After the opening session of the first round of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, Ronnie O’Sullivan raced into the 10th frame with a 7-2 lead over China’s Heguo Power. Four-time winner John Higgins awaits in the next round.
Last updated: 21/04/26 19:05
Ronnie O’Sullivan emerged with a 7-2 lead after the start of the first round match against China’s Heguo Power.
Ronnie O’Sullivan started with a rare error at the Crucible but emerged with a 7-2 lead after the opening session of his first-round match against China’s powerhouse at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.
The 50-year-old, setting out for his 34th consecutive appearance in the event, accidentally headed towards the wrong table and had to be steered in the right direction by a subtle nudge from referee Rob Spencer.
O’Sullivan didn’t have to look his best against a clearly nervous debutant who had dispatched Jack Lisowski in the final round of qualifying, but even after taking an early 5-0 lead, pundits were flipping through the Crucible record books.
O’Sullivan accidentally headed for the wrong table before being guided in the right direction by referee Rob Spencer
His quest for a record-breaking eighth title in the modern era looked unlikely to falter in the first stage as breaks of 72 and 97 got him out of the blocks and cemented his advantage in his opening century (fourth spot).
However, Hea, who had actually beaten O’Sullivan in two of their previous three meetings, was not without a chance, and his failure to convert led to fears that he could become the third first-round whitewash victim in Crucible history.
The last player to suffer the humiliation of a 10-0 loss was his compatriot Liu Honghao, who scored just 89 points against Sean Murphy in 2019.
The only other whitewash was John Parrott’s 1992 recording with Eddie Charlton.
The 25-year-old avoided joining that exclusive list when he belatedly settled into the No. 6 slot, seizing his chance after O’Sullivan missed a simple red, doubling the red into the middle and knocking in a long green and brown in quick succession to relieve some of the pressure.
All of a sudden, he was able to play a little more freely and in the next match he hit a break of 77 to close the gap even further.
However, he was unable to capitalize on an early chance in the eighth, with O’Sullivan seizing it with a break of 52 and calmly finishing the session with a break of 86.
John Higgins awaits the winner of O’Sullivan vs. Hee match
O’Sullivan returns on Wednesday afternoon and will aim to win the three spots he needs to secure a place in the second round and set up an epic showdown with fellow Class of 92 member and four-time winner John Higgins.
O’Sullivan has only played sporadically in ranking events this season, but he managed to make more history, including a 153 break at the World Open in Yushan in March, and arrived at the Crucible with many questions to answer.
Mr O’Sullivan, who is said to have flown in and out of Sheffield from a temporary base in Ireland during the tournament, was criticized for imposing a media blackout and not appearing at Friday’s pre-event media day at the Crucible.
