# 2009 World Snooker Championship

The 2009 World Snooker Championship (officially the 2009 Betfred.com World Snooker Championship) was a professional snooker tournament. It was held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, the 33rd consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship was staged at the venue. It took place between 18 April 2009 and 4 May 2009. The eighth and final ranking tournament of the 2008–09 snooker season, it was organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and sponsored for the first time by online betting shop Betfred. The total prize fund was £1,111,000, of which the winner received £250,000.
The qualifying rounds took place from 26 February to 4 March and from 8 to 10 March 2009 at the English Institute of Sport. The 16 qualifiers and the top 16 players from the snooker world rankings reached the tournament's main stage at the Crucible. Ronnie O'Sullivan was the defending champion, having defeated Ali Carter 18–8 in the 2008 final. He lost in the second round to Mark Allen.
John Higgins won his third world title by defeating Shaun Murphy 18–9 in the final. It was his 20th ranking title. A total of 83 century breaks were compiled during the event's main stage, the highest being a 147 made by Stephen Hendry. It was the highest number until 2015. Another 69 century breaks were made during the qualifying rounds.

## Overview

Organised by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, the 2009 tournament was sponsored by online betting shop Betfred for the first time.

### Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:

## Tournament summary
### First round

The first round was played between 18 and 23 April as the best of 19 frames held over two sessions. The defending champion, Ronnie O'Sullivan, made breaks of 61, 140, 104, 73, 78, 94, 100 and 97 for a 10‍–‍5 victory against Stuart Bingham, although he rated his performance with a five out of ten. Six-time world champion Steve Davis qualified for the World Championship for a record-extending 29th time, but he was defeated 2‍–‍10 by Neil Robertson, who notched a century break of 135 in the process. Clive Everton, writing for The Guardian, hinted that this could be Davis's last appearance at the Crucible. "To me it's not about going out in style. I've gone past that. I'm going down the wall hanging on by my fingernails", said Davis. In a duel between two former world champions, Stephen Hendry won 10‍–‍7 over Mark Williams, who had to have his cue stick repaired in the middle of the match. Graeme Dott, winner in 2006, disposed of Barry Hawkins with a 10‍–‍8 result.
There were four debutants at the Crucible in this edition—Rory McLeod, Martin Gould, Andrew Higginson and Ricky Walden—and they were all defeated in the first round. McLeod, who became the first-ever black player to play at the Crucible, lost 5‍–‍10 to Mark King. Gould defeated the 2000 and 2005 runner-up, Matthew Stevens, in the qualifiers to earn a place at the Crucible, but he could not make it past Mark Allen, who knocked him out in the first round with a 10‍–‍6 result. Allen, semi-finalist of the 2008 Bahrain Championship during the season, produced a half-century of 88 in the last frame. As he went into his first-round match against Higginson, Shaun Murphy, the 2005 winner, was threatened by his wife to be presented with the divorce papers at the Crucible. Higginson took the lead at 6‍–‍5 at the beginning of the second session, but Murphy prevailed with a 10‍–‍8 result despite the personal issues. Walden, champion of both the invitational 2008 Six-red Snooker International and the ranking 2008 Shanghai Masters earlier in the season, lost 6‍–‍10 to Mark Selby, runner-up in 2007. Selby made three centuries in the second session to seal victory.
The runner-up in the previous edition, Ali Carter, had won his first ranking event earlier in the season, the 2009 Welsh Open. In his first-round match, he beat Gerard Greene 10‍–‍5. Greene, having reached the Crucible on four occasions, had never made it past the first round of the event. Stephen Maguire compiled breaks of 98, 96, 101, 122, 79 and 127 for a 10‍–‍5 defeat of Jamie Burnett. A few months earlier, at the 2008 UK Championship, the game between both players, which also went Maguire's way, was investigated after there were allegations of match fixing, but neither of the players was charged. Marco Fu constructed three centuries en route to a 10‍–‍4 victory over Joe Swail. John Higgins, world champion in 1998 and 2007, fell 2‍–‍4 behind Michael Holt during the first session, but he only conceded one more frame as he completed the comeback for a 10‍–‍5 win. Ding Junhui led Liang Wenbo 7‍–‍4, but Liang won four frames on the trot to put himself ahead. Ding then took three consecutive frames, featuring a century break, to clinch victory with a 10‍–‍8 result. Only two out of the sixteen seeded players lost their first round matches. The 2002 world champion, Peter Ebdon, was defeated 5‍–‍10 by Nigel Bond, while Joe Perry lost 6‍–‍10 against Jamie Cope, who made good long pots to advance into the second round of the World Championship for the first time in his career.
In September 2013 Stephen Lee was found guilty of conspiring to lose his first round match 4–10 against Ryan Day, for which as part of other offences Lee received a 12-year ban and was ordered to pay £40,000 in costs.

