SNOOKER star Ross Muir is in confident mood as he gears up for four tough qualifying rounds in a bid to reach the World Championships for the first time.
Qualifying for the prestigious tournament in Sheffield gets under way tomorrow (Monday), when the Musselburgh potter takes on Cheung Ka Wai, who has earned his place at the top table of the sport after winning the World Snooker Federation Championship in Albania.
Muir has been working hard on the practice table to ensure that he is ready for the challenge of the 25-year-old.
He said: “It is probably the best I have prepared for the World Championships in recent years.
“I have really taken on board all the things I feel I have not worked out in recent years.
“I have been working for the last five to six weeks towards it.
“I have learnt the lessons of previous years and I am feeling confident.
“My practice results have been good and my general performance has been good over the last few weeks.
“I am pretty excited to see what results will come from all that hard graft over the last few weeks.”
It is the first time the two players have met in a competitive environment and Muir was expecting a tough encounter.
He stressed that all matches in the qualifiers would be difficult.
Among those hoping to reach the main draw, which gets under way on April 20, are former champions Ken Doherty and Stuart Bingham, as well as six-time runner-up Jimmy White and two-time semi-finalist Marco Fu.
Muir said: “To win four games against four quality opponents, that in itself is a feeling of winning a tournament.
“It is going to be tough to win four games.
“If you do come through that, you have more than earned your place.”
Twenty-eight-year-old Muir, who regained his tour card last year after four years off the tour, is no stranger to the qualifiers, having played at the event 10 times.
READ MORE: Snooker: Ross Muir seals tour card with European Championships success
Along the way, he has lost out to stars such as Nigel Bond, Ding Junhui and Joe Perry.
He said: “I think until you actually qualify for the Crucible, the general set-up is probably the same as most of the other tournaments.
“But the length of the game is noticeably different.
“There are two sessions and in recent years I have not had a good record in two-session games.
“I have been working on things in practice and had some good advice from practice partners to turn it.”
Muir will also be boosted by an impressive showing in the Italian Open, where he did not drop a frame as he won seven matches to be crowned the champion, at the end of February.
He told Courier Sport he was hoping he had timed his impressive form right for the sport’s largest competition.
He said: “I’m hoping I have used it to my advantage this year.”
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