Luca Brecel secures quarter-final spot after beating Mark Williams at Crucible

Welshman Williams bowed out after a thrilling Crucible contest.

Luca Brecel (left) reached the World Snooker Championship quarter-finals by beating Mark Williams (Nigel French/PA) (PA Wire)

Luca Brecel held his nerve to the reach the World Snooker Championship quarter-finals for the first time with a 13-11 victory over Mark Williams.

Welshman Williams looked to have turned the tide when he fought back from 11-8 adrift to tie a gripping second-round clash.

But Belgian world number 10 Brecel posted a break of 84 to edge back in front, before taking the match with a run of 67.

Brecel is the first player through to this year’s Crucible quarter-finals, where he will meet Ronnie O’Sullivan or Hossein Vafaei.

But Williams became the the third former world champion to bow out inside the tournament’s first week, following Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy.

Mark Allen, meanwhile, moved to within touching distance of the quarter-finals after a dominant second session against Stuart Bingham.

Allen, 5-3 ahead overnight, won seven of the eight frames and requires one more frame on Saturday morning to progress.

Bingham prevented his opponent from winning with a session to spare by compiling a century in frame 16, but he still trails 12-4.