Neil Robertson secured the World Championship title in 2010.
Australian Neil Robertson defeated China’s Pang Junxu with a score of 10-6, contributing to a Crucible record-equalling feat of 15 seeded players winning their initial matches at the 2026 World Championship.
Robertson, seeded fourth, sealed a four-frame victory, marking only the third instance where all but one of the seeded players progressed beyond the qualifiers.
Hossein Vafaei of Iran, ranked 32nd globally, remains the sole qualifier in contention after his 10-3 victory over China’s Si Jiahui earlier on Thursday.
Since 1977, the Crucible has been the esteemed venue for snooker’s premier event. Never have all 16 seeds advanced, with 15 reaching the second round in 1983 – Jimmy White’s loss to Tony Meo – and again a decade later when Doug Mountjoy defeated Alain Robidoux.
“Hossein did me a favour earlier on because all the seeds had won, so the pressure was building and building and who was going to be the one that let everyone down?” Robertson remarked jokingly.
He expressed confusion as to why the qualifiers struggled, stating, “There were a few debutants this year and some young players that had not had the experience of playing here. The bigger surprise has been there have not been many close matches.”
“But there probably won’t be that fairytale underdog story this year.”
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Neil Robertson secures his win with a century break.
Against Pang, Robertson maintained a 5-4 lead from the previous night, achieving breaks of 77, 80, and a decisive 100 in the final frame to clinch the win.
The 2010 World Champion, Robertson, failed to qualify in 2024 and was ousted in the first round the preceding year.
On that occasion, he suffered a 10-8 defeat to Chris Wakelin, whom he is scheduled to face again in the last 16, commencing on Saturday and concluding on Monday.
Robertson, a two-time Masters champion, anticipates that the high concentration of top-ranked players remaining in the tournament will be advantageous.
“It means there will be a lot of good matches. I have a great record at the Masters [which features only the top 16] so I enjoy playing the great players,” Robertson added.
“I’m in the part of the draw where all the players are aggressive so that will suit my game and means I don’t have to work too hard to play on my terms.”
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Hossein Vafaei has now advanced to the last 16 of the World Championship for the third time, having done so in 2023 and 2025.
Vafaei is now set to face world number one Judd Trump.
Si, a semi-finalist in 2023, initially led 3-1, but Vafaei, 31, then claimed nine consecutive frames, bolstered by breaks of 81, 61, 60, 105, 53, 78, and 68.
Across the final three frames of Wednesday’s session and Thursday’s four frames, Si, seeded 15th, managed a mere 64 points collectively as Vafaei showcased impressive form.
Looking ahead to playing the 2019 champion, he said, “Judd is one of my friends and a nice guy on and off the table. He is the world number one so it’s the best match.”
“I’m getting a lot of support from back home and they would love me to do very good in this tournament.
“Si is one of the best players China has so a tough opponent for me, I respect his game and I’m one of his fans, he is such a great player.”
In one of the first matches of the last 16, 2005 champion Shaun Murphy established a commanding 6-2 lead against China’s Xiao Guodong.
Murphy narrowly advanced with a 10-9 victory over Fan Zhengyi in the first round, describing his decisive break of 50 in the final frame as his finest at the Crucible, after trailing 53-17.
However, the 43-year-old Englishman experienced a more composed session, achieving breaks of 79, 103, 63, and 64 to establish a 5-0 advantage.
Xiao, ranked ninth globally, claimed the subsequent two frames, but Murphy concluded the session strongly, securing the final frame with a run of 61, leading by four frames in the best-of-25 match.
The match will continue on Friday at 10:00 BST, and Murphy could potentially secure victory with a session to spare if he wins seven of the eight frames in that session. The third session, if required, is scheduled for 19:00.
Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen currently holds a 5-3 lead over England’s Kyren Wilson, the 2024 champion.
Allen, a two-time semi-finalist, achieved breaks of 50 and 78 to quickly establish a 5-0 lead, but Wilson responded by winning the last three frames of the session, aided by runs of 75 and 50.
The second session is scheduled for Friday from 14:30, with the match concluding on Saturday morning.
Watch: World Snooker Championship – Murphy cruises into lead; Vafaei beats Si
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