Trio of snooker stars set to be top 16 Crucible seeds for the first time

All three cueists head to snooker’s blue riband event inside the top 16 of the world rankings, therefore meaning they do not need to face the qualifying rounds and will automatically go straight through to the Crucible stages which start on Saturday 19th April.

It will be the first time in their respective careers that they are seeds for the 32-player World Snooker Championship main draw. They will each be randomly drawn against a qualifier in round one.

Both Si and Jones are very familiar with the Crucible, having enjoyed very deep runs as qualifiers in recent times.

In 2023, Si - who was 20-years-old at the time - threatened to become the youngest-ever winner of the World Snooker Championship when he went all the way to the semi-finals on debut on the sport’s grandest stage.

Si won three rounds of qualifying to reach the televised stages for the first time before ousting the in-form Shaun Murphy 10-9 in the opening round. The Chinese youngster then eliminated Robert Milkins 13-7 in round two before pipping Anthony McGill 13-12 in a quarter-final epic.

In the one-table set-up, Si was in complete control of his semi-final tie with Luca Brecel, leading 14-5 and within touching distance of a remarkable final appearance.

However, Belgium’s Brecel famously won 12 of the next 13 frames to record statistically the biggest comeback in Crucible history with a 17-15 victory. He went on to defeat Mark Selby in the final for his maiden world crown.

In 2024, Si qualified for the Crucible again, and once more upset a seed player in round one via a deciding frame - this time squeezing past Mark Williams, 10-9. Like Murphy the year before, Williams had just won the professional circuit’s preceding event, the Tour Championship.

However, in round two, Si lost 13-9 to fellow qualifier Jones.

Like Si, Welshman Jones had debuted at the Crucible 12 months earlier. He too made a big name for himself during the Championship, eliminating Barry Hawkins in the final qualifying round before getting the better of Ali Carter and Neil Robertson on the main stage, before his title tilt was stopped by Mark Allen 13-10 in the last eight.

Proving that run was no flash in the pan, Jones qualified for a second successive year in 2024, dispatching the seeded Zhang Anda 10-4 in round one before his win over Si.

In the quarter-finals he recorded a huge upset as he dumped out Judd Trump 13-9, and at the one-table set-up he recovered from losing the first three frames to defeat 2015 champion Stuart Bingham, 17-12.

Aiming to become only the third qualifier in Crucible history to win the title, snooker’s ultimate prize was a step too far for Jones, who was always playing catch up having gone 7-0 down in the final, as Kyren Wilson completed an 18-14 victory for his first world title.

Xiao has qualified for the World Championship main draw three times during his career - all three of these appearances came between 2014 to 2018, meaning he will return to the Crucible baize for the first time in seven years later this month.

He earned his first match victory at the Crucible in 2017 when he defeated Ryan Day 10-4 in the opening round before bowing out to reigning champion Mark Selby 13-6 in the last 16. Selby went on to successfully retain the title.

Of all three of the Crucible seed debutants, Xiao has enjoyed the best season by some distance.

Despite having turned professional for the first time in 2007, this has been a breakthrough season for 36-year-old Xiao, in which he claimed his maiden ranking event title on home soil at the 2024 Wuhan Open when he denied Si 10-7 in the final.

Xiao has recorded several other deep runs this campaign, including a runner-up spot at the Champion of Champions on debut, and semi-final finishes at the International Championship, Scottish Open and German Masters.