15-Year-Old Michal Szubarczyk Makes History as Youngest Winner in World Snooker Championship

At just 15 years, two months, and 25 days old, Polish sensation Michal Szubarczyk has become the youngest winner of a World Snooker Championship match. He achieved this feat in the first qualifying round, breaking the previous record held by Liam Davies in 2022. Szubarczyk defeated Hong Kong's Ng On Yee, a three-time women's world snooker champion, with a score of 10-7 on the opening day of the World Championship qualifiers at the English Institute of Sport. Ng had been on a winning streak, having claimed victories on the women's tour in February and March. Szubarczyk expressed his pride and excitement, stating, 'I feel very proud. I'm very excited to play the next match, and maybe this year or next year, I can become the youngest Crucible player.' He also shared his goal of playing in the World Championship, saying, 'For me, it's the first goal of every player in professional snooker.' To become the youngest qualifier for the Crucible Theatre, Szubarczyk needs to win three more matches, which would surpass the record held by Luca Brecel, who made his Crucible debut in 2012 at 17 years and 45 days old. Meanwhile, six-time World Snooker Championship finalist Jimmy White was eliminated in the first qualifying round by 21-year-old Gao Yang from China, despite initially leading 5-1. The match was decided in a thrilling final frame, won by Gao, extending White's 20-year wait to return to the Crucible.