On April 20, Beijing time, the fifth matchday of the snooker World Championships began. China's Ding Junhui led Wilson 5-4 after the first stage. In another match, four-time champion Higgins staged a comeback, and after falling behind 4-5 in the first stage, he finally defeated Thailand's Tachaia 10-7 to advance to the round of 16.
The match between Ding Junhui and Wilson can be called the most interesting matchup in the first round of this World Championship. Wilson ranked No. 5 in the world, and although Ding Junhui fell to No. 29, it is clear that his strength is still strong. After the opening, Ding Junhui played a good offensive performance, with 64 points, 110 points and 50 points and 55 points in one game, leading 3-0 in three consecutive sets.
Wilson then scored a single 101 points to make it 1-3. Ding Junhui's state fluctuated, and the fifth set was reversed by the opponent 68-57. In the 6th inning, Wilson scored a 97-point win to make it 3-3, and the two sides returned to the same running line. In the crucial 7th set, Ding Junhui fell behind 0-44 and finally completed the reversal with the last black ball accurate long-range hit.
In the 8th set, Ding Junhui scored a single 82 points to win, leading 5-3. In the 9th set, the two were caught in a long battle. Ding Junhui made a key mistake in the defense, and Wilson seized the opportunity to complete the super point. At the end of the first stage, Ding Junhui took a slight lead 5-4. For Ding Junhui, although the 5-4 score was not bad, he originally had a 6-3 or even 7-2 chance, but unfortunately he could not grasp it.
In the other game, Higgins fell behind 4-5 in the first stage, and after the start of the second stage, the two played a good offensive performance, and the score came to 5-6. At the crucial moment, Higgins won three consecutive sets to build an advantage of 8-6. In the end, Higgins defeated the opponent 10-7. Higgins also became the first player to fall behind in the first stage of the World Championships but reverse the promotion in the second stage. In the previous 11 matches, the players who led the first stage were finally promoted, and Tacchaia became the only leading player to be eliminated.