Selby Dominates as All 16 Seeds Advance at World Snooker Championship

Four-time winner Mark Selby only needs three more frames to move into the World Championship last 16 after dominating the opening session to lead 7-2 against Wales' Jak Jones. England's Selby, 42, has lost in round one at the Crucible in each of the past two years, but stormed into a 6-0 lead over the 2024 runner-up, helped by breaks of 67 and 50. Jones took a tight seventh frame, before Selby regained his six-frame advantage thanks to a break of 78, although Jones ended well with a 90 break in the session's final frame. Their match will be played to a finish in the evening session, which begins at 19:00 BST. Seventh seed Selby will aim to continue a remarkable run of results for the seeded players, with victories for all 12 to have finished their matches so far. The World Championship has been played at the Crucible in Sheffield since 1977 but never before have all 16 seeded players advanced into the second phase. Fifteen is the current record, set in 1983 and then matched in 1993. If Selby, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Si Jiahui and Neil Robertson win, then all 16 of the qualifiers would have been eliminated in round one. Chris Wakelin, the 13th seed, made it 12 out of 12 seeded players to advance, sealing a 10-6 victory over 20-year-old English qualifer Liam Pullen. Wakelin had led 5-4 overnight but Pullen, the world number 86 who battled through four qualifying rounds to qualify, made it 5-5 - only for Wakelin to win five frames in a row. "I'm gutted for Liam as he is a really good friend of mine - we practice a lot and he is an incredible player," said 34-year-old Wakelin. "A few years ago we first practiced together and he stuffed me and I thought 'what a talent'. It's a shame he didn't fully show what he is capable of but he did really well and made a good account of himself. "I'm really proud that he has been here for the first time and every single person in that arena wanted him to win, me included. But I'm here to win and sometimes you have to be ruthless. "I watched the draw and I didn't want to draw Stan [Moody] or Liam as they are my friends and I want them to win." Pullen, who lost his World Snooker Tour place last May, then regained it a few weeks later at Q School, said he loved his first Crucible match. "I really enjoyed every moment," said Pullen. "I felt at times I held my own and I thought it was a very tight 10-6. I loved it. You have got to have fun and I felt close to doing something but it didn't quite click." In the afternoon session, O'Sullivan will be looking for a quick finish as he leads 7-2 against another debutant, China's He Guoqiang, while Si Jiahui begins his match with Iran's Hossein Vafaei.