It's Ronnie O'Sullivan to break as the Crucible falls into silence to give this match a tense atmosphere.
There's a pre-match handshake between the pair, but these two are definitely desperate to win today.
Here we go...
O'Sullivan and Carter are looking focused as they make their way to the table to reignite their rivalry.
Action is seconds away...
I don't see it as a grudge as such. I just think I have really good matches with Ali. Sometimes it's just the heat of the moment stuff. It was what it was, but I don't think we both think about that anymore.
Ronnie O'Sullivan
We're just a few minutes away from this rivalry getting its next chapter as O'Sullivan and Carter take to the table.
Don't forget that we will also see the second session of Junhui Ding vs Zak Surety, with Ding leading 6-3 from yesterday's session.
Make no mistake about it though, all eyes are on O'Sullivan vs Carter.
O'Sullivan was labelled as "disgusting' by Carter following his snotty controversy at the Masters last year.
While the pair also barged into each other in shocking scenes.
The Rocket wasn't having any of it and launched an X-rated rant after his 10-7 victory.
Here's what he said: "For him to come out and try to trash talk me like that, do you know what? He can have one of them. [sticking his middle finger up]
"He can sit on it as far as I’m concerned. I don’t give a f***.
"You know what he’s like, everybody knows what he’s like. He’s got issues.
“F***ing why has he got issues with me? I’m not having it. I don’t care, grow some balls.
“I don’t give a f. The more he brings it on, the more I f***ing punish him every time".
Things have been so heated between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter that the latter has actually BANNED O'Sullivan's name being used in his home.
It's a far cry from when the pair used to be close practice partners, growing up as teenagers in Essex who dreamt of Crucible success.
Now Carter has said that The Rocket doesn't even say hello.
He told Stephen Hendry’s Cue Tips channel: “He used to come over to Witham and we practised together. When, all of a sudden, we’re competitors, I’d find times where he wouldn’t say hello.
“I don’t know too much about him. I hold no malice now. I’m not around him enough for him to feature in my life.
“We know he’s a great player. As to anything else, I let people make their own minds up. Whatever you say, the staunch Ronnie fans will always slaughter you.
“Ronnie uses his authority to say, ‘This is my table, you’re just taking part’. You constantly feel him there. Fair enough, if that’s what he feels he needs to do to win."
Here's how rivals O'Sullivan and Carter stack up against each other over the years...
It's the big one up next as "snotgate" rivals Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ali Carter face off in a blockbuster first-round clash at 2:30pm.
The pair have some serious bad blood between them and last year's Masters final showed that with their bizarre argument.
Carter alleged O’Sullivan violently cleared his nose – like a long-distance runner might do – on to the carpet while sitting in his chair in the final frames of the Masters final in 2024.
The Captain claimed the sport’s greatest player was “snotting all over the floor” and labelled it as “outrageous behaviour from a top professional”.
In response, O’Sullivan launched a furious X-rated rant, stuck up his middle finger in protest and stormed out of his press conference with family and friends trailing behind.
The seven-time world champion said: “He can sit on it as far as I’m concerned. I don’t give a f***."
Zhang Anda boucned back from two consecutive frame losses to win two on the bounce himself and put some breathing room between him and Junxu at the end of their morning session.
Breaks of 90 and 100 showed that Anda can dominate when he's fully focused.
Shaun Murphy has a healthy lead as the morning session comes to an end.
He wins the final frame 89-33 after Wells' costly miss on the black, as the pair leave the table to return later.
Anda and Junxu are still locked in a tight battle on Table 2.
As expected Murphy manages to see off that frame as he and Wells head into the final frame of their session.
An early mistake has given Wells a chance, but he makes a costly miss on a black himself to allow Murphy back to the table.
Pang Junxu has momentum on his side now as he pulls back another frame to draw level with Zhang Anda with a 67-16 win.
Meanwhile Shaun Murphy is on the brink winning another frame to go four ahead of Daniel Wells with just one frame remaining before their break.
Well he may not be going to win this match, but Daniel Wells has hit TWO CENTURIES on his Crucible debut.
The 36-year-old gets a 109 as he takes the seventh frame 113-6 to give himself a slim chance at a comeback.
Zhang Anda and Pang Junxu are also back underway on Table 2, where Junxu had pulled a frame back.
Zhang Anda goes two frames in front of Pang Junxu to take a healthy lead into the mid-session interval.
The Chinese potters will return to the table soon after a short break.
Murphy remains seemingly out of reach of Wells on Table 1.
Shaun Murphy is running away with this match - utterly dominant.
He wins the sixth frame, his fifth, in a single visit as Wells is left to watch on helplessly at his 138 BREAK!
The Magician is looking like he is going to be hard to beat during this tournament, could he win a second time some 20 years on from his first World Championship?
You wouldn't know he's flying by the way he calmly sat down for a sip of water afterwards - locked in.
Zhang Anda has edged the third frame to take the lead over Pang Junxu.
Anda stitched together some lovely pots to go ahead of Junxu for the first time today with a 67-17 win.
Shaun Murphy has gone another frame ahead of Wells on Table 1, doing so without letting Wells pot a ball in a 83-0 win.
Shaun Murphy and Daniel Wells are back at the table following their mid-session interval.
Meanwhile Zhang Anda and Pang Junxu are still slogging it out at a snail's pace on Table 2.
Shaun Murphy hits a 100 to take a 3-1 lead over Wells after the debutant missed some important blacks.
Murphy seems to be showing the kind of form that won him the Masters.
The pair will head into a mid-session interval now.
It's a much slower pace of play on Table 2, but Zhang Anda has brought their second frame to an end and levelled the scores.
It was a more dominant display from Anda who won the frame 98-12 with a high-break of 68.
With things tied up Daniel Wells tried a long red to open up the table.
Unfortunately for the Welshman his effort bounced off the cushion and into a pack of reds.
That left the table at the mercy of Shaun Murphy, who took advantage and put himself back in the lead.
We finally have a leader over on Table 2.
A tightly-fought affair saw Pang Junxu win the first frame 73-41 with a high-break of 47.
Well, well, Wells - how about that for frame for the Crucible debutant Daniel Wells.
The Welshman has made a CENTURY in only his second frame at the Crucible.
Not just any century either, but incredibly impressive 131!
He levels the scores with Shaun Murphy and sets up a superb match.
Shaun Murphy has shown his experience with a dominant opening frame.
The Magician looked comfortable throughout with a high-break of 64.
On Table 2, Junxu remains ahead.
We're underway!
It's a veteran vs a Crucible debutant on Table 1 as 2005 World Champion Murphy takes on Wells.
While Table 2 guarantees a fourth Chinese cueist will advance to the second round as Zhang Anda and Pang Junxu face off.
It's Murphy and Junxu that have drawn first blood this morning.
The players are making their way out and we are moments away from the start...
