2014 World Snooker Championship

The 2014 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament played from 19 April to 5 May 2014 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.[11] This was the 38th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship was held at the Crucible Theatre, first held there in 1977.[12] The tournament featured 32 participants; with 16 players qualifying for the event from the snooker world rankings, and 16 from a four-round qualifying event held at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England.[1][2][3] The event was the last of twelve ranking event of the 2013–14 snooker season on the World Snooker Tour.[13] The tournament was sponsored by sports betting company Dafabet.[11]

The total prize money for the 2014 World Snooker Championship was raised to £1,214,000 from the previous year's £1,111,000. The winner received £300,000, an increase of £50,000 over the previous year. The breakdown of prize money for the 2014 event is shown below:[9]

Six-time champion Steve Davis lost in qualifying, failing to retain his place on the World Snooker Tour

Four former world champions lost in the qualifying rounds. Six-times champion Steve Davis was defeated by Craig Steadman, a match he needed to win to retain his place on the World Snooker Tour.[14] Two-time champion Mark Williams lost to Alan McManus in the final qualifying round 8–10 and failed to play at the event for the first time since 1996.[15][16][17] Graeme Dott lost to Kyren Wilson 7–10,[18] whilst Peter Ebdon lost 8–10 to Robin Hull.[19] The loss for Ebdon meant that he failed to play at the event for the first time since his debut in 1992, ending his 22 consecutive appearances.[20][21] Two previous runners-up also did not qualify. Six-time runner-up Jimmy White lost in the second qualifying round to Ian Burns 10–4,[22] whilst two-time runner-up Matthew Stevens lost to Tom Ford.[15]

For the first time, no Welsh player automatically qualified to play at the Crucible.[15] Three Welshmen, Dominic Dale, Michael White, and Ryan Day, won places in the first round through qualification.[23][24] At the age of 44, 1997 champion Ken Doherty defeated Dechawat Poomjaeng 10–5 in qualifying to become the oldest player to reach the main stage.[25][26] Kyren Wilson,[27] Michael Wasley,[28] Xiao Guodong, and Robbie Williams all made their debuts in the competition by coming through qualifying.[29][30]

Debutant Michael Wasley defeated fourth seed Ding Junhui 10–9 in the opening round

The first round was played as best-of-19 frames over two sessions between 19 and 24 April 2014.[31] Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan drew world number 122 Robin Hull in the first round.[32][33] O'Sullivan defeated Hull 10–4.[34] The 2010 World Snooker Championship winner Neil Robertson won his first round match against Robbie Williams, leading 7–2 after the first session, and later 10–2.[34][35] In his victory, he compiled breaks of 102, 102, 103, 132, and the tournament's highest of 140 to take his season total of century breaks to 97.[36][37] The 2005 champion Shaun Murphy trailed 5–7 behind against Jamie Cope, before the pair played a deciding frame at 9–9. Murphy took the frame 65–49 to win the match.[38] Third seed Mark Selby also won a deciding frame, as he defeated Michael White 10–9.[39][40]

Fourth seed Ding Junhui had previously won five ranking events in the season, a record number he jointly held with Stephen Hendry.[41] In his first round match he was defeated 9–10 by debutant Michael Wasley and so failed to set a new record for tournament wins in a season.[41][42] Ken Doherty won the last seven frames of his match against sixth seed Stuart Bingham to win 10–5, recording his first victory at the event since 2006.[43] Alan McManus achieved his first Crucible win since 2005 by defeating fellow Scot John Higgins 10–7,[44] while Dominic Dale won his first Crucible match since 2000 by defeating 13th seed Mark Davis 10–5.[45] The final frame of Ricky Walden's first-round match against Kyren Wilson lasted 73 minutes 13 seconds,[46] just under two minutes short of the Crucible record of 74 minutes 58 seconds that Stephen Maguire and Mark King set in 2009.[47] Walden won the frame to clinch a 10–7 victory.[48] Qualifier Ryan Day defeated tenth seed Stephen Maguire 10–9.[49]

During the first round, the second "Ladies' Day" at the tournament featured events designed to encourage greater female participation in the sport.[50] The day was also used to raise money for the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice in North Anston.[51]

Alan McManus reached his first quarter-final at the event since 2005 by defeating Ken Doherty

The second round was played as best-of-25 frames matches over three sessions between 25 and 28 April 2014.[31] Ronnie O'Sullivan trailed Joe Perry throughout both of the first two sessions of their match, but ultimately won 13–11.[52] O'Sullivan described the encounter with Perry as "probably my most exciting match ever at the Crucible."[53] Alan McManus played Ken Doherty and won six frames in a row from 4–3 ahead to lead 10–3 and later won 13–8.[54] This was McManus' first quarter-final appearance since 2005, when he also beat Doherty in the second round.[55] Shaun Murphy led Marco Fu 9–7 after the first two sessions, before winning four of the next five frames to win 13–8.[56]

