Higgins to open defence against Hawkins

John Higgins will begin the defence of his Betfred.com World Championship title against Barry Hawkins.

Higgins, who beat Shaun Murphy in last year's Crucible final, will get the tournament under way on April 17 in Sheffield. Hawkins will be making his fifth consecutive appearance at the World Championship.

The most tantalising ties involve two of the three Chinese players in the draw, with Liang Wenbo starting against three-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan and 18-year-old Crucible debutant Zhang Anda playing seven-time champion Stephen Hendry. Their fellow Chinese player Ding Junhui plays England's Stuart Pettman.

Steve Davis, on his 30th appearance in Sheffield, will take on his fellow Romford professional Mark King, while Masters champion Mark Selby will face 1997 world champion Ken Doherty.

Murphy begins his challenge against Northern Ireland's Gerard Greene, and last year's losing semi-finalists Mark Allen and Neil Robertson will meet Tom Ford and Fergal O'Brien respectively.