Day 11, Quarter-Finals, Morning Session Snooker: World Championship

In early good morning and welcome back to the Crucible Theatre in

Sheffield. The 2017 World Snooker Championship is hotting up.

Yesterday we lost two more former world champions, Graeme Dott at Neil

Robertson knocked out. We have reached the quarterfinals and things

are hotting up. He is on a mission. He is an animal on the table when he

is in this kind of mood. Enter the Dragon, Ding Junhui! It was worth

the risk, he got it! Well done, Kyren Wilson. What a performance

from John Higgins, back to his best. Fifth consecutive Crucible

quarterfinal. Here comes the hawk, Barry Hawkins! He is a great player,

in great form. Mark Selby is now through to the quarterfinal, without

breaking a lot of sweat really. You never ever write off this man. Marco

Fu. Very excited at the Crucible

Theatre. John Higgins, four times world champion, taking on Kyren

Wilson, who reached the quarterfinal last year. Barry Hawkins, 2013

runner-up, taking on Stephen Maguire who had to qualify this year. In the

top half, defending champion Mark Selby against Marco Fu. Ding Junhui,

last year's runner-up, taking on Ronnie O'Sullivan.

I love to perform, I love to play. The fans pay their money and support

you over the years. As a pro, as an entertainer, you thrive off that

stuff. My form is good. Sometimes the first session maybe not play

good, the other player plays good. It is going to be a change of luck.

Important to learn to stay in my form. You have to keep fighting all

the way. If you are behind, the crowd want you to get back into it.

If you are in front, you are just trying to get more and more in

front. It's a place where you have to find your inner strength. I

believe I can win this year. Try to challenge every match, challenge

myself, see how I'm doing. And also I need to play good and thinking

well. Bad time and good time, you need to mix that and sometimes take

the bad times, you know? You just have to put your work in, practice,

come as prepared as you can. And hope you get the rub of the green,

things can go your way or you make it happen. You try not to let your

opponent influence you. Stephen Hendry is part of the

commentary team. Good morning, so, how do you think Ronnie Stam

dealing? I am sure he is feeling good. -- Ronnie is dealing? Both

playing well. I expect a high-scoring match. Two of the best

in around the pink and black in the game today. I would be surprised if

there was not six or seven centuries. Is this the stage where

your game has to improve all-round? Very much so. There are no easy

matches. The players that you don't fancy winning are now gone, and you

have eight players who can win. Inevitably the standard is going to

go up. We have a wonderful position in the practice room. There is no

air of tension in here, no sign of nerves at all. Especially from the

players who have seen it and done it. Very much so. Sometimes with the

early starts, you take a bit of time to switch on. A bit like us! You can

ease your way into it. But when they walk through the curtain, they will

be switched on. This would be Ronnie's sixth-place world title,

does that add any pressure whatsoever? I don't think so.

Probably expectation on himself by himself to do well. One of the men

to beat in this event. Ding Junhui has to overcome the mental barrier

in beating Ronnie, as all of the players do. He is tough to play, he

likes to bully opponents. Very aggressive in all parts of his game.

A huge mental ask for Ding to come through. Looking at the head-to-head

between these two players, we are talking about somebody in Ding

Junhui, we used to talk about the pressure when he came to the

Crucible. It seems to weigh on his shoulders, but reaching the final

last year, you wonder whether somehow he can upset the odds today.

Yeah. Last year he had to qualify, which took a bit of pressure and

expectation off. This match is a huge test. I am looking forward to

seeing how do Ding copes with this match, because he has everything

technically to win the World Championship. Whether he has it

between the ears remains to be seen. One., we are very excited about this

game is on BBC Two. Our MC Rob Walker. We started a week ago on

Saturday with 32, now the top eight remain. It is quarterfinal time at

the BetFred World Snooker Championship, and what a session of

snooker to start with this morning. Please welcome a young player

brimming with confidence after a 13-10 win over former champion

Stuart Bingham in the second round. This is his second successive

Roosevelt quarterfinal. Shanghai Masters winner last season, firmly

established in the top 16, we call him the warrior, Kyren Wilson.

And his opponent, one of the finest sportsmen Scotland has ever

produced. This is his 12th Crucible quarterfinal, 20 years after his

first. After that excellent victory over the in-form Mark Allen, four

times the world champion,, Wizard of Wishaw, John Higgins.

On table one, a player who has been thrilling crowds here for 25 years.

He secured an 18th Crucible quarterfinal with the brilliant win

over former champion Shaun Murphy. Five times champion of the world,

blink and you will miss them, the Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan!

And finally, a player who has inspired a generation of players and

fans at home. Here after that thrilling victory in the decider

over compatriot Liang Wenbo, winner of 12 ranking titles in all, a

national hero back home in China. Enter the Dragon, Ding Junhui!

