Kyren Wilson enjoyed a strong second session against Barry Hawkins to boost his chances of reaching the last eight at the World Championship.

Hawkins, who has earned a reputation for performing at the Crucible, raced into a 4-0 lead in the morning session and he led 6-2 by the first interval.

He has won more matches than any other player at the Sheffield venue over the past six years and fired four centuries in the first session.

But Wilson came out with a positive mindset in the second session and will attempt to complete a dramatic turnaround on Monday.

Wilson also boasts a strong record at the South Yorkshire venue, having reached the semi-finals last term, while he made it to the quarter-finals in the previous two years.

With two ranking titles under his belt already this season – the Paul Hunter Classic and German Masters – Hawkins must have been expecting a fight back at some point.

‘The Warrior’ wasted little time after returning for the second session, firing breaks of 95 and 68 to reduce the deficit to 6-4.

Undeterred, Hawkins responded by wrapping up the next two frames to lead 8-4 at the interval. A fine break of 131 followed by 80 saw Wilson end the day on a positive note and the pair will resume the match on Monday at 9-7.

Wilson is priced at 2.60 to come through the tie, while Hawkins can be backed at 1.44.

Zhou Yuelong came back from 7-6 to lead Ali Carter 9-7 on the other table heading into their final session.

The 21-year-old, who is playing in the second round at the World Championship for the first time, didn’t appear to be fazed by his more experienced opponent.

The winner will go on to face Gary Wilson in the quarter-finals.