British Open snooker 2023 as it happened - Mark Williams and Ding Junhui through after more shocks

That's the end of our coverage for today. See you again tomorrow at 12.30pm BST. Ta-ra.

Ma Hailong 4-3 Hammad Miah

Ding Junhui 4-0 Julian Leclercq

Oliver Lines 0-1 He Guoqiang

I hate to say it but it feels like it's Ryan dragging Ali down, and the way he navigates this clearance emphasises that.

Neither man can get anything going, Ali soon missing and Ryan soon running out of position. He lays a snooker ... and Ali botches what should be an easy escape by leaving a red. Obviously Ryan then misses within a few shots, a ball sent long towards the yellow, so Ali is back a the table trying, once again, to put a frame out of its intense misery.

Ryan cues right across one to left corner, then Ali gets away to the yellow. He stroked that down nicely and now he's on the black, looking good ... not for long ... but then Ryan immediately hands him another opportunity. He picks away at the side of the pack, but will have to get into it properly fairly soon.

Ma Hailong 3-3 Hammad Miah

Ding Junhui 4-0 Julian Leclercq

Oliver Lines 0-0 He Guoqiang

Gosh, this has been hard work. Ryan snaffles another frame both deserved to lose.

As if. But when Ryan leaves a red near right corner, Ali can't help but clean it up and this really should be the frame. Except a black off its spot won't quite drop and suddenly it's Ryan tucking into the colours!

This is a real struggle now. Ali can manage only 21, leaving a red near the blue spot; Ryan drapes himself across the table and slams it into the yellow bag. But he can only add a few and shortly afterwards is tight behind the yellow; he foul-misses but leaves a red ... which Ali jawses. Goodness me this is not good, and as I type that Ryan misses a black moving on the shot. Can Ali clear up?

While I'm updating from elsewhere, Ryan gets in and, without ever entirely convincing, builds a useful lead. Earlier, Nealf was saying that he needed an open match where Ali could handle whatever came up - with good reason. But it's Ryan in first and he eventually misses; can Ali find his flow?

Matthew Stevens 3-4 Fergal O'Brien

Ma Hailong 3-3 Hammad Miah

Ding Junhui 2-0 Julian Leclercq

Oliver Lines 0-0 He Guoqiang

Both men narrowly miss, then Ali clips in dead fine to the yellow bag and finally, we're done, thanks to a finish the frame scarcely deserved.

Ali gently floats in the yellow, adds the green, and surely this will be an end to it. But he overruns so needs to go at the brown with the rest, from above it ... and doesn't get that close. He does, though, leave it, but from it, Ryan can't get onto the blue ... which he chips into the yellow bag, dead fine. That's a really good shot, the pink follows ... but he ends up almost stuck to the black. This frame didn't deserve not to end with a last-ball scrap.

We're here awhile just replacing the balls.

Leading by 24 with 27 left, Ryan misses a pink to left-middle, so the chase for the yellow is on and I'm not sure how he manages this but Ryan catches the blue en route to it. We may be here awhile yet.

He cannot, rustling up five before allowing Ryan another go; he removes a couple of reds and this cursed frame might soon be of blessed memory.

"It's been a dire frame" remarks Nealf when Ali goes in-off; Ryan gobbles up a starter only to eschew green in favour of a harder pink; he misses it. Can Ali, in yet again, capitalise?

After a long period of safety, Ryan clunks a nice starter to right corner then, off his second red, snuggles in behind the brown. My SkyGo then crashes so I don't see what happens next, but my picture returns, post-update, for me to see Ali at the table missing a black. I'll level with youse: I've seen better frames.

Ryan, of course, is the defending champ, and after Ali sinks a starter but leaves the black on the lip, he gets in only to clip blue trying to pot red; he's quickly stuck behind the brown by way of punishment.

Ryan Day v Ali Carter

Matthew Stevens 3-2 Fergal O'Brien

Yuan SiJun 2-4 Hossein Vafaei

Ma Hailong 1-2 Hammad Miah

He gets in again, bins yellow and green, and there we go. Gary played well, but you've gotta play better than that to beat Mark J.

Mark can't clear up so Gary returns to the table 35 behind with 27 left, and immediately lays a nasty snooker, white behind black with pink, and blue also in the road and the yellow protected by green and broon; Mark hits the former.

