Welsh Open 2022 snooker LIVE - Neil Robertson and Judd Trump top evening session after Ronnie O'Sullivan win

Join us again tomorrow at 12.45pm GMT.

John Higgins 2-4 Ali Carter

Zhang Anda 2-2 Yuan Sijun

Joe Perry 3-2 Mark Allen

That was a really fun match. Si is going to be a player, but Judd already is a player, if not the player.

Judd can have a go at a long brown, down the right rail and into the green pocket ... and oh my days! It's a great pot, but the white's going in too ... no! It hangs on with its final fibre!

Hello! Si rattles home a lovely yellow, but underhits his pot on the green so plays safe off the brown. Three of the remaining four balls are on cushions or close to them.

Yellow to green looks the key shot - the yellow is on the baulk cushion - but Judd's thinking about disturbing it via the black.He'll have to bend it around the pink and the length of the table ... and that is incredible! It's incredible! He pots the ball, brings out the yellow ... and it runs just too far to be pottable. So it's a snooker instead, tight against the brown on the baulk-line cushion. That is brutal, but Si hits the yellow second go; well played.

Si lines up a long red, knowing he can't miss ...and doesn't even hit it, flicking the blue first! That's how tight the gap was. Judd takes an easy starter, then guide a sensational black from the left of the table to right corner. It was so smooth, and he looks like winning f&m at this visit.

No he can't, but when Si misses a red, he has a chance ... and misses it too, to left corner! It's getting tight now, and Si, left a starter it's almost impossible to miss, sends it right corner. He' s had, I think, five goes at this frame, and the reds aren't easy, so he's far from home even now. And have a look: he doesn't disturb either red on black cush, opting instead to play to the middle, and eats knuckle. We're back playing safety.

Si in again ... but can he take a brown from near the cushion into the yellow pocket over the side? No he cannot; can Judd resolve what looks, on the face of things, like a complex table?

It's not, though, long before he's got his hand on the table, but a poor positional shot lands him in more or less the only place from which he can't access a red; he plays safe.

Judd tries a double with safety in mind, doesn't get good length when he misses ... and again, Si turns down a pot that, even if he makes it, will probably yield just a point.

You can only chase for so long. Si plays a succession of redemption pots, then even he admits defeat, rolling into the pack. So Judd plays a fiendish attacking safety, sticking the white on the bottom cushion and dangling tempters to either side; Si resists, sticking Judd even closer to that same baulk rail.

Si whales at two reds - he expects to pot everything - and leaves a tight cut to middle; Judd instead tries a clip to right corner and misses, leaving a tempter. Again, Si will take it on ... and he cracks it home into the same pocket! What cue power!

John Higgins 2-3 Ali Carter

Zhang Anda 2-1 Yuan Sijun

Joe Perry 1-2 Mark Allen

That was another terrifically entertaining frame; Si now needs two straight to stick around.

Judd raps the final red into the green pocket, drops in the black - just, that hit the far angle and looked like it might not - and should now clear what he needs.

Thing is, the kind of snooker Si wants to play - and will play when he's a bit older - Judd's already playing. Of course, as I type that, he cracks a pink to right corner ... and it wobbles in the jaws! Si can steal back what he thought was his! Except he misses the red down the side rail! Phew!

Judd pots a really good red to the green pocket using the rest, a pressure-ball that he couldn't afford to miss. he' had to work really hard for his first 18 points, but has more or less worked his way into prime position now.

Si's played two or three excellent recovery shots to this point, but the fine cut he finds with the rest is the best yet, and he soon develops a couple more reds ... only to relax and miss one along the side rail to right corner that far easier than some he's sunk. That might cost him.

Si really fancies himself, not in a posing way but in a knows he's really good way, and he's in at the start of frame five. From the start, he's played like he expects to win.

This is a really engaging tussle, and it's now a best of three!

Si runs out of position so has to attempt a nasty red to middle, hitting the near knuckle; immediately, Judd spreads the pack and draws the white back to black cush. That's a brave shot, but nothing goes down and he leaves a thin cut ... which Si takes. This is 2-2.

Si's a really good potter - that's why he takes them on. So it's no surprise when he's in first in frame four, and he makes a lovely angle to clatter the pack of the black - it works well, and you can see he's enjoying this because he can't play the shots quickly enough, even when switching to lefty.

