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 player to win a World Snooker Championship match, breaking the previous record held by Liam Davies in 2022. Szubarczyk achieved this feat by defeating Hong Kong's Ng On Yee 10-7 in the first qualifying round at the English Institute of Sport. Ng, a three-time women's world snooker champion, had been in top form, having won recent tournaments on the women's tour. 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 acknowledged the significance of representing Poland, saying, 'I love representing Poland... Without the Polish events, I wouldn't be here, because I wouldn't have had the opportunity to play at European or World Championships.' To become the youngest qualifier for the Crucible Theatre, Szubarczyk must win three more matches, which would surpass Luca Brecel's record of making his Crucible debut at 17 years and 45 days in 2012. In another match, six-time World Snooker Championship finalist Jimmy White was eliminated in the first qualifying round by 21-year-old Gao Yang from China, extending White's 20-year wait to return to the Crucible.