And Mark Allen gets over the line in frame three with a break of exactly 100, reducing his gap to one.

It's century number 663 of Allen's career.

Even at this early stage in the match, it's an important frame coming up before the mid-session interval.

John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner

Just signs in this third frame that Mark Allen is starting to get through the ball a bit better.

A couple of seasons ago, he really slowed his game down and I think even he felt he was getting too pedestrian. Then he tried to quicken up again but it's not a light switch.

Allen's first break in the third frame ended on 24, but he's back at the table now with a 40-point lead and 75 remaining - and a successful double on a red puts him on the brink of getting a frame on the scoreboard.

These two are level for the first time since the very early stages of the match. Luca Brecel is playing the occasional inexplicable shot, but such is the way of a maverick.

Ryan Day's 5-1 lead from yesterday has been reeled in by the player who made his Crucible debut as a 17-year-old some 13 years ago.

A fluked yellow helped him cross the line in this one. From behind the black, with the yellow near the blue spot, Brecel gave the cue ball a whack off the cushion. It struck the yellow and sent it veering up into the green pocket, and another fluke followed on the brown. Some guys get all the luck.

Referee Jan Verhaas had briefly muddled the score in the early stages of the frame, prompting a smile from Brecel and leading Dennis Taylor to remark: "Even the greatest make mistakes."

A break of 69 earns Chris Wakelin the second frame and puts the world number 20 into a 2-0 lead.

Just the start he would have wanted.

Image source, Getty Images

It was not a frame that will live too long in the memory, except for the red that referee Jan Verhaas had to lean down to pick off the Crucible carpet.

Brecel wins it comfortably enough though and we're back to a one-frame gap. Could this be nip and tuck all the way this afternoon?

Image source, PA Media

Chris Wakelin delivered one of the surprises of the first round, holding off a second-session fightback from former world champion Neil Robertson to win 10-8.

That was his first ever win at the Crucible, having failed to win a match on his three previous visits.

Wakelin had a spell in the world's top 16 earlier this season and began the World Championship at number 20 in the rankings.

Taking that lengthy opening frame will maybe settle any early nerves he might have felt, as will potting a long red left from Mark Allen's break-off in frame two.

One of the shots of the World Championship so far by Chris Wakelin!

What a sensational pot on the blue into the left middle, from tight on the top cushion, sending the cue ball around the angles to land inch perfect on the pink.

The pink drops too and Wakelin takes the opening frame.

In the best-of-25 second-round match between Mark Allen and Chris Wakelin, the opening frame is likely to be settled by the ongoing tactical exchange on the blue.

"Whoever wins it, the one that loses it will feel a little aggrieved because they've both had chances," says John Virgo on commentary.

John: Out of interest is there a reason why the second round begins before the first had finished? Logically things would be shuffled and there would be the last two matches playing to a finish now?

That's a good question, John. After a quick chat among our team, we think it is so that one match finishes in each session, and also so you are guaranteed to have a full session on at least one side of the arena.

Otherwise, you could have the scenario where two first-round matches finish with just a couple of frames played this afternoon and those who have paid for tickets won't quite have got their money's worth.

With the number of sessions and tables available, it's not possible to get the first round completed by Wednesday.

The table became an awful mess at the start of frame 11, and Belgian 'Bullet' Brecel figured he would go for power to blast a red and try to gain position on a colour.

A bunch of reds were crowded around a corner pocket, and the explosive nature of Brecel's shot resulted in the red bouncing up, along the rail towards the opposite pocket and on to the floor, to gasps from the crowd.

It cost him a four-point foul, with Day unable to take advantage of the handy chance he was left with.

What an assured start from Ryan Day. The 45-year-old made his debut at the World Championship in 2004 and has reached the quarter-finals three times, so he is no stranger to Crucible pressure.

The manner of his 101 break in the opening frame of the afternoon - keeping Brecel in his seat - gives him the cushion he would have been hoping for just 15 minutes or so ago.

Brecel might have had the momentum after his surge in the closing frames yesterday, but Welshman Day is now just four frames away from round two.

"A great start, just how you want to start the session," says BBC pundit and former world champion John Parrott.

Mark Allen opens up with a break of 32 but position was starting to run out as the break progressed and a miss on the pink gives Chris Wakelin his first chance among the balls.

Stephen Hendry
Seven-time world champion

Mark Allen is definitely one of the names you'd have to put in there as a potential winner. He wouldn't be in my top three contenders, but he's certainly capable.

He's won two out of the three Triple Crown events and this is the one that's missing.

Mark Allen came from 3-0 behind to beat Fan Zhengyi 10-6 in his first-round match.

The 39-year-old from Northern Ireland has Masters and UK Championship victories on his record but has never lifted the biggest prize in the sport. In fact, the former world number one has never made it to a final at the Crucible.

If this is to be his year, he will probably have to do it the hard way, with Zhao Xintong, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby all in his half of the draw.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Image source, Michael Emons

No-one would have predicted Belgium's Luca Brecel would get himself to the top of the snooker tree by becoming world champion in 2023.

He had never won a match at the Crucible before an epic run two years ago saw him defeat Ricky Walden, Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Si Jiahui (recovering from 11-5 down in an epic semi-final) and then Mark Selby 18-15 in the final to become the first world champion from mainland Europe.

But the 'Crucible Curse', which has not seen a first-time winner repeat their success the following year, struck again in 2024 with Brecel suffering a first-day opening-round loss to David Gilbert.

Brecel was in massive trouble at 5-1 down yesterday in the opening session against Wales Ryan Day, only to then win the last three frames to trail 5-4.

Can the Belgian seventh seed complete the recovery today and set up a last-16 tie with China's Ding Junhui or will Thursday be a great day for Day?

Shaun Murphy
2005 world champion on BBC Two

There is more breathing room [in the best-of-25-frame matches].

You can feel your way into the match and for most players it's the only time they'll ever play a match of that length. It's certainly the only time you play a match like that all season. It only happens here.

It's a totally different challenge trying to play those three-session matches, and this is before we get to the semis where it's four sessions. This is a totally different animal and it's always interesting to see how players settle into that.

BBC Two

Coverage of today's afternoon session at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield is under way on BBC Two.

You can choose to watch that - or dedicated coverage of either table in play - by clicking on the "Watch and listen" tab at the top of this page.

On Wednesday, Ronnie O'Sullivan made three centuries in the final four frames to complete a 10-4 first-round win over Ali Carter.

O'Sullivan, 49, was playing competitively for the first time since January.

He is back in action on Saturday from 14:30 BST, with China's Pang Junxu his second-round opponent.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Image source, Michael Emons

Welcome along to day six at the Crucible and the drama is building nicely.

We know 14 of the 16 players that have made the second round and that list will be completed today, while we also have our first two last-16 ties getting going.

We've had great shots, amazing centuries, fightbacks and tears. What has today got in store for us?

Image source, Michael Emons

As ever, we would love to hear your thoughts on today's snooker action. Who are you backing to win today, or take a big leap towards the last eight? Who you think could go all the way and lift the trophy this year?

Contact details can be found at the top of this post, and please make sure to put your name on all correspondence.