Polish teenager Michal Szubarczyk becomes youngest ever World Championship match winner - 'I'm enjoying the pressure and expectation'
Published 07/04/2026 at 11:45 GMT+1
One of snooker's most exciting talents, 15-year-old Michal Szubarczyk, has made history, becoming the youngest ever World Championship winner with victory over former women's world champion Onyee Ng in Sheffield. Szubarczyk insisted he is using the "pressure and expectation" to his advantage, with a growing belief that he could become one of the sport's top players.
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Michal Szubarczyk said he is thriving off the "expectation" after he became the youngest ever player to win a World Championship match.
The 15-year-old beat former women's world champion Onyee Ng 10-7 at the qualifiers in Sheffield to break the record previously set by Welshman Liam Davies at the 2022 World Championship.
Snooker's youngest professional, who won the match at the age of 15 years, two months and 25 days old, outlined his ambitions for what promises to be a long and successful career.
"I feel very proud and very excited about the next matches - maybe this year or next year I can become the youngest Crucible player," Szubarczyk said.
"For me getting to the Crucible is the first goal of very many others in professional snooker.
"I'm enjoying the pressure and expectation. It doesn't act as something bad for me. I like it. I have been dreaming about playing in the World Championship for about the last six years!"
Szubarczyk will next face Sanderson Lam as his qualification campaign continues.
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The youngster has inevitably been the focus of plenty of hype since his emergence as a precocious talent.
He has even earned comparisons with the player widely considered to be the greatest of all time, Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Three-time world champion Mark Williams had high praise for Szubarczyk in February after the teenager impressed against Neil Robertson in the Welsh Open.
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”I've watched him play for a couple of years now, I travel around with my boy playing the under-18s and I've been watching him - he just stands out by far for me,” Williams said.
”I told everyone, when he gets on the tour, he's going to win some matches. A lot of them laughed at me and thought he's not going to win many games, but I said, 'you just watch this kid, he is unbelievable'.
”I did say he's up there; not quite as good as O'Sullivan when he was 14, 15, but he's not far behind. He's been beating quite a few pros already.
”Ronnie wasn't beating established pros at 14 on tour. I mean, he's already beaten Jimmy White, Martin O'Donnell, Jamie Jones, and a few others.
”He hasn't quite got the flair of O'Sullivan, but oh my god, he can pot from anywhere. Great to watch.”
When is the World Snooker Championship?
Qualification for the tournament will run from Monday, April 6 to Wednesday, April 15.Â
The World Championship proper will then be from Saturday, April 18 to Monday, May 4.Â
How to watch the World Snooker Championship
You can watch every day of the World Championship live on TNT Sports.
It is available both live and on-demand on HBO Max.
Who will play at the World Snooker Championship?Â
The top-16 seeds for the World Championship were locked in mid-way through the Tour Championship, with defending champion Zhao the No. 1 seed.
- 1. Zhao Xintong
- 2. Judd Trump
- 3. Kyren Wilson
- 4. Neil Robertson
- 5. John Higgins
- 6. Mark Williams
- 7. Mark Selby
- 8. Shaun Murphy
- 9. Xiao Guodong
- 10. Wu Yize
- 11. Barry Hawkins
- 12. Ronnie O'Sullivan
- 13. Chris Wakelin
- 14. Mark Allen
- 15. Si Jiahui
- 16. Ding Junhui
Watch and stream the 2026 World Championship, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max
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