At the fifth time of asking, Tom Ford is a match winner in the final stages of the Cazoo World Championship, after defeating former semi-finalist Ricky Walden 10-6 in their opening round encounter.
The Leicester cueman is appearing at the Crucible as a seed for the first time, after a career best season has seen him rise to 14th in the world, his highest ever ranking.
Ford made the International Championship final earlier this season. He scored wins over the likes of Mark Selby and Barry Hawkins on his way to the most significant of his three career finals thus far. However, Zhang Anda denied Ford a maiden ranking title.
The omens bode well for 40-year-old Ford. Just 12 months ago Luca Brecel claimed his first ever match win at the Crucible, on this occasion at the sixth time of asking. He went on to sensationally capture a maiden World Championship title.
Defeat ends another disappointing Crucible campaign for Walden, who has only won three matches on snooker’s biggest stage since making the last four in 2013.
The pair came into this evening with Ford holding a commanding 6-3 advantage. He quickly extended that lead in the opening frame, with a break of 85 to move four clear.
At that point, Walden responded with runs of 56 and 80 as he reduced his arrears to 7-5. However, the last frame before the mid-session went the way of Ford as he halted his opponent’s momentum to go 8-5 ahead.
When play resumed a break of 82 placed Ford just a frame from victory. Although Walden clinched the 15th to extend the match, a pair of 54 breaks from Ford in the next were enough to give him his first ever victory at the Theatre of Dreams.
Next up he faces world number two Judd Trump, who he’s played twice before at the Crucible. Both encounters were closely contested, but went the way of Trump by a 10-8 scoreline.
"I’m just over the moon to get that first win. I felt a lot calmer and more relaxed this time. Coming to the media day before the event helped, just getting the vibe of the place and the atmosphere. I've not put all that pressure on myself in the qualifiers and put myself through it. I think that has shown.”
Tom Ford
World Number 14
Ford added: “I've only just won my first ever game at the Crucible. So I'm not going to sit here and say I'm starting to look at the trophy, because I'm not. The only thing I'm looking at is trying to get past Judd Trump in the second round.
"I've learned how to deal with difficult situations and get on with it. When things go wrong I come back to the table and feel confident. I think that has shown over the last two years.
"I feel stronger mentally than when I last played Judd at the Crucible. I've always struggled with the mental side of the game. I'd miss a few and beat myself up a bit. It is going to be a tough game, but I feel stronger so hopefully it can be different this time."