Kurt Maflin 1-4 Scott Donaldson

Mitchell Mann 0-4 Matthew Stevens

Jimmy Robertson 4-2 Fergal O'Brien

John Higgins 1-2 Ali Carter

Zhang Anda 0-1 Yuan Sijun

You can see that Si can play, but he's not yet grown, so is taking on shots he knows he can make, but not enough of the time.

Disturbing what's left of the pack while drilling home a red, Judd winds up on nowt, so he pushes the pink safe and plays down the table. But he's not quite covered a red to right corner; Si will take it on. He goes full-body at it, misses ... and doesn't leave anything easy. So Judd flicks a red from middle to right corner, and looks good for 2-1, at the table with two snookers required.

A handy return-safety from Judd incites an error from Si, leaving an easy starter to left corner; in his seat, Si shakes his head, because he knows he's in trouble and he knows he's better than that. Meantime, Judd has a moment, when a red seems to be drifting into the middle off the blue, but it stops short and he's looking alright.

Kurt Maflin 1-4 Scott Donaldson

Mitchell Mann 0-4 Matthew Stevens

Jimmy Robertson 4-2 Fergal O'Brien

John Higgins 1-1 Ali Carter

Zhang Anda 0-1 Yuan Sijun

Yup, Judd removes what's left, and Si is cursing that red he took on.

Si plays a poor red, so has to send a pink long to the yellow pocket ... and he nails it! Fine pot, but still work to do - one of the three remaining reds is near the top cushion. But he doesn't even get to it, missing the easiest of them, and that'll be 1-1

Judd has an easy snooker or a brown to middle; eager to finish the frame,he opts for the latter, and won't ease it in because he needs to get around the table for the next red; he thunders into the far knuckle, and is saved by a double kiss. Si duly hands him another opportunity, he misses a red to left corner, and suddenly Si has a chance to steal!

This is excellent from Judd, who's raising his game now he knows he's in one. It'd be great if he and Neil could peak for the worlds - Higgins and Kyren Wilson are also in form, while Ronnie is improving too.

Si drills a red to right corner, but the black is tricky because he's on the side cushion; he misses it, but a felicitous double kiss leaves Judd on nowt. When it's going your way it's going your way, so Si then tries a red to the green pocket - I've don't know, it was on to the middle too, and going long means he can't control the white. In comms, Uncle Joe chastises his silliness, and watching Judd accumulate, he probably feels silly himself.

Kurt Maflin 1-4 Scott Donaldson

Mitchell Mann 0-4 Matthew Stevens

Jimmy Robertson 4-2 Fergal O'Brien

John Higgins 01-1 Ali Carter

Zhang Anda 0-0 Yuan Sijun

Si looks in nick, dominating the opener to take the lead.

Judd knucks a tremendous red to left corner - that was a pressure pot, because if he'd missed that, he'd be leaving everything - but a poor positional shot from green to red leads to him missing a ball he shouldn't. Si then strokes a red to left corner, and that should mean the frame.

The players poke about inside the cluster for a bit and Si won't want a re-rack, so he plays away ... which hands Judd the initiative. He drains a red then plays a decent safety - Si fouls trying not to leave him anything - and he's starting to dictate. Si is a long way from safe in this frame.

Si - who lives with Fan Zhengyi - won the world amateur championships last weekend. What a night they must've had. and he's in first here, but on 49, he misses a black to left corner, leaving ... nothing.

He thinks he played alright, but in the studio, Ronnie isn't having it, saying he's much better than that and he can't recall the last time he played badly. Apparently, Neil asked Ronnie about a couple of shots - whether they were right - and Ronnie just told him he never plays a wrong shot. Ronnie then notes that he somehow makes a full-size table into a pool table, and he has both power and finesse.

Judd Trump v Si Jiahui!

Kurt Maflin 1-3 Scott Donaldson

Mitchell Mann 0-4 Matthew Stevens

Jimmy Robertson 2-2 Fergal O'Brien

That was a really enjoyable match. I hope Graeme keeps it going, while Neil looks the best around at the moment; he meets Hawkins or Woolaston next.

Black to yellow doesn't go quite how Neil wanted it to - he'll need the rest to get the yellow home ... it's wobbling ... but it's there! Graeme's fought hard, but Neil is just too good.

