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

Polish teenager Michal Szubarczyk has made history by becoming the youngest player to win a World Snooker Championship match, achieving this feat at just 15 years, two months, and 25 days old. Szubarczyk surpassed the previous record held by Liam Davies, set in 2022, by defeating Hong Kong's Ng On Yee 10-7 in the first qualifying round of the World Championship at the English Institute of Sport. Ng, a three-time women's world snooker champion, had been in top form, having won recent women's tour events in February and March. Following his victory, 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 his goal of playing at the Crucible Theatre, Szubarczyk must win three more matches, which would also break the record currently held by Luca Brecel, who made his Crucible debut at 17 years and 45 days old in 2012. Meanwhile, six-time World Snooker Championship finalist Jimmy White suffered a heartbreaking loss to 21-year-old Gao Yang from China in the first qualifying round, despite initially leading 5-1. White's defeat means his 20-year wait to return to the Crucible continues, despite his annual attempts to qualify.