Chinese snooker player Wu Yize has reached the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship for the first time after a 13-8 victory over Hossein Vafaei. He is set to face Mark Allen in the next round at the Crucible Theatre.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán pays tribute to American martial artist and actor Chuck Norris, describing him as a friend in a social media post.
John Higgins staged a remarkable comeback to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 13-12, while Judd Trump was also eliminated by Hossein Vafaei in a dramatic day at the World Snooker Championship.
Iran's Hossein Vafaei produced the biggest shock of this year's World Snooker Championship by beating world No.1 Judd Trump 13-12 in a final-frame decider at the Crucible. Vafaei, who compiled a match-winning break of 91 in the 25th frame, reached the quarter-finals for the first time. Ronnie O'Sullivan also exited in a final-frame thriller, losing 13-12 to John Higgins despite leading by five frames at one stage, while Mark Selby was beaten 13-11 by China's Wu Yize.
Iran's Hossein Vafaei caused the biggest shock of this year's World Snooker Championship by beating world No. 1 Judd Trump 13-12 in a final-frame decider to reach the quarter-finals for the first time. Meanwhile, Ronnie O'Sullivan's bid for a record-breaking eighth title ended with a stunning comeback from John Higgins, while Mark Selby was defeated 13-11 by China's Wu Yize, with Selby labelling the playing surface 'horrific'.
Hossein Vafaei has reversed his 2024 criticism of the Crucible Theatre, calling it snooker's answer to Wimbledon after becoming the first qualifier to reach the second round of the World Championship. The Iranian beat Si Jiahui 10-3 and will face world No. 1 Judd Trump in the last-16. Vafaei also spoke about the difficulty of being Iranian during the ongoing conflict in his home country.
Iran's Hossein Vafaei became the first qualifier to beat a seeded player at the 2026 World Championship, defeating 15th seed Si Jiahui 10-3. Trailing 3-1, the 31-year-old ranked 32nd won nine consecutive frames, including breaks of 105, 81, 78, 68, 61, 60 and 53. Si scored only 64 points across the final seven frames. Vafaei will face 2019 winner and world number one Judd Trump in the next round.
Hossein Vafaei, Iran's first professional snooker player, begins his World Championship campaign on Wednesday while grappling with anxiety over the conflict in his homeland. The 31-year-old, known as the 'Persian Prince', admits it's difficult to focus due to the bombardment that began with US and Israeli strikes on February 28. Despite his family being safe, Vafaei describes the emotional toll as 'very, very hard' and says he is 'fighting as well for my country' as he faces China's Si Jiahui in his first-round match.
Iranian snooker player Hossein Vafaei has secured his fifth consecutive appearance at the World Championship at the Crucible, defeating Gao Yang 10-4 in qualifying. The world number 32, who faces Si Jiahui in the first round, says the ongoing conflict in Iran since late February has made it extremely difficult to focus on his game, though his family are safe. Vafaei reached the last 16 in 2023 and 2025, and hopes strong performances can provide pride to Iranians watching at home.
