Julian Shea BBC Sport at Wembley

Williams fought back after the interval

Defending champion Mark Williams had a major scare against Matthew Stevens before edging a thrilling game 6-5.

Stevens won a cagey first frame after Williams potted the white during a lengthy safety battle and breaks of 105 and 92 put him 3-1 up at the break.

The interval seemed to break his concentration and Williams won the next four, one with a break of 103.

But Stevens battled back, taking the 10th on the black to set up a dramatic finale, only for Williams to hold on.

"At 5-3 down I never thought I'd win, but I said to myself if you get a chance you've got to take it," he said.

"You can't get a tougher first round opponent than Matthew. I'm pleased to be in the competition.

"Towards the weekend is when it really starts. There's nothing worse than watching the rest of it on television."

Stevens was left ruing missed chances after he had made a break of 47 in the deciding frame before missing a vital blue.

"It was more or less a match winning ball," he said. "I played well in the first session. After the interval I had a few chances but I didn't punish him."

I'm bordering on playing well but made some silly mistakes Jimmy White

Jimmy White gave Wembley debutant Neil Robertson a masterclass as he breezed into the second round of the tournament he won 20 years ago, with a 6-2 win.

A 76 break gave White the first and a 60 break looked to have set him up for 2-0 but Robertson built on a fluked red into the top pocket to pull level.

The pair were still level at the break but White soon took charge, making breaks of 78 and 83 along the way.

Robertson showed good form but White was ruthless whenever he had a chance.

"I'm pleased to have got that out of the way, I was under a lot of pressure," said a relieved White, who now meets Stephen Hendry in the second round.

"I'm bordering on playing well but made some silly mistakes and I'll need to be on top of my game against Stephen."

Robertson remained upbeat.

"It's been a great experience and it doesn't get much harder than playing Jimmy here," the Australian said.

"I think I tried a bit too hard. I went for a few long balls I wouldn't usually try and he punished me."