Shanghai Masters LIVE – Williams leads Wang in tournament opener

Williams 3-1 Wang (8-30)

A bout of safety between the two players. Williams is content to play any sort of style. Tactical jousts have never phased him as prods in a plant on reds to break the deadlock. But he then can’t drop in a cut on a red down a side rail. Wang tries to make a tough plant on red, but can’t get the right angle. A reprieve for Willo.

Williams 3-1 Wang (0-30)

Wang picking off balls and growing in confidence as a yellow to right centre disappears. Take on a tough cutback red, and it doesn’t drop. Not left much though.

Williams 3-1 Wang (0-10)

Super long red by Wang after he returns for the second half of this match. The fans in Shanghai certainly loved that strike. Got right through the cue ball. And lands perfectly on the yellow too.

Carter through to last 16

Couple of results from earlier. Carter through to meet Ding Junhui in the last 16 with breaks of 63, 76 and 51, while International Championship winner Zhang suffered a shock 6-3 loss to Zhou Jinhao, who next meets defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan on Tuesday morning.

Zhou Jinhao 6-3 Zhang AndaAli Carter 6-0 Qiu LeiWilliams 3-0 Wang (7-73)

And this has been an excellent response from Wang in the fourth frame. Williams missing with a couple of long reds, and Wang has picked off the balls he requires to claim his first frame of the day. A timely run of 48 from the 16-year-old rookie.

Williams 3-0 Wang (7-25)

A run of 25 from Wang, but he then misses a pink to right centre. Bad miss, and Williams then picks out a plant to open up the reds. One shot, and suddenly loads of reds are right in play. Meanwhile, Ford is level at 2-2 with Si. A break of 94 from the Leicester man to restore parity after falling 2-0 behind.

Williams 3-0 Wang (0-17)

Wang has certainly had chances in this match, but not really been taking them. Scoring power has not really been there to trouble Willo so far, but chance here to put some points on the board as he slips in a tricky black along top cushion.

Williams 2-0 Wang (56-17)

Wang goes for a long red. Can’t find the potting angle, and he sticks up final red. So that is another frame for Williams. Halfway to the last 16 holding a 3-0 lead. A break of 57 from Ford on the other table as he hits back to trail Si 2-1. One more frame before the mid-session interval.

Williams 2-0 Wang (49-17)

Williams with a knock of 46, but he then watches the black stay out. He can’t believe that. Did the black roll off line? Bad miss off the spot. And Wang is presented with a chance he never saw coming in this third frame. But he then misses a tricky red. So no real damage done to Willo.

Williams 2-0 Wang (39-9)

Wang not really scoring enough points during these visits to the table. Looks like he knows his way around a snooker table, but Willo then floats in a tough red to right centre. Right back in business here.

Williams 2-0 Wang (0-9)

A plant on reds by Wang disappears with some ease. Lovely shot by Wang, but nothing else to follow as he refuses brown. Williams then misses chance to clip in a mid-range red. Which is good news for Wang in his battle to gain a foothold in this contest.

Williams 1-0 Wang (91-23)

And another safety blunder by Wang is going to prove pivotal in this second frame. Can’t afford to throw in such errors at this level. Game over. A 2-0 lead for Willo. Si Jiahui with a 2-0 lead over Tom Ford on the other main showpiece table. Breaks of 60 and 131 from Si. A flying start to the day.

Williams 1-0 Wang (68-23)

Excellent long red is popped in by Wang, and he comes across to nudge out the black. But can’t land on a red. Just a safety to follow. Frame still very much a live issue. The winner of this match takes on Judd Trump in the last 16 on Tuesday at 12:30pm BST.

Williams 1-0 Wang (68-15)

A few balls disappear for Wang, but still a long second favourite to win this frame. Williams needing one more red. Four reds left on table. Red just eludes him to a middle bag on that occasion as he leaves the white tight on top cush. Wang in all sorts of trouble here. But he comes up with a decent effort to leave white near baulk cushion. A well worked safety escape.

Williams 1-0 Wang (50-0)

Wang right under it here as he comes up short in trying to run the white into the back of the pack of reds off the top cushion. But is short of pace, and suddenly another chance presents itself to the Welshman. Wang yet to pot a ball in this contest.

Williams 1-0 Wang (46-0)

Floating the balls in and floating around the table too at the moment. Willo looking very sharp with another little cameo knock of 46 applying more pressure to the Wang cue action early doors in the second frame.

Williams 0-0 Wang (124-0)

This has been a sparkling start from Williams, who opens with a lovely knock of 98 against the young Chinese wildcard to put the frame to bed. That should settle the nerves for Willo. If he has any.

Williams 0-0 Wang (75-0)

Table looks to be rolling like a bowling green. Ideal conditions for scoring, and Williams is back in business in the second frame. Picking off the balls with so much ease. In goes black, reds are opened up and this should be the first frame. Couple of chances is all he needed.

Williams 0-0 Wang (26-0)

Start as you mean to go on. The Welsh icon quickly on the move this morning in the race to six. Already on a break of 26 in Shanghai.

Williams 0-0 Wang

The three-time world champion Williams has never won the Shanghai Masters title, but did reach the final in 2011 when he lost 10-9 to Mark Selby in a final-frame decider when the event was a ranking tournament. He will be expecting to advance to the last 16 this morning.

WILLIAMS PAINTS BLEAK FUTURE FOR CRUCIBLE

Mark Williams – who opens his 2024 Shanghai Masters campaign against Wang Xinbo this morning – has joined John Higgins by predicting the World Snooker Championship’s impending departure from the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

The 980-seat Crucible has staged the sport’s greatest tournament since 1977, but there is speculation it will move to a larger more salubrious venue when World Snooker Tour’s contract expires in 2027 – 50 years after John Spencer claimed the title with a 25-21 win over 1980 champion Cliff Thorburn.

The size of the Crucible is one issue with media reports also suggesting that China and/or Saudi Arabia will increase the prize money considerably if they are allowed to host the World Championship.

As president of Matchroom Sport, majority shareholders in WST, Barry Hearn appeared to cast doubt over the future of the event being staged by the Crucible when the venue’s current agreement with Sheffield City Council ends.

The Shanghai Masters returns as the world’s best congregate in China from July 15 to July 21.

Stream the 2024 Shanghai Masters and other top snooker action live on discovery+