Neil's potted really well to the middle tonight - he sent a red to the left just a moment ago - and he quickly sends balls about the table. There's a red on the side cushion, but it's near left corner, and I don't think he'll struggle to get to it. And he doesn't! It's a lovely shot off the black, he pokes it hard into the corner, and this looks a lot like the end.

In comms, Angles says that the generation below Graeme aren't as tough as he is, noting that Yan Bingtao has learnt to be. Meantime, Graeme pots balls, but then on 50 he overcuts a simple enough red to left corner, exhaling and facepalming when back in his seat. He knows that might be his final contribution.

Neil tries to prod a red out of the pack and misses, handing Graeme the initiative. He can't make it count, but he does get the next chance, sending a red to right-middle. He's really got the bit between his teeth here, and this is getting very interesting.

Kurt Maflin 1-2 Scott Donaldson

Mitchell Mann 0-2 Matthew Stevens

Jimmy Robertson 1-2 Fergal O'Brien

You can see how much Graeme wants to do this - there's an intensity about the way he's potting and marching about the table. And a run of 120, everything but the final black, gives him a shout.

Faced with a nasty red to right corner, the kind you can easily cue across, Graeme sends it right into the heart of the pocket; he's played OK tonight, he's just not as good as Neil. But he's going to get himself on the board here.

Oooh yeah! Graeme cuts a lovely starter to left corner, and his second red's a pearler too, hammer to right corner. He knows that the way Neil's playing now, he needs to score if he possibly can - like Wawrinka playing Djokovic and unloading the suitcase at everything.

Kurt Maflin 0-2 Scott Donaldson

Mitchell Mann 0-2 Matthew Stevens

Jimmy Robertson 1-1 Fergal O'Brien

Neil gets to 102, then misses the green to left corner, and he's just eased onto the gas the end of the last frame.

Neil is cueing beautifully here, splitting what's left of the pack to be faced with a nasty little mid-distancer, diagonally to left-corner; he crashes it home, and he's bang up for another century. He loves a century.

A slow start to frame three, but it's Neil who gets in, and Graeme will be fearing for the frame. To be trailing Neil Robertson 2-0 without him having played well yet is not a good place to be, especially when you see him at the table potting balls. He is running out of loose reds, but there are three reserve ones in baulk. Yeah, this is going to be 3-0.

Kurt Maflin 0-2 Scott Donaldson

Mitchell Mann 0-2 Matthew Stevens

Jimmy Robertson 1-1 Fergal O'Brien

Graeme is making Neil work for this, but ultimately this is still going as we expected it to.

The key shot is the yellow: can he jam the white behind it and send it along the bottom rail? Of course he can! That'll be the frame!

Down to the tricky reds, Neil sinks the first, disturbs the other off the black, and will now take on the second with the rest ... missing, and by more than a little. It wasn't a terrible shot, just one you could tell was never going in, but it doesn't matter because he doesn't leave it, then Graeme does.

Immediately, Graeme gets back to the table, but again he runs out of position and when Neil finds the next red, his lead looks less handy than previously. There are, though, two reds sat next to each other, one of them on the side cushion.

Off the black, Graeme loses the white ... so from the side, he cuts a gorgeous pot to the green pocket. He knows that against Neil, when he's in he needs to make it count ... but he runs out of position a second time, and has to play safe.

Graeme slides a lovely opener to left corner, but doesn't get into the white as he needs to, meaning he doesn't get into the pack as he needs to - he's not a cue-power guy, like your Stephen Lees of this world. So he plays safe and gets the next opportunity, a gentle cut-back red that should go to right corner but doesn't. Neil, though, misses a different one to the same pocket, and that allows Graeme another opportunity; his second red is a beauty, cut obliquely to left-middle.

Kurt Maflin 0-1 Scott Donaldson

Mitchell Mann 0-1 Matthew Stevens

Jimmy Robertson 0-1 Fergal O'Brien

Graeme leaves the broon, but Neil misses it to the green pocket ... only for it to shoot across into the yellow! He clinches a 25-minute opener, and we're set for a decent tussle.

Graeme downs yellow and green, then lays his snooker - again, Neil escapes.

The blue follows but no more, and when Neil lays a snooker of his own - one that Graeme can't escape - the frame looks over. But he misses the yellow, and suddenly those seven points he didn't cede earlier on are crucial, because now he needs a snooker.