### Second round

The second round of the event was played as the best of 25 frames, held over three sessions, between 23 and 27 April.
* Hendry won his 1,000th frame at the Crucible during his match against Ding Junhui. In this very frame Hendry compiled a 140 break. In total, at that moment Hendry had played over 1,700 frames at the Crucible, more than any other player. Hendry went on to win the match 13–10 and qualified for the quarter-finals for a record 18th time. This was the second consecutive year that Hendry had knocked out Ding in the Last 16.
* Mark Allen beat defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 13–11. Allen made his best appearance at the tournament, ultimately reaching the semi-finals. This would be the last time that O'Sullivan failed to reach the quarter-finals until 2016.
* Neil Robertson won four frames on the final black during the second session of his match with Ali Carter, and went on to win the match 13–8.
* John Higgins beat Jamie Cope 13–12 having trailed 10–12.
* Stephen Maguire and Mark King set a new record for the longest frame ever played at the Crucible at 74 minutes 58 seconds, breaking the previous record of 74 minutes 8 seconds set in the 2006 final between Peter Ebdon and Graeme Dott.
* The match between Mark Selby and Graeme Dott saw a controversial decision by referee Alan Chamberlain. Dott was going in-off, but stopped the cue ball with his fist before it dropped into the pocket, believing that the in-off was obvious. Chamberlain called a foul and awarded four points to Selby. Convinced that he now had the cue ball in hand, as would be the norm after an in-off, Selby picked up the ball to place it inside the "D". However, Chamberlain then called a foul on him and awarded four points back to Dott. Chamberlain's reasoning was that since the cue ball had never left the bed of the table, Selby should have played the shot from where the cue ball finished. Both players and even members of the audience disputed Chamberlain's decision, but it remained unchanged.
While the second round was being played, it was announced that the World Snooker Championship would continue to be played at the Crucible Theatre at least until 2014.

### Quarter-finals

The quarter-finals of the event were played as the best of 25 frames, held over three sessions, between 28 and 29 April.
* Hendry made the ninth 147 break of his career in the seventh frame of his match against Shaun Murphy. Hendry equalled Ronnie O'Sullivan's record for most 147s and became the second man to score a Crucible 147 more than once, having done it for the first time in 1995.
* Neil Robertson beat Stephen Maguire - who had eliminated him in the second round the year before - 13–8. He became only the second player from Australia in 27 years (since Eddie Charlton) to play a semi-final at the Crucible.
* John Higgins advanced to the semi-finals against Mark Selby by winning his second consecutive match of the tournament in the final frame, again coming from behind before the last frames, this time 11–12. The final frame required two re-racks.
* Mark Allen and Neil Robertson both reached the first world championship semi-finals of their careers.

### Semi-finals

The semi-finals were played as the best of 33 frames, held over four sessions, between 30 April and 2 May.
Both semi-finals featured impressive comebacks from the eventual losers. Allen came back from a 3–13 deficit against Higgins to 12–15 before losing the match 13–17. In a similar manner, Robertson brought a 7–14 deficit back to 14–14 in his match against Murphy, but lost the final three frames.

