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Big snooker news away from the Crucible arena tonight - and it concerns Jimmy White.

The Whirlwind has been handed an invitational tour card that will keep him on the professional circuit for another two years, which is news that will delight his legion of supporters.

Six times a World Championship runner-up, White turns 63 next month but his hunger for competition is undimmed.

Hong Kong's Marco Fu has also been handed a two-year tour card.

Read more about this story here.

Shaun Murphy
2005 world champion on BBC Four

Mark had problems with his tip and I believe that's been looked at this afternoon.

It's very disconcerting to have to change your equipment midway through an event, let alone midway through a match, so he won't have had long to bed this tip in and hit some balls with it.

The other factor they've both got to get used to is that they both started the match on a cloth that was four or five days old, this cloth was relaid overnight so it's brand new for both of them.

MC Rob Walker has introduced the four players to the Crucible audience, the dividing curtain is down and we're about to get under way.

A reminder that you can pick which of the two matches you would like to watch by clicking on the "Watch and listen" tab at the top of this page.

John Higgins entered the World Championship as one of the form players in the field, having won the World Open and the Tour Championship in the past two months.

His second-round opponent is 14th seed Xiao Guodong of China, who beat qualifier Matthew Selt 10-4 in round one.

It's the second time that Xiao has reached this stage of the World Championship. In 2017, he lost in the last 16 to Mark Selby.

John Higgins said he was "drained" and "the most emotional he had ever been" after coming through a tough first-round match against Joe O'Connor earlier this week.

BBC presenter Seema Jaswal consoled a tearful Higgins during his post-match interview.

Mark Selby experienced some problems with his tip during the first session of his first-round match against Ben Woollaston.

The four-time world champion trailed 4-2 but used all of his resolve to lead 5-4 overnight - ending with a superb 135 break.

BBC Four

Coverage of Thursday's evening session at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield is under way on BBC Four.

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.

13:00

First round

• Luca Brecel 10-7 Ryan Day

Second round

• Mark Allen 2-6 Chris Wakelin - resumes on Friday

19:00

First round

• Mark Selby 5-4 Ben Woollaston

Second round

• John Higgins v Xiao Guodong

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.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Image source, PA Media

Ryan Day spoke to the media in his post-match news conference after losing to Luca Brecel and the 45-year-old has said he will not be quitting the sport but was frustrated with his efforts.

He said: "Even with a 5-1 lead I was looking over my shoulder and not looking forward. I'm just not over-confident and I'm definitely not the player I once was.

"I turn up and play and try. I've been doing it a long time so it's obviously a lot closer to the end than the beginning. I would've beaten myself up the way I played if that had been a couple of years ago but I've come to terms with it.

"I still like competing, I just haven't got the game that I had. As long as I'm on the tour I will still play and make a living out of it. I need to try to do something different [with his game] but I can't see my game really improving much."

If you weren't with us earlier today, Luca Brecel beat Ryan Day 10-7 to reach the second round for only the second time in his career. The other time he managed it, he won the title in 2023.

In the opening match of round two, qualifier Chris Wakelin established a 6-2 lead over world number eight Mark Allen.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Welcome back. The sixth evening session of the 2025 World Snooker Championship is coming up, and it features two titans of the sport.

England's Mark Selby didn't have it all his own way in the opening nine frames against fellow Leicester cueman Ben Woollaston, but the four-time world champion begins this deciding session of their match with a 5-4 lead.

It is the last of the first-round matches to reach a conclusion and the winner will tackle China's Si Jiahui in the last 16.

If the pace and play of last night's opening session are anything to go by, this evening could deliver one of those beloved late-night Crucible nail-biters.

Second-round action takes place on table two as Scotland's John Higgins - also a four-time past champion at the Crucible - faces China's Xiao Guodong. They play eight frames to begin their best-of-25 tussle.

Image source, PA Media

Thanks for being with us for coverage of the first of Thursday's two sessions at the World Snooker Championship.

Live text updates and BBC TV coverage will resume at about 19:00 BST, as Mark Selby takes on fellow Leicester potter Ben Woollaston for a place in round two, while another four-time champion John Higgins begins his second-round match against China's Xiao Guodong.

Steve Davis, who won six world titles in the 1980s, was not surprised to see Brecel surge back into the match after trailing 5-1 in the early stages.

"It seemed it was on the cards. It seemed Ryan wasn't confident enough to win the match, in a nutshell," Davis said on BBC Two.

He urged Brecel to start his next match with more purpose, while suggesting there is hard work to come for Day as he looks to extend his career on tour.

"Living to fight another round, [Brecel] can perhaps play a bit more accurately early on, not put himself in the hole so quick in the match," Davis said.

"For Ryan, it's going to be tough for the rest of his career now unless he does something about his technique.

"I don't think it's a mental problem. He needs to spend a couple of months being robotic, staying still on the shot. If he gets his technique stronger, his mental attitude will improve."

Shaun Murphy
2005 world champion on BBC Two

On Brecel's run of flukes:

Some of the shots he knocked in were just typical, weren't they.

These are lucky shots, let's get it out there.

You can't do anything about it, but we're making no excuses for Ryan. He had chance after chance after chance.

Ryan Day, speaking to BBC Two after losing 10-7 to Luca Brecel in round one:

"It's just a bit disappointing. I had plenty of chances all the way through the match.

"I'm not the player I once was. It's unfortunate, but we keep on trying.

"It's been like it for quite a few years and doesn't feel like anything's changing soon or quickly.

"I'm 45 now, I'm not getting any younger and I'm finding it tough, the older I get, to keep my composure a bit."

Luca Brecel, speaking to BBC Two after completing a first-round win over Ryan Day:

"It's good to win, I was expecting to win to be honest. It wasn't the best game but I always felt I was a bit more on top of him and a bit more relaxed maybe. It paid off in the end.

"Last night, when I got back to 5-4 from 5-1 down, I played some good stuff. If that goes 7-2 or something, I'm going to lose. That was a turning point but, even at 5-1 down, I still felt OK and relaxed."

On facing Ding Junhui in a best-of-25-frame second-round match next: "It's not my favourite format but I'll have to deal with it and see what happens."

Dennis Taylor
1985 world champion on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Ryan Day will come forward and congratulate Luca Brecel.

In the end you will have to say the Belgian 'Bullet', the former world champion, wins the match reasonably comfortably.

Congratulations to Luca Brecel, winning a first-round match at the World Championship for just the second time.

He's taken nine of the final 11 frames to get the job done against a fading Ryan Day.

We know what happened on the previous occasion that Brecel won his opener - he beat Mark Williams in round two, then Ronnie O'Sullivan, Si Jiahui and Mark Selby to get his hands on the trophy.

In terms of natural talent, Brecel is up there with the true artists and great entertainers of this sport.

Is he a serious title contender this year? It would be almost as much of a shock as it was two years ago because he's so unpredictable. A sharper opponent than Day could have punished him in this contest.

Don't count him out though. The best-of-25 match against Ding sounds like a match you'll want the popcorn out for - it starts on Saturday evening at 19:00 BST.

Stephen Hendry
Seven-time world champion

That blue [in frame six] was the shot of the session and since then Chris Wakelin has been a different player. It's just given him belief and confidence.