TNT Sports
Who has qualified for World Championship Snooker last 32 at Crucible? Joe Perry 'sick' after win over friend Mark Davis
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Published 12/04/2023 at 23:57 GMT+1
Joe Perry, David Gilbert and Ryan Day came through qualifying on Wednesday to secure their respective places in the last-32 draw at the 2023 World Championship. The draw will be staged on Thursday morning with the top 16 seeds, including defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, paired alongside the 16 qualifiers. The 47th Crucible event starts on Saturday 15 April and runs until Monday 1 May.
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The last 32 of the 47th World Championship has been finalised with former semi-finalists David Gilbert and Joe Perry qualifying for the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
Gilbert fired three centuries in completing a 10-7 win over two-time finalist Matthew Stevens to reach the first round proper while Joe Perry edged out close friend Mark Davis on the final black of the final frame in a dramatic 10-9 victory at the English Institute of Sport.
The win means three-time Six Red world champion Davis must return to Q School in the summer if he is to extend his 32-year stay on the main professional circuit.
The Hastings man recovered from trailing 5-2 to lead 9-8, but missed the final mid-range pink he needed to secure victory on a break of 55 as Perry returned to the table to slot pink and black to deny his close friend in a taut finale.
Davis also contributed 104, 91, 77, 75, 63, 62 and 53 with Perry running in 72, 66, 63, 58 and 56.
“I should be absolutely delighted, over the moon and celebrating," said former Welsh Open champion Perry speaking to World Snooker Tour. "I am chuffed to bits to go to the Crucible, but the way it has happened. I just feel so sick for him.
“I came to the table and I felt physically sick for him. It was a horrible feeling. He is one of my best friends and has been for a long time. I felt sick and I potted a great pink and black.
“It never bothered me the whole match, that he was going to drop off the tour if I win.
"It didn’t enter my head once, until that clearance. It must have hit him like a ton of bricks, because it hit me. It doesn’t matter to me, it matters to him so it must have been awful.”
Gilbert reached the semi-finals in 2019, losing 17-16 to John Higgins in an epic battle having led 11-6, but looks to be in fine touch after overcoming Stevens with breaks of 130, 115, 103, 96, 74, 64, 59, 55 and 52.
Stevens had closed to 8-7 from 6-3 behind, but former Championship League winner Gilbert maintained his composure to finish with a run of 115 after the Welshman, finalist in 2000 and 2005, produced a classy 117 in the 15th frame.
British Open champion Ryan Day was handed a 10-0 whitewash win over struggling Scott Donaldson, who was forced to withdraw for medical reasons after trailing 4-0 in their first session, with the world No. 18 producing a 146 break in the first frame.
Former Shoot Out winner Hossein Vafaei completed a 10-6 win over Jackson Page to ensure his return to the main draw a year after losing 10-4 to Judd Trump in his Crucible opener.
“I don’t care who I play at the Crucible," said world No. 23 Vafaei. "At the end of the day it is a game of snooker and I am going to play my game. It is my job to play snooker and try my best to perform. I will be respectful of all my opponents and everyone is tough. There is no easy draw for anyone.”
The draw for the last 32 will be staged on Thursday morning at 8.35am (BST) with the 16 qualifiers picked at random from a pot to face one of the 16 seeds.
The first round begins on Saturday morning at 10am with top seed Ronnie O'Sullivan beginning his title defence as he chases a record eighth title.
2023 World Championship first round draw
Top 16 seeds
16 qualifiers
World Championship final qualifying results
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Stream top snooker action, including the World Championship live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
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