On 52, Neil runs out of position on the final red, so plays safe. Graeme is still in the frame, and plays a nasty snooker, then greets the escape with another, nuzzled in behind the yellow. Again, Neil gets out of it, but this time he leaves it and can Graeme clear up? He begins by sinking the red...

It's Neil in again, and he's looking every bit as good as you'd expect him to. He's been the undisputed player of the season and is the likeliest to win here, but ultimately he knows he needs to win at the Cruce to really bring it home.

Neil sinks a trademark longun, but it's Graeme with first meaningful visit - though he was deprived of seven points when no one noticed the Thunder brushing the black. He's already played today, so might be tired, but might just as well be in touch - he's on the way back after a load of aggravation, so let's hope so. But as I type that, he misses a black and invites Neil to the table ... but then he misses a red that he tries to guide parallel with the right side-cushion and into right corner.

And off we pootle.

We go again!

See you again in 40 minutes for the evening sesh - featuring Neil Robertson v Graeme Dott and Judd Trump v Si Jiahui.

What a break that was to clinch it! Liam played really good safety all afternoon, and held it down brilliantly when he needed to seal the deal. He meets Michael White next, while Mark doesn't look too far away from himself - I daresay he'll find what's missing just when he arrives in Sheffield next month.

Liam eases home the penultimate red, delicately sending it towards the pocket and allowing gravity to do its thing. The black follows and he's now 35 in front with 35 left! Then another red-black and this is over! Mark is still titleless this season!

There are three reds spaced along the top cushion - well, a few millimetres from it - and Liam will need all of them. Meantime, he's getting nervous, wobbling home the last easy red before seeing away a black. Problem is, because of that error, he's hampered - that black is very close to the white, forcing him to cue down on it ... but he sinks it well! This is very nervy now!

Liam plays a fine recovery red with the rest, taking it from centre to right corner, backs it up with an excellent green, and he's got a serious chance here!

Gosh, this is getting intense now, and when Mark foul-misses, he allows Liam a free ball; he takes the green, follows it with a brown, and can he steal the match?

A safety shot from Liam earns the rare reward of a tap on the table from the master, and Selby then goes in-off; can Liam find a pot? Yes he can, a fine clip to right corner, but he doesn't finish on a colour, so rolls up behind the green.

Whoops! Playing safe, Liam accidentally cross-doubles a red, raises a hand of heart-rending contrition and tucks in behind the brown; Mark escapes and the safety recommences.

This is now prime re-re-rack territory, which Mark, 40 points to the good, will not want. But he must've thought it possible when he rolled up, and he takes responsibility for leaving a touching ball from which Liam can play away.

But this is a hard game, and it turns out that, having left himself too straight on the last black, he's insufficiently enamoured with the red available to him - it's part of the cluster - so he just rolls into it instead. Liam is still in this.

Oh, yes! Left a red near the blue from the break-off, and though the white is close to the bottom cushion, Mark takes it on ... and strokes diagonally to left corner! That is a pot! A decent cut-back black follows, and he's bang in now. If he wins from here, it'll be because he had the moxie and the skill to back himself, but in the meantime, he's now five red-blacks deep.

Quickly, we get stuck poking in and out of the cluster, so the players agree a re-rack.

Barry Hawkins 4-1 Ashley Carty

Yan Bingtao 4-0 Zhao Jianbo

Jak Jones 4-3 Zhao Xintong

A tremendous 74 earns Liam that decider. I can't wait to see it.

You've got to give huge credit to Liam for this, first for taking on the red when he knew that a miss might mean curtains, then for intensifying that feeling by splitting the pack early. But more than that, he's barely potted a ball for two frames, and knows that his opponent, the world champion, is on a buzz. He's looking good for a decider.

Liam rams a superb starter to right corner - biggup him for taking it on - digs into the pack, and that's gone beautifully. If he can't force a decider from here, it won't be because he didn't get a chance to.

Barry Hawkins 4-1 Ashley Carty

Yan Bingtao 4-0 Zhao Jianbo

Jak Jones 3-3 Zhao Xintong

In co-comms, Uncle Joe notes that Mark went into the cluster, not with screw as most would've done, but with stun to give himself the best possible chance of building a big break. A run of 115 - a brilliant run of 115 - puts him one up with two to play.

It's so good to see Mark potting balls; I hope he's feeling better about things.