A poor shot from Gary offers Mark one to right-middle, but it's far from easy and he can't send it down. No matter: Gary, whose long-potting has let him down tonight, misses again, Mark finally sees off a red they've been chasing for eight minutes, and this will surely be curtains.

Mark patiently mooches about the table, planning his route to three reds triangulated under the pink. If he develops those, it's game over, but instead a blue he thought wouldn't return to its spot ends up hampering him, and he's soon forced to play safe. Gary is still in the tournament.

Gary eases a starter into right corner and quickly makes it three red-blacks ... then leaves one on the lip, off its spot! "Unforgivable," muses Stephen, and already you fear this is the end. But Mark goes into the pack and is he on anything? No he isn't! But what's this? He manufactures a fine flick to left corner, and looks set to clinch f&m.

Matthew Stevens 2-2 Fergal O'Brien

Yuan SiJun 1-3 Hossein Vafaei

Ma Hailong 1-1 Hammad Miah

Mark chips in the pink and he is so a brilliant competitor.

Mark clears to blue, so Gary returns to the table needing a snooker. Good luck with that, old mate.

Goodness me, Gary leaves the red pottable into the green bag, then Mark misses the pot! Two dreadful shots there, but then Gary gets Mark snookered, the green blocking the white's path to the last red - which is near right-middle - so Mark tries to pot it off the top rail. He foul-misses and Gary can't decide whether to put him in again and risk him pot it, or take the green as a free ball and risk himself missing it. Which he does, then another error lets Mark in, and might this matched have turned?

Mark nervelessly removes balls, but he doesn't get good position on the green, forced to go up the table to try and tickle the final red off the side rail ... which he does ... except it's still not pottable. The chase is on!

Gary jawses a swerve and gets pretty close, but he was always going to leave something if he missed; he might now be wondering if the shot was worth the risk, because Mark is doing it again.

Gary goes in-off but then gets the first chance of the frame and, doubtless still smarting from being dished in the last, he'll want to make something of it. He picks around the bunch, building a useful lead, before finishing low on the black, a state of affairs that means he's to go into the pack off it. He releases one ball, but then looking to go again off the blue, he doesn't get close. Another opportunity wasted, and last time it cost him.

Matthew Stevens 1-2 Fergal O'Brien

Yuan SiJun 1-2 Hossein Vafaei

Ma Hailong 0-0 Hammad Miah

A signature one-hander from Mark sends the pink towards the green bag, and though it doesn't quite go down, it's so close that Gary concedes.

Mark clears to pink, misses it, and 22 points behind, Gary returns to the table, Good luck with that, old mate.

There are few I'd back more heavily than Mark in a situation like this; I'm not sure anyone, in the history of the game, has had a better temperament. And when runs a little out of position, he bangs down the yellow ... but catches it thick so has another toughie on the green ... which he also eliminates. Of course he does.

Gary's a little short on a black, so has to deploy the rest; he dribbles it down, but with the white near the rail, this next pot is a problem, a cut to right corner. He doesn't get close really either, and suddenly Mark isn't close to out, he's got a good chance to level the match.

We don't say this often, but what a poor safety shot from Mark, leaving the white up the table and a simple chip to right corner. Stephen said earlier that in a tactical battle there was only one winner, but it feels like Gary's got him here.

David Grace 3-4 Sanderson Lam

Matthew Stevens 0-2 Fergal O'Brien

Yuan SiJun 1-2 Hossein Vafaei

Ma Hailong 0-0 Hammad Miah

On 74, Gary jawses a pink sent long to the yellow, but the run was an excellent one and more than enough for the frame.

In comms, Dave Hendon notes that Gary's buzz in winning that Scottish Open last term faded pretty quickly because he's a confident, ambitious bloke who wants more. And he's playing well here, turning not very much into a frame-winning contribution.

Consecutive misses with the rest, Gary then Mark, before the former clubs a starter into the green. But because his connection isn't the best, it requires a good brown to get up the table. A couple more dicey ones follow, but he takes them well and is now in decent position - though with the black tied up, things aren't straightforward.

Mark leaves the white in the pack, and somehow there's a jab out of it to left corner; Gary accepts the offer, adds a black ... and gets himself on nowt. He'll be disappointed with that, but he doesn't dwell on it, finding a decent length with his safety.