### Final

The final was played as a best-of-35-frames, held over four sessions on 3 and 4 May, between Higgins and Murphy.
* Michaela Tabb made history by becoming the first woman to referee a World Snooker Championship final.
* This was the first final contested by two former world champions since 2003, when Mark Williams defeated Ken Doherty 18–16.
* After the first session ended all-square at 4–4, John Higgins opened up an 11–5 lead over Shaun Murphy, winning the second session 7–1. After the third session, Higgins led 16–8, having won that session 5–3.
* The second frame of the fourth session was Higgins's 1000th frame at the Crucible Theatre.
* The fourth and final session lasted only three frames before John Higgins defeated Shaun Murphy 18–9. In doing so, Higgins became only the ninth player to lift the trophy more than twice, and only the sixth player to have won more than two titles in the modern era (Ray Reardon, John Spencer, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan being the others).
* By winning the title two weeks before his 34th birthday, Higgins became the oldest World Snooker Champion since 36-year-old Dennis Taylor in 1985.

## Main draw

Shown below are the results for each round. The numbers in parentheses beside some of the players are their seeding ranks (each championship has 16 seeds and 16 qualifiers). The draw for the televised stage of the World Snooker Championship was made on Wednesday, 11 March 2009 at 9:45 a.m. GMT on Radio Sheffield.
| First round Best of 19 frames | First round Best of 19 frames | First round Best of 19 frames | Second round Best of 25 frames | Second round Best of 25 frames | Second round Best of 25 frames | Quarter-finals Best of 25 frames | Quarter-finals Best of 25 frames | Quarter-finals Best of 25 frames | Semi-finals Best of 33 frames | Semi-finals Best of 33 frames | Semi-finals Best of 33 frames | Final Best of 35 frames | Final Best of 35 frames | Final Best of 35 frames |
| 18 April | 18 April | 18 April | | | | | | | | | | |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan (1) | Ronnie O'Sullivan (1) | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan (1) | Ronnie O'Sullivan (1) | 10 | 23, 24 & 25 April | 23, 24 & 25 April | 23, 24 & 25 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Stuart Bingham | Stuart Bingham | 5 | 23, 24 & 25 April | 23, 24 & 25 April | 23, 24 & 25 April | | | | | | | |
| Stuart Bingham | Stuart Bingham | 5 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (1) | Ronnie O'Sullivan (1) | 11 | | | | | | | |
| 19 & 20 April | 19 & 20 April | 19 & 20 April | Ronnie O'Sullivan (1) | Ronnie O'Sullivan (1) | 11 | | | | | | | |
| 19 & 20 April | 19 & 20 April | 19 & 20 April | Mark Allen (16) | Mark Allen (16) | 13 | | | | | | | |
| Mark Allen (16) | Mark Allen (16) | 10 | Mark Allen (16) | Mark Allen (16) | 13 | | | | | | | |
| Mark Allen (16) | Mark Allen (16) | 10 | | | | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | | | | | | |
| Martin Gould | Martin Gould | 6 | | | | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | | | | |
| Martin Gould | Martin Gould | 6 | | | | Mark Allen (16) | Mark Allen (16) | 13 | | | | |
| 21 April | 21 April | 21 April | | | | Mark Allen (16) | Mark Allen (16) | 13 | | | | |