Because he's so good at the tactical stuff, and so gnarly a competitor, we can forget that Mark's a brilliant potter - he's a great pool player remember - and he's doing a glorious job of parlaying this visit into a framewinning opportunity. He looks really confident now.

Yeah, Liam plays a poor safety, which precipitates another - he catches the blue and leaves Mark a starter to left-middle which he rolls in; shortly afterwards, a lovely cannon eases the cluster apart, and the game done changed.

Barry Hawkins 4-1 Ashley Carty

Yan Bingtao 4-0 Zhao Jianbo

Jak Jones 2-3 Zhao Xintong

Yeah, Liam gives it one shot and a 73 gives Mark two on the spin. I'm sensing a momentum shift.

Mark can't develop one of the two remaining reds, both on the top cushion, off the black, so he plays safe and Liam returns to the table needing three snookers. I wonder if anyone's ever retrieved a frame from that position against Mark, so in time-honoured tradition, good lck old mate.

Mark makes hard work of this, repeatedly having to take on balls for which he'd not played or balls that were harder than they needed to be. But he toughs it out, and Liam will be starting to wonder if he's missed his chance.

But that untelling safety yields an opportunity nevertheless! Mark jams in behind a red on the top cushion, sinking it deadweight, and there's nothing on the table safe. So, on the one hand, you think Mark will level the match from here, but on the other, you think if he misses, he's going to be 3-1 down.

Chasing a thin contact, Mark misses his red of choice by aeons, but after further scrappiness, he sinks a world champ's long one ... only to wind up on nothing, unable to play even a telling safety shot. This is looking like a pivotal frame now, and we're not remotely close to the end of it.

Mark misses to left corner but leaves nothing, and this is getting scrappy now ... until Liam caresses home another long red. But he soon finds himself running into the cluster, not straight enough to hold for the black, and that's end of break.

Liam sinks an opener but can add only a green to it; a green that Mark then uses as a screen to guard a red near right corner. Liam gets really close when trying to bump it from behind, hitting second go.

Barry Hawkins 2-1 Ashley Carty

Yan Bingtao 3-0 Zhao Jianbo

Jak Jones 1-2 Zhao Xintong

55 behind with 43 left, when Mark runs out of position, Liam concedes.

Well, it seems not when Liam strokes home another long red ... but he can't make it into more, not the next he eliminates, and after some safety it's Mark who gets in when Liam leaves a red to right corner. There's a lot of work to do here, but if there's anyone who's not shy of such it's him, and he's starting to settle.

Markl's safety success is at 63% - I doubt it's lower than that often - ad it's Liam with the next chance, reward for easing a decent long one to left corner. There are lots of balls available ... and he misses one of them to left corner, his first such error of the match. Might that be a turning point?

Mark's missed two balls and each has cost him a frame, a fact of which he'll doubtless be cognisant when he gets in at the start of this afternoon's third. But after sliding off a red intending to be on the black, he finds that his route to it is blocked by a different ball, so that's end of break. It's just not happening for the Jester currently.

Barry Hawkins 1-1 Ashley Carty

Yan Bingtao 1-0 Zhao Jianbo

Jak Jones 1-1 Zhao Xintong

Superb from Liam, who clears the colours to cinch the frame. Mark, out of form to begin with, is in a spot of trouble.

This is going to sting Mark something fierce, especially given he ought really to have won the frame before it too. Liam will be starting to believe.

Liam opts to despatch the aforementioned red via double to middle, but misses; Mark returns to the table unable to see most of it, but only needing it to secure the frame; he opts to feather it, and only takes the white into the green pocket! What an oversight that is!

Or not! Mark misses another easy red, rolling the white straight to hit it on the 45 and send it to left corner, but it won't go down. That gives Liam the chance to capitalise, though again, there's a red on the side that he'll need.

The red Mark missed in the last frame wasn't one you'd expect him to botch, but he looks nicely settled now, breaking what remians of the cluster off the blue; this will soon be 1-1.

Mark cues beautifully to sink a red that's close to right corner but at a difficult angle, and from there, he begins slotting balls.

Anthony Hamilton 1-4 Shaun Murphy

Zak Surety 1-4 Ryan Day

Ricky Walden 4-1 Noppon Saengkham

Barry Hawkins 0-1 Ashley Carty

Yan Bingtao 0-0 Zhao Jianbo

Jak Jones 0-1 Zhao Xintong

Thirty-five behind with 22 on the table, Mark calls it off.

