Welsh Open 2022 snooker LIVE – Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Neil Robertson among stars in action

ByDaniel Harris

Updated 01/03/2022 at 21:53 GMT

It is a bumper day of action at the Welsh Open with Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Williams and Neil Robertson among those in action. O'Sullivan will kick off the afternoon session against James Cahill, while Robertson and Williams take to the tables before Trump faces Craig Steadman in the evening. Stream the 2022 Welsh Open and much more top snooker action live and on demand on discovery+

'Oh dear' – Williams uses HAND to stop ball as snooker attempt goes badly wrong

Righto

That's us done for tonight. Join us again tomorrow at 1.45pm GMT for a spot of Ronnie.

World Championship

O'Sullivan and Bingham level after opening session, Higgins behind to Wilson

10 hours ago

Around the tables

Iulian Boiko 0-4 Mark Allen

Mark Davis 1-4 Matt Selt

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 3-4 Fergal O'Brien

Chris Wakelin 2-1 Jack Lisowski

John Higgins beats Soheil Vahedi 4-0!

Bow down. John Higgins is a genius, appreciate him while you still can. He eases into round two, and will meet Ali Carter next.

Higgins 3-0 Vahedi (60-24)

"He's a dirty, rotten scoundrel," says Angles. "What a rascal" when John flukes a snooker; Soheil escapes but leaves the final tred, and this is over.

Higgins 3-0 Vahedi (60-24)

Again, Soheil tucks in behind the pink with the final red up in baulk; the red is narrower than last time, so might be a bit harder ... or not! John gets in it the middle, on, I think, the penultimate roll. Lovely.

Higgins 3-0 Vahedi (60-0)

No one has won this title more than John, who's taken it home five times. And when he runs out of position, Soheil returns to the table needing a snooker.He actually got one in frame two, when he needed one, but John escaped superbly.

Higgins 3-0 Vahedi (33-0)

John begins with another nice cut-back, eased to right corner, and you can't help but fear the worst for Soheil. John has worked his way onto the pink, sinks it to middle in lovely fashion ... only for it to be replaced close to the pack, as none of the spots on the table are free. Still, on he eases, and if he can sink one tricky red to left-middle, it may well be the end. It's there!

Around the tables

Iulian Boiko 0-4 Mark Allen

Mark Davis 1-4 Matt Selt

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 3-4 Fergal O'Brien

Chris Wakelin 1-1 Jack Lisowski

Higgins 3-0 Vahedi

John declares at 110, and he is irresistible at the moment.

Higgins 2-0 Vahedi (104-22)

It's a funny thing, this is a brilliant break but there's nothing to really say about it, so brilliant because every shot is so easy because it's made so.

Higgins 2-0 Vahedi (55-22)

John easily crafts what is now a frame-winning opportunity. No one knows their way around a table better.

Higgins 2-0 Vahedi (13-22)

Oh dear. Soheil misses the red, catches another as he remobes the rest, and leaves one for John, Tic-tack-toe. This game! He sends the black down, and Angles notes that beforehand, he called it, "black" - John has, apparently, been doing that since a kid.

Higgins 2-0 Vahedi (0-6)

Soheil again deploys the black-cush break and Angles doesn't really get it - "John, he'll forgive me for saying this, isn't a destructive potter". And there we go, he misses a long one, Soheil takes a short one, and he'll want to make a proper score here.

Around the tables

Iulian Boiko 0-4 Mark Allen

Mark Davis 1-3 Matt Selt

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 3-3 Fergal O'Brien

Chris Wakelin 1-0 Jack Lisowski

Higgins 2-0 Vahedi

Yup, John knucks a red to the yellow pocket, another great pot, clears to the pink, and this looks ominous for Soheil - though he'll be happy to have knocked a few in.

Higgins 1-0 Vahedi (70-32)

Or not! Soheil clears four red-blacks, then snuggles up behind the pink, red diagonally above the green; naturally, John hits first time.

Higgins 1-0 Vahedi (70-0)

Ahahahaha, this game! John misses a regulation black off its spot, so Soheil returns to the table needing a snooker. More likely, he gets acquainted with the table and hopes to pinch something in the next frame.

Higgins 1-0 Vahedi (54-0)

John hasn't missed a ball yet, and the start of this run came following a perfectly plausible containing safety. He's so consistent, and so adept at every aspect of the game.

