Since 1977 there have been 24 different champions, most recently China’s Zhao Xintong who lifted the trophy in 2025, becoming the first champion from Asia. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record of seven crowns apiece.
Kyren Wilson will discover who he faces at the Crucible next Thursday (Picture: Getty Images)
16 quality players will come through World Snooker Championship qualifying next week, but there is one Kyren Wilson wants to avoid at the Crucible above all others.
The high-pressure, intense qualifiers began on Monday at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield and won’t come to an end until Wednesday April 15.
The top 16 players in the world have already secured their places at the Crucible, but the same number of cueists must survive at least two qualifying matches to join them on snooker’s hallowed ground.
From former world champions Stuart Bingham and Luca Brecel to recent tournament winners Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Jack Lisowski are among the qualifying field.
With the likes of Stephen Maguire, Ali Carter and Gary Wilson also fighting for a spot at the Crucible, there is no shortage of big-hitters in the qualifiers.
It is none of those names that Wilson is most keen to avoid, though, in fact it is a player who is hoping to make his Crucible debut this year.
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23-year-old Chang Bingyu has produced some intimidating performances this season – after returning from a match-fixing ban – notably on a run to the Scottish Open final and in one unforgettable victory at the Welsh Open.
Chris Wakelin ended Chang Bingyu’s run at the Scottish Open in December (Picture: Getty Images)
In Edinburgh Chang downed Stephen Maguire, Si Jiahui, Wilson, Mark Selby and Mark Allen on a stunning run to the final, where he ran out of gas and lost 9-2 to Chris Wakelin.
That remains his only ranking final, but he also attracted a lot of attention when he thrashed Shaun Murphy 4-0 in Llandudno, finishing the match with 100 per cent pot success thanks to breaks of 130, 136, 119 and 130.
It has certainly been enough to catch the 2024 world champion’s attention, who hopes not to see Chang’s name next to his in next Thursday’s World Championship draw.
‘I think one that springs to mind straight away would be Chang Bingyu,’ Wilson told Metro, via Midnite, on a qualifier he would hope to avoid. ‘I think the performance he put up against Shaun Murphy in the Welsh Open and he actually beat me in the Scottish Open and played great.
Chang Bingyu must win three matches to make it to the Crucible (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I think in the Scottish he went through me, Maguire, Si Jiahui, Mark Selby, Mark Allen, that’s a world class field.
‘He can obviously do it match after match and he’s obviously a very, very heavy scorer. So if I was going to pluck one out, it probably would be him.’
Murphy is unlikely to want to take on Chang again either, having seen first hand what he can do in Wales.
Speaking to the BBC after witnessing the perfect performance in February, the Magician said: ‘That’s the best performance in a best of seven match I’ve ever seen. If that was Ronnie O’Sullivan or Judd Trump it would be on the news. It was quite literally the best performance I’ve ever witnessed in a match of that length.
‘I’ve got nothing but good things to say. What a performance. What a player.’
Chang is yet to book his spot at the Crucible and he has plenty of work ahead of him in order to make his debut at the theatre this month.
Luca Brecel won the World Championship in 2023 (Picture: Getty Images)
The world number 51 meets Thai player Prin Ratmukda in his opener, with the winner taking on 2023 world champion Brecel in a potentially blockbuster clash for the penultimate round of qualifying.
There would still be work to do if Chang stops the Belgian Bullet, with one of Marco Fu, Liam Davies or Jak Jones to come on Judgement Day.
If the Chinese star does come through that tough section of the qualifying draw, then the seeds will be right to fear him at the Crucible.
Midnite, the UK betting and casino partner of the 2026 World Snooker Championship, is once again bringing exciting initiatives to the 17-day tournament, including the Midnite Lounge and the returning Midnite Maximum, where fans will be able to win up to £100,000.
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Michal Szubarczyk, 15, makes snooker history after becoming the youngest winner of a World Snooker Championship match; this year’s tournament begins on April 18 and runs until May 4 at The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield
Last Updated: 07/04/26 11:28am
Michal Szubarczyk of Poland made history in World Snooker Championship qualifying
Michal Szubarczyk became the youngest winner of a World Snooker Championship match in the first qualifying round.