Liam will need the last two reds, one close to the side - as I type he gets behind it and sends it to the opposite bag - and one on the top cushion. He might've played for it sooner, when he had position, but opted for points on the board, and playing safe while trying to get the yellow safe, a double kiss achieves a snooker. Mark escapes ... but leaves a pot on, and this should be the frame.

Trying to win the frame, Mark tries a harder red than he needs to, trying to liberate various others and the black too. But he jawses it ... can Liam capitalise?

Liam plays a red to centre too gently, ends up in baulk and on the side cushion on nowt, so has to play safe with a grimace, even missing his snooker behind the green. But Mark, trying to land on a red on black cush, somehow moves the white through a gap between it and the one next door that didn't even look like it existed. Wow. Liam, though, carelessly botches a second chance at taking command of the frame, and Mark is now in the process of remonstrating.

This is the first title Selbz won, coming from three down with four to play to beat Ronnie. Liam, meanwhile, might look like the drummer in a 90s Britpop band, but is also 40 in the world and has beaten Mark before, so don't sleep on him here. Anyhow, they swap fouls, Mark's with black involved, then he clouts a red into right-corner jaws, leaving absolutely loads.

Mark Selby v Liam Highfield

Anthony Hamilton 1-4 Shaun Murphy

Zak Surety 1-4 Ryan Day

Ricky Walden 3-1 Noppon Saengkham

Barry Hawkins 0-0 Ashley Carty

Both players played pretty well there - if Lukas can keep that form going, he can move up the rankings - while Ronnie sets up a belter for tomorrow with Ding Junhui.

Ach, ramming a red to left corner, Lukas hauls it back too far, and with it touching the ball he'd hoped to pot after the black, has to find a colour he can hit while leaving the three remaining reds safe. He misses, Ronnie works out a pot, and that'll be that.

Reds nicely scattered and just as it looks like game over, Ronnie misses a pink to right-middle, leaving Lukas a terrific chance! He returns to fiddle with his timepiece, while Lukas sinks a starter with the rest. But trying to cannon the black, he catches it full-ball, meaning a tricky cut-back instead of the simple slot he was after; he catches it so fine it barely moves and Ronnie clips home a starter. A pink to middle follows, but coming off the bottom cushion and around to the opposite side, the white disappears into the bag! Another chance for Lukas!

Lukas leaves the white-ball short, allowing Ronnie to apply hand to bed and sink a long starter to right corner. He then has a nice chance to go into the pack off the blue, but these days he's into picking so bides his time,ruffling a few free shortly afterwards. Already, this looks like a decent chance to claim f&m.

Anthony Hamilton 1-3 Shaun Murphy

Zak Surety 1-4 Ryan Day

Ricky Walden 2-1 Noppon Saengkham

Barry Hawkins 0-0 Ashley Carty

Lukas is playing well here, but Ronnie has raised it.

This is tremendous stuff from Ronnie, ad increasingly it looks like the frame will be decided by the final red, stuck on the side cushion. "Can he get a piece of it?" wonders Angles as he seeks to develop it off the pink. "Course he can!"

Quickly, Lukas parlays a chance for some points into an opportunity to win the frame. But after an excellent red, he overcuts a blue to left-middle and has to watch as Ronnie sends one long to the yellow pocket. breaks a cluster off the black, and looks set to nudge in front.

Lukas winning those two frames has got Ronnie going, and he absolutely clatters into the pack, sending a red hurtling to left corner. But a few shots later, he takes on one to right-middle that's more or less on the knuckle - seeing it from the reverse angle, I'm not sure how he thought it went - and when he misses, he leaves Lukas a bunch.

Watch latest: it was, apparently, two hours fast.

Anthony Hamilton 0-3 Shaun Murphy

Zak Surety 1-3 Ryan Day

Ricky Walden 2-1 Noppon Saengkham

A 67 followed by a 59, and that's another frame disappeared in ludicorously little time.

The speed here is just ridiculous, but then on 67, Ronnie brings the white back so that it's tightly sandwiched between two reds. He plays safe, the frame near enough secure, and returns to playing with his watch until returning to sink a further red and presumably some other bits and pieces too.

Off the break, Ronnie clouts home a long red to right corner, holds for the blue, and very quickly builds a lead. Might we be reaching that fabled state of both players playing well? That would be nice, and to underline the point, Ronnie rams in a black and breaks the cluster.

