Champ Bingham confident of avoiding world title curse

SHEFFIELD (United Kingdom): Stuart Bingham insists he isn't intimidated by the 'Crucible curse' as the defending champion prepares to start his bid to retain the World Championship title.

Since the tournament moved to the Crucible in Sheffield in 1977, no first-time winner has returned 12 months later to recapture the title.

England's Bingham, who defeated Shaun Murphy in a gripping 2015 final, is confident he can avoid that fate and sees no reason why he can't leave the famous venue as a two-time champion.

"It's an honour to have the 'Crucible curse' tagged on me this year," Bingham said.

"A lot of people haven't experienced what I've had in the last year, so to have that chance to break the curse is going to be great.

"Nobody's ever done it though so the odds are stacked against me. I'm looking forward now to Saturday and kicking it all off."

Bingham, 39, faces a daunting opener against two-time losing finalist Ali Carter, who battled through three qualifying rounds to reach the main draw.

One of Bingham's main rivals for the title will be fivetime world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, who is bidding to win the tournament for the first time since 2013.

O'Sullivan is expecting great things from Judd Trump, another leading contender for the title.

But he warned the 26-yearold it's time to show his class on the big stage because the pressure will only increase if Trump, who was runner-up to John Higgins in 2011, misses out this year.

"He's 26 and he's at the prime age now to push on," O'Sullivan said. - AFP