Neil Robertson and Mark Williams are through to the quarter-finals of the Players Championship after the opening night’s action in Wolverhampton on Monday.
Robertson edged a tight battle with Kyren Wilson 6-4 while Williams got the better of Gary Wilson courtesy of a 6-3 scoreline.
The latter affair was low-scoring with Williams failing to compile even a single break above 50, but the big breaks were flowing in the other encounter.
Wilson contributed the highest run of the tournament so far, a terrific 141 total clearance to restore parity at 4-4.
But the recent Masters champion responded with a ton of his own, his second of the clash, before clinching victory in a close tenth frame.
Robertson, who said he was still feeling tired after a bout of COVID last week, will face either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Judd Trump in the next round of the Players Championship.
Williams, meanwhile, was not at his best but used his experience to overcome Wilson in what was a repeat of the British Open final from the start of this campaign.
The Welshman was far from happy with the conditions, however, slating the table as the slowest he’s ever played on.
On Tuesday, O’Sullivan’s battle with Trump takes top billing in the evening session with Mark Allen in action against Ricky Walden on the other side.
Before that, top seed Zhao Xintong begins his week with a tie against Barry Hawkins, while fellow Chinese competitor Yan Bingtao faces David Gilbert.
Last 16
(Times in GMT)
Zhao Xintong (1) vs Barry Hawkins (16)
Tuesday, 1pm
David Gilbert (8) vs Yan Bingtao (9)
Tuesday, 1pm
Mark Allen (5) vs Ricky Walden (12)
Tuesday, 7pm
Mark Williams (4) 6-3 Gary Wilson (13)
—
Ronnie O’Sullivan (3) vs Judd Trump (14)
Tuesday, 7pm
Neil Robertson (6) 6-4 Kyren Wilson (11)
John Higgins (7) vs Hossein Vafaei (10)
Wednesday, 1pm
Luca Brecel (2) vs Jimmy Robertson (15)
Wednesday, 1pm
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Featured photo credit: WST
