Ken Doherty has drawn current Masters' champion Mark Selby in the opening round of the Betfred.com World Snooker Championships which gets underway on April 17.
Doherty, winner of snooker's biggest prize in 1997, will have his work cut out against the 'Jester from Leicester' who will be many people's idea of the winner at the Crucible.
Doherty's fellow Dubliner, Fergal O'Brien, faces a tough task against 'The Thunder from Down Under', Neil Robertson.
John Higgins will start his title defence against Barry Hawkins while 'The Rocket', Ronnie O'Sullivan, has been handed a tricky tie against China's Liang Wenbo in the first round.
Seven-time champion Stephen Hendry is also paired with a rising Chinese star, 18-year-old Crucible debutant Anda Zhang.
Peter Ebdon meets Graeme Dott in the battle of two former world champions, while six-time winner Steve Davis takes on London's Mark King.
Northern Ireland's Mark Allen will have to overcome Tom Ford.
World Snooker Championships 2010 first round draw:
John Higgins v Barry Hawkins
Mark King v Steve Davis
Neil Robertson v Fergal O'Brien
Marco Fu v Martin Gould
Ali Carter v Jamie Cope
Joe Perry v Michael Holt
Ding Junhui v Stuart Pettman
Shaun Murphy v Gerrard Greene
Stephen Maguire v Stephen Lee
Peter Ebdon v Graeme Dott
Mark Allen v Tom Ford
Ryan Day v Mark Davis
Mark Selby v Ken Doherty
Stephen Hendry v Anda Zhang
Mark Williams v Marcus Campbell
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Liang Wenbo