David Grace 3-3 Sanderson Lam

Matthew Stevens 0-1 Fergal O'Brien

Yuan SiJun 0-2 Hossein Vafaei

Yup, a run of 62 and we're back level.

Mark takes on a long one to left corner, misses, and Gary must, you feel, exploit that. The reds aren't beautifully spread but they are spread - the test is removing them in the correct order. He hammers home a green, moves up the table nicely, and looks in decent shape potting balls.

Ach, he misses to right corner ... but it barely costs him anything, Mark screwing back off the black and somehow ending up behind a diagonal line of reds none of which go.

A slow start to frame two and, in comms, Stephen notes that in this kind of match, there's only one winner; he reckons Gary should be trying attacking safeties, opening the pack, which makes perfect sense given his strength is potting balls. And shonuff, one of the great long potters raps one into left corner ... but on three, a red sent long, that looks for all the world like it's destined for the green bag, somehow stays out! Chance for Gary!

Tom Ford 4-3 Ashley Hugill

David Grace 3-2 Sanderson Lam

Matthew Stevens 0-0 Fergal O'Brien

Yuan SiJun 0-1 Hossein Vafaei

That's the thing with playing Mark: if you err, the strong likelihood is that he punishes you.

Yup, Mark cuts a black back, nudges a red, caresses it to right corner, and that's the frame.

Potting black and bumping the pack off the top rail, Mark lands on nowt because he didn't impart enough power, so plays safe ... but leaves one to right corner which Gary dispatches confidently only to miss a cut-back black. There's a strong chance that, given the lay of the table, it costs him the frame.

Mark misses a red to right corner, leaving one along the top rail for Gary, which he drains nicely. He's a fine player is Gary, last season's Scottish Open champion and a former Crucible semi-finalist, but he's not quite into stride yet, missing on 16 before Mark lands a starter and begins his process of systematic accumulation.

And my system crashes - but we're back now.

Daniel Wells 2-4 Ashley Carty

Ishpreet Chadha 4-2 Stuart Bingham

Tom Ford 3-3 Ashley Hugill

David Grace 1-2 Sanderson Lam

And welcome to the evening sesh!

That's us done for the afternoon; join me again at 6.30pm BST for Gary wilson v Mark J Williams followed by Ryan Day v Ali Carter!

Daniel Wells 2-3 Ashley Carty

Ishpreet Chadha 1-0 Stuart Bingham

Tom Ford 0-1 Ashley Hugill

Kyren started well and, though he cooled, Mark was so poor it made no difference!

Left one to the yellow bag, Mark stays steady to clunk it down, only to miss a straightforward brown to the green! I cannot believe he's done that, except I can because he's played like a drain today, and Kyren must now clear the colours for the match. I can't see how he misses any of these.

Second go, he hits it full in the face, so rather than free itself of the cushion, it barely moves at all. So Kyren sends the penultimate red long to the green back, bins the black, and sets himself up for a double; he refused one in frame one, nailed one in frame two ... and misses in three! But in the process he flukes a snooker' Mark escapes well.

Oh dear. Mark calls a push-shot on himself - though the ref noticed - so Kyren returns to the table seeking to close out the match, and on it lurks just one difficult ball, a red on the side rail. I think he plans to promote it rather than tuck in behind it, but he misses with his first go.

Using the rest, Mark clobbers one from centre to left corner, what Phil Yates calls a "proper snooker shot", and he looks good to get on the board.

Another slow start to a frame before Kyren, left on the top rail, under cuts to right-middle. I didn't expect him to miss that but he played it straight when a bit of angle was needed; Mark tidies it up, potting his second ball of the match, and needs to make this chance count.

Daniel Wells 1-3 Ashley Carty

Ishpreet Chadha 0-0 Stuart Bingham

Tom Ford 0-0 Ashley Hugill

Perhaps Kyren's form has cooled - mark can tell himself that - but, on the other hand, it seems unlikely he'll miss as many high-quality chances to win a frame in whatever's left of this match. Mark needs four in a row, else he's going home.

But with nothing on, he can't find a turn that won't leave a shot to nothing on a starter; Kyren sees it away, and this is definitely, at long last, 3-0

Or not! Kyren misses a red to left corner ... and again, Mark can't capitalise, unable to cut thin with the rest! But Kyren, again trying to secure his 3-0, misses and - for extra amazement - it's with the rest! The frame remains in the balance and if Mark can steal it, his opponent will feel very, very poorly.