Aged just 15 years, two months, and 25 days, the Polish prodigy beat the previous record that was set by Liam Davies in 2022 as he defeated Hong Kong star Ng On Yee 10-7 on day one of the World Championship qualifiers at the English Institute of Sport.
Three-time women’s world snooker champion, Ng, came into the match on a high after claiming wins on the women’s tour in February and March.
“I feel very proud,” Szubarczyk told the World Snooker Tour.
“I’m very excited to play the next match, and maybe this year or next year, I can become the youngest Crucible player.
“For me, it’s the first goal of every player in professional snooker [to play in the World Championship]. I’m enjoying the pressure. It doesn’t work in a bad way for me.
“I even like it, and I think that’s good. For the last six years, I have been dreaming about playing at the Crucible.
“I love representing Poland. Without the Polish events I wouldn’t be here, because I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to play at European or World Championships.”
Szubarczyk has to win three more matches to become the youngest qualifier for the Crucible Theatre.
If he does, he will surpass the record held by Luca Brecel, who made his Crucible debut in 2012 aged 17 years and 45 days.
Jimmy White has not played at the World Championship since 2006
Six-time World Snooker Championship finalist Jimmy White bowed out in the first qualifying round to Gao Yang in agonising fashion.
The snooker legend, who turns 64 next month, established an early 5-1, but the 21 year-old from China battled back with the match decided in a final-frame thriller, won by Gao.
It means White’s 20-year wait to return to the Crucible continues – despite attempting to qualify every year.
10am Yao Pengcheng v Ryan Davies Huang Jiahao v Leone Crowley Bai Yulu v Daniel Womersley Gao Yang v Jimmy White Jonas Luz v Peter Lines Mitchell Mann v Wang Xinbo Michal Szubarczyk v Onyee Ng Robbie McGuigan v Hammad Miah
2.30pm Ross Muir v Michael Larkov Haris Tahir v Connor Benzey Mateusz Baranowski v Florian Nuessle Liam Pullen v Alfie Burden Cheung Ka Wai v Ashley Carty Ken Doherty v Patrick Whelan Dylan Emery v Anton Kazakov Reanne Evans v Vladislav Gradinari
7pm Yao Pengcheng v Ryan Davies Huang Jiahao v Leone Crowley Bai Yulu v Daniel Womersley Gao Yang v Jimmy White Jonas Luz v Peter Lines Mitchell Mann v Xinbo Wang Michal Szubarczyk v Onyee Ng Robbie McGuigan v Hammad Miah
Jimmy White is looking to reach the Crucible at 63 years old (Picture: Getty Images)
Tuesday April 7
10am Bulcsú Revesz v Craig Steadman Chris Totten v Daniel Boyes Steven Hallworth v Kreishh Gurbaxani Marco Fu v Mink Nutcharut Liam Graham v Oliver Sykes Xu Yichen v Stuart Carrington Ian Burns v Sahil Nayyar
2.30pm Ross Muir v Michael Larkov Haris Tahir v Connor Benzey Mateusz Baranowski v Florian Nuessle Liam Pullen v Alfie Burden Cheung Ka Wai v Ashley Carty Ken Doherty v Patrick Whelan Dylan Emery v Anton Kazakov Reanne Evans v Vladislav Gradinari
7pm Bulcsú Revesz v Craig Steadman Chris Totten v Daniel Boyes Steven Hallworth v Kreishh Gurbaxani Marco Fu v Mink Nutcharut Liam Graham v Oliver Sykes Xu Yichen v Stuart Carrington Ian Burns v Sahil Nayyar
Wednesday April 8