| 21 April | 21 April | 21 April | | | | Ryan Day (8) | Ryan Day (8) | 11 | | | | |
| Peter Ebdon (9) | Peter Ebdon (9) | 5 | | | | Ryan Day (8) | Ryan Day (8) | 11 | | | | |
| Peter Ebdon (9) | Peter Ebdon (9) | 5 | 24 & 25 April | 24 & 25 April | 24 & 25 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Nigel Bond | Nigel Bond | 10 | 24 & 25 April | 24 & 25 April | 24 & 25 April | | | | | | | |
| Nigel Bond | Nigel Bond | 10 | Nigel Bond | Nigel Bond | 5 | | | | | | | |
| 22 April | 22 April | 22 April | Nigel Bond | Nigel Bond | 5 | | | | | | | |
| 22 April | 22 April | 22 April | Ryan Day (8) | Ryan Day (8) | 13 | | | | | | | |
| Ryan Day (8) | Ryan Day (8) | 10 | Ryan Day (8) | Ryan Day (8) | 13 | | | | | | | |
| Ryan Day (8) | Ryan Day (8) | 10 | | | | | | | 30 April 1 & 2 May | 30 April 1 & 2 May | 30 April 1 & 2 May | | | |
| Stephen Lee | Stephen Lee | 4 | | | | | | | 30 April 1 & 2 May | 30 April 1 & 2 May | 30 April 1 & 2 May | |
| Stephen Lee | Stephen Lee | 4 | | | | | | | Mark Allen (16) | Mark Allen (16) | 13 | |
| 22 & 23 April | 22 & 23 April | 22 & 23 April | | | | | | | Mark Allen (16) | Mark Allen (16) | 13 | |
| 22 & 23 April | 22 & 23 April | 22 & 23 April | | | | | | | John Higgins (5) | John Higgins (5) | 17 | |
| John Higgins (5) | John Higgins (5) | 10 | | | | | | | John Higgins (5) | John Higgins (5) | 17 | |
| John Higgins (5) | John Higgins (5) | 10 | 25, 26 & 27 April | 25, 26 & 27 April | 25, 26 & 27 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Michael Holt | Michael Holt | 5 | 25, 26 & 27 April | 25, 26 & 27 April | 25, 26 & 27 April | | | | | | | |
| Michael Holt | Michael Holt | 5 | John Higgins (5) | John Higgins (5) | 13 | | | | | | | |
| 20 & 21 April | 20 & 21 April | 20 & 21 April | John Higgins (5) | John Higgins (5) | 13 | | | | | | | |
| 20 & 21 April | 20 & 21 April | 20 & 21 April | Jamie Cope | Jamie Cope | 12 | | | | | | | |
| Joe Perry (12) | Joe Perry (12) | 6 | Jamie Cope | Jamie Cope | 12 | | | | | | | |
| Joe Perry (12) | Joe Perry (12) | 6 | | | | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | | | | | | |
| Jamie Cope | Jamie Cope | 10 | | | | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | | | | |
| Jamie Cope | Jamie Cope | 10 | | | | John Higgins (5) | John Higgins (5) | 13 | | | | |
| 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | | | | John Higgins (5) | John Higgins (5) | 13 | | | | |
| 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | | | | Mark Selby (4) | Mark Selby (4) | 12 | | | | |
| Graeme Dott (13) | Graeme Dott (13) | 10 | | | | Mark Selby (4) | Mark Selby (4) | 12 | | | | |
| Graeme Dott (13) | Graeme Dott (13) | 10 | 26 & 27 April | 26 & 27 April | 26 & 27 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Barry Hawkins | Barry Hawkins | 8 | 26 & 27 April | 26 & 27 April | 26 & 27 April | | | | | | | |
| Barry Hawkins | Barry Hawkins | 8 | Graeme Dott (13) | Graeme Dott (13) | 10 | | | | | | | |
| 19 & 20 April | 19 & 20 April | 19 & 20 April | Graeme Dott (13) | Graeme Dott (13) | 10 | | | | | | | |
| 19 & 20 April | 19 & 20 April | 19 & 20 April | Mark Selby (4) | Mark Selby (4) | 13 | | | | | | | |
| Mark Selby (4) | Mark Selby (4) | 10 | Mark Selby (4) | Mark Selby (4) | 13 | | | | | | | |