Higgins 1-0 Vahedi (24-0)

As I was saying, I'm afraid this doesn't look good for Soheil. A tremendous cut-back to left corner sets John away - he's really feeling himself here - and he's quickly into the pack. There's work to do in order to release pink and black, but plenty of options in the meantime.

Around the tables

Iulian Boiko 0-4 Mark Allen

Mark Davis 1-2 Matt Selt

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 3-3 Fergal O'Brien

Chris Wakelin 0-0 Jack Lisowski

Higgins 1-0 Vahedi

Of course he can, and Soheil looks in for a long, short night.

Higgins 0-0 Vahedi (108-0)

It's absolute lunacy, how good John still is. Can he kick-off with a ton?

Higgins 0-0 Vahedi (40-0)

Not for long, but - my system crashes again so I'm not sure what happened, but he's managed to get Soheil behind the yellow, foul-missing away. He hits on the fourth attempt - his problem is how many balls are in the open - and shonuff, he cedes 16 points then leaves one anyway. This'll be the frame.

Higgins 0-0 Vahedi (9-0)

Soheil deploys the Mark J break-off for all the good it does him; within a few shots we're playing a normal frame, and that means John at the table.

We go again

Coming up next

John Higgins v Soheil Vahedi

Judd speaks

He says he gave away chances at the start, but felt a bit better towards the end. He then says that he finds the Champion of Champions and the Masters hardest to win because you don't get a warm-up - unlike at these. He notes that Ronnie, sat next to him, is the king of the invitationals, and Ronnie explains that in those he can see the finish line; Judd is going to go home and sleep in his own bed, being from Bristol.

Around the tables

Iulian Boiko 0-3 Mark Allen

Mark Davis 0-1 Matt Selt

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 2-3 Fergal O'Brien

Judd Trump beats Craig Steadman 4-1!

He finishes with 120 to go with his 108 last frame, and meets Si Jiahui next.

Trump 3-1 Steadman (52-0)

Craig will be rueing the chances he missed in the last frame, although it was Judd who led the bad misses. He's playing well now though, smoothly removing balls - through there are no more loose reds, so if Judd doesn't land on one following the cannon he's about to play, it's not over. Ah, but he does! Of course he does.

Trump 3-1 Steadman (5-0)

Judd misses a difficult cut, aiming to take a red from nearer the left cushion into right corner. And he leaves one to right-middle too, but Craig takes it right corner, jawses it, and it sits nicely by left-middle.That might be the match.

Around the tables

Iulian Boiko 0-2 Mark Allen

Mark Davis 0-1 Matt Selt

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 2-2 Fergal O'Brien

Trump 3-1 Steadman

A run of 108 and Judd is one away. He's good enough to beat most of the tour playing as he is tonight, but if he doesn't up ut when he does, he'll lose.

Trump 2-1 Steadman (56-7)

Judd's not been finding it easy lately but he's still capable of doing what he's doing, conjuring opportunities and taking them easily.

Trump 2-1 Steadman (8-7)

Judd goes in-off and leaves a cut to right-middle; Craig takes it, but trying to roll up behind the yellow, misses; dearie me. We've all been there. A poor safety from Judd then leaves another chance which he can't take, so Judd rattles in a hit-and-hope, sends balls flying about the table, and has forced a chance.

Around the tables

Iulian Boiko 0-1 Mark Allen

Mark Davis 0-0 Matt Selt

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 1-1 Fergal O'Brien

Trump 2-1 Steadman

He does. Judd will not be happy with how he won that frame, but he won that frame.

Trump 1-1 Steadman (57-27)

Eesh, Craig misses a red he planned to cannon off the pink so has to take on a harder one; he jawses it, and surely - surely - Judd will clinch this at the fourth time of asking?

Trump 1-1 Steadman (52-14)

But still Judd can't bring it home, running out of position, and Uncle Joe, who loves watching Judd more than anyone, notes three mistakes he's made just in this frame, saying that he wasn't doing that when he was dominating and they weren't pressure pots; is he concentrating well? And have a look! He leaves a mid-distance starter to left corner and Craig takes it well, cueing dead straight. He won't have expected this chance, but here it is; can he take it?

Trump 1-1 Steadman (46-5)

But it isn't! He hits the wrong bit of a red to right-middle and cuts it past the pocket! He gesticulates at the table, but watching the replay, there was no run-off or anything. Thing is, Craig then misses a black, and losing this frame will now hurt him even more than would've done after his first error.

