What an escape from Mark Williams! Off four cushions, he lands perfectly in among the bunch of three reds around the pink.

And it earns him a chance at a long red - gets it!

The following black doesn't go in - it was tricky with the cue ball tight on the cushion - but he's left nothing for Zhao Xintong to go at.

Mark Williams has a lead of 30 with seven reds left but he catches the brown with a safety shot, leaving Zhao Xintong a long red to gobble up.

He lays a snooker behind the big target of yellow and brown - Williams in trouble.

"An edgy start," says Ken Doherty in commentary, as Zhao Xintong runs out of prime position and then misses a long red.

Mark Williams is back to the table but with pink and black currently out of commission.

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

Can Mark Williams recover? Will Zhao Xintong continue in the same vein? And what's on the menu in the Crucible press room on finals night? Those are among the burning questions this evening.

I am happy to report a Sunday roast is being served (and just consumed) but I elected to swerve a huge slab of chocolate cake for afters.

More signs that we're seeing a different Mark Williams tonight.

He pots a fine red and then goes full-blooded to pot a black along the cushion dead weight. If he missed, he was leaving a lot.

But shortly afterwards, a pink to the left centre does not drop and Zhao Xintong will get a first chance to make a meaningful contribution this evening.

Shaun Murphy
2005 world champion on BBC Two

Everyone on their way to taking home this beautiful trophy has a little wobble. For most players this is their life's work. You are stood about to climb Mount Everest and sometime it will hit. It is going to hit Zhao Xintong at some stage.

Hope you enjoy the evening, Daniel...

Mark Williams' highest break of the match - an effort of 86 - earns the world number six only his second frame of the final.

A frame won in one visit, the deficit reduced to five.

Comeback on?

Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Two

This is a good start. This is exactly what Mark Williams was hoping for.

Williams on a break of 55 and counting, with reds available to secure the frame at this visit.

Zhao Xintong was distracted by a fly while compiling a break during one of the frames this afternoon and it proved a worthy opponent before it eventually flew elsewhere.

Image source, Reuters

Mark Williams needs a fast start and he's knocked in a couple of early pots that will give himself and his supporters some hope.

Shaun Murphy
2005 world champion on BBC Two

Zhao Xintong is just fabulous to watch. He plays with an exuberance, he just goes for his shots. He has that confidence oozing out of him. He's just unstoppable at the moment.

At some stage, he will realise what he's achieving. When that happens, Mark Williams has to be close enough to hit him.

John Parrott
1991 world champion on BBC Two

It's not the greatest surprise [what happened in the first session]. Mark has had a tough run and he put some effort into beating Judd in the semi-final. Then to go to work again so soon, sometimes there can be a reaction the next day.

Mark is one of the game's great battlers. The trouble is that his opponent gets in and doesn't just make 30, he makes 80 breaks. So he's going to need a bit of help.

MC Rob Walker has introduced the two players and we're about to get going again.

Mark Williams gave a few fist bumps to members of the crowd as he made his way down the steps - he's going to need a huge session tonight.

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

In both of the two previous Crucible finals, the player who finished their semi-final second ended up trailing after the first session.

Jak Jones (7-1) recovered to 11-6, while Mark Selby got back to 9-8 behind but ultimately neither were able to turn those contests around against eventual champions Kyren Wilson and Luca Brecel respectively.

But it would be foolish to rule out a Mark Williams fightback.

Give or take a few days, it is 25 years since he recovered from a 13-7 deficit to defeat Matthew Stevens in the 2000 final.

The BBC Two coverage has started with some of the stories of this and previous World Snooker Championships.

I can't remember one in recent times that I've enjoyed more than this one - it's really been a pleasure to follow and work on.

The standard of play has been sensational and along the way we've had plenty of stories; Ronnie's return, the "Crucible curse" striking down another victim, Mark's maximum, Judd's ton of tons, the 'Class of 92' delivering a final-frame classic...

And there is one more story to be written to conclude the 2025 tournament.

BBC Two

Watch the second session of the final on BBC Two, the BBC iPlayer or at the top of this page via the "Watch and listen" tab.

JamieMcn7: Ouch...Mark Williams will need to dig as deep as his career experience will go here. If he loses the session tonight, it might be over before the match is due for its conclusion tomorrow evening.

Sho Rahman: Zhao reminds me so much of a young Ronnie the way he plays and the speed he plays at. His mentality as well.

Innov8tor: At this rate might the BBC need to dust off a whole 6-edition series of ‘Coast’ for Monday evening?

Mark Williams has plenty of work to do if he is to mount a comeback in this final.

The Welshman, who began the tournament ranked sixth in the world, is aiming to join a select group of players to have won the World Snooker Championship on four or more occasions.

Here is the story of his three successes to date at the Crucible...