China's Xiao Guodong and Scotland's John Higgins have scripted a compelling narrative at the Crucible Theatre, with their second round match at the World Snooker Championship poised delicately at 8-8 as they head into Saturday's final session in Sheffield, England.

The middle session mirrored the tension of the overall contest, which was knotted at 4-4 when play resumed on Friday. The opening frames of the afternoon were split evenly, before world number three Higgins edged ahead 7-6.

The drama peaked in the 14th frame as Xiao appeared to be cruising, leaving Higgins needing two snookers on the blue ball to draw level again. And the four-time world champion, refusing to surrender, engineered both snookers to force a re-spot.

In a cruel twist, Higgins attempted to pot the black ball into the yellow pocket, but accidentally sent in the cue ball as well, gifting the frame to Xiao. That swung the momentum to 8-7 in Xiao's favor, but Higgins responded in kind with a 129 century break, restoring parity at 8-8.

This century marked the 63rd of this year's tournament, matching the entire haul from last season's edition, a testament to the elevated standard on display.

In another second round showdown, Zhao Xintong holds a 5-3 lead over Chinese compatriot Lei Peifan. After an evenly matched start, Lei's 120 break propelled him into a 3-2 lead, but Zhao soon wrested control, rattling off breaks of 53, 97, and 61 to close out the session by claiming three consecutive frames. They will resume their three-session duel later on Saturday.