On the 23rd, Chinese player Pang Junxu defeated his compatriot Zhang Anda 10-7 in the first round of the Snooker World Championship, securing his first win in the tournament's main draw after three appearances. In the next round, he will face "The Rocket" Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Despite trailing for most of the match against Zhang Anda, ranked 12th in the world, Pang Junxu, currently ranked 27th, completed a comeback with five consecutive wins, sealing the victory 10-7 and marking a breakthrough in his career at the Crucible Theatre.

After the match, Pang expressed feeling immense pressure, as Zhang's snooker performance was particularly impressive and restricted his own play. He had to wait for his opponent's mistakes and slowly find his rhythm.

Pang's next opponent will be seven-time World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan. Although O'Sullivan has not participated in a competitive match for over three months, he easily defeated Carter 10-4 in his first round. At 49, O'Sullivan is making his 33rd consecutive appearance at the World Championship and reaching the second round for the 29th time.

In other news, another Chinese player, Zhou Yuelong, lost 4-10 to world number one Judd Trump and was eliminated in the first round. Thus, all 10 Chinese players who entered the first round of the World Championship have completed their matches, with 6 progressing to the second round. Lei Peifan, who defeated defending champion Wilson, will now face Zhao Xintong for a spot in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Ding Junhui awaits the winner of the match between Brecel and Ryan Day.