Iran\u2019s Hossein Vafaei staged a sensational 13-12 win over Judd Trump to reach the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
World number 32 Vafaei has twice fallen short in the second round but now moves three wins away from the sport\u2019s ultimate prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next up for Vafaei is a quarter-final showdown with China\u2019s Wu Yize, who overcame four-time World Champion Mark Selby this afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vafaei is his country\u2019s first ever snooker professional and ranking event winner, having taken the top prize at the Shoot Out in 2022. That year also saw him become Iran\u2019s first Crucible competitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Defeat for 2019 World Champion Trump means he will have to wait for a second world title and leaves his position at the summit of the Johnstone\u2019s Paint World Rankings in doubt. If Neil Robertson goes on to win the event, he will replace Trump as world number one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having led 9-7 overnight, Trump came charging out of the blocks this evening and made 77 to extend his advantage to 10-7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tenacious Vafaei refused to wilt and breaks of 53 and 55 helped him to take the following two frames and pull within one at 10-9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A tight 20th<\/sup> frame also went the way of Vafaei and allowed him to restore parity at 10-10 at the mid-session interval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When play resumed 31-year-old Vafaei crafted a contribution of 77 to make it four on the bounce and hit the front at 11-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump managed to halt Vafaei\u2019s momentum by making 76 to take the 22nd<\/sup> frame. He then moved one from victory with 64 to lead 12-11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the match on the line and the pressure at its highest, Vafaei summoned his best snooker. A century run of 106 forced the decider and he followed that up with a sublime 91 break to reach the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Afterwards the two players, who are close friends, embraced in front of a packed Crucible. Vafaei left the arena to a standing ovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t nervous. I enjoyed every minute. I was born for this kind of situation. If I don\u2019t face this kind of situation I will never become World Champion. Every day the Crucible trophy is living in my head rent free,\u201d said Vafaei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was a fantastic feeling against the world number one. It was a really tough match and we were pushing each other all the way. I am so happy to get over the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love Judd. We are good friends with each other and I respect him a lot. He and his brother are a great team. He told me that I need to believe I can win it. I hope I can do that as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI beat the world number one. I don\u2019t want to think too much about the future. I don\u2019t care who I\u2019m going to play. They have to care who they are playing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chinese 22-year-old Yize scored his first ever win over Mark Selby, a 13-11 triumph, to make the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The talented Yize, who lost in the opening round of his previous two trips to the Theatre of Dreams, now progresses to a maiden quarter-final. He will face either world number one Judd Trump or Hossein Vafaei in a battle to reach the hallowed single table setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yize is now three wins away from becoming the youngest World Champion since Stephen Hendry, who was 21 when he lifted the title in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lanzhou cueman came of age at this season\u2019s International Championship in Nanjing, where he defeated John Higgins in the final to lift a maiden ranking crown. It was a case of third time lucky for Wu, who lost the English and Scottish Open finals in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Selby arrived in Sheffield as one of the key contenders, after a season which has seen him win the UK Championship and the Champion of Champions. However, his recent pattern of early Crucible exits continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since making the 2023 final, the Englishman has now endured two first round exits on top of his second round loss this afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Former Rookie of the Year Yize came into the afternoon holding a slight 9-7 advantage. That was extended at the start of the session, before 89 from Selby in the 18th<\/sup> made it 10-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yize had the first opportunity in the next but could only construct a break of 43, spurning a straightforward red to the top left. Selby pounced with 56 to steal on the colours and pull within one at 10-9.