Jimmy White Confident in Qualifying for Crucible Despite WST Classic Exit

In an impressive run at the WST Classic, veteran snooker player Jimmy White knocked out Graeme Dott and Joe Perry in the first two rounds before scoring a notable win over Judd Trump in the last 16. However, White’s bid for a first-ranking quarter-final in seven years came to an end as he lost 4-1 to China’s Pang Junxu in the quarter-finals.

Expressing his disappointment, White said, “I’m really disappointed that I didn’t compete. I felt mentally drained. The buzz should get you through that, but I was tired and I was cueing poorly from the second frame onwards.”

Despite the loss, the 60-year-old White, who has enjoyed impressive results this season, reaching the last 16 of two ranking events and the last 32 of another, remains determined to qualify for the Cazoo World Championship. The qualifiers for the event begin on April 3, and White is confident of reaching the final stages for the first time since 2006, stating, “I am playing ok, I just ran out of steam. I’ll be getting to the Crucible, I am playing too well.”

Meanwhile, Gary Wilson reached the quarter-finals with a convincing 4-1 win over David Grace, making a top break of 135. Wilson, who won his first ranking title at the BetVictor Scottish Open in December, is vying for a top 16 seeding at the Cazoo World Championship for the first time in his career. His performance on Wednesday will determine whether he plays at the Duelbits Tour Championship and the Crucible in the coming weeks.

Wilson’s next opponent will be Lukas Kleckers, who made a breakthrough by reaching the first ranking event quarter-final of his career. The 26-year-old German beat Jackson Page 4-0 with top breaks of 88, 63 and 83.

In other matches, Pang Junxu, a semi-finalist at the BetVictor Welsh Open, will face Oliver Lines in the quarter-finals. Lines reached his second ranking quarter-final, and first since the Turkish Masters a year ago, with a convincing 4-0 win over Scott Donaldson.

John Higgins, winner of the recent BetVictor Championship League, is in top form and made breaks of 121 and 126 in a 4-2 win over Kyren Wilson. In a highly anticipated match, Higgins will now face off against Mark Selby, who beat Robbie Williams 4-3 by taking the 67-minute deciding frame on the final pink.

Stuart Bingham defeated Noppon Saengkham 4-2 and will now face Ali Carter in an Essex derby. Carter edged out James Cahill 4-3 with a top break of 106 to secure his place in the quarter-finals.

The snooker action continues on Wednesday as the remaining players battle it out for a place in the semi-finals of the WST Classic.