The latest clash between old rivals Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins is bubbling away nicely as they battle for a quarter-final place at the World Snooker Championship.
“The Rocket” looked to be closing in on the last eight when he powered into a 9-4 lead on Sunday evening, only for Higgins to peg him back as the Scot won the final three frames of the session to leave the match intriguingly poised. O’Sullivan, who had scored freely to open up that advantage, thumped the table in frustration after missing a red in the 16th frame, and must re-find his touch if he is to advance.
Two members of the “Class of ‘92”, the pair have 11 world titles between them with O’Sullivan hoping to move clear of Stephen Hendry by securing an eighth Crucible crown. Can his familiar foe derail that tilt at history?
Follow all of the latest from the Crucible in Sheffield with our live blog below:
Ronnie O'Sullian vs John Higgins LIVE
- Ronnie O'Sullivan battles old rival John Higgins for place in World Championship quarter-finals
- 'The Rocket' surged into 9-4 advantage but was pegged back late on Sunday evening
- LATEST SCORE: O'Sullivan 9-8 Higgins
Higgins wins the 17th frame! Higgins 75-44 O'Sullivan - 8-9
13:30 , Alan SmithAnd Higgins makes hay from O’Sullivan’s unforced error. Again, his ball-tracking is not brilliant and having sunk the penultimate red he leaves himself too straight on the pink. From there he does really well to set himself up for the final red on the bottom cushion. A straightforward black follows, putting himself 17 ahead with only the colours to go, though he would have liked to have been better positioned for the yellow.
No matter, he sinks it with the aid of the rest and then makes light work of the green, brown and blue. He misses the pink but that is irrelevant and now there is only one in it.
Higgins 16-44 O'Sullivan - 7-9
13:23 , Alan SmithThat error allows O’Sullivan to put together a decent enough break. Although his third red was far from precise, his rhythm seemed to improve with every pot ... until his positioning from a black leaves a more difficult than anticipated red, which he cannot convert.
On the BBC’s coverage Dennis Taylor says that a new cloth had been put on the table overnight, which may explain a relatively tricky start.
Higgins 16-0 O'Sullivan - 7-9
13:16 , Alan SmithHiggins rolls in a red to the bottom left but then jaws the following pink to a middle pocket, allowing O’Sullivan in. It’s been a bit scrappy.
Higgins 15-0 O'Sullivan - 7-9
13:15 , Alan SmithThe cueball is respotted and O’Sullivan misses by an even greater margin, hitting the pink rather than a cluster of reds.
His third attempt is short and while the fourth hits the reds, he has afforded Higgins a couple of decent options.
We're underway! Higgins 7-9 O'Sullivan
13:13 , Alan SmithO’Sullivan breaks off but it’s not perfect and he allows Higgins to pot a long red into the bottom right as we watch. The Scot then rolls the cue ball behind the green, forcing his opponent into a foul and a miss.
Almost time
13:03 , Alan SmithSeats are being taken, the players are about to be welcomed into the theatre and it could prove to be a thrilling afternoon of action.
A long-standing rivalry
12:55 , Harry Latham-CoyleIt is 30 years since Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins first met at the Crucible, with the Scot squandering a strong position late on as “The Rocket” advanced to the semi-finals. It really is remarkable that the pair – and Mark Williams, too, of course – are still contending in the biggest tournaments.
Players slam ‘very disappointing’ announcement of Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters cancellation
12:45 , Flo CliffordFormer World Championship finalist Barry Hawkins has labelled the decision to suddenly cancel the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters “very disappointing”, with players blindsided by the announcement.
A 10-year deal for the Saudi Arabian tournament was announced in 2024 but it has been axed after just two editions.
The World Snooker Tour said: “Following constructive discussions between The Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation and Matchroom following the conclusion of the 2025 editions, it has been mutually agreed not to proceed with future editions of the World Pool Championship and the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.”
Players slam ‘very disappointing’ news of Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters cancellation
Who is Wu Yize? China’s ‘new superstar’ tipped by Ronnie O’Sullivan to win the World Snooker Championship
12:30 , Harry Latham-CoyleZhao Xintong made his breakthrough last year; could Wu Yize be next? He’s nudged in front of Mark Selby as they prepare to resume in a little while. Lawrence Ostlere profiles the whizz-kid:
Who is Wu Yize? China’s ‘new superstar’ tipped by O’Sullivan to conquer snooker world
What's on the docket today?
