Defending champ Williams in hospital after snooker match

SHEFFIELD: Defending world champion Mark Williams suffered a health scare after a sluggish opening session of his second-round match at the Crucible.

Welshman Williams had trailed David Gilbert 5-3 at the World Championship in Sheffield earlier on Friday before feeling pains in his chest. Williams subsequently posted on Twitter that he was in the A&E department of a local hospital, saying: “Couldn’t stick the chest pains no more.”

The 44-year-old informed tournament officials of the issue after the session and was advised by the on-call doctor to attend hospital. Williams made his own way there and is understood to be with his wife Joanne and son Kian. During Friday evening, Williams posted an encouraging update. “Doctors are confidant it’s not anything to do with my heart,” he tweeted. “Awaiting more tests at 10 o clock . #cantwaitformebed.”

Breaks of 105, 66 and 58 had earlier helped Williams get back on level terms against Gilbert, but the latter took the last two frames of the day to carve out a 5-3 lead. Their last-16 match is due to resume at 10am on Saturday, but it remains to be seen whether Williams will be able to play on.

Back at the Crucible, Neil Robertson — the 2010 world champion — was the first man into the quarter-finals as he completed a 13-6 victory over Shaun Murphy. The Australian had snatched the first frame of the day with a break of 67 and continued to score heavier than Murphy, who managed a highest break of 59 in the morning session but won two hard-fought frames to trail 8-6.

Murphy, the 2005 champion, then looked set to get within a single frame for the first time since losing the opening two of the contest without potting a single ball, only to miss a difficult brown in the 15th frame.

Robertson took full advantage to clear the colours and won the final frame of the session as well to lead 10-6 and justify his position as tournament favourite following the shock first-round defeat for five-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The Australian kept up his momentum when the players returned to the table in the evening, producing a clearance of 120 which was followed by runs of 88 and 95 to move into the last eight.