10am Liu Wenwei v Mark Lloyd David Grace v Ashley Hugill Hatem Yassen v Fergal Quinn Lan Yuhao v Chatchapong Nasa Haydon Pinhey v Jamie Clarke Zhao Hanyang v Mahmoud El Hareedy Liam Highfield v Oliver Brown Farakh Ajaib v Umut Dikme
2.30pm Gong Chenzhi v McGuigan / Miah David Lilley v Yao / Davies Iulian Boiko v Mann / Wang Michael Holt v Bai / Womersley Duane Jones v Huang / Crowley Mark Davis v Gao / White Sanderson Lam v Szubarczyk / Ng Scott Donaldson v Luz / Lines
7pm Liu Wenwei v Mark Lloyd David Grace v Ashley Hugill Hatem Yassen v Fergal Quinn Lan Yuhao v Chatchapong Nasa Haydon Pinhey v Jamie Clarke Zhao Hanyang v Mahmoud El Hareedy Liam Highfield v Oliver Brown Farakh Ajaib v Umut Dikme
Mark Davis has come through qualifying 11 times (Picture: Getty Images)
Thursday April 9
10am Artemijs Zizins v Emery / Kazakov Robert Milkins v Doherty / Whelan Jamie Jones v Evans / Gradinari Jiang Jun v Ka Wai / Carty Antoni Kowalski v Tahir / Benzey Amir Sarkhosh v Pullen / Burden Ricky Walden v Baranowski / Nuessle Robbie Williams v Muir / Larkov
2.30pm Gong Chenzhi v McGuigan / Miah David Lilley v Yao / Davies Iulian Boiko v Mann / Wang Michael Holt v Bai / Womersley Duane Jones v Huang / Crowley Mark Davis v Gao / White Sanderson Lam v Szubarczyk / Ng Scott Donaldson v Luz / Lines
7pm Artemijs Zizins v Emery / Kazakov Robert Milkins v Doherty / Whelan Jamie Jones v Evans / Gradinari Jiang Jun v Ka Wai / Carty Antoni Kowalski v Tahir / Benzey Amir Sarkhosh v Pullen / Burden Ricky Walden v Baranowski / Nuessle Robbie Williams v Muir / Larkov
Chang Bingyu has produced some immense performances this season (Picture: Getty Images)
Friday April 10
10am Jordan Brown v Burns / Nayyar Liu Hongyu v Xu / Carrington Ishpreet Singh Chadha v Totten / Boyes Louis Heathcote v Revesz / Steadman Lyu Haotian v Graham / Sykes Liam Davies v Fu / Nutcharut Allan Taylor v Hallworth / Gurbaxani Chang Bingyu v Ratmukda
2.30pm Long Zehuang v Yassen / Quinn Ben Mertens v Pinhey / Clarke Martin O’Donnell v Zhao / El Hareedy Wang Yuchen v Highfield / Brown Oliver Lines v Liu / Lloyd Sam Craigie v Ajaib / Dikme Fan Zhengyi v Lan / Nasa Julien Leclercq v Grace / Hugill
7pm Jordan Brown v Burns / Nayyar Liu Hongyu v Xu / Carrington Ishpreet Singh Chadha v Totten / Boyes Louis Heathcote v Revesz / Steadman Lyu Haotian v Graham / Sykes Liam Davies v Fu / Nutcharut Allan Taylor v Hallworth / Gurbaxani Chang Bingyu vRatmukda
Saturday April 11
10am Matthew Stevens v Luz/Lines/Donaldson Stuart Bingham v Mann/Wang/Boiko Tom Ford v Gao/White/Davis Aaron Hill v Yao/Davies/Lilley Hossein Vafaei v Szubarczyk/Ng/Lam David Gilbert v Huang/Crowley/D Jones Zhou Yuelong v McGuigan/Miah/Gong Daniel Wells v Bai/Womersley/Holt
2.30pm Long Zehuang v Yassen / Quinn Ben Mertens v Pinhey / Clarke Martin O’Donnell v Zhao / El Hareedy Wang Yuchen v Highfield / Brown Oliver Lines v Liu / Lloyd Sam Craigie v Ajaib / Dikme Fan Zhengyi v Lan / Nasa Julien Leclercq v Grace / Hugill
7pm Matthew Stevens v Luz/Lines/Donaldson Stuart Bingham v Mann/Wang/Boiko Tom Ford v Gao/White/Davis Aaron Hill v Yao/Davies/Lilley Hossein Vafaei v Szubarczyk/Ng/Lam David Gilbert v Huang/Crowley/D Jones Zhou Yuelong v McGuigan/Miah/Gong Daniel Wells v Bai/Womersley/Holt
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh won the World Open last month (Picture: Getty Images)
Sunday April 12
