Neil Robertson gets the thin cut to the middle but the cue ball is close to the baulk cushion so there won't be a colour to follow. He lays a snooker on the yellow.

John Higgins pots a long red, one of the shots of the session, to reduce his gap to 13 points.

But then misses a black off the spot!

35 points remaining.

Dennis Taylor
1985 world champion on BBC iPlayer

It's just been one of those days.

And we're back.

The four remaining reds are all in a cluster by the top cushion and Neil Robertson has a possible pot on one of them.

He gets it and has an angle on the yellow to disturb the others... and wouldn't you know it? The yellow goes in but the cue ball sticks in the mini bunch.

Robertson, leading 39-30, has to play safe.

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

The way things are looking, the start of the evening session will be delayed.

The staff at the Crucible require 30 minutes from the final pot of this match to get fans out and back into the auditorium for the evening's matches - Shaun Murphy v Zhao Xintong and Barry Hawkins v Mark Allen.

This frame has been going for 35 minutes or so now.

Neil Robertson pots the green with the long rest but can't go round the angles far enough to be on the next red.

John Higgins hits the yellow with his attempted escape from a snooker, and Robertson asks for it to be put back.

While that's happening, both players take the opportunity to go to the bathroom and there's plenty of chatter among the crowd too during the unscheduled break.

Joe Perry
Former World Championship semi-finalist on BBC iPlayer

I think the balls are winning today, they're getting the better of the players.

The balls and the table have won this session.

It's a long championship and you will have a session where things don't go swimmingly but the frames all count the same so the players have to concentrate so hard.

Oooh! John Higgins almost breaks the stalemate with a long red to the green pocket which looked in all the way, but stayed in the jaws.

Chance for Neil Robertson.

There are still five reds on the table and Neil Robertson trails by two, with no sign of a quick resolution to this eighth frame.

It'll almost certainly be a later start to this evening's session, which was scheduled to start at about 19:00 BST, because of the time required to complete the turnaround between ticket holders for the afternoon and evening sessions.

Dennis Taylor
1985 world champion on BBC Two

Just the blue on its own spot here. Like watching a knockout in your local club.

Joe Perry
Former World Championship semi-finalist on BBC iPlayer

Neither player will have enjoyed how this has gone this afternoon.

Image source, PA Media

After more than three minutes putting the balls back in their correct positions, John Higgins has another go and hits a red this time, but leaves Neil Robertson a red on, which he gets.

But then the left-hander misses the next brown.

This session of snooker won't make many highlight reels.

John Higgins' first attempt at escaping the snooker ends with him somehow finding the smallest of gaps and hitting the yellow.

How has he managed that? He could try that another 100 times and not do it again.

John Higgins begins eating into Neil Robertson's lead in frame eight but, trailing by five, he misses the yellow with the rest.

The yellow comes all the way down the table and splits a few of the reds, but there's nothing easy for Robertson to start.

He knocks in a fine opening red, though, before rolling behind the brown to leave Higgins snookered on all remaining reds.

Joe Perry
Former World Championship semi-finalist on BBC iPlayer

It's another awkward frame.

The only colour down this end of the table is the black - and it's well and truly guarded.

Neil Robertson moves 22 points up but can't pot a colour. In fact, he can only see the black.

He instead tries to come off a cushion to hit the yellow at the baulk end, which he does at the second attempt after missing everything with his first try.

There was a slight disturbance at the start of the eighth frame as an audience member's medical device was beeping.

The referee was told it could not be turned off and the beeping has stopped for now. The two players were given the option of what to do and they have chosen to continue.

Back to the action, Neil Robertson pots the first ball of the frame and is at the table.

Stephen Hendry
Seven-time world champion on BBC Two

John's been a little bit flat today which is understandable after the adrenaline from yesterday's match with Ronnie.

That was a good frame for Neil to win.

Neil Robertson pots the last red and the green.

He's 12 behind with just the colours remaining.

The brown to blue, with the brown off its spot, is the key shot and he plays it perfectly.

Robertson is back into the lead once more.

John Higgins has needed the extended rest on a couple of occasions to pot reds and keep his break going.

He pots the black but leaves himself in no position to pot the last red.

The session in microcosm, really. Neither player has been at their fluent best.