13-9 & 13-9! Snooker World Championship Quarter-finals See Three Spots, Two World Champions Exit; Rocket Leads Higgins 6-2

On April 26 Beijing time, the second round of the Snooker World Championship main event began, yielding two quarter-final berths overnight. Mark Allen beat world champion Kyren Wilson 13-9, and Hawkins similarly ousted world champion Mark Williams 13-9. This brings the quarter-final count to three: Murphy, Mark Allen, and Hawkins. Additionally, two top stars of the '75 Trio', O'Sullivan and Higgins, clashed in a fiercely dominant first session where O'Sullivan led 6-2.

Mark Allen faced the post-90s world champion Kyren Wilson, quickly launching an aggressive stance from the start. Excelling in both attack and defense, he unleashed a 5-0 surge to take the lead. However, the situation shifted abruptly as Kyren Wilson mounted a sharp counterattack, showcasing world champion caliber with a brilliant century break and four 50+ scores, storming through six frames to turn the tide and lead 6-5. Yet, in the subsequent play, Mark Allen dominated the match, combining offense and defense to produce another 4-1 streak, reclaiming the lead at 9-7. Though Kyren Wilson narrowed it to 8-9, Mark Allen remained rock-solid, delivering a final 4-1 burst to seal the match, triumphing 13-9 over Kyren Wilson to advance to the quarter-finals. Post-match, Mark Allen remarked that he hadn't even exerted full effort to comfortably defeat Kyren Wilson, truly a crushing blow. Kyren Wilson, embarrassed, admitted he was considered a title favorite but unexpectedly fell short of the quarter-finals.

Hawkins confronted the '75 Trio' sharpshooter Mark Williams. Hawkins, a perennial semi-final specialist, had a decent season clinching the Welsh Open title. Mark Williams, over fifty, remains formidable with three World Championship titles. The match started tightly contested; after exchanges, Mark Williams held a 4-3 edge. Hawkins then unleashed unstoppable precision, firing a century and three 60+ breaks, sweeping four consecutive frames to reverse the lead to 7-4. Frame 12 was regrettable: Hawkins initially scored 59 points but was gradually overturned by Mark Williams's piecemeal play, allowing Williams to claw back to 5-7. Nonetheless, Hawkins steadily progressed, scrapping to win two more frames extending to 9-5. Later, the duel resumed as a seesaw battle, frame by frame, locked in a struggle, yet Hawkins firmly kept Mark Williams under pressure, methodically securing a 13-9 victory to become the third player into the quarter-finals.

O'Sullivan and Higgins battled for a quarter-final spot, a heavyweight clash marking their 80th encounter. After the first session, the scenario tilted decisively: O'Sullivan, brimming with fighting spirit, unleashed full firepower with a century and four 70+ breaks, crushing Higgins 6-2 to establish a four-frame advantage, aiming for the quarter-finals and pursuing his eighth World Championship crown.

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