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Champion Zhao leads Highfield after Virgo tribute
TL;DR
Zhao Xintong leads Liam Highfield 5-4 in their match at the Crucible, with the conclusion set for Saturday. The tournament opened with a tribute to the late John Virgo, a former player and commentator.
Key points
- Zhao Xintong leads Liam Highfield 5-4
- Match conclusion scheduled for Saturday at 19:00 BST
- Tribute paid to John Virgo before the tournament
- Mark Allen trails Zhang Anda 3-5
Mentioned in this story
John Virgo
Zhao XintongLiam HighfieldMark AllenZhang Anda
China's reigning world champion Zhao Xintong opened up a slight lead over England's Liam Highfield on an emotional opening day of the tournament at the Crucible.
Zhao is 5-4 up against Highfield, 92nd in the world rankings, with the match to be concluded on Saturday from 19:00 BST.
On the other table, Northern Ireland's former world number one Mark Allen is 3-5 behind against China's Zhang Anda, with their second session to come on Sunday morning.
Before play started a host of the sport's biggest names, including the BBC television team, paid tribute to former player and commentator John Virgo, who died in February aged 79, with a minute's applause.
BBC presenter Hazel Irvine said John was "universally loved by everyone in this sport and beyond - he really was the voice of snooker".
On Thursday there was a memorial service for Virgo in his home city at Sheffield Cathedral, a short walk from the Crucible.
"The cathedral was packed and we gave John a wonderful send-off as he was a very special man," 1985 world champion Dennis Taylor told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I knew him for more than 50 years and he was a great all-round entertainer. There's a big gap here in the Crucible this year with John not being with us."
Zhao became the first Chinese player to win the World Championship when he beat Mark Williams 18-12 in the 2025 final, and he has won four tournaments this season, including three of the past five ranking events.
That form has taken him to fourth in the world rankings and he has been tipped by many players and pundits to win this competition.
He won three of the opening four frames, including a break of 123 in frame four, but Highfield took advantage of mistakes to win three successive frames, including a break of 86 in the fifth.
Highfield, 35, only returned to the World Snooker Tour last year after he suffered a broken wrist in an e-scooter accident in 2023, and had to win four qualifying matches to secure his Crucible spot.
He had chances to take the final frame of the session but missed a yellow off the spot early on as Zhao nudged back in front.
Q&A
What is the current score between Zhao Xintong and Liam Highfield?
Zhao Xintong is currently leading Liam Highfield 5-4.
When will the match between Zhao Xintong and Liam Highfield conclude?
The match is set to conclude on Saturday at 19:00 BST.
Who did the snooker community pay tribute to at the tournament?
The snooker community paid tribute to former player and commentator John Virgo, who passed away in February.
What was the score in the match between Mark Allen and Zhang Anda?
Mark Allen is currently trailing Zhang Anda with a score of 3-5.