World Snooker Championship action continued at the Crucible as Mark Williams and Xiao Guodong comfortably secured their places in the last 16 with dominant performances.
Williams turned his 6-3 overnight advantage into a convincing 10-4 victory over debutant Antoni Kowalski. Although the youngster impressed during qualifying, he struggled to match Williams’ experience and admitted fatigue played a role. After a slightly shaky start to the session, Williams regained control with a break of 65 and tightened his grip on the match. The key moment came in the 13th frame when Kowalski missed a red, allowing Williams to produce the only century of the match a 115 to move 9-4 ahead. He then sealed the win with a composed finish despite a brief late scare. Williams praised his opponent’s potting ability but noted his inexperience, adding that the scoreline did not fully reflect how competitive the contest was. He will now face Barry Hawkins in the next round.
On the other table, Xiao overcame Zhou Yuelong 10-6 in a match that was tighter than the score suggests. Holding a slim lead overnight, Xiao extended his advantage early with breaks of 52 and 62. A lengthy and dramatic frame before the interval saw Zhou force a final-black decider after laying a clever snooker, which he converted to stay in contention. However, Xiao responded strongly after the break, compiling impressive breaks of 115 and 128 to reassert dominance and effectively end the contest. Zhou was unable to sustain a comeback, while Xiao remained steady to close out the win and progress.
Xiao will next face either Shaun Murphy or Fan Zhengyi in the second round.
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