10am Matthew Selt v Evans/Gradinari/Jamie Jones Stan Moody v Muir/Larkov/R Williams Pang Junxu v Emery/Kazakov/Zizins Thepchaiya Un-Nooh v Pullen/Burden/Sarkhosh Joe O’Connor v Tahir/Benzey/Kowalski Jackson Page v Doherty/Whelan/Milkins Noppon Saengkham v Baranowski/Nuessle Elliot Slessor v Cheung/Carty/Jiang
2.30pm Jak Jones v Fu/Nutcharut/L Davies Luca Brecel v Ratmukda/Chang Zhang Anda v Revesz/Steadman/Heathcote Xu Si v Xu Yichen/Carrington/Liu Ryan Day v Totten/Boyes/Singh Chadha Gary Wilson v Hallworth/Gurbaxani/Taylor Lei Peifan v Burns/Nayyar/Brown Zak Surety v Graham/Sykes/Lyu
7pm Matthew Selt v Evans/Gradinari/Jamie Jones Stan Moody v Muir/Larkov/R Williams Pang Junxu v Emery/Kazakov/Zizins Thepchaiya Un-Nooh v Pullen/Burden/Sarkhosh Joe O’Connor v Tahir/Benzey/Kowalski Jackson Page v Doherty/Whelan/Milkins Noppon Saengkham v Baranowski/Nuessle Elliot Slessor v Cheung/Carty/Jiang
Jack Lisowski won the Northern Ireland Open this season (Picture: Getty Images)
Monday April 13
10am Ben Woollaston v Liu/Lloyd/O Lines Stephen Maguire v Highfield/O Brown/Wang Anthony McGill v Zhao Hanyang/El Hareedy/O’Donnell He Guoqiang v Yassen/Quinn/Long Ali Carter v Grace/Hugill/Leclercq Yuan Sijun v Pinhey/Clarke/Mertens Jimmy Robertson v Lan/Nasa/Fan Jack Lisowski v Ajaib/Dikme/Craigie
2.30pm Jak Jones v Fu/Nutcharut/L Davies Luca Brecel v Ratmukda/Chang Zhang Anda v Revesz/Steadman/Heathcote Xu Si v Xu Yichen/Carrington/Liu Ryan Day v Totten/Boyes/Singh Chadha Gary Wilson v Hallworth/Gurbaxani/Taylor Lei Peifan v Burns/Nayyar/Brown Zak Surety v Graham/Sykes/Lyu
7pm Ben Woollaston v Liu/Lloyd/O Lines Stephen Maguire v Highfield/O Brown/Wang Anthony McGill v Zhao Hanyang/El Hareedy/O’Donnell He Guoqiang v Yassen/Quinn/Long Ali Carter v Grace/Hugill/Leclercq Yuan Sijun v Pinhey/Clarke/Mertens Jimmy Robertson v Lan/Nasa/Fan Jack Lisowski v Ajaib/Dikme/Craigie
Tuesday April 14 & Wednesday April 15 – Judgement Days
John Higgins won the Tour Championship in style last season (Picture: Getty Images)
John Higgins is in Manchester to defend his Tour Championship title this week, taking on a player he has been battling it out with for 36 years.
The Wizard of Wishaw brilliantly won the event last year, beating Mark Selby in the final and he is back to face Mark Williams in his opener this time round.
The Scot is not just wielding his cue, but also a microphone as he is on commentary and punditry duty for Channel 5, but defending his title is priority number one.
Just the top 12 on the one-year rankings make it to the Tour Championship, which Higgins says is a key aim at the start of any season.
‘I think if somebody says to you at the start of every season that you’ll be competing in the Tour Championship, it means it’s a good season,’ Higgins told Metro. ‘That’s your aim and I’d have bitten your hand off, really.
‘It would have been pretty poor coming down, commentating on it and speaking about it and you’re not in the event to defend your title.
‘I can’t wait to get out there and obviously playing your old nemesis, Mark Williams. It can’t be any bigger or better than playing Mark.’
Higgins finished runner-up to Zhao Xintong at last month’s Players Championship (Picture: Getty Images)
Two of the three legendary members of the Class of 92 first met professionally in 1994, but their rivalry goes back even further.
