Hossein Vafaei has described the Crucible Theatre as snooker’s equivalent of Wimbledon, two years after he branded the venue “smelly” and compared its practice facilities to “playing in a garage”. The Iranian’s change of heart came after the announcement that the World Snooker Championship will remain in Sheffield until at least 2045.
Following his 10-3 victory over Si Jiahui on Thursday, which made him the first qualifier to reach the second round this year, Vafaei said: “The Crucible is a historical place… for us it is like the Wimbledon Championships. We have to keep the history and give it respect.”
Vafaei also spoke of the difficulty of playing amid the ongoing conflict in Iran. “It’s very tough to be an Iranian at this time,” he said. “It’s like you lifting 10 people on your shoulders. It’s very hard.”
In the match, Vafaei won nine consecutive frames from 3-1 down to seal victory. He will face world number one Judd Trump in the last 16, a match he described as “couldn’t be better for fans to watch”.
Elsewhere, Shaun Murphy led Xiao Guodong 6-2, Neil Robertson beat Pang Junxu 10-6, and Mark Allen held a 5-3 lead over Kyren Wilson.
