Ronnie O’Sullivan is back in action today at the World Snooker Championship. The Rocket is a seven-time world champion, level at the top with Stephen Hendry, and will hope to stand alone in the Crucible history books by claiming an unprecedented eighth title.
O’Sullivan has entered this year’s tournament shrouded in controversy, having urged snooker chiefs to move the tournament to either Saudi Arabia or China to better accommodate players. His stance has split opinion, with the likes of Hossein Vafaei and Ali Carter in agreement, but O’Sullivan’s idea has largely been dismissed after an incredible opening four days of action already, which has already seen top seeds Luca Brecel, Mark Selby and Mark Williams crash out.
Today’s order of play:
* 10:00 Kyren Wilson 8-1 Dominic Dale
* 10:00 Ding Junhui 4-5 Jack Lisowski
* 14:30 Ronnie O’Sullivan v Jackson Page
* 14:30 Mark Allen 7-2 Robbie Williams
* 19:00 John Higgins v Jamie Jones
* 19:00 Barry Hawkins 4-5 Ryan Day
A look back at yesterday’s action:
Day four of the World Championship brought some exquisite snooker and even more big-name shocks, following on from the exits of last year’s finalists Luca Brecel and Mark Selby. Two ties were decided, as Si Jiahui knocked out Tour Championship winner Mark Williams in a deciding frame. Si had powered ahead in a strong start to the second session, but was pulled back to 9-9 by the three-time world champion. However, the Chinese star had enough nerve to get over the line in the 19th frame.
Robert Milkins similarly sealed a 10-9 win over Pang Junxu to reach the last 16. The morning session saw Kyren Wilson open up a big 8-1 lead over Dominic Dale, while Jack Lisowski and Ding Junhui played out a stunning 5-4 in what could end up becoming the tie of the round. Mark Allen also leads Robbie Williams 7-2, with Welshman Ryan Day 5-4 up against Barry Hawkins. Each of those matches will be completed today.