| Mark Selby (4) | Mark Selby (4) | 10 | | | | | | | | | | 3 & 4 May | 3 & 4 May | 3 & 4 May |
| Ricky Walden | Ricky Walden | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 3 & 4 May | 3 & 4 May | 3 & 4 May |
| Ricky Walden | Ricky Walden | 6 | | | | | | | | | | John Higgins (5) | John Higgins (5) | 18 |
| 21 & 22 April | 21 & 22 April | 21 & 22 April | | | | | | | | | | John Higgins (5) | John Higgins (5) | 18 |
| 21 & 22 April | 21 & 22 April | 21 & 22 April | | | | | | | | | | Shaun Murphy (3) | Shaun Murphy (3) | 9 |
| Shaun Murphy (3) | Shaun Murphy (3) | 10 | | | | | | | | | | Shaun Murphy (3) | Shaun Murphy (3) | 9 |
| Shaun Murphy (3) | Shaun Murphy (3) | 10 | 24 & 25 April | 24 & 25 April | 24 & 25 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Andrew Higginson | Andrew Higginson | 8 | 24 & 25 April | 24 & 25 April | 24 & 25 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Andrew Higginson | Andrew Higginson | 8 | Shaun Murphy (3) | Shaun Murphy (3) | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| 20 April | 20 April | 20 April | Shaun Murphy (3) | Shaun Murphy (3) | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| 20 April | 20 April | 20 April | Marco Fu (14) | Marco Fu (14) | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Marco Fu (14) | Marco Fu (14) | 10 | Marco Fu (14) | Marco Fu (14) | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| Marco Fu (14) | Marco Fu (14) | 10 | | | | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | | | | | | |
| Joe Swail | Joe Swail | 4 | | | | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | | | | | | |
| Joe Swail | Joe Swail | 4 | | | | Shaun Murphy (3) | Shaun Murphy (3) | 13 | | | | | | |
| 20 & 21 April | 20 & 21 April | 20 & 21 April | | | | Shaun Murphy (3) | Shaun Murphy (3) | 13 | | | | | | |
| 20 & 21 April | 20 & 21 April | 20 & 21 April | | | | Stephen Hendry (6) | Stephen Hendry (6) | 11 | | | | | | |
| Ding Junhui (11) | Ding Junhui (11) | 10 | | | | Stephen Hendry (6) | Stephen Hendry (6) | 11 | | | | | | |
| Ding Junhui (11) | Ding Junhui (11) | 10 | 23 & 24 April | 23 & 24 April | 23 & 24 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Liang Wenbo | Liang Wenbo | 8 | 23 & 24 April | 23 & 24 April | 23 & 24 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Liang Wenbo | Liang Wenbo | 8 | Ding Junhui (11) | Ding Junhui (11) | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | Ding Junhui (11) | Ding Junhui (11) | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
| 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | Stephen Hendry (6) | Stephen Hendry (6) | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Stephen Hendry (6) | Stephen Hendry (6) | 10 | Stephen Hendry (6) | Stephen Hendry (6) | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Stephen Hendry (6) | Stephen Hendry (6) | 10 | | | | | | | 30 April 1 & 2 May | 30 April 1 & 2 May | 30 April 1 & 2 May | | | |
| Mark Williams | Mark Williams | 7 | | | | | | | 30 April 1 & 2 May | 30 April 1 & 2 May | 30 April 1 & 2 May | | | |
| Mark Williams | Mark Williams | 7 | | | | | | | Shaun Murphy (3) | Shaun Murphy (3) | 17 | | | |
| 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | | | | | | | Shaun Murphy (3) | Shaun Murphy (3) | 17 | | | |