Asked for the first time he met Williams, Higgins said: ‘I’m sure it must have been the Home Internationals at Prestatyn in 1990, I was 15. That was the first time I’d met any players from out of Scotland.’
35 years on from that first meeting, the pair met in the 2025 World Championship quarter-final, which Williams dramatically won 13-12 on the final black.
Higgins feels he ‘owes him one’ for that painful defeat, but it is now a friendly rivalry that has lost the edge it once had.
‘I think it’s a lot better than it was,’ the Scot said of his relationship with the Welshman. ‘It’s only natural as well, I think, when you see the boys nowadays, the likes of Judd [Trump] and Kyren [Wilson], you just get a feeling that they really feel as if they’re rivals and they want to keep their distance from each other. It was probably exactly the same [for us].
‘Back in the day when me, Mark and Ronnie were playing, you were vying against each other for the same titles. As well it’s been well-documented when I’d left the management stable with Ian Doyle and Mark was still under that banner, there was a bit of rivalry there.
Higgins and Mark Williams played out a Crucible classic last year (Picture: Getty Images)
‘But nowadays you’re basically smiling walking into these events, knowing that you’re still playing against these guys and still competing. You’ve got to give yourself a pat in the back that you’re still doing it.
‘Listen, we’re dads now, we’re nearly grandads. I think everybody’s got a different outlook on life.’
Higgins felt his meeting with Williams in Sheffield last year was likely their last at the Crucible, but the odds of there being another have been improved this week after the announcement that the World Championship is set to stay at the venue – with a significant revamp – until 2045.
The four-time world champion was thrilled with the news and admits he was stunned by it, feeling a departure from the Crucible was likely when the previous contract was due to end in 2027.
‘I couldn’t believe it,’ he said. ‘I could not believe it how they got it over the line, especially for the amount of years. Incredible, incredible news.
‘I really thought it was going to be moving, I just didn’t think the Crucible was going to be be big enough for the event. I think it’s great news that it’s going to get upgraded because it certainly needs that.
‘I think obviously you don’t want to lose the uniqueness of the playing arena, which makes the Worlds that special. But behind the scenes it probably hasn’t moved with the times. Now it’s going to get the upgrade and it brings it up to the present day, and it should be a great, great venue going forward.’
Before the Crucible comes Manchester Central and Higgins will be in the commentary box, hoping that the ‘first day of school’ nerves of his Players Championship debut last month will have eased.
‘In the commentary box I really felt the nerves there,’ he said. ‘Dave [Hendon] was great with me, but that was like being back on the first day of school.
‘In the studio it felt okay because obviously you go into the studio after matches anyway and you’ve got somebody like Katie [Shanahan], who I think is really good, so it was all good. I really enjoyed it.
Tour Championship draw and schedule
Monday March 30
1pm Barry Hawkins vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Judd trump vs Mark Allen
7pm Judd Trump vs Mark Allen Wu Yize vs Chris Wakelin
Tuesday March 31
1pm Mark Williams vs John Higgins Barry Hawkins vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
7pm Mark Williams vs John Higgins Wu Yize vs Chris Wakelin
Wednesday April 1
1pm Neil Robertson vs Hawkins/Un-Nooh Shaun Murphy vs Trump/Allen
7pm Shaun Murphy vs Trump/Allen Zhao Xintong vs Wu/Wakelin
Thursday April 2
1pm Neil Robertson vs Hawkins/Un-Nooh Mark Selby vs Williams/Higgins
7pm Mark Selby vs Williams/Higgins Zhao Xintong vs Wu/Wakelin
‘I wasn’t really wanting to talk too much on commentary. But then again, when you listen to the other commentators, they maybe speak a little bit more, so then you think to yourself, am I speaking enough? So, I think it’s just trying to get a balance.
‘I don’t go on any social media, so I don’t know how well I would have been received with it, which is maybe a good thing in a way. So I’m only really going by listening to my wife or my brothers. They thought I’d done okay. So I don’t really know what the wider world’s thinking about it.’
The Wizard of Wishaw will be working on his words of wisdom when the Tour Championship kicks off on Monday afternoon, with his latest clash with his old rival coming up on Tuesday.
