Stevens Beats Bingham To Earn Place At Crucible

Iran's Hossein Vafaei qualified for a 5th successive twelvemonth acknowledgment to a 10-4 triumph complete Gao nan of China.

"This greeting I was not good astatine all," said Vafaei. "It wasn't a awesome match, my force is quiet and young and he is my believe partner - each time I practise pinch him and he's specified a awesome talent, but we didn't play that well.

"I'm fighting arsenic good for my country, for my family and I'm trying my champion and will springiness it my all. The Crucible is simply a awesome spot for snooker and we emotion to play successful beforehand of snooker lovers, particularly astatine nan Crucible."

Antoni Kowalski, 22, will beryllium nan first subordinate from Poland to play astatine nan finals aft he hit Wales' Jamie Jones 10-8.

Kowalski, who would person mislaid his circuit paper pinch defeat, was successful tears aft nan victory.

"I ne'er cry, truthful that's nan cleanable mentation of what it intends to me," he said. "I'm going to realise 1 of my biggest dreams and play astatine nan 'Theatre of Dreams'.

"I'm not based successful nan UK truthful it is much special, and my woman and my parents will travel to nan Crucible. At nan extremity of nan first convention and opening of nan 2nd I was perfectly gone, past I stopped thinking, turned disconnected my encephalon and conscionable played."

Elsewhere, China's Zhou Yuelong defeated England's Michael Holt 10-4.

The last 8 places will beryllium decided connected Wednesday. Belgium's Luca Brecel, nan 2023 champion, plays 2024 runner-up Jak Jones of Wales successful nan prime of nan matches.

Two-time Crucible finalist Ali Carter is besides successful action, arsenic is Jack Lisowski, who won his first ranking tourney successful October pinch triumph astatine nan Northern Ireland Open.

The first information originates connected Saturday, pinch nan last starting connected Sunday, 3 May and concluding nan adjacent time - pinch afloat sum of nan tourney unrecorded connected nan BBC.

The tie will characteristic nan apical 16 and 16 qualifiers, and will beryllium broadcast connected BBC Radio 5 Live astatine 08:45 BST connected Thursday.