STUDIO: Something about Ronnie O'Sullivan backstage there, he

couldn't wait to get out into the Crucible this morning. On the red

button and on the BBC Sport app and website, you can watch table one or

two. One, John Higgins against Kyren Wilson with John Virgo and Peter

Ebdon. On BBC Two, get ready for fireworks with Dennis Taylor and

Stephen Hendry. Good morning, Dennis.

COMMENTATOR: Good morning. Five times world champion Ronnie

O'Sullivan gets this enthralling encounter under way.

The tournament pot success rate, 92% each, great form there. And fairly

equal on the long pot success department as well.

That red is going safe. Not a lot between them in the tournament

safety success rate. Only four points of difference in

total points, that's amazing. Both players having a go at fairly

difficult pots. It will take a while to settle in, as Stephen Hendry was

saying. Ten o'clock in the morning, not easy to get going straight away.

I was amazed how late the players came into practice. When I had a ten

o'clock session, I would be at the Crucible around nine o'clock for

half an hour of practice and then relax. They both turned up at around

9:45am. Doesn't leave you a lot of time to get warmed up.

But of course, getting to the quarterfinal, they have played

plenty of snooker. I really expect this match to show

snooker the way it's meant to be played. These two among the best in

the game. The way they go about winning

frames. If you are a young amateur watching,

with hopes to turn professional, you could do worse than recording this

match. Definitely to learn the art of

break-building. It's amazing all the times they've

played, they've only ever played once in the World Championship, back

in 2007. And you couldn't ask for the balls

to be sitting any better than this. Controlling the cue ball, that's how

you would set them up for a little practice, so let's see how many he

can make here, early on. Just moving the red to the right of

the black, because the black is not on the spot at the moment. That has

gone wrong. He will be disappointed, Ding

Junhui. I know it's very early, first frame, but he knows he has to

take advantage of every chance that he gets. To pile the pressure on his

opponent. No easy safety return for Ronnie

here. He's looking at the long pot into

the left corner if he can't find a safety shot. He may have to take it

on, he knows it's difficult to get back down the table off the reds

near the pink. That could have finished worse. He

missed the pot by a long way. He had to pot the red to get the

gap. If he'd have missed it, he would have cannoned into something

and left the cue ball down this end of the table.

Had to hit it exactly the way he did. Confident shot.

Yeah, and it was a great shot to make you forget about the mistake

when he was in with a great chance and messed up the position.

Still not ideal. If this red goes, he's OK.

Now he has a second bite of the cherry, let's see how many can make.

Very rarely when he is in and around the pink and black does he have to

go up for the blue. Positional play is just excellent.

And of course, as soon as I say that, he goes up for the blue! Just

finished slightly in the middle of all three reds there.

But even that little shot, made sure he was right side of the blue.

Did well to miss that red there. Has he come far enough? The one above

the pink is available, and he only needs this dead straight red to

secure this opening frame. Inode Ding is a long way behind in

the head-to-heads, has only beaten Ronnie twice, but Ding is improving

all the time. Because the last time they played, nearly three years

ago... So I don't think he will be thinking about the head-to-heads,

Stephen, he will just be taking this as it comes, because he is an

improving player, gaining in experience all the time.

Doesn't matter about that. Ronnie stays in his seat. Ding Junhui

needed a couple of chances, he certainly took the second chance. A

good start for the Chinese player, he leads 1-0.

Not the best break off from Ding Junhui.

No, a bit too thick, which means the white is going to cannon the red

there. Has he covered everything into the right corner pocket? There

is one to the left corner. And he can get himself onto the black if he

plays a delicate little positional shot.

That was close. And look at the white, perfectly on the black.

Excellent shot, excellent length on the cue ball.

Eight frames to be played this morning, and then the second session

at seven o'clock this evening. Mmm, that's a mistake from Ding. And

I think this red goes past the green and brown. So a chance for Ronnie,

first chance of this morning. Let's see what sort of form he is in.

I thought I saw Ronnie looking at the tip as he came out this morning.

He had a new tip put on on Sunday. Les Dodd, the former player who

still has a club in Southport, put on a new tip for Ronnie for the

quarterfinal. That's a misjudgement. Needed a bit

of good fortune and I don't think he's had it.

Didn't want to catch that red there. End of break.

It's been a little bit of an indifferent start so far. Only the

second frame, but some of the shots Ronnie has played, the long pots he

has gone four, he has missed by a long way. He's just so good, you

never expect him to play positional shots like that.

