Jimmy White lost his World Snooker Championship qualifier to Gao Yang 10-9 in a tense match that saw the veteran player miss a crucial shot. White was seen angrily gesturing towards a spectator after the miss, with TNT Sports co-commentator Phil Yates speculating that White was put off by someone in the audience moving behind the pocket. White last qualified for the World Snooker Championship in 2006, and the exact nature of the distraction that caused him to miss his shot remains unclear.
Sam Craigie was docked a frame due to tardiness during his World Snooker Championship qualifier against Umut Dikme, who mustered a 103 and 96 break in his win. Craigie continues to recover from a severe neck injury, including a slipped disc that required surgery in July. The current status of Craigie's recovery and when he expects to return to competitive snooker is unknown, as is whether any formal review or penalty resulted from the frame docking incident.
I'm going with my son this time, only because he's been getting the balls out. I've got no distractions. I'll have no phone, nothing. I'm going up there the best prepared I've been for probably 25 years. I know that sounds crazy, but it really is the truth.
Bai Yulu won her World Snooker Championship qualifier against Daniel Womersley 10-7, though a scoring error occurred during the match where four points were incorrectly added to Womersley's score. Whether this error affected the final outcome or was corrected later remains uncertain, but it did not prevent Bai from securing her victory. In other qualifier results, Stuart Bingham, David Gilbert, and Aaron Hill progressed through to the final round of World Snooker Championship qualifying.
Chang Bingyu won his World Snooker Championship qualifier against Prin Ratmukda 10-2, while Ken Doherty lost his qualifier to Patrick Whelan 10-5. Jimmy White has banned himself from using his mobile phone as he bids to reach the World Snooker Championship for the first time in 20 years. He will still feature at the Crucible this spring in the World Seniors Championship, but how many qualifying matches he needs to win to reach the main event is unspecified.
Since I've opened the club, I've been practising more than ever. I'm there every day. What I was doing previously, when I'd go to my club in Epsom, I'd have a couple of hours practice with my son, then maybe go back and do another hour and a half. But with Jimmy's Lounge, I'm there all day and without even knowing, I'm playing like six or seven hours. It's really brought me on, you know, leaps and bounds. I hope I can keep this form up. I've got to win four matches, which is like winning a tournament because you have to win four best-of-19 frames. But my game has never been in better shape. I'm really excited.
The Crucible stage of the World Snooker Championship begins with the round of 32 on April 18. Zhao Xintong is the defending champion and will go into the tournament as the top seed.