Perry Wants Crucible Farewell Before Retirement

Former Welsh Open champion and Masters runner-up Joe Perry has said he will discontinue from master snooker erstwhile his information successful this year's World Championship ends.

The 50-year-old hit Dylan Emery 10-6 successful nan 2nd qualifying information successful Sheffield and must triumph 2 much best-of-19-frame matches to scope nan main draw.

"I'll proceed to play snooker because I'm going to beryllium successful nan World Seniors, but my clip arsenic a master snooker subordinate is up astatine nan extremity of this tournament," Perry, classed 65th successful nan world, said in an question and reply pinch World Snooker Tour., external

"It's not a rash decision, I've thought astir it for nan past 12-18 months and I decided midway done this play that capable was enough."

Englishman Perry turned master successful 1992 and won 2 ranking events - nan 2015 Players Championship and, astatine nan property of 47, nan 2022 Welsh Open.

His only quality successful a Triple Crown arena last was successful 2017, erstwhile he lost 10-7 to Ronnie O'Sullivan successful nan last of nan Masters.

Sixteen players will look from qualifying to complete nan section of 32 for nan World Championship astatine nan Crucible Theatre, which originates connected 19 April.

Perry, whose adjacent lucifer is against world number 33 Yuan Sijun of China, added: "I'm trying arsenic difficult arsenic ever retired location and if I could play my past lucifer astatine nan Crucible, [that would be] wonderful."

Elsewhere, Hong Kong's Marco Fu needed to switch his extremity betwixt sessions but nan three-time ranking arena victor overcame that rumor to registry a comfortable 10-4 triumph complete Ben Mertens.

Former UK Championship victor Zhao Xintong besides progressed to nan penultimate information of qualifying by beating chap Chinese subordinate Long Zehuang 10-8.