Played for the cue ball on the baulk cushion, so a nice run of the ball

there for Ding Junhui. At first glance, it isn't easy for

Ronnie O'Sullivan... Well, it's easy to hit a red obviously, but not to

leave Ding Junhui a pot. He'd love to be able to land on the

red near the left corner pocket, but where is the path through to that

one? It's all blocked off. If he's going to try and land on the

one to the right of the black, he has to be so precise. Baulk cushion,

then missing the middle pocket and up towards that red. For the one to

the right of the black. But it's not easy, that's for sure.

Coming into the bunch. Needed a bit of good fortune. Could push a pot on

here. I think he has. And what a chance for Ding Junhui in

this second frame. We know he is cueing well.

He won the first frame with his second chance, a break of 71. A

chance to do the same thing again here.

72 points needed. For Ronnie O'Sullivan to need a snooker. And

looking at the way the reds are, shouldn't be a problem.

Very rarely when Ding Junhui is in the balls do you see him rolling

balls income often plays little stunts and screws. You do have

better control of the cue ball when you're rolling balls in, not

allowing a kick. He won't be happy with that one, he has underhit that

one. He may just glance of the second

read here just to hold for the pink. He was able to hold without it.

Again, just lovely control of the cue ball. I think it was so

important for Ding Junhui to get off to a good start against Ronnie

O'Sullivan. And he's certainly doing that. It was a terrific match with

his fellow countrymen, Liang Wenbo, when Ding won on the deciding frame.

It really was a fabulous match, that. Just had a quick glance at the

scoreboard on the way around. He knows these two easy reds won't be

enough. He is already 49 ahead. Just this red needed, one red. He

has left himself hampered on this one. He can cue to the side of the

red, so he is OK. Looks very sharp this morning, Ding

Junhui, when he gets in. He doesn't look like missing. OK, so the reds

were in a perfect position, but you've still got to concentrate and

do it. He's doing what he has to do, punishment six severely. -- punish

mistakes severely. There you see, we've only been going

coming up to 24 minutes, and the second frame is virtually over.

Ronnie will stay in his seat again. It would have to be a ridiculous

plant to keep this break going. Oh! I think that's probably one of the

best plants I've seen. He just got down and nonchalantly knocked it in,

but I think Ding was as surprised as anyone that it did go in.

That is seven centuries now for Ding Junhui. The most that any player has

played this year -- made this year. And that is the 51st century. And I

think the first of a fuel in this match, for both players. -- first of

a few. What a start for Ding Junhui in this

quarterfinal match. A 71 break in the opening frame and then that

magnificent 128, with that unbelievable plant in the middle of

it. 2-0 to Ding Junhui. STUDIO

Well, this is the perfect start for Ding Junhui. Let's take a look at

the centuries so far. We are on 51 in 2017, and we were talking to Ken

and Steve yesterday in the studio and can firmly believes we are going

to beat the record set of 86 in 2006 and 2015. What a fantastic start for

Ding Junhui. Actor Dennis and Stephen Hendry -- space.

COMMENTATOR: Well, what a start. He had a bit of good fortune. It was a

difficult safety showed he was faced with. He hit it a little too hard

and was fortunate to come up behind the brown bear. Ronnie Heffron

virtually no shot. Just trying to land absolutely dead weight. It was

actually a pretty good shot he played, just glances of that red and

then you see he just set it up for Ding Junhui, but a magnificent

century break it was. Do you think we will get to the hundred

centuries, Dennis? There is every chance.

I wouldn't disagree with you, Stephen, because now we are at the

quarterfinal stage, the main players here are all terrific break-builders

and the standard is going to keep getting better. I would be shocked

at the very least if we don't break the record. It stands at 86

centuries. I think last year Ding Junhui made 15 or 16 himself and he

has made seven already, so if he carries on in this World

Championship, he's going to get close to that again.

This is not an easy shot that Ronnie is faced with here. Well, I presume

he didn't play the pot, there. What a start. Fabulous pot. Worth

another look at that one. Look at the timing. The White stopped and

then all of a sudden spun back. It wasn't easy to control the cue

ball there, so in between brown and green, and brown and yellow,

depending on which way he feels. Going between yellow and brown. The

only problem is that the black is only available into the right corner

pocket, so he will have two comeback for the blue here. -- have to come

back. He's really got into that! Well, he's just struck it

beautifully. The timing of this was just perfect. It's just the quality

of the strike, the cue action. No effort at all.

Hmmm. OK, that last shot he overscrewed it slightly, but I still

expected him to knock the black in. So Ding is in with another chance

and we know the sort of form he is in, he is only needing one chance at

the moment. I know he will have potted quite a few blues of the

spot, but that is only the second he has missed in the whole tournament.

And look at the reds now. Just close to the cushion, there. He just got a

trace of unwanted side on that. He was concentrating on the cannon onto

the red as well. Well, he has. Through the cue ball

there. It's worked out absolutely perfectly. Choice of two reds.

