Wales’ Jones is first up for champ Selby

DEFENDING champion Mark Selby will take on Wales’ Jamie Jones in the first round of the World Championship while Ronnie O’Sullivan faces a tricky opener against David Gilbert.

Selby collected his fourth world title last year by beating Shaun Murphy in the final, but the Leicester potter has failed to lift a trophy this season and has opened up about his mental health struggles.

He will begin the defence of his crown in Sheffield tomorrow morning, when the tournament gets under way, against his Welsh opponent in a match that concludes in the evening.

O’Sullivan, currently top of the rankings, will start his quest to equal Stephen Hendry’s record of seven world titles by facing qualifier Gilbert, a semi-finalist at the Crucible three years ago.

Murphy has been handed an unenviable first-round match against former UK Championship winner Stephen Maguire while Hossein Vafaei, the first Iranian to qualify for the Crucible, takes on Judd Trump.

“I make my people happy and make them proud, they have someone in the snooker finals,” said Vafaei, the world number 19, after beating Lei Peifan.

Ex-champions John Higgins and Mark Williams have been paired with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Michael White.

First-round draw in full (Welsh players in caps): Zhao Xintong v

JAMIE CLARKE, Judd Trump v Hossein Vafaei, Neil Robertson v Ashley Hugill, Yan Bingtao v Chris Wakelin, John Higgins v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Kyren Wilson v Ding Junhui, Barry Hawkins v JACKSON

PAGE, Mark Selby v JAMIE JONES, Anthony McGill v Liam Highfield, Shaun Murphy v Stephen Maguire,

MARK WILLIAMS V MICHAEL WHITE, Mark Allen v Scott Donaldson, Ronnie O’Sullivan v David Gilbert, Stuart Bingham v Lyu Haotian, Jack Lisowski v MATTHEW STEVENS, Luca Brecel v Noppon Saengkham