Three-time world champion Mark Williams lost to Si Jiahui in the first round of the 2024 World Snooker Championships with a tense 10-9 defeat.

Williams, the sixth seed for the tournament, led 5-4 overnight, but fell 8-5 behind after Si won the first four frames of Tuesday’s session.

The 2000, 2003, and 2018 champion showed his pedigree to pull it back to 8-7 and then 9-9, winning four of the next five frames.

The deciding frame was predictably tense and Williams blinked first, allowing Si to capitalise and make a match-winning break of 77.

Had Williams won, he would have faced fellow Welshman Jak Jones, who convincingly beat Zhang Anda 10-4 on Sunday.

Zhang, the 11th seed, along with Williams, Luca Brecel (1st), Mark Selby (5th), Ali Carter (9th), and Gary Wilson (10th) have all been beaten in the first round leading the tournament to be dubbed ‘the tournament of shocks’.

Despite making clear that he had no plans to retire, Williams did wonder after the match if he would play at the Crucible again.

“I’m 50 next year and I was looking around. I’ve loved every minute,” he said.

“I don’t know if I will be back here again. I’m not considering my future but it’s a tough game so to keep getting to these venues is hard, you have to treat it as if you’re not going to get back.

“Fingers crossed you will see me playing next year but I’m 50 [next year] and can’t keep going on forever.

“Whether or not I’ll be back again, I don’t know. I’m not considering my future really, just it’s a tough game.”

Two other Welshmen are currently fighting for their place in the second round. Dominic Dale faces a steep uphill battle to overcome a 8-1 deficit against 12th seed Kyren Wilson.

Wilson produced some wonderful play with breaks of 52, 75, 123, 96, 50, 77, and 73 against Dale, 52, who is the oldest player at this year’s competition and playing at the Crucible for the first time in 10 years.

Meanwhile, Ryan Day leads Barry Hawkins 5-4 in what promises to be another close encounter.

The winner of Day and Hawkins’ match will play the winner of another tie involving a Welshman. Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will play 22-year-old Jackson Page on Wednesday afternoon for a place in the second round.

Finally, in the evening session, Jamie Jones, yet another Welshman who got through the qualifying rounds, will play 13th seed and four-time world champion John Higgins.

While most of the Welsh contingent are underdogs in their ties, with the number of upsets so far in the tournament, do not rule out a couple more involving the best of Welsh snooker.