Well, you'd have to say on the evidence of the first two frames,

you wouldn't bet against Ding winning this frame at this visit.

Again, the way the reds are, there has nothing to do with the cue ball.

Yet, as I mentioned earlier, the black only available into the right

corner. As soon as he can get on the black, he will be able to do

something about the two reds next to them. Meanwhile, he's got the pink

sitting nicely there. But this time he has come round for the black and

he can free the black spot area will with a couple of shots here.

Hmmm, maybe a wee bit awkward now. The red just to the right of the

black, he has two cannon the black, so that makes that positional shot

not an automatic. He might have just put himself in a little bit of an

August situation here, Ding Junhui. -- an awkward situation.

Yeah, just having to play the percentage shot, just get the cue

ball out of there. Couldn't play an exact shot.

The only positive about that was that he didn't put any is safe and

the black is still in the open. So one more good shot here and back

with a frame-winning chance. He has got into that too well. So from

being perfect a couple of minutes ago, he's now got a tough shot here

to keep this break going. Again, the cue ball is running loose.

Well, he looks very, very sharp this morning, Ding Junhui, because that

wasn't an easy pot he took on there. Still needs another good positional

shot to get back into prime position.

Well, that's not a bad case. He's got a red into the left corner and

I'm sure he can get onto the pink or black with a delicate little screw

back or even a stun onto the other red. It has to be said, these tables

are playing beautifully. Play finished early yesterday and I had

to go out and do a little exhibition with Peter Ebdon. Played on the

other tablelands it was absolutely beautiful to play on, Stephen. How

many centuries did you make? Just the none!

He wanted the cue ball to travel another inch to the right for the

pink to the left middle. A little careless one, there. Wanted to be

dead straight on this pink just to follow through for the red that is

next to it to the right corner. He just plays all these lovely little

cannons. He makes it look so easy. There you see, 48 points ahead. Just

the red and one more colour will leave running at the snookers

required stage. This is just what Ding Junhui was

after, here. And he's going to make Ronnie pay for that missed blue.

Just under 40 minutes, and it is 3-0 to the Chinese player. There is

still enough there for another century break, that would be

back-to-back centuries. He's going to need a good shot here

to keep the century hopes alive. Is there!

He's just an absolutely ferocious scorer when he gets going. Oh, what

a disappointing end! It was going to be two centuries in a row.

APPLAUSE Yes, it's an amazing start for the

Chinese player. He's certainly not intimidated, and as I say, that

head-to-head where Ronnie leads 10-2, it's not having any effect

whatsoever. He's just out there doing a job of work, every start is

different -- every match is different. He needed a good start

and he has asked the question. Ronnie, well, we don't know how well

he's playing because he overscrewed the previous positional shot lightly

but I still expected him... He was concentrating on the cannon here. I

think he knows it more or less eight natural angle to cannon this read

here. He just took his eye off the pot. He's not quite settled into

this match yet. It doesn't matter how good you are, at the World

Championship you get sessions where you just don't get going, it just

takes you a bit of time to get going.

Ding Junhui breaks off in the fourth frame. Just a perfect start. Three

frames won in one visit. Well, they are not hanging about

this morning, or as I should say, Ding Junhui is not hanging about. He

has been doing all the scoring. Ronnie needs to get in amongst the

balls and this would be a good frame to get in amongst them and get his

first frame on the board. Because no matter how many world titles or

titles you have won, you're never really settled until you get that

first frame on the scoreboard. Ding at 92%. Ronnie, well, we don't know,

he just hasn't been in amongst the balls. He has had a couple of goes

that long pots but hasn't converted one.

OK there is not a lot of distance between the cue ball and object ball

but it was a dead straight pot, which needs dead straight cueing.

I think he's just OK! He looked a bit anxious for a moment but he can

just get past the red. He has overcut it, has he? No, no problem.

And now the next shop will bring a few more reds into play. -- the next

shot. Took his eye off the pot, didn't

push the cue through. That is the first careless one, but has he been

fortunate? He was thinking about the cannon and took his eye off the pot.

But he has been very lucky, there. I think he held his hand up to

apologise for getting away with that.

Yeah, after the shot there, you can see he just holds his hand up to

apologise for getting away with it. But Stephen, I know you go to China

quite a bit. Ding Junhui is a huge star out there but Ronnie

O'Sullivan, I was talking to Liang Wenbo, his good friend, and he was

saying that Ronnie is as big a star out there as Ding Junhui.

Hmmm, I don't know about that. I know Ronnie is huge, hugely popular

in China. But Ding Junhui is one of their top two or three sports stars

in the whole country. Everywhere I go, I've been to over 50 cities in

China, and the question you always get asked everywhere is, when is

Ding Junhui going to be world champion? This was an excellent pot

to left middle. Key shot coming up, yellow and into

the red. Needs a bit of good fortune... And he hasn't had it.