12:15 , Harry Latham-CoyleHere’s what is coming up at the Crucible today as four round of 16 encounters reach a conclusion:
13:00
John Higgins (5) 7-9 Ronnie O'Sullivan (12) *
Mark Selby (7) 7-9 Wu Yize (10) *
19:00
Chris Wakelin (13) 6-10 Neil Robertson (4) *
Hossein Vafaei 7-9 Judd Trump (2) *
O'Sullivan leads 41-35 in all-time head-to-head
12:10 , Alan SmithBut if we are to break down the head-to-head between these two across various stages of competitions Higgins only has the edge in semi-finals, where he leads 9-5 according to CueTracker.
More pertinently, in last 16 meetings they are locked on 2-2 with O’Sullivan leading in first-round meetings, group play, quarter-finals and finals.
Threats, bets and guilty WhatsApps: Inside snooker’s Chinese match-fixing scandal – and how they got caught
12:00 , Harry Latham-CoyleThree years on from the news that rocked the snooker world, Lawrence Ostlere tells the story of the ringleaders behind an unprecedented scandal that saw 10 Chinese players banned from the game
Threats, bets and guilty WhatsApps: Inside snooker’s Chinese match-fixing scandal
Why Zhao Xintong is the man to finally break the ‘Crucible Curse’
11:40 , Harry Latham-CoyleOne of those Ronnie O’Sullivan may have to get past is Zhao Xintong. The defending champion is into the last eight after a hard-fought victory over compatriot Ding Junhui, and could yet break the so-called “Crucible curse”. Luke Baker suggested as much before the tournament.
Why Zhao Xintong is the man to finally break the ‘Crucible Curse’
Higgins' last win against 'The Rocket'
11:34 , Alan SmithEarly in last night’s second session it looked like Higgins’ race had been run but a decent start today will set him up nicely for a first won against O’Sullivan since 2022 - a 3-0 win in the Championship League.
The previous three meetings have gone the Essex man’s way - most recently a 4-0 victory at the World Masters in 2024.
The smart money appears on this encounter being a far more close run thing but let’s see how both begin the most eagerly-anticipated session of this year’s Crucible so far.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is 50 and still a genius – but can he conquer snooker’s new Chinese dynasty to win historic eighth crown?
11:30 , Harry Latham-CoyleRonnie O’Sullivan still looks as good a break-builder as ever as he chases a record eighth Crucible crown. But can he conquer the next generation to make history? Lawrence Ostlere takes a look:
Ronnie O’Sullivan is still a genius at 50 – but can he win a historic eighth crown?
World Snooker Championship 2026: Results, schedule and how to watch every match
11:20 , Harry Latham-CoyleNeed a refresher on every World Championship result so far and the schedule to come at the Crucible? We’ve got you covered:
World Snooker Championship 2026: Results, schedule and how to watch every match
Ronnie O’Sullivan frustrated as John Higgins battles back in tense Crucible clash
11:10 , Harry Latham-CoyleRonnie O’Sullivan thumped the table in frustration as John Higgins reeled in the seven-time world snooker champion in an enthralling second session of their second round match at the Crucible on Sunday night.
O’Sullivan twice led by five frames and looked set to cruise towards the quarter-finals at the expense of the out-of-sorts Scot, before Higgins drew on his decades of top-level experience to end the evening just two adrift at 9-7.
A pivotal final frame of the session proved too much for O’Sullivan, who gave the cushion a painful rap with his knuckles after missing an early red, before Higgins edged over the line to finish much the happier of the two players.
Ronnie O’Sullivan frustrated as John Higgins battles back in tense Crucible clash
Ronnie O'Sullivan vs John Higgins LIVE
09:18 , Harry Latham-CoyleWhere is this one going, then? It looked last night like Ronnie O’Sullivan was cruising into the last eight, but things are seldom that simple against John Higgins, and the wily Scot pegged his old rival back. Can he maintain momentum and set up a thrilling finale? They are back underway just after 1pm BST.
