O’Sullivan wins the third frame!
A scrappy frame, this one, as He makes a couple more crucial errors to allow O’Sullivan in, including a bizarre push shot. The seven-time champion makes no mistake, sweeping up the colours with a brilliant break in which he moved the pink cleverly off the side cushion en route from green to brown.
Lawrence Ostlere21 April 2026 15:27
Wu on the verge of second round
On the other side of the arena, China’s Wu Yize is now only one frame away from victory, leading his compatriot Lei Peifan 9-2.
Lawrence Ostlere21 April 2026 15:10
O’Sullivan wins the second frame!
O’Sullivan makes a break of 35 before allowing He back to the table, but the Chinese player misses a long red with the rest – a sloppy one with the ball close to the right corner pocket. O’Sullivan returns to mop up the frame with a blistering break of 97. Ooof.
Lawrence Ostlere21 April 2026 15:04
O’Sullivan wins the first frame!
That was swift from O’Sullivan, rattling off a break of 72 with ease to lead. He’s quickly in amongst them again in this second frame, too, after a potting nice long red.
Lawrence Ostlere21 April 2026 14:52
O’Sullivan in amongst the balls after He errors
Some early mistakes from both players, but He’s latest missed red would appear to be the most costly and O’Sullivan has the chance to build a break. The balls lie a little awkwardly after an early safety exchange, but there is enough to work with to get over the line in one visit.
Lawrence Ostlere21 April 2026 14:45
O’Sullivan arrives for match with He Guoqiang
Ronnie O’Sullivan is introduced to the crowd as “the greatest player in history” before striding out into the arena with a smile. He will break off.
Lawrence Ostlere21 April 2026 14:37
O’Sullivan bids to win historic No 8
‘The Rocket’ is the greatest snooker player of all time and has transcended the sport like no one else, meaning there are always an army of supporters cheering him on in every match he plays. The start of his latest tilt at world title number eight will undoubtedly be eagerly anticipated and those with ticket on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon will be lucky enough to see him in action.
O’Sullivan begins his campaign against Chinese debutant He Guoqiang, who has actually beaten the 50-year-old in two of the three matches they’ve played but doing so in the cauldron of the Crucible, over the best-of-19 frames, is a different proposition altogether.
And for his part, O’Sullivan has been quietly happy with the form he has found in recent times. “I started playing alright a couple of weeks ago,” said O’Sullivan after beating John Higgins in the final of an exhibition in Ireland over the weekend. “For three years, I have been very poor, pretty much every day. So I didn’t think I’d ever have another day where I’d feel good. But the last month I’ve been feeling alright. So it was nice to feel comfortable at the table.” Opponents beware…
Ronnie O’Sullivan is bidding to win an eighth world title at the Crucible (PA)
Luke Baker21 April 2026 14:22
Last night: Moody falls to Wilson comeback
Shell-shocked Stan Moody blew his chance to become the first teenager to win a match at the World Snooker Championship since 2005 as he fell to a 10-7 defeat to 2024 champion Kyren Wilson.
The 19-year-old from Halifax began his Crucible debut in blistering fashion with two centuries and two further breaks over 80 to establish an improbable 6-3 lead at the end of a memorable morning session.
Moody duly extended his lead by taking the first frame upon the evening’s resumption, only for Wilson to reel off seven frames in a row to shatter the qualifier’s hopes of emulating Ronnie O’Sullivan, the last teenager to win a Crucible match 21 years ago.
Lawrence Ostlere21 April 2026 14:13
Here’s what is coming up this afternoon, from around 2.30pm at the Crucible. Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his quest this year for an eighth world title, while Wu Yize looks set to progress to the second round:
Ronnie O’Sullivan (12) vs He Guoqiang
Wu Yize (10) 8-1 Lei Peifan
Lawrence Ostlere21 April 2026 14:02
An important frame for Liam Pullen, the 20-year-old debutant who came through qualifying, grabbing the last of the session to trail Chris Wakelin by only one frame before they resume tonight. Pullen had the better pot success (86% v 85%) and long pot success (64% v 36%) and recorded the highest break of 97, so he might count himself a little unlucky to be behind.
Liam Pullen is holding his own (Getty Images)
Lawrence Ostlere21 April 2026 13:43