World Open snooker 2024 recap – Luca Brecel takes on Stephen Maguire before Ronnie O’Sullivan continues bid in China

Luca’s into this now, taking these beautifully. He’s really good at taking each visit as it comes – his problem is carelessness, if he’s playing someone able to punish. But for now, this is a terrific run and there’s no reason to think it won’t end with him drawing to within one.

Ahahahaha, all that and Luca still finds a starter from black cush, lovely stuff into the green bag. He’s quickly back p the tale off the yellow, and this is that chance Stephen thought he had a few minutes ago.

Again, Stephen gets in off Luca’s break – he really must sort that – this time stroking down a beauty to left corner. But the white seems to quicken up following a brown, rolling into the pack, so it’s a safety when another sizable break looked likely; he foul-misses seeking thinnnest contact, then again, then again, before brushing his chosen red.

Cao Yupeng 0-2 Ding Junhui

Dominic Dale 0-1 David Lilley

Ashley Hugill 0-1 Kyren Wilson

Robert Milkins 0-1 Hossein Vafaei

Joe Perry 0-1 Shaun Murphy

Ricky Walden 0-1 Ben Woollaston

Robbie Williams 0-0 Barry Hawkins

Both men had chances to take that frame but it’s Stephen who goes two in front, looking a little more consistent than the world champ.

Stephen isn’t perfect on the green and needs the rest to cut it into its own bag from almost directly above it … but he dribbles it home off the jaw, spanks down a straight brown, and that is the frame! Luca will be feeling exceedingly poorly.

Yup, he doesn’t even leave it till last, BUT HAVE A LOOK! Luca sends a pink into the near jaw of right-middle – why? how? – so here comes Stephen to administer due punishment. This is going to be 2-0.

Luca calmly removes balls, the only tricky one on black cush. But I’d expect him to nose in behind it and send it down.

Oh, he goes to middle instead and undercuts! Immediate chance for Luca! The balls are there for him!

A nice mid-distance red to left corner keeps Stephen at the table and Luca lost the first two frames yesterday, but then won five straight. I’m not sure he’ll be allowed to do that here – his opponent is on one. His inspects a blue for a while, cracks it home, and breaks the pack … his position not great but probably good enough: red long to yellow bag, and the frame should be his….

Luca overcuts a long red by an aeon so stephen gets away with a slot to left corner and is imediately about the black spot. There are points out there for him, lots of them.

Cao Yupeng 0-0 Ding Junhui

Dominic Dale 0-0 David Lilley

Ashley Hugill 0-0 Kyren Wilson

Robert Milkins 0-0 Hossein Vafaei

Joe Perry 0-0 Shaun Murphy

Ricky Walden 0-0 Ben Woollaston

Robbie Williams 0-0 Barry Hawkins

He cannot, a run of 84 ending with a missed double. But what a start for the former wolrd number two.

This is really very good work from Stephen, who’s taken these without need for recovery flourishes. Can he convert to a ton?

There’s claret everywhere now, and Stephen should finish the frame at this visit now. He’s a much better player than his record of the last two years says, so hoeflly he’s now on the road back.

If Luca plays as he did yesterday, he might be in trouble, because though there was plenty of brilliance there was also plenty of carelessness and Stephen is a much better player than Oliver Brown – who actually did alright, he just couldn’t force home his opportuities. And, shonuff, Luca quickly makes an error with his break that cedes a chance, Stephen quickly accumulating and breaking the pack nicely.

Luca Brecel v Stephen Murphy will be our first match, after which we’ll enjoy Ronnie O’Sullivan v Lyu Haotian.

And welcome to the World Open – day three!

Despite scoring back-to-back centuries, The Rocket was unable to maintain such a high standard as he allowed a 3-1 lead to slip, before the seven-time world champion reasserted his control to take the final two frames.

Elsewhere, world champion Luca Brecel was staring at defeat until he reeled off five consecutive frames to come from behind and beat Oliver Brown, while Judd Trump defeated Sanderson Lam 5-2.

There was also success for former world champion Neil Robertson – but John Higgins crashed out 5-3 to Jackson Page.