Trump 1-1 Steadman (14-4)

From close to the bottom cushion, Craig guides the white almost the full length of the table to clip in a starter, returns to the business end via the green ... and misses a sitter! Judd then goes red-blue, before absolutely annihilating the pack - "Anyone hurt?" asks Uncle Joe in co-comms. Already, this frame looks over.

Around the tables

Iulian Boiko 0-0 Mark Allen

Mark Davis 0-0 Matt Selt

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 0-1 Fergal O'Brien

Trump 1-1 Steadman

Craig finishes on 70, and he's in the match. It must be easy to wilt when you play Judd and especially when he looks in nick, but there's no player who gives you nothing, and when the opportunity was offered, he guzzled it down.

Trump 1-0 Steadman (14-56)

Oh, that's poetry: Craig sends down frame-ball with the rest, and he's taken these very calmly.

Trump 1-0 Steadman (14-56)

This is excellent behaviour from Craig, who picks off the easy balls - they were copious to get close to the frame. He won't need the cushioned reds

Trump 1-0 Steadman (14-7)

Judd's feeling this, cutting a red from almost square to it, diagonally into left corner. But shortly afterwards, he overcuts a blue made slightly harder because he overscrewed getting to it and was using the rest. This is a chance for Craig!

Around the tables

Iulian Boiko 0-0 Mark Allen

Mark Davis 0-0 Matt Selt

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 0-0 Fergal O'Brien

Trump 1-0 Steadman

Apologies, just as the boyz baized, my system crashed. But a run of 58 was enough for Judd to take frame one.

Evening all

And off we go again!

That's us done

But only for the afternoon. Join me at 6.45pm GMT for the evening sesh, featuring Craig Steadman v Judd Trump and John Higgins v Soheil Vahedi.

Around the tables

Ding Junhui 4-1 Michael Holt

Ben Woollaston 4-3 Liang Wenbo

Jimmy Robertson 4-3 Jamie Jones

Neil Robertson 4-1 Hammad Miah

Cao Yupeng 0-0 Joe Perry

Kurt Maflin beats Mark Williams 4-3!

That was a really enjoyable match, and Kurt's good run continues. He meets Donaldson or Paget next.

Williams 3-3 Maflin (13-51)

Kurt has a straightforward red to left corner, except nothing's straightforward in a final-frame decider, all the more so when it's match-ball. But Kurt slots it nervelessly, and there's loads on the line for him here - a win and he's close to securing his tour card for another year. AND IT'S THERE! Kurt is going through!

Williams 3-3 Maflin (13-49)

This is good from Kurt, who's controlling both white and his nerves very nicely. If he can gobble the remaining two loose reds, that'll be enough.

Williams 3-3 Maflin (13-16)

Kurt misses a red to left-middle, and will, no doubt, be rueing his failure to close out the match in the previous frame. But have a look! From off the baulk cushion, he pots to the same pocket but from the other side! That is a tremendous effort! And the balls are all there for him! This really should be curtains!

Williams 3-3 Maflin (13-4)

OK, here we go. Kurt has been the better player so far, but you've got to favour Mark, given his temperament and precision. Shonuff, he's in first, then slots a tricky pink and holds for the next red; he's looking good as the pack's attacked, but though there are now various loose reds, he's not on any of them, so that's end of break.

Around the tables

Ding Junhui 4-1 Michael Holt

Ben Woollaston 4-3 Liang Wenbo

Jimmy Robertson 3-3 Jamie Jones

Neil Robertson 3-1 Hammad Miah

Williams 3-3 Maflin

Fortune is a fickle old friend. With both reds in baulk, Kurt tries to thin clip one and return to the bottom cushion. He misses, and sends the white straight into the bottom left to gift wrap the frame for Mark. We're going all the way, folks; Unflustered of Cwm dishes up to the pink he needs, and a decider is incoming.

Williams 2-3 Maflin (35-53)

Mark clips in a stray red and then dumps Kurt in another brutal snooker, tight behind the green and with all remaining balls in the wide open. He'll need some luck not to leave anything here...and after two minutes contemplation, a wild thrash sees the white clip one of the reds faintly before landing safe. Result!

