Champion Zhao Leads Highfield After Virgo Tributes

ByMichael Emons

BBC Sport journalist astatine nan Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

China's reigning world champion Zhao Xintong opened up a flimsy lead complete England's Liam Highfield connected an affectional opening time of nan tourney astatine nan Crucible.

Zhao is 5-4 up against Highfield, 92nd successful nan world rankings, pinch nan lucifer to beryllium concluded connected Saturday from 19:00 BST.

On nan different table, Northern Ireland's erstwhile world number 1 Mark Allen is 3-5 down against China's Zhang Anda, pinch their 2nd convention to travel connected Sunday morning.

Before play started a big of nan sport's biggest names, including nan BBC tv team, paid tribute to erstwhile subordinate and commentator John Virgo, who died successful February aged 79, pinch a minute's applause.

BBC presenter Hazel Irvine said John was "universally loved by everyone successful this athletics and beyond - he really was nan sound of snooker".

On Thursday location was a memorial service for Virgo successful his location metropolis astatine Sheffield Cathedral, a short locomotion from nan Crucible.

"The cathedral was packed and we gave John a awesome send-off arsenic he was a very typical man," 1985 world champion Dennis Taylor told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I knew him for much than 50 years and he was a awesome all-round entertainer. There's a large spread present successful nan Crucible this twelvemonth pinch John not being pinch us."

Zhao became nan first Chinese subordinate to triumph nan World Championship erstwhile he hit Mark Williams 18-12 successful nan 2025 final, and he has won 4 tournaments this season, including 3 of nan past 5 ranking events.

That shape has taken him to 4th successful nan world rankings and he has been tipped by galore players and pundits to triumph this competition.

He won 3 of nan opening 4 frames, including a break of 123 successful framework four, but Highfield took advantage of mistakes to triumph 3 successive frames, including a break of 86 successful nan fifth.

Highfield, 35, only returned to nan World Snooker Tour past twelvemonth aft he suffered a surgery wrist successful an e-scooter mishap successful 2023, and had to triumph 4 qualifying matches to unafraid his Crucible spot.

He had chances to return nan last framework of nan convention but missed a yellowish disconnected nan spot early connected arsenic Zhao nudged backmost successful front.

On array two, only 8 of a scheduled 9 frames could return place, pinch Zhang, 22nd successful nan world, 2 frames up arsenic he searches for a first triumph astatine nan Crucible aft losing successful nan opening information connected his 5 erstwhile appearances.

Allen, a Crucible semi-finalist successful 2009 and 2023, made a 147 break astatine this venue past twelvemonth during his nonaccomplishment to Chris Wakelin successful nan past 16.

But Allen grounded to registry a azygous half-century break against Zhang, who made 2 hundreds of years - 129 successful framework 2 and 109 successful framework 5 - arsenic good arsenic 3 breaks of astatine slightest 58.

Three-time champion Mark Williams originates his run successful Saturday's day convention erstwhile he plays Antoni Kowalski, nan first Polish subordinate to suffice for nan Crucible.

Xiao Guodong takes connected Zhou Yuelong successful an all-Chinese match, and successful nan evening convention erstwhile runners-up Barry Hawkins and Matthew Stevens spell head-to-head.