Fu Maintains Lead Over McGill

Marco Fu finished the second session of his Betfred World Championship match against Anthony McGill strongly to establish a 9-7 lead.

McGill won the first three frames of the session but Fu hit back to take four of the next five to give himself a handy cushion going into tonight’s conclusion.

Hong Kong’s Fu is aiming to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2006 and needs four more frames tonight. McGill got to the last eight on his debut last year and must win six of the last nine to repeat that achievement.

Glasgow’s McGill trailed 5-3 overnight but won the first three frames today with top breaks of 57 and 67 to go 6-5 ahead. He had chances in the next as well but Fu eventually won it on the colours, and the Hong Kong ace then made a 102 to lead 7-6.

Frame 14 lasted 50 minutes and looked certain to go to Fu when he led by 34 points on the yellow, but he conceded nine points in snookers then went in-off attempting to pot the blue, allowing McGill to steal it on the black. Then it was Fu’s turn to snatch a frame from an unlikely position as he made a superb 51 clearance in the 15th to lead 8-7.

The last frame of the session was also a tight one, but Fu won it by clearing from yellow to blue to secure his lead.

Meanwhile, Mark Williams and Michael Holt shared the first session of their last 16 clash 4-4.

Holt, playing in the second round at the Crucible for the first time since 2005, surged into a 3-0 lead with top breaks of 61 and 68. Williams pulled one back before Holt’s 62 put him 4-1 up.

But two-time champion Williams finished the session strongly by taking the last three frames – despite a top break of just 40 – to leave them level pegging ahead of tonight’s second session.

Both matches resume at 7pm.