Latest news with #Szubarczyk
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Former world champion Shaun Murphy shows no mercy to snooker wonderkid, 14, on history-making debut
FORMER world snooker champion Shaun Murphy showed no mercy to a teenage wonderkid in qualifying for the Wuhan Open this week. The Magician faced 14-year-old Michal Szubarczyk on Monday for a place in the August competition. 2 Shaun Murphy beat a teenage wonderkid 5-0 in a tournament qualifier on Monday Credit: Getty 2 Michal Szubarczyk made history by becoming the youngest professional player in snooker history Credit: Free for editorial use But he didn't go easy on his opponent, who made history at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. In facing the 2005 world snooker champion, Szubarczyk became the youngest professional in the sport's history. He earned his tour card by reaching the final of the European Amateur Snooker Championship in March. READ MORE IN SNOOKER Although he lost the final, the Polish star secured the card because the winner, Liam Highfield, had already earned one. Szubarczyk is next due to play against amateur player Umut Dikme in qualifying for the British Open on Thursday. Ahead of his tour debut, the 14-year-old said: "I love playing with the audience and cameras and I hope there will many matches like that. "I don't put much pressure on myself to win, I have a lot of time to achieve my goals. Most read in Snooker CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "When I got the tour card there were very mixed emotions. I had been striving for this since I was seven years old. But then suddenly doubts appeared. "Whether I can do it, whether I'm too young? There were questions about finances, and what about school, what about the rest of the family, will I manage? Mark Williams attempts new way of potting yellow as snooker referee struggles to contain his laughter "But I am sure it is the right decision because it has always been my dream." Szubarczyk also revealed that He added: "I was almost seven when I first watched snooker. Dad was watching Ronnie play, I asked if I could sit in. "Then I asked if we could go to play sometime. We went the next day and…here I am! "Ronnie is still my hero, he has a special place in my head. His offensive, even aggressive style of play was my model when I started playing. Now I'm just improving all the time."
BBC News
07-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
The 14-year-old gunning for O'Sullivan's Crucible record
Michal Szubarczyk. Remember the name. The 14-year-old is hoping to make history this week by breaking Ronnie O'Sullivan's long-standing record to become the youngest player to qualify for the World Championships at the Crucible. The Pole has been making waves on the snooker circuit, winning the U16 and U18 European Championship titles in the teenager really caught the eye by reaching the final of the open age event, which saw him beaten by 34-year-old Liam remarkable run was enough for Szubarczyk to be offered a two-year card offer on the World Snooker Tour (WST). His performances earned praise from three-time World Champion Mark Williams, who said the teenager is "not far away", external from the level of Ronnie O'Sullivan at the same age. But now Szubarczyk is aiming to break O'Sullivan's 33-year record by qualifying for the 2025 World Championships. Seven-time winner O'Sullivan is the youngest-ever qualifier at the Crucible, doing so at the age of 16 in 1992. With qualifying held months in advance of the tournament proper, he was then 17 years and five months old when he made his debut at the event, losing 10-7 to Alan McManus. 2023 Champion Luca Brecel holds the record for the youngest player at the Crucible's main event, playing at the age of 17 years and 45 days in 2012. Szubarczyk can comfortably beat both of those records as he heads into qualifying at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield on 8 April, with final round matches being played on 15 April. The Pole faces Scotland's Dean Young in the first round, with the winner of the best-of-19-frames tie going through to face Stan teenager needs to win four consecutive matches to earn a spot at the Crucible, But a victory against Young would see Szubarczyk become the youngest player to ever win a qualifying match at the World Championships, beating the record previously held by Liam Davies, who was 15 years and 277 days old when he beat Aaron Hill in 2022. How qualifying works 144 players enter the qualifying event at the English Institute of Sport for the World Championships. They are hoping to secure one of the 16 places on offer at the 32-player tournament, with 16 players already automatically qualified via their ranking. There are four qualifying rounds and players begin their campaigns at different points defending on their world ranking.
