Mark Williams v Si Jiahui live stream | World Snooker Championship 2024 preview
Williams begins his 26th Crucible campaign on Monday (News Images LTD / Alamy Stock Photo)
Mark Williams launches his bid for a fourth World Championship crown against Si Jiahui in the opening round at The Crucible on Monday.
The winner of snooker’s biggest prize in 2000, 2003 and 2018, the popular Welshman begins his 26th campaign in Sheffield against last year’s surprise package.
Williams is fresh from landing the 26th ranking title of his glittering career at the Tour Championship earlier this month, when he defeated Tom Ford, Judd Trump, Mark Allen and Ronnie O’Sullivan to lift the trophy.
The world number six, who also triumphed at the British Open last October, will look to carry that momentum into the Crucible, where he has reached at least the quarter-finals in five of his last seven appearances.
He fell at the last 16 against an inspired Luca Brecel 12 months ago, though it represented the third time in four years that he was beaten by the eventual champion.
That will encourage Si as he looks to embark on another memorable run on the biggest stage of all.
The Chinese prodigy delighted the Sheffield crowd on his bow last year – beating Shaun Murphy, Robert Milkins and Anthony McGill as he became the first debutant to reach the semi-finals since Andy Hicks in 1995.
He then threatened to become the youngest finalist at 14-5 up against Brecel, but was on the wrong end of the greatest comeback in Crucible history as the Belgian battled back to eventually prevail 17-15.
Nevertheless, the 21-year-old has proved this season that his exploits here were not a one-off with a run to the German Masters final. Meanwhile, he secured his return to the main stages of this event by defeating Ben Mertens 10-9 from 9-7 down, and reeling off 10 successive frames from 4-0 adrift against compatriot Wu Yize.
The winner of this best of 19 match will play Jak Jones in the World Championship second round.
Play gets under way at 2.30pm BST on Monday with the opening nine frames, while playing to a conclusion with a maximum of 10 at the same time the following day.
How to watch Mark Williams v Si Jiahui live stream
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