World Snooker Championship 2024: Ford and Maguire win first round ties

Tom Ford and Stephen Maguire both secured passages through to the second round of the 2024 World Snooker Championship following victories on Sunday evening at the Crucible Theatre.

A seed player here for the first time, world number 14 Ford created a bit of personal history as he scored his maiden match win on snooker’s grandest stage having lost on each of his four previous visits.

In what has been the best season of his career to date, 40-year-old Ford opened up a 6-2 advantage over opponent Ricky Walden, although the experienced qualifier made a 142 in the final frame of the first session on Saturday.

Returning the next evening, Ford took the opening frame with the aid of an 85, but efforts of 56 and 80 from Walden put him right back in contention at 7-5 behind. However, Ford, helped by a fluke, counter cleared to claim a crucial frame 13 and go into the break three frames up.

On resumption, Ford produced an 82 to move one away at 9-5 and - although Walden prolonged the match by bagging frame 15 - this term’s International Championship finalist crafted a 58 in the next en route to advancing into the second round where he will face Judd Trump.

Across the arena, two-time world finalist Ali Carter began the night 5-4 up on Maguire, but he set the tone for what would be a largely miserable outing for him as he squandered two glorious chances in the opening frame to go two clear. Maguire punished with an incredible yellow to black clearance to level.

Carter did win two of the next three frames to head into the mid-session interval 7-6 in front, but when they returned to the floor, six-time ranking event winner Maguire - who hit two centuries in the first session - timed his charge perfectly as he strung together the next four frames for a 10-6 victory.

It is a positive turnaround for Maguire, who last year failed to make the Crucible for the first time since his debut in 2004.

Elimination for world number nine Carter means that three seeds have already exited the competition during the opening weekend.

Elsewhere on day two, Jak Jones and Judd Trump also progressed to the next phase of the Championship, meanwhile debutant Joe O’Connor stunned Mark Selby in their opening session, and Shaun Murphy established a 6-3 lead over Lyu Haotian.