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

At just 15 years, two months, and 25 days old, Michal Szubarczyk has become the youngest player to win a World Snooker Championship match, surpassing the previous record held by Liam Davies in 2022. Szubarczyk secured a 10-7 victory over Ng On Yee from Hong Kong in the first qualifying round at the English Institute of Sport. Ng, a three-time women's world snooker champion, had recently claimed wins on the women's tour in February and March. Following his win, 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." To achieve this goal, Szubarczyk must win three more matches. If successful, he would break the record set by Luca Brecel, who made his Crucible debut in 2012 at the age of 17 years and 45 days. Meanwhile, six-time World Snooker Championship finalist Jimmy White suffered a disappointing loss to 21-year-old Gao Yang from China in the first qualifying round, despite initially leading 5-1. White's 20-year wait to return to the Crucible continues, as he has attempted to qualify every year.