Ronnie O'Sullivan learns first World Snooker Championship opponent in tricky test

Ronnie O'Sullivan will begin his quest to win a record eighth World Snooker Championship title against Crucible debutant He Guoqiang.

The 25-year-old beat world no18 Jack Lisowski in qualifying, and has beaten O'Sullivan in two of their three previous career meetings.

O'Sullivan is looking to eclipse Stephen Hendry with whom he currently tops the standings on seven modern era Crucible crowns.

Guoqiang is one of a record 11 Chinese players in the tournament, including defending champion Zhao Xintong, who will face Liam Highfield in the opening match on Saturday.

Nineteen-year-old qualifier Stan Moody faces a daunting Crucible debut against 2024 champion Kyren Wilson, while Liam Pullen will take on former quarter-finalist Chris Wakelin.

Four-time winner John Higgins faces two-time runner-up Ali Carter in a high-quality opener with a potential second round meeting with O'Sullivan at stake.

Mark Selby starts against the shock 2024 finalist Jak Jones, and Judd Trump has a tough opener against 2019 semi-finalist Gary Wilson, who survived a qualifying epic against Xu Si.

Antoni Kowalski, the first Polish player to qualify for the Crucible and who saved his tour card in the process, starts against three-time champion Mark Williams.

The tournament starts on Saturday morning with Zhao's match against Highfield, while Northern Ireland's Mark Allen takes on China's Zhang Anda on the other table.