These players have only met once in the past - and that was a close affair.

One ranking title apiece, first Crucible quarter-final for both - talk about tough to call.

Vafaei definitely settling the quicker though.

Hossein Vafaei seems to have settled the better of the two debutant quarter-finalists.

Wu Yize picks out a brilliant long pot but then jaws a tricky brown into the middle pocket, again determined to go on the attack.

Vafaei remains just as positive with one of his early shots, blasting the blue in and sending the cue ball in and out of baulk off two cushions for it to fly back down the table and scatter the pack of reds.

Neil Robertson's missed red gives John Higgins the first chance of the second frame.

There are a couple of loose reds available but the four-time champion will need to open up the pack fairly soon if he's to make a decent contribution at this visit.

Steven Hallworth
Snooker commentator on BBC iPlayer

It was a little bit stop-start, the first frame.

No doubt it may take a couple of frames for both players to find their feet - it's the biggest day in both of their careers.

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

When it comes to the possible champion this year, it is hard to look past either John Higgins or Neil Robertson.

Both have been there and done it before - but, then again, the defending champion Zhao Xintong and Shaun Murphy will probably feel the same way.

Zhao has been the bookmakers' favourite from the start and it is easy to understand why.

He absolutely thrashed Higgins and world number one Judd Trump at the recent Tour Championship and became the first ever player to win all three events in the Players Series in the same season, having triumphed in both the World Grand Prix and Players Championship in February.

The likes of Wu Yize and Hossein Vafaei are extremely dangerous, as evidenced by their victories over Mark Selby and Trump, while Mark Allen just needs the world title to complete the Triple Crown.

However, there would likely not be a more popular winner than Barry Hawkins.

'The Hawk' is yet to win a Triple Crown event despite reaching the Crucible final in 2013, going close at the UK Championship in 2024 and reaching two Masters finals.

Image source, PA Media

John Higgins cuts a tricky red into the middle to ensure Neil Robertson won't be coming back to the table.

A patient break of 61 is enough to win the opening frame in this best-of-25 contest.

Errors from both players in the closing stages of frame one.

Wu Yize fluffs a snooker attempt on the yellow - after a great double on the final red - and leaves it over the pocket.

Hossein Vafaei accepts the gift but then misses the green with the rest - though he might have been distracted by a pesky mobile phone going off in the crowd.

Wu then totally misses the green when virtually snookered - and Vafaei pounces to clear from green to pink to take a nervy opening frame.

John Higgins, already on a break of 43, pots the blue and judges a cannon on the next red to near perfection.

He's 32 ahead with 59 remaining.

Hossein Vafaei keen to show he can match Wu Yize in the aggression stakes, absolutely crunching in a long green when he'd have been forgiven for playing safe.

He can't disturb the final red from off the side cushion when potting a brown though so we're in for a tense end to this opening frame with the Iranian leading 41-35.

Joe Perry
Former World Championship semi-finalist on BBC Two

Image source, PA Media

I don't think fatigue will be an issue in this match [for John Higgins].

If John does push on and reach the final, it may start to be an issue then, but not at this stage.

John Higgins picks out a plant in the pack of reds to get himself on the scoreboard and this is a good chance for the Scot to build a sizeable break.

The remaining reds, with a couple of exceptions, are almost all in a straight line as if they've been lined up for a training drill.

Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC iPlayer

First little sign of nerves - understandable.

Brilliant start from Wu Yize, who plays a number of attacking shots - including a tough black to cannon into the pack of reds, then a long red to the green pocket - to give himself a great chance to take the opening frame against Hossein Vafaei.

But then he misses a routine black at 35-15...

Neil Robertson knocks in a long red to start the opening frame but his first contribution ends on 12.

The Australian has the upper hand in the safety exchange early on, leaving John Higgins in a couple of snookers.

Image source, PA Media

China's Wu Yize, 22, is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in snooker.

He was aged 14 when he became World Under-21 champion in 2018 and clinched his first ranking title, the International Championship, earlier this season.

That put him into the top 16 for the first time and he began the World Championship ranked 10th in the world.

This is Wu's third appearance at the Crucible and this year's tournament is the first at which he has won a match at the Sheffield venue. He lost to Neil Robertson on debut in 2023 and pushed eventual finalist Mark Williams close in the first round last year.

Stephen Hendry
Seven-time world champion on BBC Two

Arguably both players having got to this stage, might have expected to still be the underdog.

Both of them will now be thinking, what a chance to get to the semi-final - and sometimes that can be a dangerous way to think.

You've got to be careful - they've got to temper it and play the game as it comes.

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

One thing that does endear snooker players to the public is that they are typically generous with their time and tend to be happy to engage with the public or for worthwhile causes.

If you need any evidence of that, you simply need to be at the Stage Door after each session ends and witness how players interact with mobs of fans waiting for autographs or photos.

Neil Robertson gave a very welcome reminder of that by coming out to meet a fan with a rare genetic condition, who is raising money for Sheffield children's charities.

The Australian posed for a photo before his match against John Higgins got under way, which I could not imagine happening so close to kick-off (so to speak) in too many other sports.

BBC Two

MC Rob Walker is introducing the players to the Crucible crowd and we'll soon be under way in this afternoon's two quarter-final matches.

Neil Robertson v John Higgins will be live on BBC Two, with both matches available on the BBC iPlayer or via the "Watch and listen" tab at the top of this page.

The four World Championship quarter-finals will each be played over three sessions and are the best of 25 frames.

14:30

• John Higgins v Neil Robertson
• Wu Yize v Hossein Vafaei

19:00

• Zhao Xintong 3-5 Shaun Murphy
• Barry Hawkins 5-3 Mark Allen