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n A marathon 53-minute frame was then won by Yize to pull clear again and Selby\u2019s frustrations uncharacteristically began to show. He violently smashed his cue on the table after missing a red in the 21st<\/sup>, a mistake which allowed Yize to move 12-9 up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Selby rallied and kept the game alive with 95 in the next. However, he then left the third last red when escaping from a snooker and Yize got himself over the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After shaking hands with his illustrious opponent he was afforded a standing ovation and bowed to the Crucible crowd before exiting the arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yize said: \u201cI\u2019m really excited. I really like the Crucible and enjoyed my match out there. I just want to continue to enjoy this event. I wasn\u2019t thinking about winning or losing in the moment, but the Crucible creates pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The match was tough and exhausting. Especially against a player like Mark, I spent a lot of time in safety exchanges in almost every frame. What made me happy was that I could go back and forth with him. It’s the first time I felt I performed so well defensively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis victory definitely gives me a confidence boost. It’s the first time I’ve played a best-of-25 match here and I also beat Mark Selby for the first time. I’ve made many breakthroughs for myself, and that’s what makes me happiest.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neil Robertson is just one win away from a first Crucible semi-final in 12 years as he rounded off a 13-7 victory over Chris Wakelin to set up a blockbuster clash with John Higgins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Robertson lost to Wakelin in the opening round last year, and this time the match was in the balance at 7-6, but the Australian pulled away to lead 10-6 after two sessions, and he eased past the winning post in the concluding session tonight. World number three Robertson lifted the trophy in 2010 and reached the semi-finals in 2014, but since then he has struggled to produce his best in Sheffield, with a string of defeats in the early rounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After a 10-4 defeat against Judd Trump at the recent Tour Championship, Robertson admitted that his safety was “just not good enough at this level to compete and that’s why my record in the World Championship is so bad.” But with comfortable wins over Pang Junxu and Wakelin he has played to his strengths, making three centuries and 13 more breaks over 50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His next test is against Higgins over 25 frames, starting on Tuesday afternoon, a first meeting at the Crucible since 2019. On that occasion Higgins won 13-10 at the same stage, and the Scot also won their most recent fixture 6-1 at the Players Championship in February. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “I’ll need to stay aggressive against John and play on my terms, without being reckless,” said 44-year-old Robertson. “He tends to bring the best out of me.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wakelin, trailing 10-6, took the opening frame by getting the better of a safety battle with two reds remaining, then Robertson hit back with a break of 104 for 11-7. The key moment of frame 19 came when Wakelin, trailing 39-19, missed the black off its spot with the remaining balls well placed, and his opponent punished him with a run of 30 to go five ahead with six to play. And 26-time ranking event winner Robertson sealed the result in the next with a run of 82.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added: “It was a really enjoyable match because Chris and I play in a similar way, always trying to stay on the front foot. I wanted to finish the match before the interval tonight to give myself a bit more rest before tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “In my apartment this afternoon I had two TVs on, watching both matches. There have been some years here where I have tried not to watch too much snooker, but this time I am not kidding myself because I love the sport and really enjoy following the other games, and I think that has helped me stay relaxed. Ronnie and John this afternoon was a brilliant match with a great standard, it really lived up to its billing.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scottish Open champion Wakelin said: “I have had a strange season. I have a lovely trophy at home which is what I have dreamed of. My game is still improving, I feel I am growing year by year but I have been inconsistent.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Higgins completed arguably his best ever Crucible comeback as recovered a 9-4 deficit to beat old rival Ronnie O’Sullivan 13-12, reaching the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n O’Sullivan looked at the top of his game as he built leads of 6-2, 8-3 and 9-4, but he admitted he made too many mistakes under pressure in the second half of the contest and his goal of winning a record-breaking eighth world title is over for another year. Higgins, who walks out to the Stone Roses’ ‘I Am The Resurrection’, <\/em>came back to lifeat the key moments and played superb snooker in the concluding session, firing three centuries as well as a vital 49 in the decider after his opponent had missed a crucial red. