Ronnie O'Sullivan took barely half an hour to wrap up a 10-2 victory over Chinese debutant He Guoqiang in the first round of the 2026 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre. The victory sets up a tantalising last-16 clash against old rival John Higgins.
O'Sullivan, now 50, built a commanding 7-2 lead in the first session on Tuesday and wasted no time in claiming the first three frames of Wednesday's conclusion, including two centuries. He finished with a break of exactly 100 for his third century of the match.
Speaking to the BBC, O'Sullivan said: "We're a couple of oldies! I feel kind of old now because everyone is 22, 23... I am not the player I was and probably never will be. John loves playing me. I think he plays better against me than I do against him. I'll be a bit of an underdog." He also discussed his unusual cue choice, stating he brought two cues and relied on a good tip after his main cue had issues.
The best-of-25 second-round contest will be played over three sessions: Saturday 25 April at 7pm, Sunday 26 April at 7pm, and Monday 27 April at 1pm. The match comes 30 years after the pair first met at the Crucible in the 1996 quarter-finals.
