The top 10 matches from the 2025 World Snooker Championship

From Marco Fu’s 16-red clearance to Jackson Page’s double maximum to Mark Allen’s Crucible feat of perfection to Judd Trump breaking the seasonal centuries record - and plenty more - there was no shortage of things to talk about.

The Championship produced a plethora of great matches, and we’ve tried to rate the top 10. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

10) Ding Junhui 10-7 Zak Surety (Round One)

It was looking like this opening round match at the Crucible was turning into a damp squib as Ding established a 4-0 lead.

However, Crucible debutant Surety - who won three qualifying matches to reach the main draw - exploded into life during the middle spell of the tie, and in record-breaking fashion.

A World Open semi-finalist a few weeks earlier, Surety hit a century as he finished the first session 6-3 down. On resumption the next day, he compiled three further tons, equating to four centuries in the previous five frames played.

Surety got to within one of his opponent at 7-6 and 8-7 down, but a classy Ding delivered the goods when it mattered the most.

A nice consolation prize for Surety, though, is that he rewrote the record books - no player before on their maiden Crucible outing had made more than three century breaks.

9) Anthony Hamilton 10-8 Steven Hallworth (Second Qualifying Round)

Whitewashes are a rare occurrence at the World Championship, but it appeared that the vastly experienced Hamilton was going to record one during qualifying.

Fighting ailments - and for his professional tour card - the former German Masters champion built up a surely unassailable 9-0 advantage.

However, Hallworth avoided a bagel, and then, frame by frame, he gradually climbed up the ladder. Talk online quickly spread about the possibility of an historic comeback, and people tuned into the stream.

Unbelievably, Hallworth got himself into a position to win the match, and he was the favourite for the contest as he held a 63-0 points lead in frame 18.

From out of absolutely nowhere, though, a relieved Hamilton somehow mustered up a courageous and heroic counter clearance of 69 to continue his campaign.

8) Judd Trump 13-8 Luca Brecel (Quarter-Finals)

Brecel was one of the stories of the tournament as he produced the sort of swashbuckling snooker that led him to the world title two years before.

He won 11 consecutive frames on his way to defeating Ding Junhui 13-4 in the previous round, and he continued with his own brand of rip-roaring baize play as he turned a 5-1 deficit against Judd Trump into a 7-5 lead.

From 8-7 down, though, world number one Trump - who registered four century breaks during the tie - strung together six frames in-a-row from 8-7 down to progress.

During the contest, Trump - who banked the £100,000 seasonal bonus for a ton of tons in the last 16 - set a new record for century breaks made by one player in a single professional season.

7) Mark Williams 17-14 Judd Trump (Semi-Finals)

Williams and Trump have shared many memorable matches down the years, usually with the latter just getting the best of it.

This was a repeat meeting from three years earlier at the same stage; Trump won that 17-16, and this latest episode wasn’t far off from producing the same thrilling entertainment.

The opening six frames were shared. Trump carved open a 7-3 lead, but Williams swung the pendulum back towards himself as he levelled up at 8-8.

Leading 10-9, Trump missed a big opportunity to go two clear again, and he was duly punished as Williams left the third session 13-11 ahead.

On resumption later in the day, Williams moved to the brink of victory at 16-12. Trump took the next two frames to perhaps give his opponent flashbacks of what happened in the round before when he was four up with five to play (see below), but ‘The Welsh Potting Machine’ finished in style, reaching his fifth world final with a 123.

Between them, the two players compiled seven century breaks (Williams 4, Trump 3)

6) Hossein Vafaei 10-9 Barry Hawkins (Round One)

Iran's number one Vafaei had totted up five centuries during his final qualifying round victory a few days earlier, and the former Shoot Out champion continued that brilliant break-building form over to the Crucible.

However, throughout almost all of the tie it looked like Hawkins was going to be the one to make the last 16. On four occasions, Hawkins led by two frames, but Vafaei remained persistent, keeping his opposite number within arm's length.

Former finalist Hawkins had a chance to win 10-8 but failed to convert. Vafaei secured the frame, before claiming the decider - celebrating mid-break despite still needing several further pots - to record only his second match victory at the Crucible.

Vafaei had never been in front in the match until that point.

5) John Higgins 13-12 Xiao Guodong (Round Two)

In a match that went into an unscheduled fourth session, there was never more than two frames between Higgins and Xiao in this last 16 classic.

The two players were locked at 4-4 after the first session, and 8-8 at the end of session two.

Higgins went 12-10 up and had a chance in each of the next two frames, but couldn't get the job done, and Xiao forced it all the way.

However, Higgins ultimately progressed. At the time, it meant that Higgins had won nine of his ten deciding frames at the Crucible.

4) Ricky Walden 10-9 Mitchell Mann (Third Qualifying Round)

There was no quit in Walden during this remarkable qualifying tie at the English Institute of Sport.

The three-time ranking event winner trailed Mitchell Mann 7-1 before winning eight of the next nine frames to lead 9-8.

Mann regrouped and took the game to a nineteenth and final frame where he twice forced his opponent into needing snookers.

Walden kept battling away, though, getting the penalty points he required before winning the contest on the final black.

3) Matt Selt 10-9 Jimmy Robertson (Final Qualifying Round)

There were several stunning final qualifying round climaxes; Daniel Wells, Wu Yize, David Gilbert and Lei Peifan all made it to the main draw via deciding frame triumphs, but the most dramatic and closest match was the last one to finish at the EIOS.

After the opening four frames were shared, Robertson took firm control in building an 8-3 lead. Selt recovered, but Robertson was first to the hill at 9-6 up.

Selt started what would be a four-frame winning streak with a 112, before pushing the match into a nineteenth and final frame.

There was no glorious hoorah in the decider, the layout of the balls became very scrappy and it was a bits-and-pieces, low scoring affair - but an extremely compelling one, too.

Selt led most of it, but it was decided on the colours, with Robertson having a shot at a mid-distance pink for the win. However, he missed it, and Selt coolly dispatched the two remaining balls to win by the barest of margins.

To add to the theatre, words were exchanged between the two players.

2) Lei Peifan 10-9 Kyren Wilson (Round One)

There was drama on the opening day of the televised stages as for the second year running the defending champion fell victim to the ‘Crucible Curse’ following a deciding frame defeat.

Title holder Wilson - who was fancied by many to retain the crown - was in control early in the day at 6-2 up.

However, Scottish Open champion Lei - on his Crucible debut - won seven consecutive frames to move 9-6 up.

Wilson battled back to force a decider, but Lei stayed positive and caused a shock.

1) Mark Williams 13-12 John Higgins (Quarter-Finals)

Undoubtedly, the match of the tournament was the quarter-final epic between 'Class of 92' graduates Higgins and Williams that provided maximum value for money.

With a combined age of 99 years and seven world titles between them, Higgins led 5-1 early on, but Williams dug deep to level at 6-6 before going in front the frame after.

Heading into the final session, the two legends were locked at 8-8, but Williams won the next four frames to pull clear at 12-8 - one away from the finish line.

After the mid-session interval, it was all change as Higgins typically fought back, bunching together a four-frame winning streak of his own to take the clash all the way.

In a pulsating final frame that went down to the colours, Higgins rattled what was effectively match ball blue, allowing Williams to calmly slot home the remaining balls and oust it on the very last black.