REFEREE: Ronnie O'Sullivan, 16. APPLAUSE

Ding Junhui is not looking for a plant to pot a red here, he's just

looking to see if he will stick a red over the corner pocket here in

playing the safety. The game, not a bad little flick off

the green for Ding Junhui. If there is any run of the balls going this

morning, he getting it. -- he's getting it.

Just having a thing as to whether he takes this long red on. Got to get

it, you would feel, if he goes for it. And it has gone towards the

other corner pocket, so a chance for Ronnie O'Sullivan now. It would be a

good time to knock in a sizeable contribution here, Stephen. He

certainly doesn't want to go 4-0 behind. No, absolutely not. We have

been reliably told that he has never ever been 4-0 behind in a

quarterfinal in his career here at the Crucible. And looking at the way

the reds are now in the position he is in, I don't think it's going to

happen here. I fully expect him to focus and get this frame won.

APPLAUSE Took a small risk there, going into

them, but he is OK. I love watching that last shot, a

stun run-through, one of the nicest shots in the game of snooker. It

looks so easy, but difficult to execute. You stun the ball and hit

it quite hard, and the white doesn't move very fast.

All Ding Junhui has done is miss one easy red in these four frames.

Just a couple more pots away from securing his first frame, but having

said that he has just cannoned the red. He should be OK.

We thought this was going to be a heavy scoring quarterfinal. It's

proving to be that. Ding Junhui, breaks of 71, 128, another 71. And

now Ronnie O'Sullivan with this frame-winning effort.

The red does go up into the corner pocket past the green.

Doesn't matter about that, there was no century break on. So Ronnie

O'Sullivan can settle down now. But this first session has been all

about Ding Junhui. Three fabulous breaks to win three frames, and he

leads Ronnie O'Sullivan 3-1. Dennis is absolutely right. Stephen,

Ronnie O'Sullivan couldn't wait to get into the Crucible but now he

can't wait to get out. What's happened? He's had a slow start, but

Ding has been very sharp. One visit, doing what he does best when he gets

in the balls. More often than not, he clears up. Not much you can do

about that, but that frame from Ronnie O'Sullivan was crucial. As we

said, he has never been 4-0 down. Ding can reel off frame after frame,

it was almost looking like damage limitation. Now he has that frame,

he will feel better. It doesn't matter who you are, you need the

first frame on the board to get into the match. After the mid-session

interval, Ronnie has to find his rhythm and start putting much more

pressure on Ding. He can't allow him to get too far ahead. Ronnie hasn't

had too many chances in the balls. That was his first season chance.

Ding has had a good run of the balls, missing a couple and not

leaving Ronnie anything. Let's turn our attention to the other match

taking place this morning. Also a quarterfinal. John Higgins, four

times world champion, taking on Kyren Wilson.

A good old foot massage. Most definitely James Bond. Daniel Craig.

My dad playing his best mate... He had a pool room built, I was too

young so I was banging at the door trying to get in. Dedication. Bad

loser. I once wrote happy anniversary to my

fiancee in the sand on the beach. She took it well.

No, not really. I am quite laid back when it comes to that sort of thing.

Bungee jumping naked! Probably the 1980s, I thought the

nightlife was brilliant. Katy Perry. Chilling out with my fiance and my

son, lovely warm weather. After winning in Shanghai, I bought myself

a new car. Our cameras will not be there for

the naked bungee jumping. John Higgins made his debut in 1995

and he won it three years later, 1998. Four times he has been crowned

king of the Crucible. Make no mistake, this is a very tough match

for Kyren Wilson, the world number 14.

John Higgins on the first frame, we are going to show you frame two,

Wilson trailing by 34. A choice of yellow, brown or blue.

Blue is a little bit thin. There is a red that goes into the

left-hand pocket which will open up another red into the opposite

corner. He has played that very nicely for a

choice of two reds. And really get into that. -- did not

really get into that. Not quite certain why he didn't just stun the

red in. No, it decelerated. A bit of side

on. A shaky start from Kyren, this. It was always missable, that black,

particularly at the pace he played it. The only thing he had in his

favour, he knew it would cover the pocket and wouldn't believe

anything. But it's another chance he's not made the most of. --

wouldn't leave anything. Gave himself an awful lot to do on that

lack colour there. Either didn't get into the cue ball and played for the

pink into the left corner or he got into the cue ball too much, because

he should have been straighter than he was on the black and that was

certainly missable. It was a nervy one. Decelerated.

Playing with the left-hand side. And that time he pulled it thin. These

are things that can really play on a player's mind, especially early on

before you have got used to the cloth.

