Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen recovered from 5-3 down to get back to 8-8 against Barry Hawkins in their World Championship quarter-final.
The Englishman’s failure to drop in a tough pink allowed Allen to restore parity.
Allen and Hawkins Trade Blows
Allen and Hawkins’ match was every bit as compelling as they traded blows.
The Northern Irishman compiled his 700th career century to get back to 7-6 with a wonderful 138.
Hawkins responded by knocking in 140 – the joint-highest break of the tournament alongside Allen and Murphy.
World number 14 Allen replied with a superb 131 before taking a dramatic final frame, with their contest resuming at 10:00 BST on Wednesday.
Allen wins the frame to level with Hawkins.
Zhao Xintong’s Fightback
Defending champion Zhao Xintong fought back against Shaun Murphy to leave their World Championship quarter-final delicately poised at 8-8 heading into Wednesday’s concluding session.
Zhao was transformed from the morning session where he let a 3-0 lead slip to trail 5-3.
The 29-year-old took the opening frame of the night and constructed breaks of 55, 67 and 117 as he went toe-to-toe with Englishman Murphy.
The 2005 world champion knocked in breaks of 59, 90 and 65 of his own and will not be fazed when their match is played to a finish on Wednesday from 14:30 BST.
Across both matches that yielded eight half centuries and four centuries, Zhao rounded off the night with a remarkable trick shot to pot the black and round off a spellbinding night in the perfect manner.
Robertson Edges Ahead of Higgins
Neil Robertson established a narrow 5-3 lead over John Higgins in a fiercely contested opening to their quarter-final.
Higgins compiled breaks of 61 and 56 to take the first frame and the fourth to draw level at 2-2.
However, the emotional and physical toll of defeating Ronnie O’Sullivan 13-12 on Monday appeared to weigh on the 50-year-old Scot at times.
The four-time champion made six unforced errors before reaching the mid-session interval and was far from his best in a scrappy affair.
Australia’s Robertson, who won the world title in 2010, also failed to hit the heights despite enjoying runs of 77 and 70 and, at one point, he even had to have his chair repaired, adding to the protracted nature of their contest.
While he took the final two frames of the session, his pragmatic approach and an unfortunate run of the balls contributed to a drawn-out eighth frame that lasted almost 52 minutes and delayed the start of the evening session.
Robertson and Higgins get back under way on Wednesday at 10:00 BST.
Zhao Xintong is aiming to become the only first-time winner to successful defend the world crown in Sheffield.