Ohhh this game! Looking in total command and a cert for 3-0, Kyren jawses a red that can mean nothing other than a loss of concentration ... except Mark, with just one ball potted in the match, misses a relatively inviting cut to right-middle, and Kyren will shurely shecure the frame from here.

A slow start to frame three so Mark bashes the pack sending reds all over the show and pinning the white to black cush; Kyren finds a decent safety then, when opportunity knocks, guiding a nasty one to right-middle, smack in the heart of the pocket. It might take a while given how many balls are in baulk, but so many are pottable he might well take command of the frame at this visit.

Tian Pengfei 2-4 Mark Selby

Matt Selt 4-1 Zak Surety

Daniel Wells 1-3 Ashley Carty

Yup, a 121 and Kyren is halfway there!

Kyren plays for a double on the penultimate red and sinks it with such ease you wonder if, had he done likewise in the last frame, he'd still be buzzing off a 147. Instead, he had to settle for the 399th ton of his professional career with 400 a near-enough certainty.

Kyren looks in tremendous touch here, and there's no reason to think he won't see this frame away from here.

Eesh, Mark overcuts a red he shouldn't so Kyren cues over the cluster, hanging onto a rest for stability, and gets himself away. The black goes to both corners but there aren't many reds loose, so crafting a serious chance from here will take a good split ... and here it comes, the pack splattered and a big score now on the table.

Kyren gets close with a cross-double then, a few shot later, Mark nails a superb red diagonally to left corner only to land on nowt; Kyren then gets away but also can't find a colour, so we're back playing safety.

Tian Pengfei 2-3 Mark Selby

Matt Selt 3-1 Zak Surety

Daniel Wells 1-2 Ashley Carty

A great start for Kyren; Mark won't yet feel he's in the match.

Kyren considers addressing the tricky one via double but instead takes the penultimate red before promoting it off the black ... problem being it might not now pass the green en route to the green bag. So he tries to screw it off the bottom and into left corner but gets nowhere near, forced to make do with a paltry 112 and the lead.

As with his Cruce maxi, Kyren hasn't played a false shot in making the frame safe, eliminating the second-hardest red with a delicate stroke to left-middle. It's all on that one an inch or so from the side; come on the Kyrizzle!

Pack now broken, Kyren, playing really quickly, has almost everything freely available. He made a sensational maxi at last year's Worlds, and will fancy another here - there's one red on the side rail, but everything else is accessible.

Both players miss long reds then Kyren, wearing a glove on his bridging hand, presumably to aid slidage, nails one to right corner and quickly adds a succession of red-blacks; five of them now...

Mark and Kyren are with us; can't be many times those two have met in the round of 64.

He's surprised by how well he played and says this is easily his best performance on telly - he's delighted he proved to himself he can do it on the big stage - and knew that 3-0 against John was far from over. Now, though, he's looking forward to the next round, saying Scott is one of the most improved players on tour, so it should be a good match.

Tian Pengfei 2-2 Mark Selby

Matt Selt 2-1 Zak Surety

Daniel Wells 1-2 Ashley Carty

A 118 break and fine performance gives Robbie one of the wins of his life and - with Scott Donaldson next - he'll fancy himself to keep going; rightly so. Well done him.

Robbie drains the final loose red, the remaining five bunched together. There might be one at the bottom which goes, but instead he breaks them up off the pink, slots the next ball to left-centre, and this is going to be curtains. What a win this'll be for Robbie!

On 27, Robbie takes a moment, debating whether to pick off the easy balls or take the opportunity to dig into the cluster. He opts for the latter, it doesn't go as planned ... so he cuts in a glorious red, the white travelling long to clip it home from close to the green bag, taking the white in and out of baulk. This is now a really good chance to finish the match, but Robbie won't have forgotten the blue he missed in the last frame that let John in.

Left a tempter off the break, John confidently strikes it diagonally to right corner, breaks the pack ... and overcuts a simple ball to right-middle! Chance for Robbie, with loads on which to go!

Tian Pengfei 2-1 Mark Selby

Matt Selt 1-1 Zak Surety

Daniel Wells 1-1 Ashley Carty

A run off 116 and john's on the board - but is it too little too late?

Good stuff from John, removing loose balls and making the frame safe.