Williams 2-3 Maflin (34-53)

Kurt hits the front in the frame, and despite the pink's proximity to the black making things awkward, he's taking these very calmly indeed. A long red to the green pocket to leave him on the pink looks like it should sort everything...but he's jawed it and left it there! Mark is still in this row, and picks off the gimme red before tucking Kurt in trouble in baulk. That yields four points, and with three reds left out there this one's up for grabs.

Williams 2-3 Maflin (29-20)

Well now! Mark leaves himself a thin snick on a red to left middle; he should convert it but doesn't, and he's left it on for Kurt. It's a chance, but after fluking an outrageous black Kurt winds up buried in the pack and is forced to play safe to baulk. This is getting a little twitchy. Kurt soon gets another look though as Mark serves up a red over the yellow pocket. That disappears, as does the brown, and Kurt is now amongst them.

Williams 2-3 Maflin (22-0)

In co-comms, Angles is thinking ahead to the worlds which are five weeks away, and thinks Mark is right in the mix for the title. Right here and now though, Mark is on the brink and Kurt just fails to convert a red into the green pocket from distance. That could’ve been the match, and Kurt then misses another yahoo at a long one that leaves Mark in. There’s a good spread to go at, and Mark’s been gifted the chance to force a decider. It’s three reds, two blacks and a blue so far.

Around the tables

Ding Junhui 4-1 Michael Holt

Ben Woollaston 3-3 Liang Wenbo

Jimmy Robertson 3-2 Jamie Jones

Neil Robertson 2-0 Hammad Miah

Williams 2-3 Maflin

Kurt leaves a red to the yellow pocket, Mark sees it away, follows it with a black, and that's him back within one.

Williams 1-3 Maflin (66-3)

Oh! Mark misses a regulation red to left corner and Kurt can't tickle it in with the rest ... but a cannon off the brown means he covers it. so Mark tries to pot it with a swerve, misses, Kurt tries to pot it off the side, misses, and that leaves Mark another opportunity. This should be 2-3, and though he can't resolve the next red, Kurt is 66 behind with 75 left.

Williams 1-3 Maflin (36-3)

There aren't many doughtier competitors than Mark - in any sport - and he's quickly at the table, accumulating. As ever, he picks at loose balls, but will soon have to splatter the pack; if anything goes wrong, it might be goodnight.

Around the tables

Ding Junhui 4-1 Michael Holt

Ben Woollaston 3-2 Liang Wenbo

Jimmy Robertson 2-2 Jamie Jones

Neil Robertson 2-0 Hammad Miah

Williams 1-3 Maflin

Kurt leaves the brown over the bag, so Mark drains it then the blue; he's staking the frame on a pink-ball snooker, but as he lays it he pots it in right-middle - or would do if he didn't pick it up. Kurt is nearly there!

Williams 1-2 Maflin (35-62)

Mark cuts a superb yellow, but misses the green along the bottom cushion and Kurt does not! Mark now needs two four-point snookers!

Williams 1-2 Maflin (33-59)

Blue and yellow remain close to the side cushion, and Mark can't cut the latter to the green pocket, so the chase for it is on.

Williams 1-2 Maflin (17-59)

Oh yes! Mark tickles in behind a red on the top cushion and kisses it in! That is beautiful, and Mark now has a big chance to steal.

Williams 1-2 Maflin (1-59)

A poor positional shot from Kurt means that, rather than slot a pink to right-middle, he's to cut it was the rest to right corner ... and he does so beautifully! Then, after the next red, he has a long think - dare he take on another pink, this time to left-middle, with the white in the jaws of right corner; he glides it right into the heart of the pocket, but can't see away frame-ball, meaning Mark returns to the table 58 ahead with 59 left.

Williams 1-2 Maflin (1-11)

Mark guides a terrific mid-distance red to right corner, then puts the white close to the side, its route up the table blocked by yellow and blue; Kurt responds well. But tempted with a pot as a shot to nothing, he gets nowhere near, which precipitates a cannon; Marl, though, misses his red to right corner, and now Kurt's in again!

Williams 1-2 Maflin (0-2)

Again, Kurt sinks the first ball but winds up on nowt so we're back playing safety. Not for long: he's soon left one over left corner, but unwilling to risk it all over a dicey colour, plays safe.

