O'sullivan In Control Of Quarter-final Against Si

Four-time world champion John Higgins took advantage of immoderate mistakes from Mark Williams to lead 5-3 aft nan first convention of their World Championship quarter-final.

This necktie features 2 of nan sport's all-time greats and 2 thirds of snooker's legendary 'Class of 92' trio, which besides includes Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Williams, 50, became nan oldest man to scope nan past 8 astatine nan Crucible since Steve Davis did truthful astatine nan property of 52 successful 2010, while Higgins turns 50 connected 18 May, 13 days aft this tournament's final.

Both men received a awesome opinionated ovation erstwhile introduced to nan crowd, pinch nan spectators past treated to immoderate high-quality snooker.

A break of 69 took Higgins ahead, but Williams should person levelled, only for nan Scot to snatch nan framework connected nan achromatic pursuing a tally of 65.

An effort of 72 gave nan Welshman his first frame, only for him to miss a brownish successful nan 4th frame, and that proved costly arsenic Higgins took nan first of 3 frames successful a row.

Being 5-1 ahead, Higgins would person hoped to agelong his lead, but Williams responded good pinch breaks of 104 and 59.

The best-of-25 lucifer resumes astatine 19:00 BST and will beryllium played to a decorativeness connected Wednesday from astatine 10:00 BST.

In nan greeting session's different match, China's Zhao Xintong took power of his quarter-final necktie pinch Chris Wakelin.

The Englishman, who came done 2 qualifying rounds to get to nan Crucible, eliminated 2010 world champion Neil Robertson successful nan first information of nan main tourney and past defeated erstwhile world number 1 Mark Allen successful nan past 16.

Wakelin, 33, made a break of 93 to return nan opening frame, but 28-year-old Zhao past dominated to triumph six successful a row, though Wakelin took nan past to way 6-2 earlier that lucifer resumes astatine 19:00 BST.

Zhao, a erstwhile UK Championship winner, was 1 of 10 players from China to person a prohibition successful a match-fixing scandal.

He did not straight propulsion a match, but accepted charges of being a statement to different subordinate fixing 2 matches and betting connected matches himself. Zhao - who served a 20-month prohibition for those offences - is nan only of nan 10 players sanctioned successful nan ungraded to person returned to action.

As a consequence of nan ban, he mislaid his spot connected nan World Snooker Tour, though he has already ensured he will beryllium backmost connected nan circuit full-time adjacent season.

For this tournament, he is officially classed arsenic an amateur and this is his seventh lucifer of nan title aft he had to conflict done 4 qualifying rounds.