Barry Hawkins became the eighth top-16 seed to exit the World Snooker Championship in the first round, equalling a record he would rather not share. The Englishman was beaten 10-8 by Welsh qualifier Ryan Day at the Crucible on Wednesday, after leading 8-5.
Hawkins, who had missed the 2023 tournament but regained form this season by winning the European Masters, admitted to costly errors. “I made too many mistakes, we both missed a lot of easy balls,” he told wst.tv. “I had the momentum at 8-5 but then lost confidence, and fair play to Ryan because he stood up. It's a frustrating way for the season to end.”
Day, who had not won a match at the Crucible since 2014, rallied with four consecutive frames to lead 5-2 before Hawkins responded with six in a row, including a break of 90, to move ahead. However, the world number 44 won the last five frames to secure victory and a probable second-round meeting with Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Hawkins’ exit marks a disappointing end to a season that saw him return to form, but he acknowledged the quality of the qualifiers. “The qualifiers are sharp and not scared of anything - most of them are good enough to be in the top 16,” he said.
