World Snooker Championship - Rotherham qualifier faces former champion

Yorkshire’s representative, Rotherham’s Ashley Carty, faces 14th seed and the 2015 champion Stuart Bingham in his first round match at The Crucible.

O’Sullivan has been paired with Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, who swept through qualifying and whose pace has been officially recorded at less than 17 seconds per shot.

Fans with tickets for the first-round match can expect a fast and furious session given O’Sullivan’s own reputation for speed, not least his five-minute maximum break in the 1997 tournament.

Thepchaiya, the world number 20, pushed eventual champion Judd Trump to a final frame decider in the first round last year, and also came close against John Higgins on his Crucible debut in 2018.

Speaking after his Tuesday night win over Liam Highfield in qualifying, Thepchaiya said: “It’s the third year I’ve qualified and I’ve done well in the last two years - but I will hopefully not get Judd Trump again.”

Trump, who is aiming to become the first first-time winner to defend his title at the Crucible, will play his first-round match to a finish on Friday against world No 26 Tom Ford.

The 36-year-old Ford has reached the first round on three previous occasions and is yet to win a match in the final stages.

Anthony Hamilton, who has expressed grave concerns over safety at the tournament following the decision to admit a limit number of fans, will also start on Friday against eighth seed Kyren Wilson.

Alan McManus, the oldest player to reach the Crucible since Steve Davis’s final appearance at the age of 52 in 2010, takes on Mark Williams, while four-time winner John Higgins starts against former finalist Matthew Stevens.

First round draw: Judd Trump (1) v Tom Ford

Yan Bingtao (16) v Elliot Slessor

Stephen Maguire (9) v Martin Gould

Kyren Wilson (8) v Anthony Hamilton

John Higgins (5) v Matthew Stevens

David Gilbert (12) v Kurt Maflin

Jack Lisowski (13) v Anthony McGill

Mark Allen (4) v Jamie Clarke

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Mark Williams (3) v Alan McManus

Stuart Bingham (14) v Ashley Carty

Ding Junhui (11) v Mark King

Ronnie O’Sullivan (6) v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh

Mark Selby (7) v Jordan Brown

Shaun Murphy (10) v Noppon Saengkham

Barry Hawkins (15) v Alexander Ursenbacher

Neil Robertson (2) v Liang Wenbo