As often happens after a very long frame, the next one is much, much shorter.

Zhao Xintong needs a couple of chances to seal the frame but does so with a break of 36 and restores his two-frame cushion.

Wu Yize needs a couple of bites at the cherry but he opens his account with a 46 break to get on the board after those two Mark Selby centuries.

Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Two

The nerves are getting to both players - the magnitude of the match, a place in the quarter-finals at stake, keeping their World Championship hopes alive.

Inexcusable misses and positional shots and choice of shots - but that's what happens at the Crucible. That's what makes it such a special place - sometimes you don't have clarity of thought out there because of the pressure.

These are two of the best players in the world but pressure gets to everybody and you can make elementary mistakes, which is what makes it fascinating.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible

Image source, PA Media

"There's so much pressure playing at the Crucible, it can't be replicated at any other venue."

The words of former champion and current world number one Judd Trump show that even experienced players at the top of the game remain daunted at the iconic Sheffield venue.

The World Snooker Championship is the sport's ultimate endurance test. Seventeen days of drama, tension and pressure, all with the crowd so close they can touch the players – or offer them sweets.

Since 1977, Sheffield's Crucible Theatre has been the home of snooker. A thousand fans pack into the compact but atmospheric arena, where the careers of some have been launched and the spirits of others have been broken.

But no matter how good you are, at some point your turn to suffer will come, stuck in the chair, unable to leave or speak, watching helplessly as your opponent shines.

Former winner Shaun Murphy believed taking his driving test was "the most nerve-racking moment of my life". That changed on Tuesday.

After his dramatic 10-9 win over Fan Zhengyi, which came after he had been 53-17 down in the decider, the 2005 champion called the experience of sitting, waiting and "praying for one chance" as "50 times worse than my driving test".

Read Michael Emons' feature on the Crucible pressure pit here.

Ding Junhui finally reduces his deficit to one frame by cutting in an acute blue to end a gruelling session-opener.

He won't care a jot how long it took, mind - he's well in this match at 9-8, having been 8-5 adrift at one point yesterday.

What a frame that was - mistakes, misses, snookers, fouls and escapes galore. Shows you the pressure the Crucible puts on you - speaking of which...

100% with you, Chris! Love it when these great players are made to look as normal as us club cloggers...

They're still going in the opening frame on Table One, more than 40 minutes this has taken. These lads are taking inspiration from the London Marathon going on this morning.

Zhao Xintong has landed a number of snookers on Ding Junhui - but the veteran Chinese star keeps escaping them.

Above was the one he missed to keep Zhao in the frame - but the reigning champion is still 19 points behind with only 18 (blue, pink and black) left on the table so he needs one more snooker.

Steven Hallworth
Snooker commentator on BBC Two

Mark Selby is really giving this packed Crucible crowd something to seriously enjoy this morning - what a start this has been.

Frame #2 Mark Selby goes one better than Frame #1 Mark Selby.

He follows up the 123 clearance in the opening frame with a 124 in the second.

Easy as 1, 2, 3 (or 1, 2, 4) for the four-time world champion.

Dennis Taylor
1985 world champion on BBC Two

This has been a very bizarre opening frame - I don't think we'll see many more frames like it in this match.

Both players have missed four or five chances.

Ding Junhui then finds himself in this horrible position...

But produces a fabulous escape, going around the angles off three cushions to hit the brown.

Wow.

Ding Junhui doesn't get enough on a swerve in attempting an escape from a snooker - and that's the foul Zhao Xintong required.

Ding then escapes a more difficult snooker with wonderful judgement and pots the yellow soon after - but snookers himself on the green!

It's had everything, this first frame of the day...

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible

Image source, Getty Images

Last year, Zhao came through four rounds of qualifying and then defeated 2024 runner-up Jak Jones, compatriot Lei Peifan and England's Chris Wakelin before thrashing seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 17-7 to reach the final.

Zhao's 18-12 success over Mark Williams was a pivotal moment in the sport, instantly making the winner a national hero, and inspiring youngsters to take up snooker.

According to World Snooker Tour figures, more than 24.5 million unique viewers watched the third session of the final alone in China and during the whole 2025 tournament, it had a cumulative audience of 180 million on national broadcaster CCTV5.

The event also had 1.5 billion social media impressions in China over its 17 days.

"When I go to China I'm famous now and when I'm walking around the street lots of people want to take pictures of me," said 29-year-old Zhao. "It's amazing and a big difference to before but I'm really happy to do it and I'm trying to becoming a great player.

"Before, older people would want to take pictures of me because they are snooker fans, but now it is their son or daughter that takes pictures - and I'm really happy for it."

Ding Junhui holds his hand up in apology after a very fortunate fluke on the penultimate red puts him on the verge of taking a very, very scrappy opening frame of the morning.

But he misses a straight yellow, leading by 28 with 27 points remaining on the table - Zhao Xintong only needs one snooker.

No signs of nerves on the other table from four-time Crucible champ Mark Selby.

The 'Jester from Leicester' will be in a jovial mood indeed as a 123 clearance earns the seventh seed the opening frame against Wu Yize.

Dennis Taylor
1985 world champion on BBC Two

Maybe a little bit of early nerves in this opening frame - it's a huge match for these boys.

They haven't settled yet.

This match will be going live to China and there might be 100 million, 200 million people watching, because they are superstars in China.

Yep, another miss from Zhao, mistakes galore in the opening exchanges... by the way you can read more about the master v apprentice aspect of this match and its impact in China here...

We mentioned Ding's worryingly low long-shot success percentage in this match - 38%...

Well, that's dropped even further early doors as he completely butchers a long red and sends the others flying everywhere.

Errors from both players follow but it's Zhao Xintong who's in first on what looks a very open table...

Image source, Getty Images

We want to hear your thoughts on all the Crucible action, snooker fans.

Reckon Zhao Xintong can lift the 'Crucible curse' and become the first-ever first-time champion in Sheffield to retain his title?

Get in touch using our shiny yellow button right here on this page.

Live coverage

10:00-23:00 - uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, website and app

10:00-12:30 - BBC Two

10:00-14:00 - Red Button

15:00-18:00 - BBC Two

16:35-18:00 - Red Button

19:00-22:00 - BBC Four & Red Button

Highlights

23:55-01:55 - World Championship Extra on BBC Two

Image source, Getty Images

On this morning's other table, two of the first round's most impressive, convincing and emphatic victors go head-to-head in the opening session of their last-16 clash.

Four-time world champion Mark Selby began his Crucible campaign by crushing 2024 runner-up Jak Jones 10-2.

China's Wu Yize was equally dominant in hammering compatriot Lei Peifan.

Should be a cracker if they replicate their opening-match form.