Dominic Dale defeated Wasley 13–4 to reach his first World Championship quarter-final since 2000.[57] In defeating Mark Allen 13–7, Robertson added two more century breaks to bring his season total to 99. In the last two frames he made breaks of 94 and 92, narrowly missing his 100th century of the season.[58][59] Barry Hawkins met Ricky Walden in a repeat of the previous year's semi-final.[60] Hawkins defeated Walden again, this time 13–11, to reach his second Crucible quarter-final.[61] Mark Selby led Ali Carter 9–7 after the first two sessions, and won three frames in a row to lead 12–7. Carter won the next two frames before Selby won frame 20 by 82 points to 19 to win 13–9.[62] In the last second round match, seventh seed Judd Trump defeated Ryan Day 13–7.[63]

Neil Robertson scored his 100th century break of the season in his win over Judd Trump

The quarter-finals were played as best-of-25 frames matches across three sessions between 29 and 30 April.[31] Mark Selby and Alan McManus only completed seven of the scheduled eight frames in the first session of their match due to the length,[64] with Selby leading 4–3. Selby won eight of the nine in the second session to lead 12–4.[65] Selby won the second frame of the final session to win 13–5.[66] Having trailed 0–2 and needing three snookers in the third frame, O'Sullivan won 13 of the last 14 frames to defeat Shaun Murphy 13–3, ending the match with a session to spare.[67] Hawkins opened up a 6–2 lead over Dominic Dale in the first session,[68] and extended his lead to 11–5 after two sessions.[69]

In the final session, Dale fought back to win seven frames in a row and take the lead at 12–11, but Hawkins captured the last two frames to win the match 13–12.[70] Neil Robertson trailed Judd Trump 2–6 after the first session, and 6–9 after the second, before he won seven of the last nine frames to win the match 13–11.[71][72] In the 22nd frame, Robertson compiled his 100th century break of the 2013–14 snooker season.[73]

Ronnie O'Sullivan won two matches with a session to spare for the first time since 2004

The semi-finals were played as best-of-33 frames matches over four sessions on 2 and 3 May.[31] O'Sullivan and Hawkins contested the first semi-final, a rematch of the previous year's final.[74] O'Sullivan lead at 10–2, but Hawkins won three of the next four to trail overnight 11–5.[75] O'Sullivan made breaks of 76, 55, 103 and 84 and later won the match 17–7 in the final frame of the third session.[76] This was the first time in ten years that a player had won two matches with a session to spare in the same event.[77] O'Sullivan himself last achieved this feat in 2004 when he defeated Anthony Hamilton 13–3 in the quarter-finals and Stephen Hendry 17–4 in the semi-finals.[78] That year, O'Sullivan won the championship one frame into the final session.[79]

In the second semi-final, a match that lasted 12 hours and 4 minutes,[80] Selby defeated Robertson 17–15 to reach his second World Championship final.[81] Selby had previously reached the final in 2007, when he lost to John Higgins.[82] During the match, Robertson extended his century break record to 103,[83] but his defeat meant that he lost his world number one position.[84]

Mark Selby won his first world championship, defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan 18–14

The final was played on the 4 and 5 May 2014 between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby and was refereed by Brendan Moore.[31] This was the first time that Moore had presided over a World Championship final.[85] In the first session on Sunday afternoon, O'Sullivan took a 5–3 lead, which he extended in the evening session to 8–3 and 10–5, before Selby took the last two frames of the day to leave O'Sullivan with a 10–7 overnight lead.[86] O'Sullivan's highest break on the first day was a 131 in the 14th frame, while Selby's highest break of the day was just 62.[87]

The third session concluded after just six of the scheduled eight frames.[88] Selby won five of the six frames to go into the final session with a 12–11 lead.[89] He then won three of the first four frames of the evening session, extending his lead to 15–12 at the mid-session interval, before winning the final 18–14 to capture his first world title.[88] In all, Selby won 13 of the last 17 frames, and scored his two highest breaks of the match in frames 30 and 31 to increase his lead from 15–14 to 17–14.[90] The victory made Selby the ninth player to win all three Triple Crown events,[89] and reinstated him as the world number one.[91]

O'Sullivan said "I want to congratulate Mark on a fantastic tournament. He's been the best player over 17 days, that was tough he had me in all sorts of trouble. In the end I was numb as he was too strong and tough."[89] Selby dedicated the title to his late father, who died two months before he turned professional.[92]

There were 58 century breaks in the televised stage of the World Championship.[40] For every century break made during the main tournament, Dafabet, donated £100 to the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice.[101] Neil Robertson made the highest break of the event, a 140.[40]

There were 69 century breaks in the qualifying stage of the World Championship:[102] The highest was a 139 by both Martin O'Donnell and Andrew Higginson.[102]