Anthony McGill
ANTHONY MCGILL breezed through his final qualifying match on Judgement Day, dominating Cao Yupeng with a striking display.
On that evidence, McGill should prove a real handful for his first-round opponent, Judd Trump, and the Scot has previous at the Crucible.
A quarter-finalist in 2015 and 2021, McGill came desperately close to reaching the final in 2020, only to lose a dramatic deciding frame against Kyren Wilson that could have easily gone his way.
McGill clearly has an all-round game that is well suited to the demands of this tournament and having pushed Trump very close when they met here last year, eventually going down 13-11, he ought to fancy his chances of going one better in the rematch 12 months on.
If he can navigate his way past Trump, the draw could easily open up for a man who always saves his best for this event.
Si Jiahui
It was in late 2021 when Shaun Murphy suggested SI JIAHUI ‘shouldn’t even be in the building’ after the Chinese youngster lowered his colours in the UK Championship at the Barbican in York.
Murphy wasn’t in a good place with his snooker at that point, struggling for results that had previously come easy, and he soon apologised for the timing of his comments, though not his general stance.
Fast forward to next week and Si will very much deserve to be in the building having beaten the likes of Tom Ford and Jordan Brown in qualifying, and his rematch with Murphy will certainly have an added dimension.
Murphy is the form man having won the Players and Tour Championship in brilliant fashion, but Si is richly talented, improving fast and the 20-year-old could be just the type to thrive at the Crucible.
Ricky Walden
It’s sometimes easy to forget that RICKY WALDEN is the winner of three ranking events, so long ago were those career highs.
The last of those wins came at the International Championship in 2014, having reached the last four of the World Championship the previous year.
His subsequent fall from grace has been less to do with his talent and work ethic, but instead chronic back problems that at one stage threatened to force Walden into early retirement.
Thankfully that was evaded, and the 40-year-old reached three semi-finals and two quarter-finals last season. This term hasn’t been quite as good, but the recent signs have been encouraging.
Walden needed form and courage to see off Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in a thrilling clash on Judgement Day, despite the later making three centuries in that match.
Walden played really well and having been pegged back to 9-9, held himself together brilliantly to win the deciding frame thanks a classy run of 69.
As always, Walden is expected to thrive on returning to the biggest stage, and in Luca Brecel he faces a man in round one who has yet to win a match at the Crucible.
Opportunity knocks.
