Essex cueman Zak Surety been on a rollercoaster end to the season, which saw him go on his best ever ranking run, suffer semi-final heartbreak and enjoy a record breaking Crucible debut.
Surety reached a maiden semi-final at the World Open in March. He led the legendary John Higgins 5-3 and spurned gilt edged chances to win, ultimately succumbing to a gut-wrenching 6-5 loss.
The 33-year-old followed that up by earning a maiden Crucible appearance after coming through World Championship qualifying. He beat Jack Lisowski and Ricky Walden to reach the Theatre of Dreams. Surety compiled four centuries, a record for a debutant, during his first round match with Ding, but lost 10-7.
We’ve caught up with Surety to find out about how he reflects on those performances, hear how he has dealt with the anxiety he feels competing on the world stage and discuss his plans for the summer and the season ahead…
What were your emotions like when you got over the line at World Championship qualifying and booked your place at the Crucible?
“It was a mad feeling. To get there was a lifelong ambition, but it happened so quickly. I was on the way home and the draw is done almost straight away. You don’t have time to enjoy it, as you are already focussing on what is about to happen. I get quite nervous about these things. I was anxious about the draw, who I would play and how I would deal with it. The celebration of qualifying didn’t really exist. I don’t know if that is a good or bad thing. I was just suddenly thinking about what was next."
How did you feel when you arrived in Sheffield ahead of your Crucible debut?
“I was trying to blag that I wasn’t feeling it. I had a message from Neil Robertson a day or two before I travelled up, asking if I’d ever been in the arena. I said no and his response was to try to get in there, because it is different to anything I will ever have experienced. I’m a big geek and I knew what to expect in a way, but I hadn’t experienced it. I came up early and sneaked in the back door at the top of the arena, while Neil was finishing his match with Chris Wakelin. I couldn’t believe how small it was. Then I went down on the floor and had a sit in the seat. It helped me to feel ready, but still didn’t prepare me for what I was going to feel when I walked through the curtain for real.”
“It is such a mad place. We walked in through the stage door and I went straight to the tournament office and Stephen Hendry walked in. He shook my hand and said well done for qualifying. I was wondering how I’d found myself here. Even when I went upstairs to the Champions Lounge, you had John Virgo, John Parrott and Dennis Taylor in there. It adds to the experience of the place because you don’t get that at any other tournament.”
How do your reflect on your defeat against Ding?
“It was mixed emotions. I walked out for the first session and I’ve never felt so uncomfortable playing snooker. The crowd have come out and they want to see a competitive game. Every time I had the most basic red they were cheering me on. It didn’t pan out and I found myself 4-0 down.
“I made a century to end the session 6-3 behind and the noise was incredible. Then the next day I started with three centuries in four frames. That is the best snooker I’ve played in a proper tournament, and it was at the Crucible! In the end that is what cost me I think. I started to feel overly confident. I was enjoying the occasion, enjoying the crowd being on my side. I forgot I was in a tense match against a world class opponent. He pounced, went up a gear and pulled away to win.
“It was a weird feeling. I walked past the big screen outside on my way out and heard Kyren Wilson saying in the studio that I could leave the Crucible with my head held high. I did that and drove home relatively happy. A day or two passed and it turned to disappointment. I had a good chance to win that game, get into the last 16 and be properly involved in the tournament. At the time when I lost, I was just happy to be there, that changed.”
You’ve spoken in the past about your struggles with anxiety. Have you found a specific way to overcome this to prosper on the big stage in the way you have in recent months?
“Not at all! It might look like it, but that isn’t the case. I haven’t watched any of it back as I can’t handle looking at myself on television. I’ve seen clips of it, but I haven’t seen it with the full commentary and enjoyed what happened. I’m still far from being perfect in that regard, I’m blagging it but I’m doing something right.
“I was 4-0 down against Ding and thinking that I didn’t want to go back in there. Jason, who was with me, shoved me in the practice room and said to hit balls and get going again. Some of the feelings you get are horrible, I know that is natural though. It isn’t the easiest of games.”
How proud are you of your run to the semi-finals of the World Open in Yushan?
“It was a crazy week. I just went through the rounds. Every round I was thinking about going home, which is wrong. I thought today could be the day I go home and I just kept winning. I found myself in the semi-finals against John Higgins and although it was my best week ever, it is now probably the worst memory I have had in snooker. It was such a good chance. Especially seeing what he has achieved since, I feel like I’ve brought John Higgins back to life.
“I was 5-3 up and I could feel myself winning the match. I noticed all the photographers were appearing and all of a sudden I got a bit excited and thought I was going to win, which is the worst thing you can do. Chances slipped away and the opportunities I missed in the decider, you can’t lose from there. I hope in the long run it does me good and the next time I’m in that position, that won’t happen.”
“It is mad. If you said to me the week before, I am in the semi-final and pushing John Higgins all the way, I would snap your hand off. During the semis, I remember looking at myself at 5-3 up in the toilet mirror and hysterically laughing. It didn’t feel real or like it was me. It felt like I was watching on the television. It is so hard to win tournaments. I got myself in a position to do it and all of a sudden it is over. It has put me in a good position, but I can’t help thinking about the mistakes.”
Have you got any plans for the summer away from the table?
“I haven’t really stopped. My life is really going to the snooker club. I’ve had a few days off but more or less I’ve hit a few balls every day. I’ve been away to Mallorca with my girlfriend. I’ve got a few music gigs to go to.”
What gigs are you going to?
“You really want to know? Sabrina Carpenter, a bit of Pitbull and Justin Timberlake at Chelmsford Racecourse. Again, I’m not really the sort of person that likes going out or going to gigs as it is too busy. It is about getting myself out to do something different. I’d blag it and say it is because I’m with my girlfriend now and she loves Sabrina Carpenter, but I’d be lying as I love her as well. It is something different and something nice to do.”
What are the ambitions for the new season?
“I’m hoping for more of the same. I don’t plan on slowing down at all. I just want to make as many centuries as possible and win as many frames as possible. Who knows what can happen? Hopefully there are more runs to final stages of events rather than last 128 losses. I want to push up the rankings if I can.”