John Higgins battled back to frustrate Ronnie O'Sullivan in a tense second-round clash at the Crucible on Sunday night, winning the final three frames to reduce the Rocket's advantage to just two at 9-7.
O'Sullivan's frustration boils over
O'Sullivan twice led by five frames and appeared poised to cruise into the quarter-finals against the out-of-sorts Scot. However, Higgins drew on his decades of top-level experience to claw his way back into the contest. In a pivotal final frame of the session, O'Sullivan thumped the table cushion with his knuckles after missing an early red, before Higgins edged over the line to finish much the happier of the two players.
Higgins finds his rhythm
Higgins struggled in the early stages but managed to win frame 14 despite a fluffed escape from a snooker. He then erased a 55-point deficit in the next frame and held his nerve in an edgy final frame where both players went in-off at crucial moments.
Wu Yize leads Selby
In another intriguing clash, Wu Yize established a 9-7 lead over four-time champion Mark Selby. Selby fired successive centuries in the first two frames but Wu hit back to level at 4-4 after the opening session. The Chinese player dominated the evening session, pulling clear at 9-6 before Selby chiselled out the final frame to stay within touching distance. The match is set to conclude on Monday afternoon.
Zhao Xintong breaks Crucible Curse
Defending champion Zhao Xintong moved closer to cracking the so-called 'Crucible Curse' by booking his place in the quarter-finals with a 13-9 win over compatriot Ding Junhui. Despite evident nerves, Zhao built on a 9-7 overnight advantage, capitalising on a series of misses by Ding. A break of 108 in the penultimate frame helped seal a last-eight clash with Shaun Murphy. 'Today I think there was more pressure,' Zhao told BBC Sport. 'I know Ding didn't play very well in the last session but the pressure is very big.'
Trump edges Vafaei
World number one Judd Trump inched closer to the quarter-finals after establishing a 9-7 overnight lead in a pulsating contest against Iran's Hossein Vafaei. Resuming at 4-4, Trump struggled initially as Vafaei edged 7-6 ahead, but Trump responded with a century followed by breaks of 74 and 94 to end the second session with a precious advantage.
Robertson leads Wakelin
Neil Robertson took advantage of a controversial moment in the 14th frame of his clash with Chris Wakelin to move four clear at 10-6. Wakelin was in the ascendency when he potted a long red, but referee Peggy Li called a foul for feathering the yellow ball. The decision stood after a replay, and Robertson capitalised with a 65 break, followed by further breaks of 65 and 101 to move to the brink of his first last-eight appearance since 2021.
