World Snooker Championship 2023: Kyren Wilson hits five centuries to storm past Ryan Day, Shaun Murphy trails Si Jiahui

Kyren Wilson hit five centuries to storm past Ryan Day at the World Snooker Championship and book a place in round two, while Shaun Murphy trails Crucible debutant Si Jiahui 5-4 after their opening session.

He was immediately pegged back by Day in the first frame of the night as the gap narrowed to just two frames.

But from then on Wilson found some fine form as he reasserted his authority.

First a 120 took him 7-4 ahead, and then a similarly beautifully compiled 108 – his fourth century of the match at that point – put further water between him and Day.

It got worse for Day as Wilson took the next frame too, and as the players went off for the mid-session interval it looked like only one result was on the cards.

However, Day emerged revitalised from the bowels of the Crucible and he forged into a 57-point lead in the next frame.

Wilson was in top form though, and a wonderful long diagonal got him back at the table.

He then composed a quick 24 before missing a red to the left corner pocket, and that was the window Day needed to secure the balls he needed for the frame.

At 9-5, Wilson was still the heavy favourite, but he didn’t want to give Day too much encouragement of pulling off a comeback.

And no doubt with that in mind he got in amongst them first in frame 15 and compiled a nerveless break of 102 – his fifth and final ton – to seal the match and a place in round two.

But Si, 20, was finding his feet, and an 81 got him on the board in frame three.

Murphy recorded another ton as he re-established his two-frame lead, but he was starting to be matched by Si, who reduced his arrears to 3-2.

And when the Chinese levelled at 3-3 after a long, topsy-turvy sixth frame, the match suddenly took on a different complexion.

Indeed Si rattled off the next two to make it four frames in a row, and the prospect of a healthy lead for the second session.

But Murphy, after another lengthy frame, eventually managed to win the last to trail by just one heading into their deciding session on Thursday.

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