| 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | | | | | | | Neil Robertson (10) | Neil Robertson (10) | 14 | | | |
| Ali Carter (7) | Ali Carter (7) | 10 | | | | | | | Neil Robertson (10) | Neil Robertson (10) | 14 | | | |
| Ali Carter (7) | Ali Carter (7) | 10 | 25, 26 & 27 April | 25, 26 & 27 April | 25, 26 & 27 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Gerard Greene | Gerard Greene | 5 | 25, 26 & 27 April | 25, 26 & 27 April | 25, 26 & 27 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Gerard Greene | Gerard Greene | 5 | Ali Carter (7) | Ali Carter (7) | 8 | | | | | | | | | |
| 21 & 22 April | 21 & 22 April | 21 & 22 April | Ali Carter (7) | Ali Carter (7) | 8 | | | | | | | | | |
| 21 & 22 April | 21 & 22 April | 21 & 22 April | Neil Robertson (10) | Neil Robertson (10) | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Neil Robertson (10) | Neil Robertson (10) | 10 | Neil Robertson (10) | Neil Robertson (10) | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Neil Robertson (10) | Neil Robertson (10) | 10 | | | | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | | | | | | |
| Steve Davis | Steve Davis | 2 | | | | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | 28 & 29 April | | | | | | |
| Steve Davis | Steve Davis | 2 | | | | Neil Robertson (10) | Neil Robertson (10) | 13 | | | | | | |
| 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | | | | Neil Robertson (10) | Neil Robertson (10) | 13 | | | | | | |
| 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | 18 & 19 April | | | | Stephen Maguire (2) | Stephen Maguire (2) | 8 | | | | | | |
| Mark King (15) | Mark King (15) | 10 | | | | Stephen Maguire (2) | Stephen Maguire (2) | 8 | | | | | | |
| Mark King (15) | Mark King (15) | 10 | 26 & 27 April | 26 & 27 April | 26 & 27 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Rory McLeod | Rory McLeod | 6 | 26 & 27 April | 26 & 27 April | 26 & 27 April | | | | | | | | | |
| Rory McLeod | Rory McLeod | 6 | Mark King (15) | Mark King (15) | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 22 & 23 April | 22 & 23 April | 22 & 23 April | Mark King (15) | Mark King (15) | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 22 & 23 April | 22 & 23 April | 22 & 23 April | Stephen Maguire (2) | Stephen Maguire (2) | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Stephen Maguire (2) | Stephen Maguire (2) | 10 | Stephen Maguire (2) | Stephen Maguire (2) | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| Jamie Burnett | Jamie Burnett | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Final (Best of 35 frames) Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 3 May & 4 May 2009. Referee: Michaela Tabb :
| John Higgins (5) Scotland | 18–9 | Shaun Murphy (3) England |
| 83–0, 85–6, 79–20, 7–83, 50–96, 4–114, 49–63, 69–34, 98–1, 12–87, 70–51, 95–11, 70–45, 132–0, 82–0, 128–6, 64–42, 0–91, 60–49, 76–43, 28–70, 49–79, 94–26, 80–59, 106–21, 0–78, 105–0 | Century breaks: 3 (Higgins 2, Murphy 1) Highest break by Higgins: 128 Highest break by Murphy: 109 | 83–0, 85–6, 79–20, 7–83, 50–96, 4–114, 49–63, 69–34, 98–1, 12–87, 70–51, 95–11, 70–45, 132–0, 82–0, 128–6, 64–42, 0–91, 60–49, 76–43, 28–70, 49–79, 94–26, 80–59, 106–21, 0–78, 105–0 |
| John Higgins wins the 2009 Betfred.com World Snooker Championship |||