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Ronnie O’Sullivan through to 66th ranking final and a chance for a record-extending 42nd ranking title after battling back from 43-0 down in the decider to Wu Yize before pulling out a sensational clearance
Last Updated: 21/03/26 10:06am
Ronnie O’Sullivan made it through to World Open final after a sensational deciding-frame clearance
Ronnie O’Sullivan made it through to the World Open final after clinching a deciding-frame thriller against Wu Yize.
With O’Sullivan and Wu locked at 5-5 in the race to six frames, ‘The Rocket’ produced a wonderful 89 counter-clearance from 43-0 down to seal a dramatic 6-5 victory.
The seven-time world champion is through to a 66th ranking final and now has a chance to win a record-extending 42nd ranking title in Sunday’s final against Judd Trump or Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
🏆 7-time World Champion
🏆 8-time UK Champion
🏆 8-time Masters Champion
🏆 41 Ranking Titles
⭐️ 1,320 Century Breaks
⭐️ 17 Maximum Breaks
⭐️ Highest Break: 153
⏳ Fastest Maximum Break in 5’08’’, unbeaten for 29 years
🐐 The Greatest of All Time
On Friday, O’Sullivan made the highest break in professional snooker by hitting a 153 at the tournament.
The 50-year-old achieved the feat after leaving quarter-final opponent Ryan Day in a snooker at the start of the opening frame and the Welshman’s failed attempt to get out of it handed O’Sullivan a free ball.
That allowed the seven-time world champion to commence his break with the green, followed by his opening black to put him on eight points before even beginning on the reds.
O’Sullivan then reeled off the 15 reds, accompanied by 13 further blacks and two pinks before clearing up the colours to land a record-breaking 153, paving the way for a dominant 5-0 victory.
Ronnie O’Sullivan overtakes Jamie Burnett’s record for the highest break on the World Snooker Tour by hitting a 153 in his quarter-final win over Ryan Day at the World Open in China.
Last Updated: 20/03/26 8:38am
Ronnie O’Sullivan made more snooker history
Ronnie O’Sullivan made the highest break in professional snooker by hitting a 153 at the World Open in China.
The 50-year-old achieved the feat after leaving quarter-final opponent Ryan Day in a snooker at the start of the opening frame, with the Welshman’s failed attempt to get out of it handed O’Sullivan a free ball.
That allowed the seven-time world champion to commence his break with the green, followed by his opening black to put him on eight points before even beginning on the reds.
O’Sullivan then reeled off the 15 reds, accompanied by 13 further blacks and two pinks before clearing up the colours to land a record-breaking 153.
Ronnie O’Sullivan will be competing in the 2026 Seniors Snooker Championship and the World Snooker Championship within just weeks of each other; the 50-year-old won his first world title 25 years ago and looks to add another accolade to his name
Last Updated: 23/02/26 3:44pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan will be going for his eighth world title and first Seniors world title this spring
After a record-equalling seven world titles, Ronnie O’Sullivan will be making his debut on the senior world stage in May at the 2026 World Seniors Snooker Championship.
However, the 50-year-old is still expected to play in the main World Championship, which finishes just two days before the seniors starts, with both events taking place at the Crucible.
Ronnie O’Sullivan tried to defend his first Masters title against Steven Hendry in 1996 as the youngest winner of the title at 19-years and 69 days
He joins an impressive seniors line-up that includes 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham, 12-time women’s world champion Reanne Evans and former Masters and UK champion Matthew Stevens.
Chairman Jason Francis branded O’Sullivan the “most commercially valuable player the sport has ever seen” and that he expects The Rocket’s participation to drive ticket sales even higher.
The seniors tournament will take place May 6-10, being prefaced by World Championship from April 18-May 4.
O’Sullivan relocated to Dubai last year but will spend April and May in Sheffield as he also attempts to win an eighth world title when he appears in his 34th consecutive World Snooker Championship.
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Changes to the seniors tournaments rules have meant players ranked in the world top 64 are eligible to take part with several having taken the opportunity.
With four title wins, the most successful player in the seniors is Jimmy White, with the 10-time ranking event winner also slated to take part.
This comes 25 years after O’Sullivan won his first World Snooker Championship which he won in his 10th year of being a professional at the age of 25, as he seeks to add yet another record to his CV.