Clunk! Robbie sticks a starter into right corner, works his way up the table via broon,then ruffles the pack slotting another fine red and sinks a taxing pink to left-centre. This is excellent stuff - he's 98% on pots so far - and though, with pink tied up and black only passing to one pocket, this match isn't over, he'll be more than happy to be at the table. Except looking to break the bunch, he misses the pot, John slides gently along the top rail into left corner, and this is a chance for him to improve on the 32 which represents his highest run of the match so far.

Tian Pengfei 2-0 Mark Selby

Matt Selt 1-1 Zak Surety

Daniel Wells 0-1 Ashley Carty

A fine blue takes the white in and out of baulk, then in behind the final red, despatched emphatically into left corner. That's a terrific shot and, though Robbie overruns playing for the yellow, just about has an angle to slide across the baulk line and send it down! He's going three up with four to play!

And he does, just about, before cueing across one with the rest and missing to left corner. No matter: he breaks the two reds that were together, semi-fluking one into the opposite corner - he didn't play for it but knew the ball was headed thataway - and out of nowhere conjuring a chance for him to take the frame at this visit with nothing on the table safe.

Er, or not. He runs out of position after adding another red and we begin a safety exchange that might decide the frame. And it doesn't last long, Robbie floating from centre to corner and getting away. The way the balls are - there are two reds stuck together near the side rail - he'll do well to steal the frame at this visit, but he can certainly get back into it.

This is a big season for John who, with points garnered the one before last coming off, will need to play well to preserve the top-16 status he's held for 30 years. Yes, 30 years. I was in school when he broke through, now I'm a middle-aged man with a family, and he's still stealing frames and sinking doubles. He gets in first here too, and though he soon misses, he's soon given another chance and looks good when breaking the pack off the yellow ... only to play it far too slowly. He's on one, though, and should secure the frame from here.

Tian Pengfei 1-0 Mark Selby

Matt Selt 1-0 Zak Surety

Daniel Wells 0-0 Ashley Carty

A 73 followed by a 91, and Robbie is halfway to the last 16!

Plenty to think about for John, sat on his pie-holder as Ronnie accumulates. This is going to be 2-0 and if he doesn't sort himself soon, he's going hame.

Potting to left corner, Robbie hits his red too hard, taking him away from the black and forcing a delicate poke on the pink at risk of a push-shot ... which rolls into left corner! Suddenly, the table looks inviting, and this is a great chance for 2-0!

Ramming home the yellow and seeking to break the pack, Robbie instead cracks the pink, which means end of break and a safety. And John responds with an absolute dog, sending a red over left corner; Robbie, though, feart of potting red and white, leaves the latter on the cushion then misses a nasty cut-back black by a distance. Chance for John ... who misses a pretty straightforward rest-shot ... so chance for Robbie.

The doubler is doubled! Robbie gets away with a starter off the left rail into right-centre, using one of John's favoured moves against him, the black goes down next, and again, there's a chance to score a few points here.

Tian Pengfei 0-0 Mark Selby

Matt Selt 0-0 Zak Surety

Daniel Wells 0-0 Ashley Carty

A confident 73 and Robbie hits the front!

Robbie's taken these nicely and there's no reason to think he won't secure the frame at this visit. The three remaining reds are in play, between black and blue, the colours all available too.

Well who saw that coming, "that" being a simple black missed off its spot. Chance forRrobbie - the kind, you feel, he has to take if he's to win here. He quickly digs into the pack, slots a tricky red into the green bag, and now has the frame at his mercy.

Left one off Robbie's break, John confidently sinks a starter into right corner then gets to work. There are plenty of points out there for him too.

We begin with John Higgins v Robbie Williams, then move on to what should be a jazzer: Kyren Wilson v Mark Allen. On we go!

Ryan Day 4-1 Rory Thor

Ding Junhui 4-1 Liu Hongyu

Fan Zhengyi 4-1 Ross Muir

He Guoqiang 4-1 Muhammad Asif

And welcome to the British Open 2023 - day three!

Hello and welcome to LIVE updates of our coverage of The British Open at the Centaur at Cheltenham racecourse.

There’s a host of big names in action in the afternoon session including John Higgins, Mark Selby and Mark Allen.

- - -

Stream top snooker action, including the English Open from October 2-8, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at Eurosport.com.