## Preliminary qualifying

The preliminary qualifying rounds for the tournament took place on 25 February 2009 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. (World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association members not on The Tour.)
Round 1
| Bill Kelly | 1–5 | David Singh |
| Neil Selman | 5–3 | Paul Cavney |
| Barry Stark | 5–3 | Les Dodd |
| Stephen Ormerod | 5–0 | Christopher Flight |
| Del Smith | 5–0 | Adam Osbourne |
| Phil Seaton | 5–2 | Philip Minchin |
| Ali Bassiri | 1–5 | Tony Knowles |
Round 2
| Colin Mitchell | 5–1 | David Singh |
| Neil Selman | 5–1 | Barry Stark |
| Stephen Ormerod | 1–5 | Del Smith |
| Phil Seaton | 2–5 | Tony Knowles |

## Qualifying

The qualifying rounds 1–4 for the tournament took place between 26 February and 4 March 2009 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. The final round of qualifying took place between 8 and 10 March 2009 at the same venue.
Round 1
| Li Hang | 10–2 | Colin Mitchell |
| Declan Hughes | wd–wo | Neil Selman |
| Chris McBreen | 10–8 | Del Smith |
| Stefan Mazrocis | 9–10 | Tony Knowles |
Rounds 2–5
| Round 2 Best of 19 frames | Round 2 Best of 19 frames | Round 3 Best of 19 frames | Round 3 Best of 19 frames | Round 4 Best of 19 frames | Round 4 Best of 19 frames | Round 5 Best of 19 frames | Round 5 Best of 19 frames |
| Matthew Couch | 10 | Andrew Norman | 4 | John Parrott | 3 | Joe Swail | 10 |
| Michael Georgiou | 8 | Matthew Couch | 10 | Matthew Couch | 10 | Matthew Couch | 1 |
| Lee Spick | 10 | Barry Pinches | 5 | Adrian Gunnell | 2 | Steve Davis | 10 |
| Stephen Craigie | 5 | Lee Spick | 10 | Lee Spick | 10 | Lee Spick | 8 |
| Jimmy White | 10 | Andy Hicks | 10 | Rory McLeod | 10 | Ian McCulloch | 7 |
| Vincent Muldoon | 8 | Jimmy White | 8 | Andy Hicks | 8 | Rory McLeod | 10 |
| Daniel Wells | 10 | Ian Preece | 9 | Marcus Campbell | 9 | Barry Hawkins | 10 |
| Li Hang | 9 | Daniel Wells | 10 | Daniel Wells | 10 | Daniel Wells | 9 |
| Supoj Saenla | 10 | Liu Song | 10 | Gerard Greene | 10 | Ken Doherty | 5 |
| Liu Chuang | 5 | Supoj Saenla | 9 | Liu Song | 6 | Gerard Greene | 10 |
| Scott MacKenzie | 9 | Joe Delaney | 10 | Judd Trump | 10 | Stephen Lee | 10 |
| Wayne Cooper | 10 | Wayne Cooper | 8 | Joe Delaney | 1 | Judd Trump | 8 |
| Patrick Wallace | 10 | Mark Joyce | 6 | Tom Ford | 10 | Mark Williams | 10 |
| Neil Selman | 2 | Patrick Wallace | 10 | Patrick Wallace | 8 | Tom Ford | 5 |
| Matthew Selt | 10 | Rod Lawler | 10 | Ricky Walden | 10 | Anthony Hamilton | 5 |
| Robert Stephen | 3 | Matthew Selt | 5 | Rod Lawler | 1 | Ricky Walden | 10 |
| James McBain | 10 | David Morris | 10 | Liang Wenbo | 10 | Dave Harold | 3 |
| Chris McBreen | 2 | James McBain | 3 | David Morris | 8 | Liang Wenbo | 10 |
| Simon Bedford | 10 | David Roe | 7 | Jamie Burnett | 10 | Fergal O'Brien | 6 |
| David Grace | 6 | Simon Bedford | 10 | Simon Bedford | 8 | Jamie Burnett | 10 |
| Jamie Jones | 10 | Robert Milkins | 7 | Andrew Higginson | 10 | Michael Judge | 4 |
| Atthasit Mahitthi | 9 | Jamie Jones | 10 | Jamie Jones | 8 | Andrew Higginson | 10 |
| Lewis Roberts | 10 | Paul Davies | 10 | Jimmy Michie | 6 | Jamie Cope | 10 |
| Aditya Mehta | 8 | Lewis Roberts | 7 | Paul Davies | 10 | Paul Davies | 5 |
| Kuldesh Johal | 8 | David Gray | 8 | Mike Dunn | 10 | Nigel Bond | 10 |
| Jin Long | 10 | Jin Long | 10 | Jin Long | 7 | Mike Dunn | 7 |
| Peter Lines | 10 | Mark Davis | 10 | Michael Holt | 10 | Dominic Dale | 7 |
| Andy Lee | 8 | Peter Lines | 6 | Mark Davis | 9 | Michael Holt | 10 |
| Paul Davison | 5 | Stuart Pettman | 10 | Alan McManus | 10 | Stuart Bingham | 10 |
| Andrew Pagett | 10 | Andrew Pagett | 3 | Stuart Pettman | 8 | Alan McManus | 6 |
| Rodney Goggins | 10 | Martin Gould | 10 | Dave Gilbert | 8 | Matthew Stevens | 4 |
| Tony Knowles | 4 | Rodney Goggins | 7 | Martin Gould | 10 | Martin Gould | 10 |

