Nothing to separate Ronnie O’Sullivan and Zhao Xintong after opening session

Seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and first-time semi-finalist Zhao Xintong shared the spoils in a gripping opening session at the Crucible, tying 4-4 as they fought for a spot in the World Snooker Championship final.

O’Sullivan’s pedigree and experience on the big stage did not deter Zhao, who took a 2-0 lead and then finished impressively with a break of 86 – the highest of the match to date – to leave things all square after the initial leg of their best-of-33 contest.

With moments to go in the afternoon’s play, Zhao broke a corner runner with a powerful shot to leave balls rolling around the carpet as he applied the finishing touches.

Earlier O’Sullivan, who considered his previous 13-9 win over Si Jiahui a let-off, won three frames in a row and at one stage stopped his opponent registering a point for almost 34 minutes.

Zhao showed no sign of nerves on his first appearance at the theatre’s one-table set-up, settling quickly into his work as he picked up the first two frames with minimal fuss.

O’Sullivan potted the white off the initial break and was restricted to just a couple of reds as the Chinese player put together a decisive 60 to take first blood.

It was a similar story next up, with O’Sullivan opening the door with a missed black and Zhao cashing in with a 62 break.

O’Sullivan came to life at 2-0, producing his best shot yet when he brilliantly hid the blue and getting into the zone with a breezy 64.

By the time the mid-session interval arrived he had wrestled back the momentum, conjuring a fluid 73 to even the scores before jamming a black in the jaws with a century for the taking.

O’Sullivan’s roll continued after the restart as he got the better of a safety exchange then sealed the fifth, leaving Zhao