15-Year-Old Michal 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 set by Liam Davies in 2022. Szubarczyk's victory came in the first qualifying round, where he defeated Hong Kong's Ng On Yee 10-7 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 will break the record currently held by Luca Brecel, who made his Crucible debut in 2012 at the age of 17 years and 45 days. In another notable match, 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. White, who turns 64 next month, has been attempting to qualify for the Crucible every year, but his 20-year wait to return continues.