Davis Relegated as Perry Wins Edge-of-the-Seat Thriller

In a tense and emotional encounter at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, Joe Perry defeated his close friend Mark Davis in a final frame decider to secure his place in the 2023 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre. The match was significant for both players, with Davis needing a victory to retain his professional tour card and Perry seeking to qualify for the prestigious event for the first time since 2019.

The drama unfolded as Davis found himself on a match ball final pink, but agonizingly missed his opportunity to the top left pocket. Perry then stepped up to the table and calmly deposited the pink and black balls to secure a 10-9 win, slumping his shoulders and looking visibly emotional in the aftermath of the match.

The victory sees Perry, the 2022 Welsh Open champion, earn a place in the final stages of the World Championship, while Davis will now need to attend Q School if he wishes to regain his professional status. Earlier in the match, Perry had crucially taken the 14th frame on the black to restore parity, before winning the 15th on the final ball to move 8-7 ahead.

Despite runs of 104 and 75 from Davis, Perry fought back to take the match to a decider with a break of 58. Speaking after the match, Perry expressed mixed feelings about his victory, stating that he felt “physically sick” for Davis and that the thought of his opponent losing his professional status only entered his head during the crucial clearance of the final frame.

Elsewhere in the qualifying rounds, China’s Pang Junxu secured his Crucible debut after beating compatriot Xu Si 10-5. Pang had reached his maiden ranking final at the recent WST Classic, where he was beaten by Mark Selby in the title match. Iran’s Hossein Vafaei also secured his second consecutive appearance at the Crucible with a 10-6 win over Welshman Jackson Page, while Elliot Slessor will appear at the tournament for the second time, having defeated Zhou Yuelong 10-5.

David Grace completed the line-up of qualifiers, beating amateur Andrew Higginson 10-5 to secure his place in the final stages of the World Championship. The 37-year-old stated that getting into the top 64 was “everything” for him and that reaching the Crucible was “right up there with the best achievements of my career”.

The qualifying rounds for the 2023 World Snooker Championship were held at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield from April 6-13, with the final stages of the tournament set to take place at the Crucible Theatre from April 15 to May 1.