Day Down But Not Out
Ryan Day cut a frustrated figure, despite battling to a 10-8 win over Ashley Hugill at Cazoo World Championship Qualifying, raising the possibility of retirement in the near future.
The Welshman arrived in Sheffield as the 17th seed, missing out on automatic qualification to the Crucible by just one place. He was narrowly edged out of the top 16 by Ding Junhui following the recent Tour Championship.
It was only this season that Day scored the biggest title win of his career, beating Mark Allen in the final of the British Open last October.
However, he was left infuriated by his performance this evening and over the course of recent tournaments. Day has suffered seven first round exits since the turn of the year.
Day had led this encounter 8-4, before world number 89 Hugill pegged him back to 8-7. The next two frames were traded to leave the tie in the balance at 9-8, but it was Day who crucially claimed the 18th frame in 30 minutes to get over the line.
Next up for 43-year-old Day is a final round clash with Scott Donaldson, where a Crucible spot will be on the line. Donaldson defeated Yuan Sijun 10-7, with the clock approaching 12:30am.
“I’ve been saying it for a long time. I don’t know how much more I’ve got left. I’m fed up of playing like that. The odd good match, or tournament, is few and far between. I’m probably 30 or 40 points worse than when I felt like I could compete on a regular basis,” said a despondent Day.
“This season is nearly done and dusted. Next year, with my ranking, I would probably be in a couple of events that would be worth my while turning up. If it was to carry on like that it could be my last season.
“The Crucible is the kind of place you either thrive and get amongst it or crumble. That is a long way off at the moment. I will focus on Wednesday and take it from there.”
China’s Pang Junxu kept his hopes of a Crucible debut alive thanks to a 10-6 win over 1997 Crucible king Ken Doherty.
Irishman Doherty was aiming for a first trip to the Theatre of Dreams since 2014 and had led 4-0. He has at least one more year left on his invitational tour card, so will return next year for another attempt to qualify for snooker’s showpiece event.
Pang turned the tie around and will now face compatriot Xu Si, who beat Jamie Jones 10-7. That means whoever wins there will be a Chinese debutant in the final stages.
Anthony Hamilton scored a thrilling 10-9 win Oliver Lines to make the final round. He now faces Jimmy Robertson, who beat Ben Mertens 10-6.
Elliot Slessor edged a final frame decider with Liam Highfield to win 10-9 and make Judgement Day. His final round opponent will be Zhou Yuelong, who beat James Cahill 10-4.