## Century breaks

This is complete list of century breaks scored in both the qualifying and the televised stages.

### Televised stage centuries

There were 83 century breaks in the televised stage of the World Championship, a new record beating 2002's and 2007's 68; this record was surpassed in 2015.
* 147, 140, 117, 114 – Stephen Hendry
* 141, 131, 129, 128, 128, 128, 116, 114, 113, 107, 104 – John Higgins
* 140, 107, 105, 104, 103 – Ronnie O'Sullivan
* 137, 123, 115, 110, 109, 106, 104, 102, 101, 101 – Shaun Murphy
* 134, 120, 106 – Ryan Day
* 133, 127, 122, 115, 101 – Stephen Maguire
* 130, 121, 112, 111 – Ding Junhui
* 129, 124, 122, 111 – Marco Fu
* 129, 119, 119, 115, 108, 108, 106, 103, 103, 103 – Mark Allen
* 129, 105 – Barry Hawkins
* 127, 124, 119, 118, 117, 117, 114, 104, 101, 101 – Mark Selby
* 125, 124, 112, 105, 101 – Neil Robertson
* 118, 103, 102 – Jamie Cope
* 117 – Graeme Dott
* 114 – Mark King
* 113 – Peter Ebdon
* 110 – Joe Perry
* 102 – Michael Holt
* 100 – Stuart Bingham
* 100 – Ricky Walden

### Qualifying stage centuries

There were 69 century breaks in the qualifying stage of the World Championship:
* 145 – Mark Williams
* 137, 100 – Judd Trump
* 135, 102 – Andy Hicks
* 134, 124, 120, 104 – Jimmy White
* 134, 120, 100 – Liang Wenbo
* 134, 103 – Matthew Selt
* 131 – John Parrott
* 129, 127, 106, 100 – Daniel Wells
* 129 – Matthew Couch
* 128, 103 – Ricky Walden
* 128, 103 – Barry Hawkins
* 127 – Michael Holt
* 127 – Rory McLeod
* 126 – David Morris
* 125, 122, 103 – Ian McCulloch
* 121, 105, 104 – Tom Ford
* 119 – Dave Gilbert
* 117 – Mark Davis
* 117 – Jamie Burnett
* 116 – Stefan Mazrocis
* 116 – Ken Doherty
* 115 – Anthony Hamilton
* 114 – Nigel Bond
* 113, 108, 105, 100 – Martin Gould
* 112, 109 – Li Hang
* 111 – Wayne Cooper
* 110 – Stuart Pettman
* 110 – Dominic Dale
* 109, 101 – Lee Spick
* 109 – Aditya Mehta
* 105, 105 – Jin Long
* 104 – Gerard Greene
* 103 – Jamie Cope
* 102 – Scott MacKenzie
* 102 – Jamie Jones
* 102 – Paul Davison
* 100 – Liu Song