O’Sullivan sees the moment and advances to last-16 spot at World Championship

April 23, 2026 Aksel Kryhlmand

Ronnie O'Sullivan, the seven-time world champion, has advanced to the last 16 of the 2026 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, after securing a dominant 10-2 victory over Chinese debutant He Guoqiang. The 50-year-old's progression was marked by an unconventional mid-match decision to switch cues, a gamble that ultimately paid dividends.

The gamble under the bed

O'Sullivan, who led 7-2 after Tuesday's opening session, made the bold move to use a different cue for Wednesday's play, having felt his main cue's tip was not performing adequately. The back-up cue, which he revealed had been "stuck under my bed in Ireland" for most of the year, proved to be a masterstroke. With his alternative equipment, O'Sullivan quickly closed out the match against 25-year-old He Guoqiang, making significant breaks:

62
113 (after potting nine reds and eight blacks, before opting for a blue instead of a black in the penultimate frame)
100

This decision, while seemingly risky, was a calculated one for O'Sullivan, who explained his reasoning to BBC Sport. "The tip is more important than the cue - that's why I brought two cues," he stated. Reflecting on the change, he added, "I've been saving this all year because it had a bit of life in it and I thought 'if I come here and my main cue is no good...'. The tip wasn't good yesterday. I did a good job, considering. I thought 'a bit of a roll of the dice', it was a gamble. You have to back yourself. I make some crazy decisions in everybody else's eyes, but they make complete sense to me. I was a bit nervous because I thought 'you could look a bit silly'."

Victory and a class of 92 clash awaits

The 10-2 triumph was the joint biggest victory recorded so far at the 2026 World Championship and marks O'Sullivan's 34th Crucible campaign. Already snooker's oldest world champion, having won four years ago at 46, O'Sullivan is now on course for a record-breaking eighth Crucible title, which would move him clear of Stephen Hendry's seven modern-era world championships. His last match in Britain was a 6-4 loss to China's Zhou Yuelong in the UK Championship opening round in December. Next up for O'Sullivan is a highly anticipated last-16 tie against four-time winner John Higgins, also 50 years old. The match pits two members of the revered 'Class of 92' against each other, a group that also includes three-time champion Mark Williams, 51. Six-time world champion Steve Davis, who reached the World Championship quarter-finals in 2010 aged 52, lauded O'Sullivan's enduring talent. "Ronnie is a genius. He could play with a broomstick and play pretty well. He still has the best positional brain out there. He quickly identifies the right shot and gives himself the chance to clear the table every time he comes to it. That's why he still has a chance to win the world title at the age of 50," Davis commented. Looking ahead to the clash, O'Sullivan said, "It's a couple of oldies - he's probably favourite. The pressure is off me and probably more on John in this match. But it should be a good game. Hopefully I can give him a decent game. John loves playing me, he really enjoys it. He plays better against me than I do against him." Sources: www.bbc.com