Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ali Carter LIVE: Score and updates from World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre

Wednesday 23 April – First round

Zhang Anda (12) 5-3 Pang Junxu – to a finish

Shaun Murphy (15) 7-2 Daniel Wells – to a finish

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) 5-4 Ali Carter – to a finish

Luca Brecel (7) v Ryan Day

Mark Selby (4) v Ben Woollaston

Judd Trump (2) 6-3 Zhou Yuelong – to a finish

Ronnie O’Sullivan has returned to competitive snooker after a long absence to deal with mental health problems and is locked into a battle with Ali Carter in the first round of the World Snooker Championships.

O’Sullivan took a 5-2 lead in the first session on Tuesday afternoon before Carter won the final two frames to leave the match delicately poised at 5-4.

The duo return to the table on Wednesday afternoon to play this match through to a finish with the first player to reach 10 frames (best of 19) progressing to the next round.

It will be a fascinating watch and the Independent will have all the coverage of O’Sullivan’s attempt to win an eighth world title.

Ronnie O’Sullivan had to settle for a single-frame overnight advantage as the opening session of his World Snooker Championship first-round clash against old foe Ali Carter failed to live up to its pre-match hype.

The seven-time champion, returning to the tour for the first time since dumping his cue after losing a Championship League match in January, looked to have scrapped out a 6-3 lead to take into Wednesday afternoon’s scheduled conclusion.

But Carter dug deep after O’Sullivan jawed a long red to the top corner in the final frame of the day, gradually erasing a 51-point deficit and nervelessly clearing the colours to cut his overnight deficit to 5-4.