Mark Williams almost received a foul over a sarcastic comment he made during the World Snooker Championship final.
The Welshman faced Zhao Xintong in the opening session at the Crucible on Sunday afternoon.
In an historic final, it is the first time the venue has hosted an all left-handed showpiece.
Meanwhile, referee Desislava Bozhilova became the first woman to referee the final of every Triple Crown event.
The Bulgarian had previously been in charge of the Masters and UK Championship finals in 2022.
She is also only the second female to referee the World Championship final.
However, Bozhilova was forced to contend with Williams’ sarcasm during the fifth frame in Sheffield.
Before playing a safety shot to the black, the three-time world champion joked he was going for the yellow.
Bozhilova confirmed his ball selection before Williams clarified he was hitting the black.
His remark was met with laughter from the crowd, with the referee also seeing the funny side as she could be heard chuckling,
She then could be seen smiling as she attempted to compose herself before the next shot.
The TNT Sports commentator reacted by stating: “He was being sarcastic. I’m not sure you’d get away with that. Saying ‘yellow’ when he meant black.”
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Bozhilova became the first woman to referee the finals of all three Triple Crown eventsGetty Williams trailed 7-1 to Zhao at the end of Sunday’s opening session in SheffieldGettyWilliams’ good spirits came despite losing three of the opening four frames on Sunday.
He was unable to turn the session around, losing the remaining three frames to trail 7-1.
Zhao’s dominance stunned 1997 world champion Ken Doherty on commentary.
Speaking during the BBC’s coverage, he explained: “It’s incredible. Zhao is almost born to play here, he plays so beautifully and hits the ball so well.
“He’s destroying one of the icons of the game at the moment. He looks very relaxed. Mark has had his chances and hasn’t taken them.
“If Mark does start a little comeback, it can have an effect on his opponent.”
The second session on Sunday evening will see another eight frames of action.
A further two sessions are scheduled for Monday, when the best-of-35 frames encounter will be settled.
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