Szubarczyk's historic victory came in the first World Championship qualifying round on Monday, where he defeated Onyee Ng. The previous record for youngest qualifier win was held by Liam Davies at 15 years and 277 days, set in 2022. Szubarczyk's exact age in days when he broke the record has not been confirmed, but he beat Davies' mark by approximately 200 days. Comparisons to snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan have been drawn for the young Polish player, with those comparisons first emerging several months ago after Szubarczyk's impressive run at the Welsh Open in February. That tournament run saw Szubarczyk defeat established professionals Hatem Yassen and Jamie Jones in earlier rounds before being ended by World No. 3 Neil Robertson. The specific scores in Szubarczyk's qualifying match against Onyee Ng have not been disclosed.
Szubarczyk secured his place on the professional snooker circuit in March 2025 by winning the European Amateur Championship in Turkiye. According to Daily Express - Sport, three-time world champion Mark Williams described Szubarczyk as not quite as good as O'Sullivan was at a comparable age but noted the teenager has been beating established professionals already. Williams specifically mentioned that Szubarczyk has beaten Jimmy White, Martin O'Donnell, and Jamie Jones, though the full list of other professionals Szubarczyk has defeated beyond those named remains unclear. According to Daily Express - Sport, Williams further described Szubarczyk as lacking O'Sullivan's flair but possessing exceptional potting ability from anywhere on the table.
I did say he's up there; not quite as good as O'Sullivan when he was 14, 15, but he's not far behind. He's been beating quite a few pros already.
According to Daily Express - Sport, Mark Williams described having watched Szubarczyk play for a couple of years while traveling with his son to under-18 tournaments, saying the Polish teenager stands out by far. Williams also recounted predicting that Szubarczyk would win matches when he joined the professional tour, despite many people laughing at his assessment at the time. The three-time world champion's long-term observation of Szubarczyk's development appears to have been validated by the teenager's recent performances, though how many matches Szubarczyk has won on the professional tour so far has not been officially tallied.
Szubarczyk now aims to reach the Crucible Theatre later this month, which would mark another significant milestone in his young career. According to Daily Express - Sport, Szubarczyk described feeling very proud and excited about the next matches, expressing hope that he might become the youngest Crucible player either this year or next. The current youngest age for playing at the Crucible has not been specified in recent reports. According to Daily Express - Sport, Szubarczyk further described getting to the Crucible as the first goal of many others in his professional snooker career. The young player also noted that he enjoys the pressure and expectation that comes with his rising profile, having dreamed about his snooker career for years.
Ronnie wasn't beating established pros at 14 on tour. I mean he's already beaten Jimmy White, Martin O'Donnell, Jamie Jones, and a few others. He hasn't quite got the flair of O'Sullivan, but oh my God, he can pot from anywhere. Great to watch.
I've watched him play for a couple of years now, I travel around with my boy playing the under-18s and I've been watching him - he just stands out by far for me.
I told everyone, when he gets on the tour, he's going to win some matches. A lot of them laughed at me and thought he's not going to win many games, but I said, 'you just watch this kid, he is unbelievable'.