Elliot Slessor 4-3 Stuart Bingham

Anthony Hamilton 0-2 Shaun Murphy

Zak Surety 1-3 Ryan Day

Ricky Walden 1-1 Noppon Saengkham

Lukas misses a pink to left corner, but not until he's 75 points to the good, and that's another one to him - and another one to him by way of sizeable break. We got ourselves a ball-game!

Lukas is playing really well here, crashing a red to right-middle that takes him close to 2-1. He's methodical and confident and calm - not easy things to be, all the more so playing on telly against the greatest.

Lukas accumulates and Ronnie has his watch off, so that he might fiddle it. "You do have to occupy your time," surmises Angles; I'd go for Tetris myself.

Ronnie absolutely splatters a brilliant red to left corner and sets about the table, the black available to both corners. But slightly hampered by a white that's close to the side, he misses the black off its spot! He did a lot of that last week and still made the final, but that was partly because the majority of the best players got themselves knocked out; that won't happen again, I wouldn't think, and Lukas is quickly involved.

Elliot Slessor 4-3 Stuart Bingham

Anthony Hamilton 0-1 Shaun Murphy

Zak Surety 0-2 Ryan Day

Ricky Walden 1-1 Noppon Saengkham

Excellent work from Lukas, who levels the match with minimum fuss.

Lukas is taking his time through this break, nine minutes to get to 73, but he's been brave in taking on the shots available to him, a plant to left-corner taking him to within a shot of the frame. And when he runs out of position, we're at the two snookers required stage, so Ronnie remains in his seat.

Again, it's Lukas in first, and he quickly settles in. This is another presentable chance for him to do something here.

Elliot Slessor 4-3 Stuart Bingham

Anthony Hamilton 0-0 Shaun Murphy

Zak Surety 0-2 Ryan Day

Ricky Walden 0-1 Noppon Saengkham

If Lukas can't win these frames, he's got a problem.

I shouldn't! Ronnie misses a glide to right corner ... but doesn't leave it, and a clever safety puts Lukas on black cush, Shonuff, that yields another opportunity; Ronnie takes red-blue, then lays a snooker. Lukas, meanwhile, needs two of the badgers. Good luck, old mate.

Oh dear. Lukas takes on a clip to left corner, misses it by a fortnight, and that'll cost him the frame, I shouldn't wonder.

Ronnie cedes four when missing a thin contact, then can't force home a straightish plant to left corner. No matter: Lukas clips the black en route up the table and it's going to cost him a lot more than seven points ... but not that much more! Ronnie misses a black he should drain, and round we go again; this is like me and my mates playing at Ron Gross' in Neasden c. 1996!

Running into the cluster, Lukas tries a cut with the rest as a shot to nothing, gets nowhere near it, and we're back playing safety. Not for long: Lukas sinks a longun to left corner - that's superbly done - only to miss a black off its spot! This absolute game. He looks extremely peaky returning to his seat, all the more so when Ronnie sends a starter long to the yellow pocket, but he winds up on nowt so it's another safety.

Lukas is ranked 84 in the world, but he's up for this and when Ronnie catches the blue off the break - he did the same in frame one last afternoon - down goes an opening red. But he can't get on a colour, so has to play safe. Ronnie then misses a red to right corner and leaves a nice, gentle cut-back for Lukas; this time, he's on the green, works his way up to the top cushion slots the black along it, and this is as good a chance as he'd have hoped for.

Are baizeing.

It's Ronnie O'Sullivan v Lukas Kleckers!

Graeme Dott 4-1 Jamie Clarke

Li Han 0-4 Kyren Wilson

Elliot Slessor 3-3 Stuart Bingham

Lu Ning 2-4 Matthew Stevens

Off we go again!

Judd Trump proved he can still dip into his box of tricks during a magical moment in his Welsh Open match with Craig Steadman on Tuesday.

The world No. 2 was cleaning up the colours after securing the third frame for a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven encounter when he decided to get inventive.

Instead of going through the motions, the 2019 world champion hammered the brown into the top pocket, sent the cue ball arching down the table and spinning off the bottom cushion at a ridiculous angle towards the blue.

“Look at the zip on the cue ball,” exclaimed Joe Johnson on Eurosport commentary. “The crowd certainly liked that."

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