A couple of long balls he has missed, playing with side and he hit

them sick. And then he pulled the black thin. -- hit them thick.

They possibility of Kyren taking a difficult red into the centre.

That is a great shot. But he's been unlucky. As you say, Peter. Because

of the difficulty of the pot, he had to put all his concentration into

the pot, and it wasn't a natural to be on the black, and he's not.

But that may make him feel a little bit better. Good safety shot,

followed by a good pot. But it seems as though he's snookered on... I

don't know why he can't swerve and hit the green. Maybe he's trying to

play uptight and get the snooker. This could turn out to be an awkward

frame. With the black being over the corner pocket, it's quite easy to

play safety shots at the moment. It looked as though it was... What

he's OK, a very good cue ball. John Higgins had to be careful of

the double-kiss. The bump of the middle pocket, no

harm done. Needed a very thin contact.

Excellent shot. Top-class safety shot, well played. That is

brilliant. Yes, good shot from Kyren, and

that's what he will have to do in this match. He will have to compete

in the safety exchanges with John Higgins. Not easy to do. But those

last couple of shots, you can see he has sparked up a bit, Kyren. He has

that look in his eye. Probably came out this morning feeling a bit edgy,

and was letting the cue go through. Has now played a couple of good

shots. I don't think that was the red John

was attempting to hit. Does it go to the left middle? If it does, I think

Kyren will take it on. It obviously does. He is eyeing up

the pot. Always on the top jaw, wasn't it. We

were right behind it and it was always there. Years ago, they used

to drift in, but it was always on the top jaw. Only a fraction, but it

may have cost him the second frame. Well, that should seal this frame.

Just the red needed. That black puts him 61 in front with

only 59 remaining. Three snooker is needed, but Kyren

will not be getting back to the table.

Just has to be patient and hope he gets a chance sooner rather than

later. Well this is good, hard match

snooker from John Higgins. Making life tough at the moment for Kyren

Wilson. He now leads 2-0. STUDIO: John Higgins the ball very

well indeed. This is the scene inside the Crucible Theatre. If you

want to carry on watching John Higgins against Kyren Wilson live,

it is on the red button, BBC Sport app and BBC Sport website. The live

match on BBC Two, Ding Junhui and Ronnie O'Sullivan, the players are

due back shortly. John Higgins is hitting the ball really well. Very

much so. A lot of people touting Kyren Wilson as a future world

champion. This would go a long way to convincing me he could be a world

champion, beating John Higgins. John Hartson is with World Snooker this

evening, a big Celtic fan, and he is hoping to beat Mark Allen -- hoping

to meet John Hartson after beating Mark Allen. Ronnie has to get on the

board early doors. When they get in first, they will win the frames, so

it's just a matter of who gets in first. If you are Ding? More of the

same. If he keeps scoring and punishing Ronnie's mistakes, that is

the way to beat him. If he doesn't take his chances... He is 10-2 down

in the head-to-head, he knows what will happen. If your opponent is

winning frames in one visit, there is not much you can do, and that is

the pressure you need to put on Ronnie O'Sullivan. At this level,

the quarterfinal going forward, this is the standard of snooker you have

to play. Back to the commentary box you go, Stephen, with Dennis.

COMMENTATOR: Stephen will be here shortly. He is a fast mover, the

seven time world champion Stephen Hendry.

Ronnie gets the first frame after the mid-session interval under way.

It's been quick stuff. All the frames virtually won with

one visit. 19 and 20 seconds, they are not

hanging around. Very little tactical play in this

match, because when a player gets a chance, they are winning the frame.

They are both very good safety players when needed.

There's an indication of how good Ronnie is in the tactical

department. In fact, looking at that, Ding well

ahead, but of course he's had a lot more table time than Ronnie.

There's a red to left middle, but it's fraught with danger.

When you look at the way the reds are placed, the first mistake in the

safety exchange could be a costly one.

The cue ball glued to the back cushion.

Well, I don't know if he got a heavy contact there, but I just think he

hit it all wrong, that safety. It sounded a bit funny, but whatever

happened, he hit the red far too thick. But he was tucked up on the

cushion. It was Ronnie's good safety shot which created this chance for

himself. Yes, so important with safety shots

to get the cue ball tight on the baulk cushion. The amount of

mistakes you can force from your opponent is incredible.

A lot of players, myself included, Dennis, wouldn't concentrate enough

on that side of the game. If you don't leave the cue ball tight, you

don't create as many chances for yourself.

Yes, this is where Steve Davis was so good. The break-building

department, he was excellent. But Steve Davis' safety was extremely

good, he used to put you in all sorts of trouble. You would make the

mistake and go back to your seat while he won the frame in one visit.

Over a minute thinking about that shot. Not straightforward. He was

just walking round the table, planning how he was going to

progress in this break. How to get the black back on the spot.

