China's Zhao on brink of semifinals, O'Sullivan keeps control at Crucible in WST World Championship

China's Zhao Xintong moved just one frame away from reaching the semifinals of the World Snooker Championship after extending his lead to 12-4 over England's Chris Wakelin, following their second session at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England.

The quarterfinal appearance already marks a historic achievement for Zhao, who becomes the first amateur to advance to this stage in the tournament's history.

The match began with a minor setback for Zhao, who dropped the first frame before rallying to take six in a row, including one with an impressive break of 92.

Leading 6-2 going into the second session, Zhao faced a brief resurgence from World No. 13 Wakelin, who closed the gap to 6-4. But China's former UK Championship winner maintained his composure, re-establishing dominance by claiming the next six frames in succession, with breaks of 56, 68, and 58 along the way.

Now on the cusp of victory, the 28-year-old Zhao stands poised to make it seven straight wins at the Crucible, should he close out the match.

Meanwhile, in another quarterfinal clash, snooker luminary Ronnie O'Sullivan holds a 6-2 lead over Si Jiahui. England's seven-time world champion faced a tightly-contested opening frame, but quickly found his rhythm.

China's Si responded with an impressive break of exactly 100 in the second frame, leveling the match momentarily. But O'Sullivan's experience shone through as he rattled off breaks of 71, 54, and 87, establishing a solid 4-1 advantage.

Si began to fight back by taking the sixth frame, and even surged ahead 52-0 in the seventh, only to falter at a critical juncture. O'Sullivan seized the opportunity, capitalizing with a break of 67 to extend his lead to 5-2.

The 49-year-old "Rocket" capped off the afternoon session with a dazzling break of 121, ensuring that he would head into the evening session with a 6-2 lead. He and Si will reconvene for the second of three sessions later on Wednesday.