Around the tables

Ding Junhui 4-1 Michael Holt

Ben Woollaston 2-2 Liang Wenbo

Jimmy Robertson 2-1 Jamie Jones

Williams 1-2 Maflin

Kurt's looking good, and this is getting interesting.

Williams 1-1 Maflin (0-71)

Sixty in front, Kurt misses a double to left middle then, when he gets back to the table, misses a cut from close to black cush into the same pocket. No matter: he clatters home another to right corner, and this'll be another frame to him.

Williams 1-1 Maflin (0-22)

Ding made three tons in that win, the last of them a 138; I'd love to see him get back to where he was, even if it seems unlikely he'll ever win at the Cruce now. Anyhow, again Mark hands Kurt an early opportunity; he'll not be wanting to spurs another.

Around the tables

Ding Junhui 4-1 Michael Holt

Ben Woollaston 2-2 Liang Wenbo

Jimmy Robertson 2-1 Jamie Jones

Williams 1-1 Maflin

That missed brown may well prove to be the key moment of this match. Kurt sinks it, he's in with a good chance of 2-0, but having missed it and lost the frame, no one will be surprised if mark reels off three more in short order.

Williams 0-1 Maflin (73-30)

Leading by 27, Mark overruns; nauseated, he tucks in behind the yellow. Kurt then misses the final red thrice, leaving a free ball because once the frame is gone barring snookers the miss rule doesn't apply, and as soon as he's finished clearing however many balls he clears, it'll be 1-1.

Williams 0-1 Maflin (42-30)

Skilfully and methodically, Mark punishes Kurt's largesse.

Williams 0-1 Maflin (0-30)

Again, it's Kurt in early doors, and if he can get himself a groove, he'll be very hard to stop. He also needs ranking points, so should be focused, and is taking these nicely - the pack is open and already, this is a great chance for 2-0. So of course, as I type that, he misses a straightforward brown to the green pocket, and that is going to cost him.

Around the tables

Ding Junhui 3-1 Michael Holt

Ben Woollaston 2-2 Liang Wenbo

Jimmy Robertson 1-1 Jamie Jones

Williams 0-1 Maflin

Two missed reds from Mark are enough for Kurt.

Williams 0-0 Maflin (15-8)

But then he snookers himself behind a red in mid-table, forced to play off the side to reach the yellow. He misses thrice, then hits, and whoever sinks the next red will fancy themselves to push in front. So Mark takes a chance, taking on a difficult one, missing, and that'll be the frame.

Williams 0-0 Maflin (14-48)

Getting towards frame-securing time, Kurt jawses a black to left corner and leaves Mart a starter to middle. Of the remaining six reds, three and two of them are stuck together, but won't take much nudging to disturb, and already one pod has been broken.

Williams 0-0 Maflin (0-30)

Kurt beat Trump last week, though in a fairly strange match - trailing 2-1 and with 3-1 looking imminent, he seemed to have given it up, only to win that frame, then three of the next four. He's a lovely potter, but very quickly knocked off course, so it'll be interesting to see how he does against one of the savviest matchplayers we've ever seen - but in the meantime, he's at the table potting balls because Mark missed a long one.

Off we go again!

Coming up next

Mark Williams v Kurt Maflin. Not bad!

Around the tables

Ding Junhui 1-1 Michael Holt

Ben Woollaston 1-1 Liang Wenbo

Jimmy Robertson 0-1 Jamie Jones

Ronnie O'Sullivan beats James Cahill 4-0!

James hasn't played loads recently, due to not being on the tour, but he's not done that much wrong. Ronnie, on the other hand, has played way better than he did last week - though he can't quite finish with a ton - and he meets Lukas Kleckers next. Forty-three minutes that took/

O'Sullivan 3-0 Cahill (37-3)

Er yeah, very quickly the black is available to both corners - Ronnie's snooker brain is ridiculous, he just knows exactly what to do. There's no reason to think he won't finish things at this visit.

O'Sullivan 3-0 Cahill (14-3)

A fine long red to left corner sets James away again, but the pink to right-middle coming next is a brute. He misses it by a way, and will now be wondering if he's played his last shot; the table isn't easy, but Ronnie has a way of resolving that kind of thing with a few judicious pots and cannons.

O'Sullivan 3-0 Cahill (0-2)

A terrific safety from Ronnie leaves James tight to the bottom cushion and forces a slightly panicked response. Ronnie, though, misses a simple starter to left corner and looks as bemused as you'd expect, but when James sinks a decent one, he winds up on nowt so plays safe.

