Welsh Open: Mark Williams and Neil Robertson advance to the third round

Williams – who won the event in 1996 and 1999 – will face 2018 runner-up Barry Hawkins in the third round after the Englishman produced breaks of 69, 72 and 52 in a 4-2 win over Pang Junxu.

Robertson – Welsh Open champion in 2007 and 2019 – came from behind to defeat Fafai.

The Iranian came out on top in an opening frame that lasted 51 minutes, although former world champion Robertson won four consecutive frames, the second of which was over the Lions, to secure the victory.

After surviving those early scares, Robertson showed his class in the final two frames with breaks of 100 and 118 to set up a third-round meeting with Jack Jones.

The three-time Welshman made a 50-over break to move into the third round with a 4-2 win over Scotland’s Anthony McGill.

A stunning break of 101 in the penultimate frame proved pivotal as Welshman Jackson Page came from behind to beat Zhang Bingyu 4-3.

Bingyu posted breaks of 65 and 74 en route to a 3-2 lead, although Page’s century break was followed by a 70-22 win in the final frame.

Robbie Williams came back from 2-0 down to beat 2013 winner Stephen Maguire 4-3 in the second round – with a 69 break in the fourth frame the Englishman’s highlight.

Jack Lisowski won three straight frames to come back from 3-1 down to beat Xiao Guodong on the North Wales coast.

China’s Guodong looked set for victory after following up two half-century breaks with 113 in the fourth frame.

But Lisowski put up an impressive fight back to win each of the final three frames, making a break of 83 to force a decider in the final frame, which he then won 56-39.

David Grace beat Welshman Dylan Emery 4-1, while Wu Yez beat Joe O’Connor 4-2 in a match that featured four half-century breaks.

Elsewhere, Jiang Jun outlasted fellow Chinese player Yuan Sijun to secure a landslide 4-0 victory.