Snooker prodigy Michal Szubarczyk moved another step closer to sealing a historic place at the World Championship by winning his second match of qualifying on Thursday.
The 15-year-old from Poland became the youngest ever World Championship match winner earlier this week when he defeated Ng On Yee in the opening round of qualifying.
He then defeated Sanderson Lam 10-8 to set up a clash with Hossein Vafaei, which will take place in Sheffield on Saturday in the third of four qualifying rounds.
Szubarczyk is now just two wins away from becoming the youngest player to qualify for the Crucible. Belgium’s Luca Brecel, who won the World Championship in 2023, was 17 when he made his tournament debut in 2012.
“I feel very proud and excited about the next matches. Maybe this year or next year I can become the youngest Crucible player,” Szubarczyk told the World Snooker Tour's website following his first-round win over On Yee, a former women’s world champion.
“For me, getting to the Crucible is the first goal of many others in professional snooker. I'm enjoying the pressure and expectation. I have been dreaming about playing in the World Championship for about the last six years.”
Szubarczyk has already appeared at several professional tournaments, having qualified for the main draw of the Welsh Open in February - where he faced former world champion Neil Robertson in the opening round.
He has drawn comparisons with Ronnie O’Sullivan, the seven-time world champion, and earned praise from three-time world champion Mark Williams following his performance in the 4-1 defeat to Robertson at the Welsh Open.
“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,” Williams said.
“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'.
“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. 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.”
In the second round of qualifying, Szubarczyk led 9-8 against Lam but trailed 63-0 in what turned out to be the final frame of the match. Szubarczyk, though, made a clearance of 64 to book his place in the third round in style.
Snooker world champion pocketing £1million backed to happen after Crucible deal
Barry Hearn: I let my heart rule my head to keep World Championship at Crucible
Snooker was right to keep the World Champs in Sheffield but now the real work begins
World Snooker Championship to stay at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre with new deal
Ronnie O’Sullivan creates history with highest break ever in professional snooker
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record-smashing 153 break ‘up there among special moments’
