Murphy establishes commanding lead over debutant Wells

Former world champion Shaun Murphy eased into a commanding 7-2 lead after the first session of his World Championship first round match against Crucible debutant Daniel Wells.

In a high-quality session in Sheffield, 42-year-old Murphy, aiming to win a second world title 20 years after his first success, won four frames in a row to take control.

He needs to win only three more frames when the match resumes on Wednesday morning (10:00 BST).

Murphy won the Masters in January and is looking to become the first player since Judd Trump in 2018-19 to win that tournament and then the World Championship in the same season.

He made a fine start with a break of 64 but Welshman Wells, who had to battle through three qualifying rounds to secure his place at the annual 17-day event, showed his break-building ability with a clearance of 131.

But Murphy showed his class with breaks of 63, 100, 57 and 138 to move into a dominant 5-1 advantage.

Wells, 36, made his second century with an effort of 109 in frame seven, only for Murphy to instantly restore his four-frame lead with a run of 76.

Later on Tuesday, seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will make his return after three months away from competitive action when he plays two-time runner-up Ali Carter (14:30 BST).

O’Sullivan, 49, has not played a competitive match since snapping his cue at the Championship League in January.

Before the tournament, he told BBC Sport that “to come here is an achievement in itself for me” as he documented his struggles to find his best form in recent years.

Also on Tuesday, world number one Judd Trump begins his campaign against China’s Zhou Yuelong (19:00 BST).