World Snooker Championship 2023: live scores and results, including Ronnie O’Sullivan

O’Sullivan deliberates on a red along the cushion behind the black, ultimately rebuffing it. But when Vafaei misses a double, O’Sullivan will take care of it, the ball whispering in both ears but finally finding the safe embrace of the pocket. That will be the frame, clearing the blue. 3-1 at the mid-session interval.

Through the gears goes O’Sullivan, crossing to 69 and frame ball. But an ill-conceived cannon leaves 75 still on the table with no red. It’s a significant advantage, but it doesn’t secure the frame.

That is, instead, a tell-tale mistake by Vafaei, hitting the wrong red on his way to a pot. O’Sullivan up and running with the Jackson Pollocked group on the mat.

Behind the wall, Mark Allen has extended his lead to three frames (6-3) against Stuart Bingham, a solid 53 that helped him take the first frame after the restart.

A slight oversight from both Ronnie O’Sullivan and Hossein Vafaei at the start of their fourth since the start of the session, but neither player was left with anything available to take on. Both turn down big pots to play it safe.

A difficult pink poses problems for O’Sullivan: the colors lighten to that point, but he can’t direct his screw to hit it.

And that’s a loose pin, leaving a skinny cut in the top left corner. which Vafaei is more than happy to convert. A first frame for the Iranian, who tosses his cue onto the table as he disappears for a comfort break.

That is the Hossein Vafaei we want to see. He is a wonderfully natural potter, and too good a potter to care too much about the histrionics he displayed with that second painting. Two reds left before he really has to think, stroking in the penultimate and then taking the black to leave a double in the last…

No dice! A valiant effort from Vafaei, but he’s only 33 ahead with 35 remaining. An opportunity for O’Sullivan… who jumps immediately.

There was no quick conversion this time, though: O’Sullivan gets caught up in the scarlet crowd, the white ball caught deep in a group of three reds, and thus ends his efforts at 30. 31-0 your advantage.

And that’s a big boat, Vafaei sending a red from coast to coast all the way to the green pocket. Brilliant stuff from the Iranian, who you feel he now really needs to get into this game.

Stephen Henry is concerned by Vafaei’s approach so far, suggesting the Iranian needs to settle. The Scotsman says in the comments: “I hope for his sake he will focus on this match and try to play his best game,” just before the 28-year-old misses another long red.

O’Sullivan takes advantage of the rest.

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s tongue sticks out like a moray, the Englishman frustrated after his cue ball hit an obstacle while climbing towards the lower value colours. There is no encapsulation angle on the black, just a point and return to the seat of it.

There are no more additions to the scores at the start of the session as Mark Allen and Stuart Bingham work their way around the mat – it remains 5-3 at the other table.