Defending champion Mark Williams is out of the World Championship after losing 13-9 to David Gilbert in the second round on Saturday.

Williams, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby, the top three ranked players in the world, have all been eliminated within the first two rounds in what has been a great week of action so far.

Williams’ second-round match was unsettled after he was taken to hospital with chest pains after the first session on Friday.

After being given the all clear, Williams returned to the table, but he could never find his best form as Gilbert proved too tough a nut to crack.

Williams trailed 9-7 going into the final session and took the first frame of the evening but breaks of 62, 52 and 139 gave Gilbert the advantage and he led 12-8 at the interval.

In the end he sealed a 13-9 victory and the Derby-born player admits he enjoyed the battle. “I really enjoyed the match from start to finish,” Gilbert told World Snooker.

“In the last session I was so comfortable and calm within myself and it was one of my best ever performances. I really felt like I deserved the win, I stuck to my guns all day.

“It means everything. It wasn’t so long ago I was struggling to get through the qualifiers and now I’m at the Mecca of snooker and I’ve just beaten the defending champion. I feel like if I play the way I did there and keep that up I can cause people some grief.”

Selby crashed out after losing to World number 32 Gary Wilson on Saturday. The three-time champion bowed out after a 13-10 loss, with Wilson now 26.00 to go on and lift the trophy.