World Snooker Championship 2023: Hossein Vafaei criticised for being 'disrespectful' towards Ronnie O'Sullivan

Cazoo World Championship
Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Dates: 15 April-1 May
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV and Red Button with uninterrupted coverage on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app

Hossein Vafaei was branded "disrespectful" after a controversial start to his World Championship grudge match with defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The qualifier, from Iran, upset BBC commentators Stephen Hendry and John Virgo when he smashed the pack of reds from the break-off in the second frame.

O'Sullivan went on to establish a 6-2 lead after the pair's opening session.

"To me, it's disrespectful to play that shot," said Virgo on BBC One.

"It's the biggest match of his [Vafaei's] career. I just can't believe he'd play a shot like that.

"That's a first for me. It's funny what goes on in snooker players' minds."

O'Sullivan led 1-0 when 28-year-old Vafaei, who had been engaged in a war of words with the seven-time world champion before the match, hit the balls in anger at the start of the second frame.

The act was reminiscent of when O'Sullivan did the same to Vafaei in the final frame of a 5-0 loss in German Masters qualifying last season.

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry said on BBC One: "It's obviously a premeditated break-off because Ronnie did it to him in a match [last season].

"Before he [Vafaei] got down to break off, he looked up at presumably one of his friends in the audience.

"But it's silly to get involved in something like that. It's the World Championship. Why get involved?

"I'm not sure what he was hoping to achieve by doing it because Ronnie simply won't care.

"Not good. Not clever. He's obviously been holding on to that for a very long time."

The 'Rocket' had warned Vafaei not to "rattle my cage" before the contest, while his opponent poked fun at the world number one, saying O'Sullivan was "a nice guy when he was asleep".

But it was O'Sullivan who had the last laugh as he moved a step closer to a coveted quarter-final berth.

Breaks of 78, 65, 51, 78 and 102 - his 200th century break at the Crucible - did the damage for the 47-year-old, who is gunning to make history this season as he tries to become the first player to win eight world titles in the modern era.

Brecel into quarters and Allen on brink

Luca Brecel in action at the World Championship — Belgium's Brecel had not won a match at the Crucible until this year

Belgium's Luca Brecel booked his place in the quarter-finals with a battling 13-11 victory over Mark Williams, the three-time world champion.

Breaks of 113, 100, 66, 80 and 51 saw Brecel dominate the penultimate session to lead 9-7, although he missed an excellent chance to lead 10-6 after faltering on a break in the final frame of the afternoon.

Welshman Williams compiled an 81 break to keep his hopes of progressing alive and had other breaks of 67, 54 and 53.

But Brecel added runs of 71, 84, 67 and 117 - his fourth century of the match - to edge over the winning line.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's Mark Allen needs just one frame for victory tomorrow having opened up a dominant 12-4 lead over England's Stuart Bingham after the second session of their second-round match.

The former Crucible semi-finalist ran in breaks of 53, 63, 75, 63, 65, 97 and 51 as he pulled well clear by winning seven frames on the spin, having resumed 5-3 ahead.

Qualifier Jak Jones leads former world champion Neil Robertson 10-6. The pair returned locked at 4-4, but Welshman Jones took control with breaks of 100, 65, 49, 74 and 49.