Ronnie O'Sullivan and first-time semi-finalist Zhao Xintong are tied 4-4 heading into the second session of their World Snooker Championship semi-final.
O'Sullivan's pedigree and experience on the big stage did not deter Zhao, who took a 2-0 lead and then finished impressively with a break of 86 - the highest of the match to date - to leave things all square after the initial leg of their best-of-33 contest.
With moments to go in the afternoon's play, Zhao broke a corner runner with a powerful shot to leave balls rolling around the carpet as he applied the finishing touches.
Earlier O'Sullivan, who considered his previous 13-9 win over Si Jiahui to be a let-off, won three frames in a row and at one stage stopped his opponent registering a point for almost 34 minutes.
What time is Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Zhao Xintong?
O’Sullivan and Zhao are again first up at the Crucible on Friday morning, with the first of two sessions today starting at 10am.
Judd Trump and Mark Williams will then resume their semi-final in the afternoon before O’Sullivan and Zhao return to the table for the evening session from 7pm.
The semi-finals are best-of-33-frames contests, so are scheduled across three days, from May 1 to May 3, before the two-day final across May 4 and 5.
TV channel: In the UK, the World Snooker Championship is being broadcast live and free-to-air across the BBC. O’Sullivan’s semi-final will be broadcast on BBC Two today.
Live stream: O’Sullivan vs Zhao will be shown in full online via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
