World Snooker Championship 2024: Si Jiahui and Robert Milkins progress on day four

Si Jiahui and Robert Milkins both won deciding frame matches as they progressed to the last 16 of the 2024 World Snooker Championship during Tuesday’s action at the Crucible Theatre.

The top story of the day was from 21-year-old Si who held his nerve to oust three-time world champion Mark Williams 10-9 in thrilling circumstances.

A surprise semi-finalist on his debut last year, the world number 23 very nearly didn’t feature in this year’s main draw as he needed a snooker when 9-8 down to Ben Mertens in the penultimate round of qualifying before squeezing through 10-9.

In-form Williams, fresh from his Tour Championship triumph earlier this month, began the match with an effort of 142 and later took the final two frames of the first session on Monday to lead 5-4 overnight. On resumption the next day, though, Si - who reached his maiden ranking event final at the German Masters in February - enjoyed a dream start as a trio of 60 plus breaks helped him claim the first four frames and move 8-5 ahead.

The subsequent mid-session interval swung momentum as Williams won frames 14 and 15 to move one behind, although Si steadied his ship and moved on the hill at 9-7 up with frame 16. However, after Si missed a pink when he was well placed to take victory in the next, Williams - who produced some outstanding pots from distance throughout the closing phases of the tie - was let back in and capitalised by eventually securing that frame and the next to force a decider.

In the final frame, Williams missed a tricky opening red into a middle pocket and left it on. Having squandered the previous opportunity to get the job done and seen his opponent rally towards him, Si composed himself and showed nerves of steel as he produced a match-winning visit of 77 to set up a last 16 tie with qualifier Jak Jones, another cueist who shone on debut 12 months ago.

Si has now won all three deciding frame matches that he has been involved in at the Crucible; in 2023 he pipped Shaun Murphy 10-9 in round one (after Murphy came back from 9-6 down) and Anthony McGill 13-12 in the quarter-finals.

World number 16 Milkins avoided being the seventh seed to be knocked this year as he came through a final frame shootout against China’s Pang Junxu.

In their opening session the day before, Pang made the early running at 3-0 up but Milkins did well to stay in touch at just 5-4 behind come the end of it.

The concluding session was a largely low quality affair but culminated in an exciting late night finish.

Two-time ranking event winner Milkins briefly led 6-5 before having to play catch up again. From 8-8, WST Classic finalist Pang played an impressive frame 17 to move one away, although his opponent potted a superb long distance red at the start of the next frame and proceeded to construct a decisive effort of 76 to force the second decider of the day.

Both players fashioned scoring visits in frame 19, but it was Milkins who claimed it on the colours to arrange a round two meeting with David Gilbert, the conqueror of reigning champion Luca Brecel on the opening day.