World Snooker: John Higgins beats Lee to make last 16

Higgins looked in imperious form at the Crucible

Three-time champion John Higgins booked his place in the second round of the World Snooker Championship with a 10-5 win over Stephen Lee.

Higgins led 6-3 going into the second session and added his fourth ton of the match before moving into a 8-3 lead.

Lee scored a 101 en route to reducing the deficit to three frames before the world number one again took control, finishing off with an 81.

Earlier, world number three Mark Selby beat Jimmy Robertson 10-1.

The Leicester player will now face seven-time winner Stephen Hendry.

Selby made light work of Crucible debutant Robertson, who qualified for the World Championship after beating 1997 champion Ken Doherty.

Robertson had won the first frame of the match before Selby took an 8-1 lead after the first session.

A 109 put Selby 9-1 ahead and he wrapped up the victory with the next frame.

Selby, known as the "Jester from Leicester", is hoping that this will be a fortnight to remember before he flies off to Cancun in Mexico to marry his fiancee Vicki on 24 May.

"Before this tournament I don't know if I was more nervous about the wedding or the World Championship," said the 27-year-old.

"It'll be a great occasion anyway, the wedding, but it'd be nice to put the icing on the cake and to go there as world champion."

Robertson said: "The atmosphere was brilliant. It takes a bit of getting used to.

"It was a good experience and hopefully I'll get to come back again next year."

Higgins will face Rory McLeod in his next match. The Wellingborough player was accused by his first-round victim Ricky Walden of adopting "painful" tactics which would kill the game if every player utlised them.

"He's maybe been unfairly criticised," Higgins said of McLeod.

"There was lots of tension from Rory because he knew the TV cameras were on him and he wanted to do himself justice.

"I'm expecting Rory to come out and play a lot better in his second match. I can't afford to think it's an easy match because it's certainly not that."

Meanwhile, two-time world champion Mark Williams made an exceptional start to his second-round encounter against Jamie Cope, as he surged into a 7-1 lead following the first session of the best-of-25 match.

The Welshman did not make a break higher than 72 but never looked rattled against the Stoke player who missed a succession of easy pots. The pair resume at 1000 BST on Friday.

Bristol's Judd Trump, who beat world champion Neil Robertson in the first round, takes a 5-3 lead into the second session of his second-round encounter against Martin Gould.

Trump raced into a 3-0 lead with breaks of 54 and 91 before his opponent from Pinner battled back, knocking in a 75 on his way to levelling the scores.

But Trump won the last two frames, scoring a 93 in the seventh, to finish the day with a two-frame advantage.

That match resumes at 1430 BST on Friday.