Surveying the situation. Yeah, he had worked it out. He was

thinking about the red in the circle there, planning three or four shots

ahead. And he is nicely on it. A little cannon in between the black

spot and the pink, or would leave a red to the right corner.

As I said before, the first mistake in that exchange would be costly. I

would be very surprised if Ronnie O'Sullivan didn't win the frame from

this visit. In this match, the general pattern

will be whoever gets in first, in a situation like this, will win the

frame. Both players are so good in amongst the pink and black.

He's worked these out very nicely indeed.

All delicate little is boring Makarova and screw shots. --

delicate little stun and screw shots.

Making this look ridiculously easy. Well you are probably looking at the

greatest break-builder the game has ever seen. He has made 872

centuries. Stephen, you held the record of, what, 775? Yeah, no

doubt, it is just how long Ronnie wants to play, but he's going to

make 1000. It's amazing, it's not that many

years ago when people were saying, this is a young player's game, in

their early 20s, at their peak. But when you look at this man, 42. John

Higgins, in his early 40s. Stuart Bingham, a winner. So plenty of the

40 pluses starting to have a lot of success in the game. Going way back

to the great Ray Reardon and John Spencer, they were at their peak in

their early to mid 40s. Of course, the game has moved on. In those

days, people used to have jobs as well as playing snooker.

He can now make the century if he takes these three open reds with

three blacks. This would be Ronnie's fifth century of the tournament so

far. I believe the record for a quarterfinal is eight centuries,

between two players. So I think these two will go close. He's taken

a pink, so now he will need one of the awkward reds. It needs the

cannon here to bring one out if he's going to make the century. And now

he will hit these as hard as he can and hopefully fluked a red. No

fluke, no century but a magnificent effort of 99 gives Ronnie O'Sullivan

the frame quite comfortably, and now he is just one behind, it is 3-2.

the interval -- just during the interval, Ronnie was looking at the

tip, there. As we mentioned, it is a new tip that he had put on before

the quarterfinal. But there's certainly nothing wrong with it.

He's very comfortable with it. Just checking it there. A man with a club

from Southport, a former player, looks after Ronnie's tips. But I

think these days, I think we saw at the UK championship, Stephen, you

can put a new tip on and it used to take three or four days to break it

in, but they are slightly different now, aren't they? You can more or

less play them instead away? Yeah, I think what the technology is on how

they make tips, I don't know, but I know that sometimes it used to take

me up to four or five days to play a tip in. Oh!

APPLAUSE Well, he just played a gentle much

there, but he's going to have to judge the cannon on the black also

to put it on. I don't think he can avoid that, but it shouldn't be a

problem for him. Just a little bit harder would have

been better. He caught it a little fuller than he wanted, half ball on

the black, than would have been ideal. -- half ball on the black

would have been ideal. That was an interesting little

safety shot. He could have played full ball on the black and left the

cue ball on the cushion but he didn't want to put the black safe.

Funny, I think Ronnie got an electric shock when he touched the

table there. It can happen. Let's have a look at this. Yeah. There it

is. It just reminds me, I'd forgotten

about being able to get a little shock, as we show you what he's

talking about, but I remember playing in Canada and is there were

metal sides and everybody was getting electric shocks!

You know, first look, he might have got away with this, which would be

amazing, once he missed the pot you thought he would have left something

easy, but at a quick glance I don't think he's left one. What a result

he has had there. Once he can and the reds you thought he was going to

put Ronnie Wright in amongst them. Another great safety shot. Look at

that cue ball. I think he might have had another

one, there. Shock number two. We've had a few

shocks in the tournament so far this year, but we weren't expecting these

sort of shocks! Lots of noise from the other side of

the arena. Mid-session interval. It can take a while, spectators getting

up and stretching their legs and going out for a quick tea or coffee.

It really is a fantastic atmosphere in and around the Crucible Theatre.

A bit of a careless one there, maybe, maybe just a little lapse in

concentration while the noise is going on. Yeah, he has just played

one or two iffy shots, Ding Junhui, since Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the

last two frames. That wasn't easy. Still expected him

to get it, but... It was not an easy pot.

Not happy with the kiss on the yellow, there. It has left Ding

Junhui with a chance to the right corner. All about controlling the

cue ball here, you would think he is bound to finish on a colour. Well,

now then. That is surprising, probably because he has been kept

off the table for the last couple of frames. Yeah, this was a long way

off, for a fairly comfortable long pot. He's starting to look under a

bit of pressure now, Ding Junhui. I know it's very early days, but

when he led 3-0, he was in with a very easy chance and he missed a

sitter of a red with a chance to go on and maybe even take a 4-0

advantage to the mid-session interval, but he missed a sitter. In

fact we can show you, he was just concentrating on the cannon on the

reds there and he missed this one, because the way he was playing at

the time, he was winning a frame with one visit.