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Four-time Crucible king Higgins will surely cherish this as one of his greatest moments in Sheffield as he beat an adversary he has been battling for more than three decades, though he kept his celebrations modest, aware that he must go again on Tuesday afternoon against Neil Robertson or Chris Wakelin. At the age of 50, Higgins knows he must conserve energy in this marathon of the body and mind, but having come through this challenge he will surely believe that a fifth title is within his capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was the seventh ‘El Clasico’ meeting between O’Sullivan and Higgins at the Crucible and the Wishaw man has now won four of those, and also scored his first victory in their overall head-to-head since 2021, ending a series of three defeats. It’s the fifth consecutive year that Higgins has reached the quarter-finals, though in each of the last three he has fallen at that stage, including a painful 13-12 reverse on the final black against Mark Williams last year. Showing a high level of consistency this season, world number five Higgins has reached three finals and three more semi-finals, though silverware has eluded him so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leading 9-7 going into today’s concluding session, O’Sullivan looked set to extend his advantage until he missed a red to top corner on a run of 44, and Higgins punished him with a 59 clearance. The Scot kept his momentum going with breaks of 118 and 128 – his first centuries of the tournament – to make it six frames in a row and lead for the first time at 10-9. Higgins also had an early scoring chance in frame 20 but ran out of position on 7, and he later made a safety error which gave O’Sullivan the opening to make 62 and level the tie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the interval, O’Sullivan regained the lead with a run of 93, but he didn’t pot a ball in the next two frames as Higgins compiled breaks of 111 and 88 to lead 12-11. In the 24th, Higgins had a match-winning opportunity but lost position on 21 then missed a tough red to a baulk corner, letting O’Sullivan in for 81. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First chance in the decider went to Higgins and he made 16 before a tricky red to centre hit the near jaw. O’Sullivan drilled in a long red then went into the pack from the black, but was unlucky to leave only an awkward red to a top corner and he missed the target. Higgins’ cool 49 got him close to the winning line, and when he potted one more red to centre the handshake followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “In the first two sessions I didn’t play well and Ronnie was brilliant, I felt a bit inferior,” said Higgins. “I thought it was the best seen I have seen him hit the ball, he was cueing so well. I was opening the balls up because I thought his safety would be better than mine so I was hoping he would miss a few longs ones and I would get chances that way. At 9-4 last night I felt I had to win the last three frames to have a chance, and that’s how it worked out. From 10-9, he made two great breaks but at 11-10 but I still felt confident if I could get a chance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “It was an incredible atmosphere, especially on Saturday night with Mark Williams on the other table. I loved the last session going toe to toe with Ronnie, you have to savour those occasions. It’s only the second round. I need a good rest, this tournament is so tough. It’s only one sleep then it’s back to 0-0 in the next round.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n O’Sullivan, who hasn’t won a title since March 2024, said: “John played well and deserved his win. I had the chance in the decider, but over the match I missed too many important balls and you can’t do that. There was pressure out there and I felt tight, maybe because I haven’t been playing that many tournaments. But I feel in a better place with my game then I have done in the past three years.” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Iran\u2019s Hossein Vafaei staged a sensational 13-12 win over Judd Trump to reach the quarter-finals of the World<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[378],"class_list":["post-12316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-snooker"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hossein-Vafaei-By-Mehrizi720.jpg",2002,1127,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hossein-Vafaei-By-Mehrizi720-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hossein-Vafaei-By-Mehrizi720-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hossein-Vafaei-By-Mehrizi720-768x432.jpg",640,360,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hossein-Vafaei-By-Mehrizi720-1024x576.jpg",640,360,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hossein-Vafaei-By-Mehrizi720-1536x865.jpg",1536,865,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hossein-Vafaei-By-Mehrizi720.jpg",2002,1127,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hossein-Vafaei-By-Mehrizi720-825x575.jpg",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hossein-Vafaei-By-Mehrizi720-590x410.jpg",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Newsbeat<\/a>","tag_info":"Newsbeat","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Hossein-Vafaei-By-Mehrizi720.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12316"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12317,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12316\/revisions\/12317"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Yize scores first win over Selby <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Robertson sets up Higgins Quarter-Final<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Higgins beats O’Sullivan with huge fight-back<\/h2>\n\n\n\n