The three-times champion Mark Selby suffered a shock World Championship defeat to the former taxi driver Gary Wilson on Saturday .
Selby, who was the 2014, 2016 and 2017 champion, is ranked second in the world – 30 places above Wilson. But Wilson, who has journeyed on a long road to join snooker’s elite, produced another Crucible surprise after the amateur James Cahill stunned the world No 1, Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Selby resumed 9-7 behind but looked likely to progress after winning the first two frames of the final session. Wilson, however, kept his nerve as the pair exchanged the next two frames. And the 33-year-old from Tyneside then rattled off the next three for a 13-10 victory.
Wilson finished with a flourish as a final break of 92 set up a quarter-final date with Ali Carter or Zhou Yuelong.
In another shock the defending world champion, Mark Williams, is out after losing 13-9 to David Gilbert in the second round following a health scare. Williams had trailed Gilbert 5-3 on Friday afternoon before feeling pains in his chest.
The Welshman subsequently posted on Twitter that he was in the A&E department of a local hospital, saying: “Couldn’t stick the chest pains no more.”
The 44-year-old, who made his own way to hospital, later posted: “Doctors are confidant (sic) it’s not anything to do with my heart. Awaiting more tests at 10 o clock.”
But Williams took his place in the morning session, entering the arena to huge cheers from the crowd and the Queen song Don’t Stop Me Now. Gilbert extended his lead to 9-7 in the afternoon session and took four of the six frames in the evening to seal his place in the quarter-finals. In the last eight the No 16 seed will face Barry Hawkins or Kyren Wilson.
Cahill could not continue his fairy tale after a titanic struggle against Stephen Maguire. The Scot, the world No 15, led 9-7 going into the final session but Cahill pulled it back to 10-10, then 12-12. Maguire’s experience finally told as he took the final frame.