World snooker results: Mark Selby reaches round two as Ronnie O'Sullivan bounces back to take commanding lead over David Gilbert

The defending champion, who arrived at the Crucible after missing the last two tournaments due to mental health concerns, turned his 6-3 advantage after the morning session into an 8-3 lead before a gutsy comeback by Jones reduced the deficit to 8-6.

Just when it seemed Selby might be rocking, he dug deep to produce his third century of the match, a brilliant 137 that also marked his 100th in the World Championship.

Jones responded again to narrow the gap to 9-7, but Selby took advantage of a costly in-off by Jones in the next to eventually seal a 10-7 win.

The four-time champion had earlier made two century breaks in the morning session, including a fine clearance of 134.

Afterwards Selby admitted: “It was quite emotional going back out there today.

“The result was irrelevant as long as I went out and tried to enjoy it and smiled a little bit, and that’s what happened. The main thing for me at the moment is just getting better.

“When it got to 9-7 I could see that he fancied the job. But I sat in my chair and thought, if he comes back and beats me 10-9, I’ll still have enjoyed that. The time I stop enjoying it is when I hang up my cue.”

During the afternoon session, O’Sullivan swatted aside an early scare to establish a 6-3 lead over David Gilbert in the opening session of their clash.

O’Sullivan, seeking to match Stephen Hendry’s modern record of seven world crowns, lost the first three frames to the 2019 semi-finalist but responded with two centuries to move into a dominant position ahead of Sunday’s conclusion.

Gilbert was the toughest possible first-round draw for O’Sullivan, who warned on Friday of “carnage” among the seeds in the early stages of this year’s competition due to the quality of those who have come through qualifying.

And it looked like the 46-year-old could become the most prominent victim as breaks of 56 and 94 helped Gilbert ease into a 3-0 advantage, before a 122 by O’Sullivan set him back on track before the mid-session interval.

O’Sullivan stepped up the pace after the break and Gilbert began to wilt under the pressure, producing a series of errors which the favourite characteristically exploited.

When Gilbert left a red dangling over the pocket in the seventh frame, O’Sullivan responded with a 104 clearance to move in front for the first time, and a missed black off its spot in the next yielded another half-century and a 5-3 lead.

Any hopes Gilbert had of clawing back the overnight deficit ended with another missed red in the final frame of the session, O’Sullivan duly responding with a 54 which proved enough to take him four more frames from a place in the second round.

Read: Ronnie O'Sullivan on 'that' 147 break

Jackson Page, at 20 the youngest player in this year’s main draw, established a 6-3 overnight lead over former finalist Barry Hawkins.

Page scored six half-centuries, including a break of 102 in the eighth frame, and it could have been worse for Hawkins, who got the snooker he required to win the final frame of the day.

UK champion Zhao Xintong was in cruise control, hitting two centuries and four further half-centuries as he established a 7-2 lead over Jamie Clarke, while Stephen Maguire leads Shaun Murphy 6-3.

Read: Murphy and Williams on whether Ronnie is bad for snooker

World Snooker: Saturday results & Sunday schedule

Saturday April 16

* denotes final session of match

First round (best of 19)
Morning Session: 1000 BST
TV Channel: BBC Two/Eurosport

• Mark Selby (1) 6-3 Jamie Jones
• Zhao Xintong (7) 7-2 Jamie Clarke

Afternoon Session: 1430 BST
TV Channel: BBC One/Eurosport

• Barry Hawkins (9) 3-6 Jackson Page
• Ronnie O'Sullivan (2) 6-3 David Gibert

Evening Session: 1900 BST
TV Channel: BBC Four/Eurosport

• Mark Selby (1) 10-7 Jamie Jones *
• Shaun Murphy (10) 3-6 Stephen Maguire

Sunday April 17

First round (best of 19)
Morning Session: 1000 BST
TV Channel: BBC Two/Eurosport

• Anthony McGill (13) v Liam Highfield (Match 7)
• Zhao Xintong (7) 7-2 Jamie Clarke (Match 13) *

Afternoon Session: 1430 BST
TV Channel: BBC One/Eurosport

• Mark Williams (8) v Michael White (Match 4)
• Ronnie O'Sullivan (2) 6-3 David Gilbert (Match 16) *

Evening Session: 1900 BST
TV Channel: BBC Red Button/Eurosport

• Barry Hawkins (9) 3-6 Jackson Page (Match 3) *
• Shaun Murphy (10) 3-6 Stephen Maguire (Match 14) *

Click here for full tournament schedule

Related snooker links

• World Snooker Championship outright preview
• World Championship: Daily Crucible tips
• World Championship: Round one tips
• World Snooker Championship draw & schedule
• Ronnie on the unbreakable record
• Is Ronnie O'Sullivan bad for snooker?
• Murphy completes 'Holy Grail'
• Neal Foulds' World Championship top-16 verdict
• James Cooper's World Championship form guide
• Weary Higgins stares down his demons
• Shaun Murphy exclusive interview
• History of snooker's number ones
• Watch all the Crucible 147 breaks
• History of 147 breaks
• Crucible memories: Ronnie's finest hour
• Crucible memories: Higgins denies Trump
• Crucible memories: White a People's Champion
• Crucible memories: Johnson stuns Davis
• Crucible memories: Foulds' dream debut