He has come to or three inches short, there. He will have to play

the red to the middle now. He's just having a word with the

referee, there, Leo Scullion. I think as he was playing the shot,

Leo just got himself into a position and Ronnie has just asked him to

make sure he is still. Referees always try to get into a position

where they are behind the player. It's quite tight with the two-table

situation here, so it's difficult all round. They do a great job in

the two-table situation and the cameramen to a fabulous job also,

because there is not a lot of room for them to manoeuvre.

Well, it's just a string of big breaks in this quarterfinal match.

Always going to be a fascinating tussle. Ding had breaks of 128, 70

one. Ronnie had 63, 99 and now this. Just checking the debt is exactly

what he needs. He is 48 ahead. He will need the black and one more red

to clinch the frame. Just drop this in dead weight, just

to make sure... Can you believe it? Ronnie O'Sullivan, 65. I thought he

would have just rolled it in but he played a stun shot and got a bit of

unwanted side. OK he was using his other hand. But just roll it in. I

think he plays the right shot. You've got to play for the black,

it's just careless to miss the red. Oh! This is clumsy.

He had a huge margin for error there to just leave himself a pot on the

black. He needs to cut this in, doesn't he, Stephen? Otherwise he

needs a snooker. And what a shot he has pulled off, there! OK, he's not

on a red, but that was a must pot pink, there. So, he can still win

this frame. This is the longest frame of the

match so far, just 16 minutes. It's been a fantastic standard, at least

eight 60 in every frame. Two 60s, two 70s.

APPLAUSE The beauty of the three session

matches are that you don't panic if you drop 3-0 behind, and that is

what happened with Ronnie. He knew he could get it back again but he

has done it in style. Finish with an exhibition shot to

get on the black. Now, how about this? Tremendous amount of side,

there. He's snooker himself, has he? CHUCKLES

Well, I thought the pocket had to get him, but, what a response from

the five-time former world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan. He lost the three

opening frames but he has bounced right back and won three in a row.

We are all square at three each. Well, Stephen, there is not a lot of

mistakes being made out there and any that are made, they are punished

with frame-winning breaks. Yes, we've had two misses from Ding

Junhui in this frame. This cut into middle which he cut very thick,

didn't really get close to the pot. Certainly in the first three frames

you would have expected him to get it. He was very sharp in the way he

started the match. He missed this one by a mile. Just signs that Ding

is starting to feel it a wee bit. When he did get the chance to pinch

the frame, look at all the table he has got to finish on the black. The

whole of that side of the table. Yeah, that was a poor positional

shot. He did manage to knock the pink in, which he needed to keep him

in the frame, but he couldn't get on a red. But he will forget all that

and just concentrate, sit there and just think of the way you started

the match. Ronnie has left the arena, but the second session of

this match will be this evening, and that is going to be a fascinating

one arm and we've got the press box there and that is my son Damian on

the left, who is a European tour coach in golf. He is at home at the

moment with new baby Hunter. Great snooker player, Damian, good

footballer, but he went into golf. He has been working with Bernd

Wiesberger, who just won in China on Sunday. He loves coming to the

Crucible. Just having a wee chat with the referee. When he's playing

the part, just to make sure he is standing still. -- playing the pot.

Yeah, Ronnie is just saying to Leo, no problem with him being in his

sight, just as long as he is standing still. But this is the

first test in this match for Ding Junhui. He had it all his own way in

the first three frames. Now, two frames left to play in this session.

It would not be a very pleasant afternoon if he were to finish 5-3

down after leading 3-0, the way he played. That wasn't the best safety

shot there, either. There are a couple of reds that will

go into the right corner. The black is hampered for the left corner with

that red next to it, but he needs to knock this type of pot in just to

get his confidence back again, because he has been kept away from

the table. It's amazing how things have just

turned around. As we showed you in the previous frame, it all seems to

have turned, as we show you this mess again, it all seemed to turn

when he led 3-0 and missed the easy red in frame four. He just hasn't

been in the game that much and has lost a little bit of confidence.

That is why I said at the top of the show, it's going to take huge mental

strength for Ding Junhui to win this match. He has got the game. But has

he got the belief? This red into the left middle might

be a big pocket, I'm not sure. If he doesn't go directly into the pocket,

he might go in off the red. He had a look at that.

Oh! We didn't expect that, did we? Ronnie has roared back into this

one. This is where you're going to need your red button now. Live

coverage continues on the red button and both matches are available on

your BBC Sport app and the BBC Sport website. We are back at one o'clock.

See you then. I've got some good news.

Did you hear? What are you talking about?

What? What?