First round (pictured in 2008) qualified for the main stage of the
World Championship for a record-extending 29th time, but he was defeated 210 by
Neil Robertson. The first round was played between 18 and 23 April as the best of 19 held over two . The defending champion,
Ronnie O'Sullivan, made breaks of 61, 140, 104, 73, 78, 94, 100 and 97 for a 105 victory against
Stuart Bingham, although he rated his performance with a five out of ten. Six-time world champion
Steve Davis qualified for the main stage of the World Championship for a record-extending 29th time, but he was defeated 210 by
Neil Robertson, who notched a
century break of 135 in the process.
Clive Everton, writing for
The Guardian, hinted that this could be Davis's last appearance at the Crucible.
Graeme Dott, winner in
2006, disposed of
Barry Hawkins with a 108 result. lost 510 to
Mark King. Gould defeated the
2000 and
2005 runner-up,
Matthew Stevens, in the qualifiers to earn a place at the Crucible, but he could not make it past
Mark Allen, who knocked him out in the first round with a 106 result. Allen, semi-finalist of the
2008 Bahrain Championship during the season, produced a of 88 in the last frame. Selby made three centuries in the second session to seal victory. (pictured in 2011) was defeated in the first round by
Ryan Day. Four years later, he was found guilty of conspiring to lose the match. The runner-up in the previous edition,
Ali Carter, had won his first ranking event earlier in the season, the
2009 Welsh Open. In his first-round match, he beat
Gerard Greene 105.
Stephen Maguire compiled breaks of 98, 96, 101, 122, 79 and 127 for a 105 defeat of
Jamie Burnett. A few months earlier, at the
2008 UK Championship, the game between both players, which also went Maguire's way, was investigated after there were allegations of
match fixing, but neither of the players was charged.
John Higgins, world champion in
1998 and
2007, fell 24 behind
Michael Holt during the first session, but he only conceded one more frame as he completed the comeback for a 105 win.
Ding Junhui led
Liang Wenbo 74, but Liang won four frames on the trot to put himself ahead. Ding then took three consecutive frames, featuring a century break, to clinch victory with a 108 result. while
Joe Perry lost 610 against
Jamie Cope, who made good to advance into the second round of the World Championship for the first time in his career.
Stephen Lee lost 410 against
Ryan Day. In September 2013, he was found guilty of conspiring to lose that match, as well as six more. As part of a series of offenses, Lee received a 12-year ban and was ordered to pay £40,000 in costs. "There have been occasions when certain games have been questioned beforehand. You have heard there were certain betting patterns, but I heard nothing about any betting action at the time," Day said when he found out.
Second round (pictured in 2012) lost 1113 to
Mark Allen in the second round and failed to defend his title. The second round of the event was played as the best of 25 frames, held over three sessions, between 23 and 27 April. Allen, who trailed O'Sullivan 79 at the beginning of the last session, went on to win 1311. O'Sullivan failed to defend the title, a feat last achieved by Hendry in
1996. A break of 103, the third century of the match for him, put Cope 1210 up against Higgins, two frames ahead with only three left to play. Higgins made a 96 break as he halved the deficit and then forced a , which had to be stopped halfway through for some minutes as a spectator fell sick and was treated. Murphy, however, clinched victory with a 133 result and a . who were playing each other at this stage of the tournament for the second year in a row. Hendry exploited an in-off by Ding to edge one ahead. At the resumption, he doubled his lead with breaks of 89 and 59, the second one aided by a when playing a . Allen replied with another century and the players then exchanged frames until Allen sealed victory at 1311. Selby compiled three consecutive century breaks of 118, 124 and 117 Higgins, who fell behind Selby on several occasions, forced a decider, the second for him in two matches, and won it after two . Hendry then compiled a
maximum break in the seventh frame, which guaranteed him £157,000 if no other player managed to make another one. "You have to grade maximums at the Crucible as the best because of the pressure of this venue," acknowledged six-time world champion Steve Davis. "Stephen [Hendry] threw everything at me in the first session, including the kitchen sink. The problem for Stephen was I picked it up and threw it back. That's what happens in top-flight sport," Murphy said afterwards. who had eliminated him in the second round of the previous edition. Levelled at 55, Robertson took six of the following seven frames. Higgins was 62 and 133 ahead against Allen, firing centuries of 114, 129 and 104 in the process. "I feel total relief. I was just thinking I could throw this away here," Higgins said. He described Allen as "a street-fighter" and praised him as being "great for the game". Robertson won seven frames on the bounce to level the scores. "I've been chosen because of my standard of refereeing," she proclaimed. Higgins took the first three frames of the final, featuring breaks of 78 and 52. Murphy replied with four on the trot, including a 109 break. According to the report by
The Guardian, Murphy "wasted an abundance of chances to close the gap amid patchy play by both men", and the session ended with a 168 lead for Higgins. Higgins then produced a 73 break to claim the trophy with an 189 result. (pictured lifting the
2007 World Championship trophy) defeated
Shaun Murphy 189 in the final to claim his third world title. Higgins afterwards pointed to the second session as the one that had made the difference. "I am over the moon. It's brilliant. To be classed with someone like Ronnie [O'Sullivan], it's an unbelievable honour", Higgins said. ==Main draw==