2001 World Snooker Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 21 April – 7 May 2001 |
| Venue | Crucible Theatre |
| City | Sheffield |
| Country | England |
| Organisation | WPBSA |
| Format | Ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £1,532,000 |
| Winner's share | £250,000 |
| Highest break | Joe Swail (NIR) (140) |
| Final | |
| Champion | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
| Runner-up | John Higgins (SCO) |
| Score | 18–14 |
← 2000 2002 → | |
The 2001 World Snooker Championship (officially the 2001 Embassy World Snooker Championship) was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 21 April to 7 May 2001 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 25th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship was staged at the venue. Sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Embassy, the tournament was the eighth and final ranking event of the 2000–01 season. The winner received £250,000 from a total prize pool of £1,532,000.
The top 16 players from the snooker world rankings were seeded through to the main stage at the Crucible. They were joined by the 16 winning players from qualifying rounds, which took place from 20 February to 4 March at the Newport Centre in Newport, Wales. Mark Williams was the defending champion, having defeated Matthew Stevens 18–16 in the final of the 2000 World Snooker Championship. He lost in a deciding frame in his second-round match against Joe Swail, becoming the 10th player to experience the so-called Crucible curse, referring to the fact that no first-time champion had retained the title since the tournament moved to the Crucible in 1977. Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated John Higgins 18–14 in the final to claim his maiden world title. The main stage of the tournament produced 53 century breaks, of which the highest was a 140 compiled by Swail.