While there is credence attached to that view, one should not underestimate Wattana’s evident renaissance. Seemingly on an irreversible slide in recent years, he has played some excellent snooker this season.

Most notable was his effort in Newport, where he reached the quarter-finals, beating high-flying John Higgins in the process. The Thai player nearly beat Stephen Hendry at the UK Championship; leading 7-5, he was only denied by a flawless four frames of snooker from the best player the game has ever seen.

At the final qualifying stage last year, Wattana was embarrassed 10-0 by Ali Carter. He made sure there was no repeat this year, beating David Gilbert 10-7.

Despite being a multiple semi-finalist at the World Championship, Wattana has not won a match in Sheffield since 1999. He plays defending champion Shaun Murphy in the first round and even though ‘Thai-Phoon’ is playing his best snooker for a number of years, it would be a major upset if he bucked that unwanted trend.

Prediction: First-round checkout