? World No1 is fancied for a fourth Crucible title
? Mark Williams faces tough first round against Ryan Day
John Higgins has won four titles and lost only two matches since his return from suspension in November and has an outstanding chance of winning his fourth world title at the Crucible theatre next month.
The world No1 will face Stephen Lee in the first round before a possible quarter-final meeting with Ronnie O'Sullivan, although the former champion would probably have to overcome Shaun Murphy, the 2005 champion and winner of the Players Tour Championship in Dublin on Sunday, to get that far.
O'Sullivan withdrew from the Shanghai Masters in the early season when he was defending champion, chose not to compete in 10 of the 12 events comprising the Players Tour Championship series and scratched from the German Masters the day after he made six centuries in eight frames in an exhibition of which he was a co-promoter in Blackburn.
He not only won the Power Snooker event but received a healthy personal promotion fee from it and was a quarter-finalist in the One Frame Shoot-Out at Blackpool Tower Circus but there is a world of difference between snooker-based entertainments and the championship game.
He is due to compete in next week's China Open but has four times withdrawn from events in Asia and produced only a travesty of his ability in several others. He does not like long tournaments away from home, not the best augury for the Crucible's 17-day marathon of the mind.
Mark Williams, back in the form which brought him two world titles, is widely fancied despite a tough start against Ryan Day and being in the same half as Higgins. Australia's Neil Robertson will begin his defence against the Bristol left-hander Judd Trump on 16 April.
World Championship draw Neil Robertson (Australia) v Judd Trump (England), Marco Fu (Hong Kong) v Martin Gould (England), Graeme Dott (Scotland) v Mark King (England), Allister Carter (England) v Dave Harold (England), Ding Junhui (China) v Jamie Burnett (Scotland), Peter Ebdon (England) v Stuart Bingham (England), Stephen Hendry (Scotland) v Joe Perry (England), Mark Selby (England) v Jimmy Robertson (England), Mark Williams (Wales) v Ryan Day (Wales), Jamie Cope (England) v Andrew Pagett (Wales), Mark Allen (Northern Ireland) v Matthew Stevens (Wales), Stephen Maguire (Scotland) v Barry Hawkins (England), Shaun Murphy (England) v Marcus Campbell (Scotland), Ronnie O'Sullivan (England) v Dominic Dale (Wales), Ricky Walden (England) v Rory McLeod (England), John Higgins (Scotland) v Stephen Lee (England)
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/mar/21/john-higgins-snooker-world-title
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