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World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan also cleared the second hurdle on Monday in the hunt for an eighth world title. In the Crucible Theater in Sheffield, the 48-year-old Englishman qualified for the quarter-finals by beating Welshman Ryan Day (WS-18) 13-7.
On Sunday ‘The Rocket’ had already taken a 10-6 lead via breaks of 123, 84, 83, 51, 92, 82, 65, 89, 56 and 96. It didn’t take him much more than an hour on Monday afternoon to put an end to it. With an 85 break, among other things, he quickly widened the gap to 12-6. Day pulled back one more frame, after which O’Sullivan finished it off with a 67.
In the quarter-finals (best of 25), O’Sullivan awaits the winner of a match between his compatriots Jack Lisowski (WS-17) and Stuart Bingham (WS-29). Bingham, the 2015 world champion, starts the final session on Monday evening with a 9-7 lead.
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Rarely, if ever, is O’Sullivan satisfied with his game, but now he is. “Things have been going well in recent weeks”; he told the BBC. “I’m looking forward to the game again, I’m happy to take my cue out of the case. I’m not afraid of the table, not afraid of the balls. There are a lot of things that scare me, but not that. I have confidence in my abilities, know what I can do if given the chance, and that helps. If I find this game difficult, my life will also become difficult. But if the snooker goes smoothly; life is good again.”
O’Sullivan was already crowned world champion in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022. With seven world titles, he shares the record with Scot Stephen Hendry. To remain number one in the world, O’Sullivan must win the World Cup again this year and even then Northern Irishman Mark Allen (WS-3) can still dethrone him as a losing finalist.
In addition to O’Sullivan, Englishman Kyren Wilson (WS-12) also joined the last eight on Monday afternoon. He defeated his compatriot Joe O’Connor (WS-30), a round earlier 10-6 too strong for four-time world champion Mark Selby (WS-5), 13-6 and will compete for a place in the semi-finals against Allen or against the Scot John Higgins (WS-13).