World Championship Snooker Live turned tense at the Crucible on Tuesday as Neil Robertson led John Higgins 4-3 in their quarter-final on Table One. On Table Two, Wu Yize and Hossein Vafaei finished the session level at 4-4, leaving both matches delicately poised. The evening session, originally due to begin at about 19: 00 BST, was expected to start later because of the time needed to turn the tables around between sessions.
Robertson edges ahead in a tight battle
The Robertson-Higgins match stayed close deep into the session, with one frame lasting about 35 minutes and neither player able to fully break the deadlock. Robertson used the long rest to pot the green, but he could not get the angles he wanted on the next red. Higgins then hit the yellow with an attempted escape from a snooker, and Robertson asked for the ball to be replaced.
There was also an unscheduled break while both players went to the bathroom, and the crowd had time to settle as the frame stretched on. Higgins came close to ending the stalemate with a long red toward the green pocket, but it stayed in the jaws. Five reds remained on the table, and Robertson still trailed by two in that frame, with no quick finish in sight.
Joe Perry, a former World Championship semi-finalist, said on iPlayer that “the balls are winning today, ” adding that “the balls and the table have won this session. ” He said the championship is long and that players can have one session where things do not go smoothly, but every frame still counts the same.
Wu and Vafaei go to the interval locked together
World Championship Snooker Live also delivered a tense finish on Table Two, where Wu Yize and Hossein Vafaei ended the session tied at 4-4. The scoreline leaves that quarter-final balanced heading into the next stage of play, with neither player able to establish clear control before the session ended.
At the same time, the later matches were set to bring more quarter-final action from 19: 00 BST, with Zhao Xintong trailing Shaun Murphy 3-5 and Barry Hawkins leading Mark Allen 5-3. The schedule, the live scores and the results remained the main focus as the quarter-finals moved through a demanding day at the Crucible.
What the delay means for the evening session
The build-up to the evening session was shaped by the length of the afternoon tables and the need for a proper turnaround between ticket holders. That made a later start more likely than the original timing, even before the next batch of frames began.
World Championship Snooker Live continues to be a session-by-session story, with the margins still narrow and momentum still up for grabs in both matches. With Robertson ahead and the Wu-Vafaei contest level, the quarter-finals are set to resume under pressure, and the next frames could quickly reset the picture again.
