Last year’s runner-up Kyren Wilson fought back to trail Gary Wilson 5-4 following Monday’s morning session of the Betfred World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.
The 29-year-old, who lost to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the delayed 2020 final eight months ago, had trailed 5-1 to the world number 22.
After losing the opening frame, Gary Wilson, a former semi-finalist, produced two half-century clearances, before further breaks of 94 and 84 seemingly put him in command of the first-round match.
The world number six, though, found some composure to finally get another frame on the board with a break of 82.
After his opponent missed a pink into middle, Kyren Wilson reduced the defect further following a 115 clearance – which was backed up by a superb break of 139 to leave him with all to play for in Monday’s evening session.
On Table One, China’s Ding Junhui took a slender 5-4 overnight lead against former champion Stuart Bingham.
The 44-year-old from Essex, who won the title in 2015, had to come through qualifying after dropping out of the top 16.
Bingham showed his intent with a superb 131 break in the opening frame and another of 129 helped him move 3-1 ahead at the mid-session interval.
However, Ding, the world number nine and runner-up at the Crucible to Mark Selby in 2016, returned with intent, as clearances of 105 and 86 levelled the match, which will be concluded on Tuesday.
Another half-century break saw Bingham edge in front at 4-3, only for Ding to respond again – and then edge the ninth frame 54-45 on a fluked final black along the top cushion.
Fourteenth seed Jack Lisowski fought back from 3-1 down to fashion a 5-4 overnight advantage over former finalist Ali Carter.
Consecutive breaks of 121 and 75 hauled Lisowski level and he went on to establish a two-frame lead of his own before Carter rallied to take the ninth frame ahead of Tuesday’s conclusion.
John Higgins won five frames in a row to transform a 7-4 deficit into a 9-7 lead over China’s Tian Pengfei.
Higgins moved one frame from victory with a break of 127 but after running out of time the pair must wait to finish their match later on Monday night.
