Adam Williams presents his prediction for the World Snooker Championship match.
Ding Junhui and Zak Surety are poised to face each other in the first round of the World Championship, with Ding making his 19th appearance at the Crucible and Surety making his debut.
Ding Junhui
The 37-year-old ‘Dragon’ stands as one of Asia’s most accomplished snooker players, a legend of the sport in China, and the first Chinese player to become world number one in the rankings in 2014. Throughout his career, he has won 15 ranking titles, including three UK Championship crowns, and triumphed at the Masters in 2011. The only title Ding has yet to conquer is the World Championship. Junhui reached the final in 2016, but lost to Mark Selby 18-14. He has 697 centuries, placing him eighth among the most prolific break-builders worldwide. This season, Ding has won the International Championship and reached the semi-finals of the Tour Championship.
Zak Surety
The 33-year-old snooker player from Essex has largely remained in the shadow of the leading players, but has begun to demonstrate consistent progress in recent years. Zak debuted on the main tour back in 2014. Despite this, he hasn’t risen into the top 64, and is currently 73rd. The highlight of Surety’s career to date is reaching the semi-final of the 2025 World Open, where Zak lost 6-5 to John Higgins in a deciding frame. Zak had to win three qualifying matches to earn his first appearance at the Crucible. Surety comfortably defeated Antoni Kowalski 10-2, edged out Jack Lisowski 10-8 in a hard-fought match, and confidently overcame the experienced Ricky Walden 10-3.
Ding Junhui vs Zak Surety Prediction
Zak Surety is capable of winning his debut match at the Crucible if several factors align in his favour. Zak would need to produce the performance of his life, capitalising on every opportunity and denying Ding any straightforward long shots. If Ding loses the first session, he might get nervous and that will lead to a loss. However, we still anticipate that Junhui’s superior class and extensive experience will enable him to secure a comfortable victory.
