World Championship Day 9

Matthew Stevens and Barry Hawkins remain tightly locked at 8-8 ahead of Monday’s final session in the second round match. The two got the tie underway in the morning and it began a close affair with the first six frames being shared between the two but Dartford’s Hawkins took the final two frames of the session to take a slender lead into the evening session. The Hawk also took the first frame of the evening session but Stevens began to settle into a smooth rhythm and won the next two to close the score to 6-4. Hawkins won the final frame before the interval but the Welshman responded afterwards with a fantastic 123 break. Barry won the next two but Stevens ended the session on top to win the final two frames of the session to level going into Monday’s concluding session.

Jamie Jones’ sparkling crucible debut continued as he pulled out a comfortable 10-6 lead over Andrew Higginson. Jones took the first two frames of the opening session but The Widnes Warrior hit back in style by wing four frames on the bounce to go 4-2 up. Jones survived the storm and squared the scores up before the conclusion of the opening session by winning the final two frames. The Neath based player continued to play well in the second session and pulled three frames clear by winning the opening frames but Higginson won the twelfth to go into the interval 7-5 down. A 101 break restored the three frames cushion and it was 9-5 soon later as Jones took the fourteenth. Higginson won the next but Jones continued to play well and won the final frame if the session to leave him only three frames away from an incredible spot in the Quarters.

Ronnie O’Sullivan moved closer to a place in the last eight by going 11-5 up over Mark Williams. The Rocket was already leading 5-3 and won the first six frames of the session including breaks of 107 and 128 to take an 11-3 lead. Williams stopped the rot by winning the final two frames but will surely be relying on a miracle to stand any change of keeping his World Championship alive. Meanwhile Judd Trump turned a two frame deficit into a two frame lead as he went 9-7 up on Ali Carter. Trump won the first frame of the day with a 120 break and then the second but Carter made it 6-5 by winning the eleventh. But the Bristolian took the next three frames in a row to go 8-6 up but Carter fought back with a break of 54 to secure the fifteenth frame. However Trump won the last frame of the session to go into Monday afternoon’s concluding session ahead.