The Crucible Curse has struck again…
Reigning champion Luca Brecel has been dumped out in the first round, meaning that no first-time winner of the tournament has managed to retain their title in the following campaign since moving to the Crucible in 1980.
The drama is set to continue on Monday, so let’s take a closer look at the Day 3 action.
Mark Williams – first session winner vs Si Jiahui
Mark Williams knows the Crucible like the back of his hand and we’re expecting the “Welsh Potting Machine” to get up and running quickly on Monday afternoon.
Williams brings to Sheffield the form of a player who has just romped to the Tour Championship title, having beaten the best of the best in the game, and plucky youngster Si Jiahui won’t phase the three-time world champion.
We’re not writing Si off in the contest – he reached last year’s semi-final before falling 17-15 to Brecel in the final – but Williams is a good bet to get off to the quicker start in familiar surroundings.
Robert Milkins to beat Pang Junxu
As the odds suggest, Milkins vs Pang is a bit of a coin toss…
This is Milkins’ tenth World Championship, and he’ll be aiming to reach the third round for the first time in his career after chipping away over nearly 30 seasons as a pro.
Pang is 24 and one of the youngsters looking to become the first world champion from China after years of Ding threats failed to materialize.
It’s Pang’s second Crucible visit after getting beaten 10-7 by O’Sullivan last season, but we fear he may come up short to experience once again as Milkins builds on a season that has seen him creep into the top 16 in the world.
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