Ronnie O'Sullivan established a commanding 6-2 lead over John Higgins after the first session of their second-round match at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield. The seven-time champion produced a stunning 137 total clearance as he moved closer to a record eighth Crucible title.
O'Sullivan's performance drew praise from former champion John Parrott, who described him as "pretty evil" among the balls. Parrott noted that Higgins would need to find his top game to mount a comeback, as O'Sullivan showed no signs of slowing down.
O'Sullivan opened with a break of 86, but a missed pink in the second frame allowed Higgins to level. However, O'Sullivan then fired breaks of 82, 137, and 92 to win three consecutive frames. Higgins took the sixth frame, but O'Sullivan closed out the session by winning the final two frames.
In other matches, Mark Allen defeated Kyren Wilson 13-9 to reach the quarter-finals, where he will face Barry Hawkins. Hawkins beat Mark Williams 13-9. Allen later criticised Stephen Hendry for "talking rubbish" after Hendry had questioned his shot selection earlier in the match.
Hossein Vafaei held world number one Judd Trump to a 4-4 draw after the first session of their second-round clash. Defending champion Zhao Xintong leads Ding Junhui 9-7, while Neil Robertson and Chris Wakelin are level at 4-4.
