Ding Junhui came back from 4-0 down to beat Mark Davis 10-7 and set up a second round clash with John Higgins in the World Snooker Championships

Ding has only gone beyond the second round twice in Sheffield and if he is to go further this year he will have to beat the four time winner which will be a difficult task if Higgins can rediscover his best form.

Joining Ding in the last sixteen will be Northern Ireland's Mark Allen. Allen went 3-1 down before the interval to Welshman Ryan Day. That was as good as it got for Day with Allen winning the next nine frames to secure a 10-3 victory and set up a meeting with Barry Hawkins in the next round.

Two time finalist Ali Carter beat Alan McManus 10-5 and will now take on Neil Robertson in the last sixteen. Just being at the Crucible is a huge achievement for Carter who was diagnosed with lung cancer last year. He has since been given the all clear and he will be hoping to regain the form that has saw him win three ranking events.

Five time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan got his campaign underway taking a 7-2 first session lead over Craig Steadman. In typical Ronnie fashion it wasn't without it's controversy as the Rocket played a part of the match with no shoes on after complaining of discomfort before an official gave him his shoes to play in.

In Tuesday's final game Matthew Stevens opened up a 7-2 lead against former champion and fellow Welshman Mark Williams. Stevens requires just three frames to beat Williams and get revenge on his compatriot for beating him in the final back in 2000.

Wednesday's play will see O'Sullivan (10am) and Stevens (2.30pm) attempt to secure their place in the next round as well as the opening sessions of Shaun Murphy v Robin Hull (2.30pm), Judd Trump v Stuart Carrington (7pm) and both sessions of Joe Perry v Zhang Anda (10am and 7pm). 

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About the author
Gerry Johnston
Cover Spanish and Italian football for VAVEL UK.