Gilbert vs Milkins/Pang
Stephen Maguire vs Shaun Murphy
Joe O’Connor vs Okay. Wilson/Dale
Higgins/Jamie Jones vs Allen/R. Williams
Judd Trump vs Tom Ford
Jak Jones vs M. Williams/Si
Ding/Lisowski vs Stuart Bingham
Hawkins/Day vs O’Sullivan/Web page
Quarter-Finals (bo25)
TBC vs Maguire/Murphy
TBC vs TBC
Trump/Ford vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
Semi-Finals (bo33)
TBC vs TBC
TBC vs TBC
Remaining (bo35)
TBC vs TBC
Featured photograph credit score: WST