Around the tables

Ding Junhui 1-1 Michael Holt

Ben Woollaston 1-1 Liang Wenbo

Jimmy Robertson 0-0 Jamie Jones

O'Sullivan 3-0 Cahill

James tries to force things, ramming home a red before screwing back into the black, which knocks a different red into the left-corner pocket it was over. We've been playing half an hour and we're nearly done.

O'Sullivan 2-0 Cahill (54-1)

Or not! Ronnie misses a red to right corner with the rest ... but then James leaves him another, so he drains it and takes us to the snooker required stage.

O'Sullivan 2-0 Cahill (50-1)

Ronnie continues picking. Although he's known as the Rocket, he's actually an extremely careful player, opting not to risk developing the pink lest in go wrong and continuing to come back for the blue. But then, as soon as he removes the obstacles from around it, he bangs it into the far middle knuckle! Gosh, who saw that coming?! Well, maybe anyone who watched Ronnie last week, but then James can't send the black to the yellow pocket, Ronnie cracks in a tricky starter, and this'll be 3-0.

O'Sullivan 2-0 Cahill (18-0)

Cahill isn't, I should note, on the tour - he's an amateur, effectively, though will be hoping to find his way back for next term. Meantime, though, he's sitting on his cheeks, a decent safety forcing Ronnie to attempt the thinnest of cuts to right corner - the ball is so close to the top cushion - and down it goes. A nice green follows, and though both pink and black are tied-up, you'd back Ronnie to build up a decent lead at this visit.

Around the tables

Ding Junhui 0-1 Michael Holt

Ben Woollaston 0-1 Liang Wenbo

Jimmy Robertson 0-0 Jamie Jones

O'Sullivan 2-0 Cahill

Or not. He misses a red to left-middle, but whatevz; he's halfway there.

O'Sullivan 1-0 Cahill (79-0)

Er, maybe Ronnie used the European Masters to play himself into form for the Welsh Open, because he's taking these beautifully. Yet another ton coming up.

O'Sullivan 1-0 Cahill (20-0)

If James isn't careful, this'll be over quicksmart. He leaves a simple starter to right corner, Ronnie sends it down, and after taking a pair of blues, splits the pack and is now on the black.

Around the tables

Rory McLeod 3-4 Yuan SiJun

Ding Junhui 0-1 Michael Holt

Ben Woollaston 0-1 Liang Wenbo

Jimmy Robertson 0-0 Jamie Jones

O'Sullivan 1-0 Cahill

Ronnie looks pretty well-recovered from Sunday's final-frame final defeat.

O'Sullivan 0-0 Cahill (71-15)

There is, though, a red in the middle of the left side cushion, while the blue is in the middle of the bottom. Work to do, and he misses that red I mentioned, leaving it too; that'll now be 1-0.

O'Sullivan 0-0 Cahill (63-15)

Ronnie leaves left-handed cut to right corner just short, so James knocks it in. There are three reds left now, so the steal is on...

O'Sullivan 0-0 Cahill (25-8)

Not for long: he soon misses a red to the green pocket, and we're back playing safety. Not for long: Ronnie gets in and out, then James misses another red, this time to right corner, and though the black's tied up, the pink is available and this looks like a framewinning opportunity.

O'Sullivan 0-0 Cahill (0-8)

Jmaes was a late replacement for Sam Craigie, but he's most famous for having beaten Ronnie 10-8 at the Cruce, so will know he can win this. And when Ronnie leaves a simple starter from a poor break-off, he's away!

The boyz baize

Off we go!

Already today

Mitchell Mann 4-1 Ben Hancorn
Rory McLeod 3-3 Yuan SiJun
Robbie Williams 3-4 Hossein Vafaei
Ali Carter 4-1 Ng On Yee

Good afternoon one and all

As per the below, there's a helluva lot to enjoy here, so let's wade right in.

Welcome

What a day ahead we have at the Welsh Open! It is a packed schedule with a stupendous line-up of big names gracing the baize.

This is what you can look forward to: Ronnie O'Sullivan will kick off the afternoon session against James Cahill, while Neil Robertson will then take on Hammad Miah and Mark Williams will face Kurt Maflin.

In the evening, we will be treated to Judd Trump against Craig Steadman with many other top players also in action.