2024 Xi'an Grand Prix Snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan advances as quarter-finals line-up completed

Professional snooker's most decorated ranking event champion with 41 titles to his name, O'Sullivan has dropped only three frames in four matches at Xi’an Qujiang E-sports Centre this week as he aims to become the first winner of this new accolade and pocket the £177,000 top prize.

Having taken the opening frame of the encounter, O'Sullivan made breaks of 103 and 104 in back-to-back frames before winning scrappy frames either side of the mid-session interval. Vafaei - who had won their most recent meeting in March at the World Open in Yushan - struggled in the match and appeared frustrated towards the end of it.

Next up for O'Sullivan in the £850,000 ranking tournament is world number 37 Matthew Selt. O'Sullivan has won all four of their previous head-to-heads on the professional tour, although they haven't faced each other since 2016.

Daniel Wells was the second winner of the evening session in China, and he is through to the fourth ranking event quarter-final of his career after defeating fellow Welshman Dominic Dale, 5-1. World number 65 Wells plays Barry Hawkins on Friday.

World Champion Kyren Wilson shows class in victory

Kyren Wilson showed brilliant battling qualities, nerve and class as he ousted Jimmy Robertson in a dramatic deciding frame to set up a quarter-final meeting with Xu Si.

Former European Masters champion Robertson was in very fine scoring nick as breaks of 118 (twice), 68 and 62 helped put him go 4-2 up and one frame away from progression. However, World Champion Wilson crafted breaks of 103 and 82 to force the tie all the way.

It was looking like Robertson would win after all as he built a 51 points lead in the deciding frame, but after missing a tricky red into a middle pocket, Wilson stepped up and coolly constructed a counter-attacking clearance of 72 to maintain his title hopes in Xi'an.

Half of Thursday's last 16 matches went to a deciding frame, and the final player to book a quarter-finals ticket was the in-form David Gilbert who squeezed past Mark Selby.

Breaks of 64 and 91 aided Gilbert in building a 4-2 advantage, but Selby made a 116 in frame seven and then deposited the next to push the game into a ninth.

However, recent World Championship semi-finalist Gilbert was not to be denied as a run of 56 in the decider helped him stamp a place in Friday's schedule.

Gilbert will play Judd Trump in a tasty last eight fixture. Neither player has lost yet this season; Gilbert is 14 matches unbeaten, while Trump has won eight out of eight.

2024 Xi’an Grand Prix Quarter-Finals

Afternoon session (07:00GMT/14:00 local time)

• Kyren Wilson v Xu Si
• Ronnie O’Sullivan v Matthew Selt

Evening session (12:30GMT/19:30 local time)

• Daniel Wells v Barry Hawkins
• Judd Trump v David Gilbert

Quarter-final matches are the best of nine frames (first to five).

For the full draw, results, schedules, format, prize money and how to watch, please visit our 2024 Xi’an Grand Prix Tournament Information Centre here.