Mark Williams started his Crucible journey in fine fashion, defeating Poland's first ever Snooker World Championship player Antoni Kowalski with ease. There were some funny moments though!
3-time Snooker World Champion
Mark Williams wasn't in a mercyful mood for the start of his
Snooker World Championship journey in 2026. The Welshman faced Polish national hero
Antoni Kowalski in the first round after the Pole's qualifier journey to become the first man from his country at the Crucible.
The match itself wasn't particularly memorable, but there where a few fun and light-hearted moments that hit the headlines. The wholesome atmosphere actually started prior to the match, with announcer
Rob Walker poking fun at Williams for his more seasoned body comparing to his opponent on the day.
Check out Walker's cheeky Mark Williams intro here
Famously struggling with problems with his vision, Williams' goal to add to his World title tally continued with aplomb after a slow 3-3 start. The world ranking #6 stormed ahead to a 10-4 victory, but even if Kowalski didn't have the last laugh, he did get a chuckle from the commentators and crowd.
Williams just about managed to keep his poker face in check, but seeing the young Pole start his Crucible journey by potting "in reverse" as he himself has made famous surely had him grinning on the inside.
You can find the shot in question at 0:55 in this video.
- Antoni is an incredible potter, I can't hit the long pots he can anymore. I knew he'd struggle making his debut, so I tried to stick to my strengths and play with discipline. He showed some inexperience, but he'll improve, Williams told WST after the match.
The other game in the evening session was a Chinese affair.
Xiao Guodong ended up on top against his good friend
Zhou Yuelong with a scoreline of 10-6. Xiao joins fellow countryman and reigning World Champ
Zhao Xintong in the second round.
The Snooker World Championship continues today with more first round clashes.
Below you can find the schedule, scores and results from the first round in full.
Snooker World Championship: Round 1
| Date | Time | Match | Result |
| 23 April 2026 | 13:00 | Si Jiahui 🇨🇳 - Hossein Vafaei 🇮🇷 | 3-10 |
| 23 April 2026 | 19:00 | Neil Robertson 🇦🇺 - Pang Junxu 🇨🇳 | 10-6 |
| 22 April 2026 | 10:00 | Chris Wakelin 🏴 - Liam Pullen 🏴 | 10-6 |
| 22 April 2026 | 14:30 | Ronnie O'Sullivan 🏴 - He Guoqiang 🇨🇳 | 10-2 |
| 22 April 2026 | 19:00 | Mark Selby 🏴 - Jak Jones 🏴 | 10-2 |
| 21 April 2026 | 10:00 | Judd Trump 🏴 - Gary Wilson 🏴 | 10-5 |
| 21 April 2026 | 14:30 | Wu Yize 🇨🇳 - Lei Peifan 🇨🇳 | 10-2 |
| 21 April 2026 | 19:00 | Shaun Murphy 🏴 - Fan Zhengyi 🇨🇳 | 10-9 |
| 20 April 2026 | 10:00 | Ding Junhui 🇨🇳 - David Gilbert 🏴 | 10-5 |
| 20 April 2026 | 10:00 | Kyren Wilson 🏴 - Stan Moody 🏴 | 10-7 |
| 20 April 2026 | 14:30 | John Higgins 🏴 - Ali Carter 🏴 | 10-7 |
| 19 April 2026 | 10:00 | Mark Allen (NIR) - Zhang Anda 🇨🇳 | 10-7 |
| 19 April 2026 | 14:30 | Barry Hawkins 🏴 - Matthew Stevens 🏴 | 10-4 |
| 19 April 2026 | 19:00 | Xiao Guodong 🇨🇳 - Zhou Yuelong 🇨🇳 | 10-6 |
| 19 April 2026 | 19:00 | Mark Williams 🏴 - Antoni Kowalski 🇵🇱 | 10-4 |
| 18 April 2026 | 19:00 | Zhao Xintong 🇨🇳 - Liam Highfield 🏴 | 10-7 |
Source:
WST