John Higgins established a slender 5-3 advantage over Mark Williams at the end of the opening session of their World Snooker Championship quarter-final at the Crucible.
The duo – two members of the sport’s famous ‘Class of ’92’ along with Ronnie O’Sullivan – were given a standing ovation when they entered the arena, and it was the 49-year-old Scot who shaded the opening exchanges.
But four-time winner Higgins might have hoped for a heftier lead to take into Tuesday evening’s resumption, as Welshman Williams rallied to take the final two frames of a high-quality morning of action.
Higgins and Williams, who number seven world titles between them, are taking part in the oldest last-eight clash since Eddie Charlton thumped a 65-year-old Fred Davis in 1979.
Higgins, who will celebrate his 50th birthday two weeks after this year’s final, nudged into a 2-0 lead and regained his two-frame advantage in the fourth after Williams paid the price for missing a relatively simple brown.
Higgins, who has openly spoken of retirement in recent years as his form threatened to desert him, continued to pull away from his long-time rival, a break of 80 taking him to 5-1 and the prospect of building a relatively unassailable lead.
But Williams, who edged Higgins 18-16 to win a classic 2018 final, drew on all his years of experience to win the final two frames of the session, summoning a break of 104 followed by an initial knock of 59 that proved enough to let him reduce the deficit.
On the other table, Zhao Xintong produced a dazzling display of long potting as he built a 6-2 lead over fellow qualifier Chris Wakelin.
The Chinese player, who is playing as an amateur as he continues his comeback from a 20-month ban for involvement in a betting scandal, lost the opening frame but hit back by taking the next six in succession.
It could have been worse for Wakelin who had his chances early in the final frame of the session, but instead it was Zhao who faltered, with a loose safety on the green letting in the Rugby player to clear to black and give himself a glimmer of hope.
