Tournament Summary
- The semi-final matches were best of 33 for the first time, having previously been best of 31.
- Ronnie O'Sullivan made the quickest maximum break in history with a time of 5 minutes and 20 seconds, and the fourth in the history of the tournament.
- Terry Griffiths' first round encounter against Mark Williams was his last ever professional match.
- Stephen Hendry's five year run as World Champion came to an end after losing to Ken Doherty 12–18. It was Hendry's first defeat at the World Championship since 1991, spanning 29 matches, a Crucible record.
- Doherty became only the second player from outside the United Kingdom to win the world title in the modern era, following Cliff Thorburn in 1980.
Read more about this topic: 1997 World Snooker Championship
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